Just to add to the others, I would have absolutely no issues flying these aircraft with SN Brussels. Most of their fleet is made up of these planes and the pilots and staff are first rate - they've been through some hard times but are recovering well and making profits these days. The staff really want the airline to succeed and it shows!

SN have their own well regarded maintenance business which is recognised as a specialist for these aircraft types. Several other European operators of these planes have SN do the maintenance for them.

The aircraft are also comfortable, with 5-across seating (most carriers now use 6 across seating on these) and 32-33 inches of seat pitch. You get a snack and full complimentary bar service even on the shortest flights.

The airports are also absolutely fine. BRU is my home airport since I moved here a few months ago, and the security staff take things very seriously. All 3 airports are accredited by the US Department of Transportation as meeting security standards for nonstop flights to the United States, and will be subject to regular checks. MXP and BRU in particular are used by a number of the major US carriers.

WIth BRU, I would also add that transfers are pretty easy here - everything is clearly signposted. Your loved one will arrive in Concourse B, and will depart to MXP from Concourse A. They will need to go through a passport check at BRU (because Italy and Belgium are part of the same immigration zone, meaning they will get their papers checked at BRU but not MXP), but this should take a couple of minutes at most. They will have a 5-7 minute walk between the 2 gate areas, and if the incoming flight is late then SN will usually make sure that someone meets the incoming flight and escorts them over to the connecting flight.

They will not need to reclaim bags at BRU or go through customs, and will get their boarding passes for both flights in PRG.