BRU winter 09-10: latest news, routes, airlines

[Conti764]

It was American Airlines intention to start a small hub at Brussels Airport. We are now 10 months further and we saw in meantime that Jet airways has the intention to work together with American Airlines. Will they feed each other flights?

It would be a wise move for both parties. Like this, AA has good connections to India while 9W has a good American partner for their North-American flights, centralising at 9W's scissor hub at BRU. Maybe Naresh Goyal and the likes came back to earth and realised they can't take on the world on their own and in stead have a more moderate and realistic attitude. It also sheds more light at the rumors we heard months ago about 9W joining Oneworld.

BRU is currently the only major airport in North(-West) Europe which is still available. Sure, BA is a Oneworld member airline, but their home base LHR is saturated and slot limited. All the other major airports are either Star Alliance or Skyteam, accept for MAD, which is Iberia (Oneworld) homeground. So before SN becomes a full Star Alliance member, turning BRU into another Star Alliance hub, it could be possible AA and 9W are setting their feet at BRU, competing head on with Star Alliance for the vulnerable transatlantic market.

However, I do see Star Alliance win the 'battle for BRU' and both 9W and AA eventually moving to another airport. Maybe to MAD (Iberia) or even MAN (BA scaled down their MAN ops and FR leaves the airport so alot of extra capacity comes available).

These are my opinions about what we are seeing in Brussels these days. I don't claim to know it all, but what i do know is that things have changed drastically in a short time and we still haven't seen the end of development at BRU. The airport has a bright future ahead.

[fretn]

Indeed as you have stated, since the takeover by lufthansa, the airport is back in the spotlight of "the major players".

[Atlantis]

I saw something strange on the UA site. There is a flight loaded in their bookingengine with flight number
UA934 LAX - LHR with a connection to BRU with number UA938 LHR - BRU with a B777 and an arrival on 03.35PM in BRU. This looks like the same flighthours like the previous announced second ORD - BRU. But the numbers are different and there is a plane switch in LHR from a B777 to a B767 while LAX - BRU and BRU - LAX are whole the time in a B777.

Someone with more info?

[Conti764]

Someone with more info?

Maybe a test to see how many people fly LAX-BRU-LAX? Or am I too hopeful now?

[Bralo20]

I saw something strange on the UA site. There is a flight loaded in their bookingengine with flight number
UA934 LAX - LHR with a connection to BRU with number UA938 LHR - BRU with a B777 and an arrival on 03.35PM in BRU. This looks like the same flighthours like the previous announced second ORD - BRU. But the numbers are different and there is a plane switch in LHR from a B777 to a B767 while LAX - BRU and BRU - LAX are whole the time in a B777.

Someone with more info?

I told this from the beginning the LHR-BRU flight was announced... The BRU-LHR flight is the LAX flight and not the ORD flight. Why they are using the ORD flightnumber is unknown to me.

The BRU-LHR-LAX flight & back was bookable from the beginning the LHR-BRU flight was added. No plane change involved, only a "technical stop" (with change of flightnumbers).

So yes, this winter there is a direct United BRU-LAX flight available passing through Heatrow, only it was not commercially announced (actually neither was the BRU-LHR leg).

[euroflyer]

I saw something strange on the UA site. There is a flight loaded in their bookingengine with flight number
UA934 LAX - LHR with a connection to BRU with number UA938 LHR - BRU with a B777 and an arrival on 03.35PM in BRU. This looks like the same flighthours like the previous announced second ORD - BRU. But the numbers are different and there is a plane switch in LHR from a B777 to a B767 while LAX - BRU and BRU - LAX are whole the time in a B777.

Someone with more info?

I told this from the beginning the LHR-BRU flight was announced... The BRU-LHR flight is the LAX flight and not the ORD flight. Why they are using the ORD flightnumber is unknown to me.

The BRU-LHR-LAX flight & back was bookable from the beginning the LHR-BRU flight was added. No plane change involved, only a "technical stop" (with change of flightnumbers).

So yes, this winter there is a direct United BRU-LAX flight available passing through Heatrow, only it was not commercially announced (actually neither was the BRU-LHR leg).

I guess the LHR-BRU leg will not be available for people starting the journey in London ? And the return flight from BRU to LHR (and than to LAX) will not be available for pax only going to LHR ? Or does UA have traffic rights for intra-EU flights ? Would that be possible to achieve via a code-share with SN or bmi ? And would it work regarding the immigration controls etcetera ? UA would probably make sure that all pax leave the plane in LHR who have no VISA etcetera for the US ... ... ?????

[Bralo20]

I guess the LHR-BRU leg will not be available for people starting the journey in London ? And the return flight from BRU to LHR (and than to LAX) will not be available for pax only going to LHR ? Or does UA have traffic rights for intra-EU flights ? Would that be possible to achieve via a code-share with SN or bmi ? And would it work regarding the immigration controls etcetera ? UA would probably make sure that all pax leave the plane in LHR who have no VISA etcetera for the US ... ... ?????

BRU-LHR-BRU is bookable but not (yet) through the UA site. It is however possible to book those flights through a travelagent.

UA and other US carriers have traffic rights to perform "domestic" flights within the EU so they can actually carry passengers on the BRU-LHR-BRU route. But I think it's only possible when a flight continues to or originates from the US.

[SabenaForever]

Vueling will suspend Sevilla-Brussels this Winter, normaly it will restart next Summer!

[hmv]

I guess the LHR-BRU leg will not be available for people starting the journey in London ? And the return flight from BRU to LHR (and than to LAX) will not be available for pax only going to LHR ? Or does UA have traffic rights for intra-EU flights ? Would that be possible to achieve via a code-share with SN or bmi ? And would it work regarding the immigration controls etcetera ? UA would probably make sure that all pax leave the plane in LHR who have no VISA etcetera for the US ... ... ?????

BRU-LHR-BRU is bookable but not (yet) through the UA site. It is however possible to book those flights through a travelagent.

UA and other US carriers have traffic rights to perform "domestic" flights within the EU so they can actually carry passengers on the BRU-LHR-BRU route. But I think it's only possible when a flight continues to or originates from the US.

It's bookable online, but for 1.000 euro's....

[airbuske]

Again news from Brussels Airlines!

Brussels airlines will suspend its own operations to Helsinki but will introduce
codeshare cooperation to Helsinki via Frankfurt.
Codeshare with Finnair will bend the 25th of October.

Not really a suprise with sometimes a very poor loadfactor on those flights.

[sn26567]

Brussels airlines will suspend its own operations to Helsinki but will introduce
codeshare cooperation to Helsinki via Frankfurt.

And what do you think the high-fare paying businessmen will do? Instead of losing two hours due to a change of planes in FRA, they will take the direcy non-stop Finnair flights, which willl get all the profits.

[Boeing767copilot]

Sorry, only in french:


source: Travel Magazine Aviation Newsletter:

La compagnie autrichienne à bas prix NIKI, également appelée flyNIKI, souhaite reprendre aussi vite que possible quelques liaisons de la compagnie SkyEurope Airlines tombée en faillite. Les destinations que NIKI veut desservir au départ de Vienne sont Bruxelles, Sofia et Bucarest. La compagnie souhaite également augmenter les fréquences sur les lignes vers Paris Charles De Gaulle e Francfort, mais pour cela elle veut obtenir les slots d’Austrian Airlines en raison de la reprise par Lufthansa. NIKI est propriétaire pour 24% d’Air Berlin. Les actions restantes appartiennent à Niki Lauda, ancien coureur de F1 et fondateur de la compagnie du même nom. NIKI Luftfahrt GmbH a été lancée en 2004. Elle réalise des bénéfices depuis 4 années consécutives et emploie 350 personnes. L’année dernière, la compagnie a transporté 2,1 millions de passagers. La flotte de NIKI se compose de deux Airbus A321 (212 sièges), six A320 (180 sièges), deux A319 (150 sièges), et depuis juillet 2009 de deux Embraer E190 (104 sièges). L’année prochaine, quatre appareils viendront compléter la flotte.

[Atlantis]

Again news from Brussels Airlines!

Brussels airlines will suspend its own operations to Helsinki but will introduce
codeshare cooperation to Helsinki via Frankfurt.
Codeshare with Finnair will bend the 25th of October.

Not really a suprise with sometimes a very poor loadfactor on those flights.

And this while everybody thought that AY was going to suspend their flights ex-Helsinki to BRU. Its the opposite. This means also that EY will loose their connection with Helsinki.

[HighInTheSky]

Not really a suprise with sometimes a very poor loadfactor on those flights.

Indeed, most of the times a very poor LF, but still, quite strange they suspend all flights to HEL.

And what do you think the high-fare paying businessmen will do? Instead of losing two hours due to a change of planes in FRA, they will take the direcy non-stop Finnair flights, which willl get all the profits.

Indeed!

Will we see the HEL flight back for summer 2010?

[hmv]

United will bring a second daily B777 to Brussels. Not from a US destination, but intra-European . LHR-BRU with 777. Schedule below.

Code: Select all

UA 838  LHR 1320  BRU 1535  77E
UA 829  BRU 0605  LHR 0620  77E

Flights start 25OCT09.

That's interesting.. So it would be a route 'IAD-LHR-BRU-LHR-IAD' for example?

Has there been a schedule change?
Because i'm searching for that flight and it says a 9:10 departure from brussels...

[taz001]

Yes, United Brussels asked for a schedule change to get rid off the very early morning departure.

[tolipanebas]

Brussels airlines will suspend its own operations to Helsinki but will introduce codeshare cooperation to Helsinki via Frankfurt.

As expected.

The average loadfactor on this route can't have been higher than 30%, meaning only about 25 pax on an RJ85 (!), most of them with onward connections to/from the South of Europe. Given the fact AY will no longer codeshare on SN's flights ex BRU to FR, IT, ES and PT as from the end of October too, any AY pax would likely be transfered to OneWorld partners (e.g. BA through LHR).

One could argue SN should fight for them since they offer a more convenient and direct routing through BRU, but for that, they'd need to INCREASE theirflights (from just 2 to at least 3) so as to offer also an early moring departure from HEL, something which would be quite expensive to run (especially in winter).

Besides, from a wider LH group perspective, why have SN waste money on catching soutbound connecting pax from HEL, while they have ample choice to get to their destination through MUC or FRA on what basically is/will be the same airline?

It's a pitty the LH/SN/LX/OS group will likely loose the handful of people who actually go from HEL to BRU (and not beyond), but sadly they aren't covering the bills to run a 3hrs flight multiple times daily so AY can have them; the good thing is the LH option seems a far better option than the BA option for the connecting pax, so I expect LH to win most of them...

On a more positive note, it seems SN has understood the need for a nightstop service from NCE and will soon introduce a nightstop. I don't know if it will already be in the winter schedule though?

[LX-LGX]

Brussels airlines will suspend its own operations to Helsinki but will introduce codeshare cooperation to Helsinki via Frankfurt. Codeshare with Finnair will bend the 25th of October. Not really a suprise with sometimes a very poor loadfactor on those flights.

Brussels Airlines is Star Alliance. Finnair is oneworld. So the code sharing agreement SN/AY has to end pretty soon.

All Finland's state officials, public servants, diplomats, eurocrats, politicians, ... have to fly Finnair, due to a contract after a public tender. Brussels Airlines is therefore not able to get many traffic HEL-BRU-HEL.

The route will probably be reopened in ... 2020, when Finland has once again the EU presidency. Brussels Airlines will still be there in 2020. Let's hope we all can do so also!

[tolipanebas]

Brussels Airlines is Star Alliance. Finnair is oneworld.

Correction:
Brussels Airlines will be STAR alliance, but it still remains to be seen whether that will happen before the end of this year like you seem to imply.

It has always been said that it would take an awful lot of time and money to prepare SN for STAR alliance membership, notably because SN had morphed into something between a LCC and a full service airline after the merger with VEX, a pisspoor concept which is obviously not compatible with the STAR alliance product and which now has to be ditched again. The re-introduction of business class was nothing but a first and so far the most visible aspect of the many changes SN had and still has to undergo before it can become a STAR member, notably on the IT front.

In this context, it is interesting to see SN hasn't formally announced their STAR alliance entry date yet (CO did: OCT28), while internally, they've always maintained that OCT28 was nothing but a target date, which wasn't sure to be met due to to many 'challenges' ahead (read: fuckups from the past which first need to be corrected).
It's also very interesting to see that as the time table for this winter season gets known, there doesn't seem to be any new codeshares which would be a direct consequence of SN's STAR alliance membership: no OS, no TP, no SK or no CO so it seems: the only codeshares that get put into place are those with LH, LHI and BD (both LH subsidiaries). As for the other STAR 'partners', SN just keeps flying in competition to them for the time being! Although somebody here mentioned SN would start codesharing with Spanair????
Looks like the communication department at SN has some serious work to do, because there's just too much confusion right now, also amongst the pax...

Personally I woudn't be surprised to learn SN has actually missed the target date and will join STAR only next year in spring, accidentally also the moment when AC starts serving BRU on a daily basis....
As we all know, long haul routes and codeshares need to be announced much sooner than medium haul routes, so maybe the fact AC starts BRU in spring next year is the first sign the STAR alliance membership of SN isn't going to happen before MARCH 2010 indeed...

[HighInTheSky]

In the new onboard magazine (bThere or bSpirit, i don't recall) is mentioned twice that SN will join *A before the end of this year.