This flight report has been posted on www.airliners.net as well for those interested.
BRU-THF 07/09/2007
Airline: brussels airlines
Aircraft: Avro RJ100
Registration: OO-DWA
Flight: SN 2587
Seat: 16A
Boarding started on time and the flight was not completely full but nonetheless well booked in b.light. The b.flex class had also a few passengers. So it’s not always empty as some might think
The boarding went quickly and I was lucky to have a free seat next to me
. The view from row 16 is pretty good as well for those interested in the views outside. As soon as everybody was seated the usual safety announcements where made in the different languages. The announcements from the flight deck were unfortunately barely audible as the microphone didn’t seem to work very well. Once all the checks were made we quickly started our taxi towards runway 25R. As always on SN’s Avros the pitch was ok and the seats comfortable. Especially when you’re the only one in your row :-p The take off roll was probably heavily de-rated as it took more than 35 seconds (longer than I used to experience in BRU) for the plane to accelerate and to get airborne. We took off over Brussels before we made the classic left turn towards Germany. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to see a lot of the city of Brussels as the weather was not the best with a very low ceiling.
Once we emerged above the clouds with the sun coming through the cabin, it was time for the FA’s to start the inflight service. The b.light passengers first got their Menus while the b.flex passengers were served their meals. As it was time for a snack I bought a pack of Pringles chips and had a Maes beer with that. It couldn’t be better !! After a long day in grey and rainy Belgium I could enjoy a nice beer having a wonderful sight on the different cloud formations outside !!
The rest of the flight was uneventful. The arrival into Berlin Templehof is pretty exciting though !! We landed on runway 27L which means that you get very close the apartment buildings when you land. If you have good eyes you can see people inside the apartments
Once we landed we parked under the very well known and famous roof in Berlin.
All in all the crew performed their job in a professional way being very friendly. Brussels airlines managed to bring me once more from A to B on time with a comparable service as other low costs.
THF-BRU 08/09/2007
Airline: brussels airlines
Aircraft: BAe 146-200
Registration: OO-DJE
Flight: SN 2586
Seat: 3F
After a short but very nice stay in Berlin it was time to head back towards Brussels. This time it would be OO-DJE which would take us back to Belgium. And what a nice surprise to see that I would finally get the opportunity to flya a BAe146-200 of SN
With its 17 years of service OO-DJE is the oldest plane in the entire Brussels airlines fleet. Once again the crew proceeded with the boarding on time and the passengers were quickly seated. It’s a nice feeling when you get to walk to the aircraft which is parked under the roof.
The b.flex section was this time empty as there were only 2 passengers in the two rows. The b.light section was not entirely full but well booked as there weren’t that much free seats left.
The crew introduced themselves and made the usual announcements. We also had some communications from the flightdeck as this time the microphone had no problems
Once all checks were performed the plane quickly taxied towards runway 27L. As Tempelhof has a short runway the brakes where applied while you could hear the four engines spooling up rapidly. Once the sound was stabilized you could hear the cabin shaking all the way and we stayed at full power with brakes on for several seconds. Then the brakes where rapidly released and the plane accelerated like a rocket. After a very short take-off roll we where airborne. You could see some parts of the city from the plane, but again the weather wasn’t great with some light train. As the ceiling was very low we quickly disappeared into the clouds.
Once in flight the crew handed over the menus to the b.light passengers. Quickly after it was time to buy the food. As I was again in the mood to have a snack I decided to take the same as for the inbound flight: A Pringles box and a Maes beer. While eating the chips and drinking my beer I enjoyed the great view outside and the nice view on the engine I had. Here a picture I took during the flight:
The rest of the flight was uneventful and the crew worked again in a professional and friendly way!! We landed on time on runway 25L and stopped on a remote parking near the old C terminal.
All in all, my second experience with b.light was positive as my first flights. I had again two enjoyable flights and SN managed to bring me from A to B on time.
I hope you enjoyed the report.
Chris
