malmostoso

I'm in BRU right now, just used the new connector. Lovely new building, security is completely changed with a nicely separate fast lane.

Unfortunately now to reach the gates you have to go through the duty-free, and the walk to the A gates is now quite long.

Overall no time improvement for a simple Schengen departure, possibly better for a connection.

Ghentleman

Haven't been there myself yet but confirms what I was afraid of: more "exit through the gift shop" instead of offering the shortest route.
After I saw what they did to the B pier, I'm not surprised: they now make you make a loop through the tax free. Employees can open a door and take a shortcut. I think it shows disdain for passengers.

Koby

It's a trend in airports in general. My home airport (BCN) is so bad that people here call it a shopping mall with a parking for airplanes.

There is only one thing that we, as passengers, can do to react (short of avoiding certain airports, which is not always possible): do not spend any money whatsoever in the airport.

MichielR

+1 for security, long walk and then forced shopping tour.

The only improvement is the security arrangements, though even there they could have extended the "packing area" as this is just too small. Liquids to be hand checked, for all passengers, and not put in a tray, why o why?

The shops are a funnel, I wouldn't want to be trying to catch a flight and being held up there.

Same upon arrival where all pax are forced up on two narrow escalators.

Must have been the same people who designed the A pier who got a second chance to fail with this connector.

malmostoso

Absolutely agree with all you said. The security area is indeed cumbersome and the belt moves very quickly.
As for the liquids in hand I don't know, I guess it's something that will change. Or not, it's BRU after all.

trouble_

You can get around the enforced shopping detour by taking the lift down instead of the escalators. Since the natives don't know how to use escalators (stand to one side - don't block them!), the lifts are faster anyway.

There's also a "staff only" escalator but it's pointed the wrong way (up, not down). The "emergency stop" button on this escalator is where you'd expect it to be. Not that I'd ever suggest shortcuts like that.

trouble_

Both shortcuts have been "optimised" away in the past week or two. You now need a staff RFID token to get out of the lift on the side that doesn't take you through the shopping circus. They've also added a gate in front of the misdirected escalator.

Furthermore, they have enhanced the shopping experience with some extra construction hurdles in the middle of the least circuitous path through.

As far as I can tell, the fastest way to get from "security" to the gate currently is by jogging through the shopping circus, knocking over or moving out of the way obstacles (displays, tourists, ...) as you encounter them.

Typical Belgian approach to efficiency: banned nationwide.

MichielR

Since when? The elevator was available to me last Monday to shortcircuit the shopping circus.

You might still be able to circumvent the barriers in front of the staff escalator as they leave half a meter of space in between, though i haven't tried that yet.

On a different note, the lounge is often full to capacity, and on both occasions this week I was there, not a clean glass could be found.

Ghentleman

I went trough on Monday 27th too but wasn't able to exit the elevator at the "staff only" exit. I think I will start knocking a display with expensive Whiskey over every time I go trough (oepsie!) until they get it.

Koby

Not on purpose of course... But when I'm running late for a flight I tend to be a bit less careful with where I walk. Not my fault that they made the route longer than it should be, and that I have to walk faster as a result.

trouble_

This was last Friday afternoon. I had the 18:05 flight to FRA. Amusingly, while waiting to board, someone with an iPad asked me some customer (dis)satisfaction questions. I certainly shared my views... Politely but firmly.

Oh, that's good to know. I didn't even take a closer look at the escalator after noticing that they'd put a silly gate in front of it.

I don't mind airports routing tourists who show up to the airport three hours early for their annual trip to the beach or the mountains through a shopping circus. It's ridiculous that they don't provide any shortcuts for those of us who travel regularly. I hope they don't believe that we're more likely to buy anything from the shopping circus by annoying us.

I always go to the SK lounge. Since the escalators started feeding people pretty much directly into the SN lounge, the SK lounge is often mostly empty.

Has anyone discovered the quickest way out of the circus on arrival yet? I get back to BRU on Wednesday morning.

Ghentleman

Getting out is simple, no "exit through the gift shop".

Koby

But now you have to walk all the way, no more moving walkway (and the distance is the same of course).

oliver2002

Took me ages last week to get out. Walk 50m turn left, 20m turn right, 50 turn left, some construction, some escalator... OK its Belgium ... but still!

nanyang

Unless one takes the view that the non-aviation revenue in fact subsidises the actual flight operations - without all that commercial activity, airports would need to generate those revenues from other sources...