On 8 September 2007, I took for the first time a Brussels Airlines Boeing 737 since the VEX-SNBA. The on-line check-in on the previous day was without problem (exactly 24 hours before departure. I did not work 5 minutes earlier!). I booked seat 5A, in the first row behind b.flex. An excellent seat, with good leg room.
On the departure day I arrived at the airport one hour and fifteen minutes before the scheduled departure time. Enough time to drop my baggage at the drop-off counter where I was told that the gate was A48, to go through the catacombs to the hand baggage scanner and metal detector (no queue, and therefore no dedicated fast lane for b.flex), and finally to the Diners Club lounge for a refreshing Stella Artois.
Date: 8 Sep 2007
Flight TV 3133 (Brussels Airlines Fly), BRU-CTA, codeshared with Brussels Airlines (SN) and Alitalia (AZ)
Boeing 737-300 OO-VEH (winglets)
Seat 5A (window), blue leather (or simili)
STD/actual: 13:35 / 13:35
STA/actual: 16:20 / 16:15
Boarding started 25 minutes before the scheduled departure time and went smoothly (priority was given to b.flex, the first time I saw it happen). The seats were nice-looking dark blue leather and the baggage holds looked quite new. It seems that the interior had been refurbished recently. We were welcomed by two male and one female flight attendants. The flight had a good load factor, as well in b.flex (80%) as in b.light (90%).
Push-back was exactly on-time and the plane took off from the usual 25R. The flight went without problems, first above dense clouds, than the sky cleared up to cross the Alps (marvelous view, which I have literally seen at least a hundred times, but I'm never tired seeing it again), and then over mainland Italy, the Mediterranean sea and finally Sicily with its famous Etna volcano that had erupted 5 days earlier and spread ashes on the runway of Catania airport, which had to be closed for some hours between the Monday and the Tuesday preceding my arrival.
During the flight I had purchased an excelent tuna sandwich (much better than the ham or cheese sandwiches IMHO) and a beer (Maes Piles, alas still the only possible choice, that's why I has a Stella Artois just before departure), for a total of 7 euros.
After landing in Catania on the only Rwy 26, the plane made a U-turn on the runway itself (no taxiway in Catania) and parked in a remote stand (there are only 3 or 4 air bridges.
Another Belgian aircraft was already there, the B738 OO-VAS of JetairFly, as well as several charters from other countries and a couple of Alitalia MD80s. We took the bus to the terminal, and then the only bad part of the trip occurred: we had to wait one hour (not 55 minutes, but exactly 60 minutes) before baggage from our flight appeared on the belt of an otherwise modern airport. Not as bad as the Thomas Cook flight from Brussels, due to arrive at 12:45 and now expected only at 2O:45: one day of vacation lost!
Altogether a nice trip. I feared the worst after reading how cramped the seats are on the former Virgin Express planes, but this was not the case on OO-VEH.
Return flight later!
Brussels-Catania and v/v with Brussels Airlines
Brussels-Catania and v/v with Brussels Airlines
André
ex Sabena #26567
ex Sabena #26567
Thanks for sharing this nice report with us André !!
What about the Diners club lounge ? Is it the one just next to the b.air lounge in terminal A ? Do you also get free snacks with the drinks ? I'm interested cause I'll probably be a member shortly
For the rest I'm looking forward to the return trip. From my side I'll try to write asap the report of my BRU-THF-BRU trip of last week.
Chris
I came to the same conclusion during my Stockholm trip. The ham and cheese sandwiches are too dry and just not as tasty.During the flight I had purchased an excelent tuna sandwich (much better than the ham or cheese sandwiches IMHO)
What about the Diners club lounge ? Is it the one just next to the b.air lounge in terminal A ? Do you also get free snacks with the drinks ? I'm interested cause I'll probably be a member shortly
For the rest I'm looking forward to the return trip. From my side I'll try to write asap the report of my BRU-THF-BRU trip of last week.
Chris
The Diners Club lounge in Terminal A is at the far end of the lounges area, with a view on the DHL parking. In Terminal B it is close to the elevators, with a nice view towards terminals A.Avro wrote:What about the Diners club lounge ? Is it the one just next to the b.air lounge in terminal A ? Do you also get free snacks with the drinks ?
You can get free drinks at will, but no food (except peanuts and speculoos).
André
ex Sabena #26567
ex Sabena #26567
And now the return flight. I had try to check-in on-line the previous day, but it appeared impossible: you have to mention your airport of departure, and Catania was not on the rolling menu.
I arrived at the airport at 15:30 and there was already a long queue at the three check-in counters, one of which was mentioning "brussels airlines" to Brussels, but when you arrived at the desk the clerk would tell you ot was only accepting LTU passengers to Francfort. Another typicial example of the Italian orgaisation...
I was in one of the two other lines (none of which was for b.flex and other priority passengers, by the way). After half an hour, I got my boarding pass for seat 15A. Then started another, much longer, queue for the hand baggage check. During the waiting time it was annçunced that our flight would be delayed until 18:35 (instead of 17:45 STD). Another half hour and I was through the check. Time for a refreshing beer and a long wait. Initially scheduled at gate 6, the boarding was moved to gate 10, which meant a bus transfer. Boarding started at 18:45 and indeed, two buses took the passengers to a remote stand where the 737-300W was waiting.
I hurried to the back entrance while most passengers rushed to the front.
Date: 15 Sep 2007
Flight TV 3134 (Brussels Airlines Fly), CTA-BRU, codeshared with Brussels Airlines (SN) and Alitalia (AZ)
Boeing 737-300 OO-VEG (winglets)
Seat 15A (window), blue leather (or simili)
STD/actual: 17:45 / 19:08
STA/actual: 20:45 / 21:55
The plane had a similar configuration as in the outbound flight. The load factor was close to 100% in both b.flex (24 seats, 4 rows) and in b.light. Seat 15A was way less comfortable than seat 5A though: not much leg room.
The aircraft stared moving with one hour and 23 minutes delay and took off from RWY 26. The captain was quite open about the reasons for the delay: the inbound flight had a technical problem in Brussels and was thus delayed by one hour there. But all had been repaired and the plane was totally safe, dixit the captain.
I was not very hungry after one week of rich Italian food and ordered one Royco chicken soup, a Dole fruit salad and a Spa mineral water, 5 euros altogether.
The captain intervened several times to tell about the route (Genoa, Turin, Geneva, nancy, Luxembourg) and the weather in Brussels (clear sky, 16°C). But the sun had already gone down and there was not much to see.
After a spotless flight, the plane landed one hour and 10 minutes late on RWY 25L and proceeded to gate A50. A nice flight, if it had not been late and somewhat cramped.
I arrived at the airport at 15:30 and there was already a long queue at the three check-in counters, one of which was mentioning "brussels airlines" to Brussels, but when you arrived at the desk the clerk would tell you ot was only accepting LTU passengers to Francfort. Another typicial example of the Italian orgaisation...
I was in one of the two other lines (none of which was for b.flex and other priority passengers, by the way). After half an hour, I got my boarding pass for seat 15A. Then started another, much longer, queue for the hand baggage check. During the waiting time it was annçunced that our flight would be delayed until 18:35 (instead of 17:45 STD). Another half hour and I was through the check. Time for a refreshing beer and a long wait. Initially scheduled at gate 6, the boarding was moved to gate 10, which meant a bus transfer. Boarding started at 18:45 and indeed, two buses took the passengers to a remote stand where the 737-300W was waiting.
I hurried to the back entrance while most passengers rushed to the front.
Date: 15 Sep 2007
Flight TV 3134 (Brussels Airlines Fly), CTA-BRU, codeshared with Brussels Airlines (SN) and Alitalia (AZ)
Boeing 737-300 OO-VEG (winglets)
Seat 15A (window), blue leather (or simili)
STD/actual: 17:45 / 19:08
STA/actual: 20:45 / 21:55
The plane had a similar configuration as in the outbound flight. The load factor was close to 100% in both b.flex (24 seats, 4 rows) and in b.light. Seat 15A was way less comfortable than seat 5A though: not much leg room.
The aircraft stared moving with one hour and 23 minutes delay and took off from RWY 26. The captain was quite open about the reasons for the delay: the inbound flight had a technical problem in Brussels and was thus delayed by one hour there. But all had been repaired and the plane was totally safe, dixit the captain.
I was not very hungry after one week of rich Italian food and ordered one Royco chicken soup, a Dole fruit salad and a Spa mineral water, 5 euros altogether.
The captain intervened several times to tell about the route (Genoa, Turin, Geneva, nancy, Luxembourg) and the weather in Brussels (clear sky, 16°C). But the sun had already gone down and there was not much to see.
After a spotless flight, the plane landed one hour and 10 minutes late on RWY 25L and proceeded to gate A50. A nice flight, if it had not been late and somewhat cramped.
André
ex Sabena #26567
ex Sabena #26567