SN starts NYC ops, eff 01JUN2012
Jan 2, 2012, 9:13 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Hong Kong / Belgium
Programs: BA GGL, LH SEN
Posts: 114
I'd have to check exactly what I've been paying, but I think my east coast flights are usually under 2000EUR. You might be right though, and I may have found a disproportionate number of 'lucky fares'.
Jan 2, 2012, 9:24 am
#17
Join Date: May 2005
Location: BRU
Programs: A3/Gold, BA/Gold + other less precious metals
Posts: 2,641
It is a nice service but I am really not convinced by the timing.
A later departure would be much more convenient for business traffic. You waste almost a day going there (unless you have afternoon meeting in JFK but you are really counting on no delay) and an arrival in BRU at 6AM is too early and you end up in your office at 8AM with a very bad night of sleep. Also, all NA flights leave early from BRU. I am convinced a 3PM departure from BRU and a 10PM departure from JFK would be better.
A later departure would be much more convenient for business traffic. You waste almost a day going there (unless you have afternoon meeting in JFK but you are really counting on no delay) and an arrival in BRU at 6AM is too early and you end up in your office at 8AM with a very bad night of sleep. Also, all NA flights leave early from BRU. I am convinced a 3PM departure from BRU and a 10PM departure from JFK would be better.
Also, even though someone here said this flight is not meant for connecting traffic, I beg to differ. SN is trying to place itself as a major player in Africa and I am pretty sure they are counting on some USA-Africa and v.v. traffic for this. Oh, just look at this: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_u...r/Default.aspx
Jan 3, 2012, 2:50 am
#18
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brussels
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 36
Hum. A horrible thought about this route struck me as I was making my way out of the A terminal last night: Brussels as a transit airport.
Imagine you arrive from somewhere in Europe at gate A5x and need to connect to the NYC flight at B0x (assuming they'll put it with the other North America bound flights at that end of the B terminal - if they put it at B4x, you're really in for a treat) - that's nearly a half hour walk without security checkpoint. All the way through the A pier, a misconfigured pair of escalators if you don't know to take the lift, past security and through the endless tunnel packed with people blocking the moving carpets, up three flights of misconfigured escalators (again, assuming you don't know to take the lift) and then the most boring corridor in the world to the B terminal.
I can see Brussels "working" as a transit airport if you're going from A to T (Africa), but A to B or vice versa makes Frankfurt or Heathrow look good. Unless they arrange frequent bus service from the far end of A to the middle of B? There's a security checkpoint in the "dead tunnel" on the B arrivals level, but I don't think I've ever seen it operate? Does anyone know how they will make this work? Or will transit passengers be advised to be in good shape for a long hike?
(I've been saying since they built it, that whoever decided that putting the A terminal where it is was a good idea, should be made to walk that tunnel for all eternity. If they were smart, they'd have built it where the control tower is, on the other side of the airfield, and furnished it with check-in, baggage handling and passport control and a train station. Not in the middle of the airfield not connected to anything. Come to think of it, the endless tunnel often feels like an afterthought. Did they even consider the possibility that people might want to get in to the building?)
Imagine you arrive from somewhere in Europe at gate A5x and need to connect to the NYC flight at B0x (assuming they'll put it with the other North America bound flights at that end of the B terminal - if they put it at B4x, you're really in for a treat) - that's nearly a half hour walk without security checkpoint. All the way through the A pier, a misconfigured pair of escalators if you don't know to take the lift, past security and through the endless tunnel packed with people blocking the moving carpets, up three flights of misconfigured escalators (again, assuming you don't know to take the lift) and then the most boring corridor in the world to the B terminal.
I can see Brussels "working" as a transit airport if you're going from A to T (Africa), but A to B or vice versa makes Frankfurt or Heathrow look good. Unless they arrange frequent bus service from the far end of A to the middle of B? There's a security checkpoint in the "dead tunnel" on the B arrivals level, but I don't think I've ever seen it operate? Does anyone know how they will make this work? Or will transit passengers be advised to be in good shape for a long hike?
(I've been saying since they built it, that whoever decided that putting the A terminal where it is was a good idea, should be made to walk that tunnel for all eternity. If they were smart, they'd have built it where the control tower is, on the other side of the airfield, and furnished it with check-in, baggage handling and passport control and a train station. Not in the middle of the airfield not connected to anything. Come to think of it, the endless tunnel often feels like an afterthought. Did they even consider the possibility that people might want to get in to the building?)
Jan 3, 2012, 3:10 am
#19
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,162
Also, even though someone here said this flight is not meant for connecting traffic, I beg to differ. SN is trying to place itself as a major player in Africa and I am pretty sure they are counting on some USA-Africa and v.v. traffic for this. Oh, just look at this: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_u...r/Default.aspx
Jan 3, 2012, 6:04 am
#20
Join Date: May 2005
Location: BRU
Programs: A3/Gold, BA/Gold + other less precious metals
Posts: 2,641
Yeah, fair enough and I agree, the LH Group is trying to find the most profitable niches for all its carriers. Getting SN to be "Africa-focused" makes sense, also given the large African communities in Belgium and France, so they would definitely have more point-to-point traffic than, say LH from FRA would, in addition to the connecting traffic.
Jan 3, 2012, 10:07 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Hong Kong / Belgium
Programs: BA GGL, LH SEN
Posts: 114
Jan 4, 2012, 2:15 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brussels
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 36
In New York JFK, Brussels Airlines will be operating from Terminal 1. In Brussels Airport, the plane departs from the Brussels Airlines exclusive long-haul terminal (“T zone”).
http://corporate.brusselsairlines.co...s/Default.aspx
No guessing from my part
Jan 4, 2012, 6:24 am
#23
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Hong Kong / Belgium
Programs: BA GGL, LH SEN
Posts: 114
I have a source, the press release:
In New York JFK, Brussels Airlines will be operating from Terminal 1. In Brussels Airport, the plane departs from the Brussels Airlines exclusive long-haul terminal (“T zone”).
http://corporate.brusselsairlines.co...s/Default.aspx
No guessing from my part
In New York JFK, Brussels Airlines will be operating from Terminal 1. In Brussels Airport, the plane departs from the Brussels Airlines exclusive long-haul terminal (“T zone”).
http://corporate.brusselsairlines.co...s/Default.aspx
No guessing from my part
Jan 4, 2012, 9:26 pm
#25
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Brussels
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 36
Jan 5, 2012, 1:02 am
#26
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: BRU, BE
Programs: LH, United, Hyatt, Air France
Posts: 464
I agree, the Z fare is too expensive on SN. My second big worry is that there is a limited number of connections out of JFK on UA. Still easier to fly to Washington or Newark and get a connection from there on United.
Last edited by Ducatibiker; Jan 5, 2012 at 1:10 am
Jan 10, 2012, 3:32 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: BRU (Belgium)
Programs: UA
Posts: 318
New cabins are being presented at Brussels Airlines:
http://twitpic.com/85k3dd
http://instagr.am/p/f9H7R/
Thanks to Bart Lapers on Twitter
http://twitpic.com/85k3dd
http://instagr.am/p/f9H7R/
Thanks to Bart Lapers on Twitter
Jan 10, 2012, 3:33 am
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: BRU (Belgium)
Programs: UA
Posts: 318
1.200 tickets sold for the flight in the first 24 hours after launch of SN501/2
More info about the new longhaul on SN's site: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_b...xperience.aspx
More info about the new longhaul on SN's site: http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en_b...xperience.aspx
Jan 10, 2012, 7:16 am
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: BRU (Belgium)
Programs: UA
Posts: 318
All A330's (5x A330-300 & 2x A330-200) will have the new cabins at the end of this year. I think that the 5 A333's will be done before the summerseason while the remaining 2 A332's will get their upgrade at the end of the year, after passing the busy summer.