Connecting in Brussels [BRU]

Old Nov 25, 2018, 1:12 pm
  #271  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: BRS (Bristol, UK)
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I really don't understand why sterile non-Schengen arrivals (e.g. ex-UK) can't be landed into the B-pier departure area, rather than having to go through security again. That's the standard procedure at MUC / ZRH etc. It's ridiculous to do the short hop from from BRS-BRU and then have to trek through unncessary security again at BRU, before either going upstairs for another non-Schengen destination, or through transfer immigration and into the A-pier

I did email BRU airport this question, and never got an answer, but then given the relentless mediocity of BRU, I wasn't terribly surprised about that.
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Old Jan 1, 2019, 4:10 pm
  #272  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
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Just booked the following and now wondering if there will be enough time for transfer.

ORD-BRU on UA in C
BRU-Kigali in C

Assume will land in B, then need to transit to T?

No checked bags.

Connection time is 1:30.

Thoughts?

Last edited by zdog2x; Jan 1, 2019 at 4:21 pm Reason: Added bags
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Old Jan 2, 2019, 11:23 am
  #273  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Originally Posted by zdog2x
Just booked the following and now wondering if there will be enough time for transfer.

ORD-BRU on UA in C
BRU-Kigali in C

Assume will land in B, then need to transit to T?

No checked bags.

Connection time is 1:30.

Thoughts?
B to T is correct. Take the bus at gate B93. It will take you to T. No customs etc. Use the Sunrise Lounge at T. 90 minutes should be plenty.
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Old Jan 2, 2019, 11:24 am
  #274  
 
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Originally Posted by Ghentleman
B to T is correct. Take the bus at gate B93. It will take you to T. No customs etc. Use the Sunrise Lounge at T. 90 minutes should be plenty.
Thank you! Much appreciated.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 7:37 pm
  #275  
 
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: EWR and KGL (with occasional home/work trips to NRT/ITM)
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Originally Posted by zdog2x
Just booked the following and now wondering if there will be enough time for transfer.

ORD-BRU on UA in C
BRU-Kigali in C

Assume will land in B, then need to transit to T?

No checked bags.

Connection time is 1:30.

Thoughts?
I am not sure if you have already taken trip but just in case.

I do connect at BRU to Kigali once every quarter for the past 9 years for work (not from ORD but from EWR) so here is my 2 cents. Make sure that when you get out of the plane, you go up the ramp so that you have direct access to terminal B boarding area. Since US flights are sterile, you do not need to go through another security. It may be little hard to notice as the sign is not very explicit but that should save 10~15min from the transit. If I recall correctly, UA flight from ORD should arrive somewhere around B7~B11 Gates.

The transfer bus runs from next to B80/B98 bus gates (opposite end). You go downstair to catch the bus at the tarmac level through a ramp next to B28 Gate. The bus runs every 10 minutes so if you miss one, you may need to wait for another 10min. T teminal's Sunrise Lounge could be quite busy around that time so you may have hard time finding an empty seat but it is a nice place to wait (I usually take shower there as it wil be another 7+ hrs to KGL) until the lounge agent makes announcement for boarding.

Kigali airport is small and should not take long time to clear immigration (there is a Business class lane for immigration if you already have VISA on hand). Kigali is very safe and clean city (well Rwanda in general is) so hope you will enjoy Rwanda.

Last edited by Atuchan; Jan 30, 2019 at 7:43 pm
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Old May 17, 2019, 8:05 am
  #276  
 
Join Date: May 2019
Location: US, Austria
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After reading through a good deal of this forum I'm starting to think I'll be ok, however I'd appreciate any possible sanity checks as I've never transited via BRU (only flown into or out of).

Flying VIE-BRU-BHX on SN, carry-on only, the advertised layover is 1hr25min.

I suppose it's the 43% on-time rating for the VIE-BRU flight which gives me pause.

Last edited by atomicpedals; May 17, 2019 at 8:06 am Reason: Clarity
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Old May 20, 2019, 4:07 pm
  #277  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
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Looks like I've got another BRU connection question. Traveling LIS-BRU-IAD and originally had an almost 1:40 layover that due to schedule changes is now down to 1:15.

LIS-BRU departs 7:00 and arrives 10:45. TP646
BRU-IAD departs 12 noon.

From flightaware.com it looks like TP646 is almost always late by 10-20 mins. We're up front (row 2) with carry-on, but yikes that seems really tight.

Thoughts?
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Old Jul 6, 2019, 12:14 pm
  #278  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
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To wrap up my question from last year: I had a 70 min connection at BRU, from GVA-BRU to Bru-YYZ. GVA to Bru was 10 mins early, and that saved the day... I needed every minute to get through passport control. The line went all the way back to the furthest security screening tables.

I got thru passport control just as they were announcing that they were about to b close my flight, so I ran the whole way and made it. Luckily, I'm in good shape and my luggage is a light backpack.
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Old Jul 6, 2019, 1:11 pm
  #279  
 
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Originally Posted by lobo411
To wrap up my question from last year: I had a 70 min connection at BRU, from GVA-BRU to Bru-YYZ. GVA to Bru was 10 mins early, and that saved the day... I needed every minute to get through passport control. The line went all the way back to the furthest security screening tables.

I got thru passport control just as they were announcing that they were about to b close my flight, so I ran the whole way and made it. Luckily, I'm in good shape and my luggage is a light backpack.
Glad it worked out for you. If you have to go through passport control, then there's a huge difference in terms of how close you can cut it at BRU depending on whether you have an EU passport or not (the same could be said at US airports where with Global Entry you could be done in 1 minute whereas the line for non-US citizens/residents can take hours). It's not always bad but you can't assume that it won't be.
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Old Jul 11, 2019, 1:55 pm
  #280  
 
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You've probably already made the trip but I agree, 1 hour to walk from A to B and go through passport control is tight. If you have a EU passport it's less stressful, IF the automatic gates work and there isn't some kind of strike/work by the book action from the Federal Police.
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Old Jul 27, 2019, 8:22 am
  #281  
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Am I right that if I'm flying MAN-BRU-ORD then I won't have to clear passport control or security in BRU? I should arrive and depart from B gates, right?

As a secondary question, does anyone know why United says that in BRU you have to be at the gate 60 minutes before departure (as opposed to the usual 30 minutes)?
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Old Jul 28, 2019, 2:20 am
  #282  
 
Join Date: May 2006
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BRU isn't that well organised, unfortunately. All my ex-UK arrivals (which are sterile flights) have been landed into the general arrivals zone, meaning you have to go through transfer security again before going back upstairs. (It's ridiculous, but BRU have never bothered to reply to my intermittent questions about why they can't land UK flights into the sterile departures area).

You need to be at the gate earlier for secondary screening and passport revalidation. You may get randomly selected for an additional pat down and bag check.
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Old Jul 28, 2019, 2:26 am
  #283  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Barcelona, Catalunya
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Originally Posted by swiftaw
Am I right that if I'm flying MAN-BRU-ORD then I won't have to clear passport control or security in BRU? I should arrive and depart from B gates, right?
Passport control, no. But you will have to clear security again. So you'll have to walk the length of pier B, go up one level, clear security, then walk along pier B again to your gate.

Added after seeing BristolTraveller's post: at BRU the "safe" countries are the same as the Schengen area, I assume for practical reasons (the airport only needs to be divided in 2 areas).
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Old Jul 28, 2019, 4:52 pm
  #284  
 
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At MUC, intermittently at FRA, ZRH, you can be landed directly into the non-Schengen departure area. If you're making a non-Schengen connection, you just walk to the gate, no passports, no security. If you're connecting into Schengen, you just do passports. It's the most efficient it could be.
​​​​​​
BRU could do the same by landing ex-UK flights into the Departures area of B (let people walk *up* the ramp to the gate area). If you need to go to the A pier, just go through passports. I don't think it compromises any security or immigration controls at all?
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Old Jul 29, 2019, 12:40 am
  #285  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Barcelona, Catalunya
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Originally Posted by BristolTraveller
BRU could do the same by landing ex-UK flights into the Departures area of B (let people walk *up* the ramp to the gate area). If you need to go to the A pier, just go through passports.
But you'd create an extra "flow" of people, leaving the secure B area, with the infrastructure that goes with it. The way they do things now (Schengen = safe, the rest is not) they do not have to worry about it. Not great if you arrive from the UK, but easier to organise.

BRU has other rarities, seemingly because they are easier to organise: at customs, there is no "EU" channel (arrivals from EU countries). Everybody goes through the main green/red exits. (In the capital of the EU, of all places, you'd expect them to follow the EU guidelines...)
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