Brussels to Billund (and back)

Share your experiences about your latest flights: details and pictures are highly appreciated by our community. How do you rate airlines, in-flight meals, frequent flyer programs, etc... join this forum now!
Post Reply
User avatar
Ozzie1969
Posts: 752
Joined: 03 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Brugge, Flanders + Annan, Scotland + Ormoc,Philippines
Contact:

Brussels to Billund (and back)

Post by Ozzie1969 »

Here's a short report on my flight to Billund and back to visit Legoland with my wife and 2 children :

First flight :

Flight date : 19th July 2017

Aircraft type : De Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, registration G-ECOK

FlyBe aircraft fully painted in Brussels Airlines colours.

From Brussels to Billund (BRU-BLL)

Seats : 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D

Scheduled time of departure : 09.40
Effective time of departure : 10.02
Scheduled time of arrival : 11.15
Effective time of arrival : 11.22
Scheduled duration of the flight : 1h 35min
Effective duration of the flight : 1h 20min

Loadfactor : estimated 90%
Catering was free for business passengers (first couple of rows), just a sandwich and a drink with a newspaper. Other passengers had to pay with a credit card to get anything (not many takers there).

At Brussels Airport-Zaventem we were taken to the plane by bus, which only took a few minutes. On arrival at Billund airport we walked from the plane to the airport building across the tarmac (just 30 seconds away). Baggage claim was just a bit slow. One suitcase had a crack in it, the other had it's belt missing.

Image

Second flight :

Flight date : 25th July 2017

Aircraft type : De Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8, registration G-JECN

FlyBe aircraft, no sign of Brussels Airlines on this one.

From Billund to Brussels (BLL-BRU)

Seats : 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D

Scheduled time of departure : 18.25
Effective time of departure : 18.27
Scheduled time of arrival : 19.55
Effective time of arrival : 19.47
Scheduled duration of the flight : 1h 30min
Effective duration of the flight : 1h 20min

Loadfactor : estimated 85%
Catering same as the first flight.

A short walk across the tarmac at Billund Airport brought us to our plane. On arrival at Brussels Airport (after another short tarmac walk to the airport building) we had the usual long walk to the baggage claim area (dumbest airport design in the world), just in time to see our suitcases appear on the belt. My youngest son's brand new suitcase had it's handle broken. So I had to go to the lost and found desk to file a claim. The man was helpful and friendly, so I didn't do what I had planned to do : ask him how it is that every time I use Brussels Airport, there's damage to my luggage (and I mean EVERY time !).

Image

User avatar
sn26567
Posts: 40828
Joined: 13 Feb 2003, 00:00
Location: Rosières/Rozieren, Belgium
Contact:

Re: Brussels to Billund (and back)

Post by sn26567 »

Sorry to hear for your luggage. I guess you were born under a bad star because I seldom hear complaints about luggage transported by SN.

You spent quite a long time at Legoland :)

I made a similar trip a few months ago, but I came back the same day and I had no problem whatsoever with my flights (both on the same Q400 without SN livery).
André
ex Sabena #26567

User avatar
Comet
Posts: 6481
Joined: 05 Jul 2003, 00:00
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Contact:

Re: Brussels to Billund (and back)

Post by Comet »

The only time I had a luggage problem at BRU was in 2006 when British Airways didn't manage to put our bags on the plane. Every time we've flown with SN, bmi and VLM there has never been a problem. We've always found the handlers at BRU to be very efficient and our luggage has never been damaged.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

User avatar
Ozzie1969
Posts: 752
Joined: 03 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Brugge, Flanders + Annan, Scotland + Ormoc,Philippines
Contact:

Re: Brussels to Billund (and back)

Post by Ozzie1969 »

I guess I'm just an unlucky so-and-so then. In fact the only times I didn't have damaged luggage was on a trip to Manila and a trip to Adelaide, but on both occasions I had arrived at my destination while my luggage was still in Brussels Airport (did get it after a few days, luckily). The other times I didn't have damaged luggage was when I started my trip in AMs or CDG... I did once see luggage being thrown out of a plane right onto the tarmac at AMS, though. The man obviously didn't want to wait for the baggage car to arrive...

User avatar
Ozzie1969
Posts: 752
Joined: 03 Sep 2004, 00:00
Location: Brugge, Flanders + Annan, Scotland + Ormoc,Philippines
Contact:

Re: Brussels to Billund (and back)

Post by Ozzie1969 »

A little update on my damaged luggage :

I heard absolutely nothing more from Brussels Airlines or Brussels Airport, so I started snooping around on the internet and found that there is a company called DOLFI that handles these matters for Brussels Airlines. So I made an appointment with them.

They were going to come to my house on August 31st between 9am and 12am to look at my damaged luggage and decide whether it could still be repaired or not.

I'm still waiting.

My next flight will be from CDG. Or Schiphol. Or anywhere. As long as it's not BRU. As long as it's not with Brussels Airlines. They won't care, of course. I'm just a paying customer.

Post Reply