So the fantastic first class flights are over (but what an experience!), just another three intra-European flights left to get me home.
As I said in the beginning of this report one of my objectives with the ticket was to try as many airlines as possible in premium cabins, and I am happy to say I managed to include as many as 10 airlines in the itinerary, the last airline being BMI British Midland.
BMI is by no means a new airline to me, I have been a frequent flyer on the London-Paris route for quite some time, but I had never tried BMI in business class before. Well business class is only offered on four routes nowadays and London-Paris is not one of them.
However London-Brussels is one of the routes, so time to test BMI in the front of the bus!
I arrived at Brussels airport one and a half hour before departure.
The premium check-in counter was empty so I was quickly checked in by a very pleasant woman.
She was a bit surprised to see how much luggage I had (and the weight of it), and even more surprised to see the itinerary of the trip I was about to finish (printed at the back of my ticket).
Well the weight was not a problem as piece concept applies to round the world ticket, and even without out it it would still not have been a problem with my extra 20 kg as Star gold and a business class ticket.
I had flown out of Brussels several times before, but almost exclusively to Schengen destinations, so I got a brief explanation how to get to the BMI lounge which is in the non-Schengen zone of the airport (UK is not part of the Schengen agreement).
Not a lot of people in the terminal this afternoon, so both passport and security were very quick with hardly any lines at all.
After a quick look in the tax-free shops I made my way to the BMI lounge located on the first floor above the non-Schengen pier.
Pics
The non-Schengen transit hall at Brussels airport
BMI Business class lounge, Brussels
In the non-Schengen pier in Brussels there is a lounge corridor where all the lounges are located, I think there are four or five lounges in total, among those the BA and BMI lounges.
The BMI lounge was at the very end of the corridor and I was welcomed at the reception by a woman who was very friendly but otherwise seemed bored as there was not much going on.
The lounge itself was pretty empty, not more than 6-7 people inside.
It had the standard BMI lounge design with the standard blue sofas (which are actually pretty comfortable) and a standard BMI self-service buffet area.
Some cocktail snacks and cookies were available at the buffet but no proper food which is something I have always missed in the BMI lounges, at least some sandwiches would be nice.
The drinks selection was quite good though, but the spirits were in optics. That used to be the main difference between the Diamond Clubs (for gold card holders) and the Business class lounges, in the Diamond Clubs the spirits are in bottles, in the business lounges in optics, not sure if that’s still true.
I had something to eat and drink and browsed through some newspapers. Unfortunately there are no toilets in the lounge, so you have to use the public ones in the middle of the lounge corridor if you need to go.
They usually make boarding announcements in the BMI lounges, but when there were only 25 mins left before departure and no announcement had yet been made I decided to leave anyway.
Pics
The entrance to the BMI lounge in Brussels
Inside the lounge
The self-service buffet area
Newspapers and magazines
Brussels-London/Heathrow, flight BD 150 operated by BMI British Midland
Departure: 15:10
Arrival: 15:20
Aircraft: Airbus A319
Class: Business Class
Seat: 01F
Just as I got to the gate the boarding announcement was made and I could walk almost straight onboard.
Five rows were used for business class onboard, but the load was light in both business class and economy class so I got my own row, as did almost all business class passengers.
Boarding was completed well before departure but due to ATC restrictions in London we had to wait almost half an hour on the ground in Brussels before we were allowed to depart.
Brussels airport was fairly quiet this afternoon, so once we had permission to leave we taxied and took off almost immediately, after all it was the British ATC who wanted us to wait on the ground.
On the short flight to London they served a bento box in business class with a choice of two different sandwiches. The one I had was egg and mayonnaise, I can’t remember what the other option was, probably nothing spectacular, and apparently nothing worth remembering.
The box also contained some fresh fruit, some slices of apple, and well that’s about it!
They also offered a full bar service in business class, and they did have champagne onboard. Tea and coffee were also served.
Overall the food was OK, it was only a short flight to London so I understand that time is a limitation for the inflight service. But I have flown BMI for quite a few years now, and just two years ago this was basically what you got for free in economy class, before the “Tiny fare”-madness started.
Well you didn’t get the champagne of course, and not the fruit, and it was not packed in a box, but other than that it was exactly the same. Two sandwiches on offer (the same ones as now), and all drinks free of charge including wine and beer.
So although I have nothing really to complain about I can’t help feeling a bit sad to see how much BMI has gone downhill over the last years.
The service onboard was allright and the flight attendants were friendly and courteous, but the service was by no means exceptional.
The service was a bit rushed, which is understandable considering the short flight time so the passengers have time to eat. But when we reached London we were directed to a holding pattern (the good old Lambourne!) and we actually had to hold there for as long as 20 minutes before starting our final approach to Heathrow. That’s quite a lot of time making the flight time significantly longer.
The crew could have used those extra 20 minutes to offer more drinks and take care of the passengers (especially as there was a business class cabin onboard), but instead they gathered in the galley to chat (all of them) and were not to be seen until the last check of the cabin minutes before landing.
As I said I have no real complaints about the flight, it’s just a bit sad to see what has happened to this airline. A few years ago I thought BMI had among the best FAs in the air and the service was very decent, even in economy. Obviously not quite the same now. Oh well…
Due to the late departure and the long wait in the holding pattern we landed 25 minutes late at Heathrow.
As I sat on the right side of the plane and we landed on runway 27R (as the planes do most of the time) I got a very nice view of central London during the approach and decided to take some pics this time.
Well at least there was no line at all at passport control in terminal 1, and baggage delivery started almost immediately.
It seems like most passengers onboard had connections at Heathrow because less than 10 bags came out at the baggage reclaim.
Pics
The BMI A319 at the gate in Brussels
The business class cabin onboard
The bento box offered in business class
The bento box opened and a bottle of champagne
Great view of central London during the approach to Heathrow
Another view of central London, Buckingham Palace and London Eye are easy to recognise for example