Capacity of and Access to Brussels Airport

[finalglide]

Good to read BRU can still increase his capacity but I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71 (last december)
Did you ever think about the crowded highways to reach BRU from anywhere in Belgium ?

I think Brussels Airport should first invest in more highways

[Stij]

Good to read BRU can still increase his capacity but I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71 (last december)
Did you ever think about the crowded highways to reach BRU from anywhere in Belgium ?

I think Brussels Airport should first invest in more highways

80 minutes? Then the lines at check-in and at security are more to blame!

But I do agree with your comments but:

1) They are planning to add gates, but not further away.
2) The Flemish government is "considering" expanding the capacity of the Brussels Ring Road. We'll see...
3) Once the diabolo will be ready I think we'll see a major shift to transport by train to the airport.

Cheers,

Stij

EDIT: PS Sorry Acid-Drop, you're right! Saw your comment to late!

[Acid-drop]

The Flemish government is "considering" expanding the capacity of the Brussels Ring Road. We'll see...

yeah that one will take 20 years

[Desert Rat]

The Flemish government is "considering" expanding the capacity of the Brussels Ring Road. We'll see...

yeah that one will take 20 years

But not on the north side of the ring road!

[Conti764]

Good to read BRU can still increase his capacity but I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71 (last december)
Did you ever think about the crowded highways to reach BRU from anywhere in Belgium ?

I think Brussels Airport should first invest in more highways

They will increase with more gates, but they won't be further away from the terminal, on the contrary.

Walking from the terminal to the last gates of the A-pier is quite a walk, but the A-pier was build for the purpose of Sabena's hub and spoke system. Now with SN being in Star Alliance the A-pier will be used for that purpose again, but now under Star Alliance umbrella.

Crowded highways around Brussels are quite a pain in the ass, but the airport is close to the city and thus suffers from daily commuter traffic as well.

In two years Diabolo will be finished and the airport will be very well covered by rail. If the NMBS will incorporate some specific timetable for BRU, with hourly links to all directions, it will take away traffic from the highways.

[regi]

Good to read BRU can still increase his capacity but I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71 (last december)
Did you ever think about the crowded highways to reach BRU from anywhere in Belgium ?

I think Brussels Airport should first invest in more highways

Can you please explain what took 80 minutes? I don't understand what the highway has to do with it. ( despite I understand that reaching the airport by car is always a wild guess )
As I understand your message, it took you 80 minutes after check inn to reach gate 71. I checked the long walk myself and it is in the worst case ...10 minutes in the terminal building. Add another 10 minutes for walking the corridors up and under, left and right ( you know what I mean). That makes 20 minutes walking. ( Stijn does it in 10 returning home ) So you lost 60 minutes with passport control, security check and what else?
Not that I don't believe you, I just don't understand it.
Or...did you add a long waiting time before check inn?
Or...were you the victim of a "deep cavity search"

[Homo Aeroportus]

.... I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71

Think this is just what you did.

Where is that gate 71 again?


H.A.

[dsa330]

.... I hope they will not add gates, it took me 80 min. to reach gate 71

Think this is just what you did.

Where is that gate 71 again?


H.A.

that's why it took 80 minuts, he gave up after that time because he couldn't find it

[Stij]

That makes 20 minutes walking. ( Stijn does it in 10 returning home )

And that was from the compete end of teh A pier to the train!

I've been training a bit: time to beat some records!

Remember, I still want to organise such a race. I even have a date: Saturday July 30th, when the airport is at its busiest and there are a lot of one-time-a-year lost passengers blocking the way and even more complete families including, mother, father, grandmother, the other grandmother in the wheelchair and the family dogs called Blacky and Mitsy, that have nothing better to do then blocking the arrival hall for 3 hours (two houre before arrival and one after arrival).

Anybody?

Stij

[Conti764]

About the conjestion around BRU in the rush hours...

I said it before and I'll say it again, the NMBS really holds the key in this issue.

They should see Brussels Airport as some sort of train hub for people coming off or needing to catch a flight.

An hourly service to all major stations in Belgium and in the future a project with SN and Star Alliance and airline ticket shops in select stations with self service check-in.

That service should only go to select stations (three our four at each 'side' of the airport) where in the future those self service check-in desks should be located.

This is only a solution for Brussels Airport, since the bigger part of the congestion comes from commuters to and from Brussels. Here also the NMBS can play a major role, but that's another discussion not aviation related.

[Conti764]

That makes 20 minutes walking. ( Stijn does it in 10 returning home )

And that was from the compete end of teh A pier to the train!

I've been training a bit: time to beat some records!

Remember, I still want to organise such a race. I even have a date: Saturday July 30th, when the airport is at its busiest and there are a lot of one-time-a-year lost passengers blocking the way and even more complete families including, mother, father, grandmother, the other grandmother in the wheelchair and the family dogs called Blacky and Mitsy, that have nothing better to do then blocking the arrival hall for 3 hours (two houre before arrival and one after arrival).

Anybody?

Stij

Then you should come the last weekend of June, the bussiest weekend of the year at Brussels Airport.

[Stij]

Hi Conti764,

Correct, in departures, but not in arrivals!

Cheers,

Stij

[Outsync]

As I've already experienced in VIE, city check in and immediate bag drop still in the city where the airport city train is.

They hand you your boardingpass and your luggage is put on the train and put directly on board the aircraft. All you have to do in VIE is pass security, this was the first time I ever did such a thing but it proved itself very convenient!

A

[regi]

As I've already experienced in VIE, city check in and immediate bag drop still in the city where the airport city train is.

They hand you your boardingpass and your luggage is put on the train and put directly on board the aircraft. All you have to do in VIE is pass security, this was the first time I ever did such a thing but it proved itself very convenient!

A

they do it now also in Bangkok with the special airport train at Makkasan station.
http://www.bangkokairporttrain.com

[shockcooling]

As I've already experienced in VIE, city check in and immediate bag drop still in the city where the airport city train is.

They hand you your boardingpass and your luggage is put on the train and put directly on board the aircraft. All you have to do in VIE is pass security, this was the first time I ever did such a thing but it proved itself very convenient!

A

they do it now also in Bangkok with the special airport train at Makkasan station.
http://www.bangkokairporttrain.com

And in HKG aswell from the city centre!

[Stij]

And weren't BRU and Sabena the first to have offered this with the air terminal aboce the Central station?

Cheers,

Stij

[Homo Aeroportus]

Yep.

Also remember similar service with SAS some +25 years ago.
You could drop off your bag and get your boarding pass when checking out at the SAS hotel in the morning, attend your meetings all day, go to the airport and board in a breeze.

Not when flying with SN but this one also had another feature as it was a triangular flight (SN771?) BRU-OSL-GOT-BRU, offering an extra leg on the way up with often an interesting landing at OSL Fornebu with strong gusty winds.

Aaahh, memories !


H.A.