B.flex B.Light

[Ducatibiker]

I am sure they have read the article in l'Echo...and if I were them, I would start asking myself some serious questions. It is a flat world and any one on this planet has access and can read those lines !

[Tommypilot]

Once, SN Brussels Airlines was a 4 star airliner ....

Was it really?? Well I should give them 3 stars now and Lufthansa 5 then!
This classification is just unrelevant!

[FLY4HOURS.BE]

The argument that would Sabena have been kept alive, there would be less social benefits to pay to the unemployed... therefore subsidising could be justified.

First of all, many found another job

I agree, many have found another job, but this means that many positions that were available were taken and that the unemployed people had less chances of finding any left as Sabena people got priority 1 in many cases....

EU regulations do not prevent an airline to be subsided by their nation if the subsidies are justified. As my previous post shows it, they would have been justified in the case of Sabena.

[Airbus330lover]

Once, SN Brussels Airlines was a 4 star airliner ....

Was it really?? Well I should give them 3 stars now and Lufthansa 5 then!
This classification is just unrelevant!

Unrelevant ?
Not sure but relevant at time T.
The classifiaction can be revised in a minimum of time. and downgrade is easier than upgrade....

[eurofighter]

The argument that would Sabena have been kept alive, there would be less social benefits to pay to the unemployed... therefore subsidising could be justified.

First of all, many found another job

I agree, many have found another job, but this means that many positions that were available were taken and that the unemployed people had less chances of finding any left as Sabena people got priority 1 in many cases....

EU regulations do not prevent an airline to be subsided by their nation if the subsidies are justified. As my previous post shows it, they would have been justified in the case of Sabena.

The EU regulations indeed have some flexibility, but only for specific operations and/or routes, not for an airline that is fundamentally unhealthy like f.e. Alitalia. The European Commission has been quite strict so far an carefully checks any subsidy or hand out from the Italian government.

[Air Key West]

Under EU regulations subsidies are practically excluded. The problem with b.air is that major decisions are made by the Board of Directors (Raad van Bestuur/ Conseil d'Administration) composed of the people who put up the money to lauch snba. The captains of Belgian industry are certainly experts in their fields of activity, but I suspect only a small number of them really understand the airline business well and probably only an even smaller number has a passion for aviation). So, we are back in a sabena-like situation (not totally but to some extent). And management have shown they don't have a passion for aviation either, the feeling one gets in the outside world is that they don't really know what they are doing and what they should be doing (they could as well work for a major multinational selling cans of soup). Philippe Van der Putten has some extenuating circumstances (circonstances atténuantes/verzachtende omstandigheden) since most decisions which are being implemented now, where made by the Board of Directors before VDP's appointment. So, I will leave him the benefit of the doubt, but he has inherited a team of disappointing managers to say the least (as I perceive them from outside, Head of Operations left because of the turnaround times for planes, Customer Relations unsatisfactory, Head of Communication no longer credible to me ; but that is my own experience only). Yet, all this makes me think of the way sabena was managed......mainly by apprentice wizards (apprentis sorciers/leerlingen tovenaar). No one would dare to serve Belgian passengers a chocolate (in b.flex) which tastes like an English four letter word (Head of inflight services does not understands the consequences of his choices). I feel ashamed for him. Belgium is the land (not of milk and honey) but of chocolate and beer. You can only serve good quality beer and chocolate on a Belgian airline (I'm not asking for Neuhaus pralines nor for Leffe or Hoegaarden beer, however the latter would be a very nice gesture to compensate for the mistake that are being made now in terms of catering, and a Cote d'Or mignonette would probably costs less than 10 cents ; cannot you afford that b.air ?

[Ducatibiker]

Well, I am asking for the chocolat Cote d'Or, the Champagne and much more attention to details ! I fly a lot and the plane becomes both my office and my dining room. I need the space to work and something to feed me. Some distances are not short - Brussels/Spain or Brussels/Stockolm and 15 gr of chicken and bad wine does not help me.

the 'R' - not RER - but B.flex Economy + (I still laugh when I write this booking class description) gives mostly the freedom to Brussels Airlines to upgrade people and fill those front seats in case of over booking. I always refused to have someone next to me in C on SNBA pointing out that the competition was blocking the middle seat. With 'R' - not RER but F.flex Economy + Service - 15 gr of chicken - Here you are still in economy so they do what they want with the seats and will not hesite to put someone in 2B - The middle seat is the worse seat for any experience traveller - in any class !

By now you see where I am heading. With today's information available on the web, I just wish the management would be more informed and inspired about their product. Indeed, they do not have the curiosity to learn what is going on neither do they have the passion. In today's flat world CQ (curiosity) + PQ (passion) > IQ (intellectual).

[Air Key West]

If b.air doesn't improve catering in b.flex I will continue what I'have decided to do since the introduction of the new concept and since I have come to the conclusion that it does not meet my standards. If I decide to fly b.air I'll make sure I get a cheap fare in b.light, I make sure to have a good book for the flight and during one of two hours, I read my book and shut myself off the world around me. And with the money I'm saving, I can easily go to the competition and buy a real Business class ticket when b.air's b.flex fares are ridiculously high for the service you get onboard. And with the money I'm saving, I might even buy a First class ticket on a long haul flight (of course, also with the competition since b.air does not have First class on African flights). In my case, the bottom light for b.air is : less revenue for b.air and more revenue going to the competition.