Reopening Brussels Airport after the 22/03/2016 terror attacks

[AAI]

when you have to fly to AGP, ALC, BCN, FCO, GVA, HAM, LCY, NDR, SPU, SOU, TXL , please fly out of ANR
1 hour before departure is enough!

[sn26567]

when you have to fly to AGP, ALC, BCN, FCO, GVA, HAM, LCY, NDR, SPU, SOU, TXL , please fly out of ANR
1 hour before departure is enough!

And what about the traffic jams around Antwerp, on the Ring for example? Furthermore, the number of flights from ANR to those destinations is a long way from the number of flights out of BRU. ANR is not really practical for business flights.

[b720]

It is if you live in the Antwerp area.

[Poiu]

If you live in Ghent ore more west, ANR, CRL and BRU are more or less the some driving TIME.
LIL is very good alternative as well. From Ghent to the departure gates in LIL is about an hour.

[lumumba]

It went very smoothly ...
06:35 Brussels Zuid
06:52 Thalys
08:24 Schiphol
10:00 take off
It was perfect.
But there where long lines for transit passagers from international flights to the Schengen flights.
I was also sad to see the 3 Jet Airways planes

I used to travel very frequently on Thalys (4-5 times/week for the best part of 2 years) and I certainly wouldn't trust them to connect to a flight from Shiphol. The ICE to Frankfurt is no better.

It's a KLM ticket so they have to take care of me if I mis my connection.

[RTM]

It went very smoothly ...
06:35 Brussels Zuid
06:52 Thalys
08:24 Schiphol
10:00 take off
It was perfect.
But there where long lines for transit passagers from international flights to the Schengen flights.
I was also sad to see the 3 Jet Airways planes

I used to travel very frequently on Thalys (4-5 times/week for the best part of 2 years) and I certainly wouldn't trust them to connect to a flight from Shiphol. The ICE to Frankfurt is no better.

It's a KLM ticket so they have to take care of me if I miss my connection.

Sorry... but it doesn't make sense to me...
06:35 - 10:00 is more than the three hours required at BRU, and on top of that you accept the fact you can miss your flight, and run the risk of more delay...

[AAI]

And what about the traffic jams around Antwerp, on the Ring for example? Furthermore, the number of flights from ANR to those destinations is a long way from the number of flights out of BRU. ANR is not really practical for business flights.

this morning, as every morning, you had traffic jams at the E40 , E19, E314, E411, than the jam at the Brussels Ring, than the jam at the A201 to the BRU APT, than 3 check points...

no to GVA,to LCY... i' ll take the ANR flights, i repeat max 1 hour before departure! ( even 40 min )

[Poiu]

Sorry... but it doesn't make sense to me...
06:35 - 10:00 is more than the three hours required at BRU, and on top of that you accept the fact you can miss your flight, and run the risk of more delay...

He wouldn't have made a 10 am flight at BRU leaving Brussel Zuid at 635 today.
If you have nonstop flights from CDG, AMS or FRA and have a connecting flight from BRU it absolutely does make sense.

[Acid-drop]

And once more, just to prove that this is a circus
http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i15/Expl ... -hard.html

[lumumba]

I used to travel very frequently on Thalys (4-5 times/week for the best part of 2 years) and I certainly wouldn't trust them to connect to a flight from Shiphol. The ICE to Frankfurt is no better.

It's a KLM ticket so they have to take care of me if I miss my connection.

Sorry... but it doesn't make sense to me...
06:35 - 10:00 is more than the three hours required at BRU, and on top of that you accept the fact you can miss your flight, and run the risk of more delay...

Hi RTM
Like I already said before I jump on a long haul flight that does not exists from Brussels at least on Monday's ...
So anyway I have to transit,normally a transit true Frankfurt,Munich or Vienna...
So if I have to do the same true those three it's much longer....

[ostair]

Agree with ironspan.
OST has showed that they can take a whole lot more passengers.
TAP has decided to stay at the airport with one flight until 1 MAY.

Have the impression that BRU is taking on more traffic than they can handle now.

[FLYAIR10]

Why is there still no communication from anyone (BAC, NMBS/SNCB) regarding the train station and when rail services will resume. Or an explanation as to why rail services are not operating at present. Airport communication really has been lacking, as I stated previously.

Indeed. What is the reason why there are no trains running?is it because the access to the trainstation is via the departurehall ('diamond'). Is there no exit/access on the other side which might be used or opened towards the temporary check in tent? or is it a lack of railways+security staff to operate the station? Is it the concern someone with bad intentions (and a bomb)would board the train in an unguarded station?
If that's the reason,would it not be possible to run at least a non-stop 'airport shuttle train' from Brussels North and Leuven where security check is done in the departing station(s)?

[sean1982]

Sunday BA0389 - load factor 20% (aircraft downgraded from A321 to A320)
Monday BA0404 - load factor 30%

Not looking good

[sn26567]

What is the reason why there are no trains running?is it because the access to the train station is via the departure hall ('diamond'). Is there no exit/access on the other side which might be used or opened towards the temporary check in tent? or is it a lack of railways+security staff to operate the station? Is it the concern someone with bad intentions (and a bomb)would board the train in an unguarded station?
If that's the reason,would it not be possible to run at least a non-stop 'airport shuttle train' from Brussels North and Leuven where security check is done in the departing station(s)?

If you want to come by train, there are now free De Lijn shuttle buses between Zaventem (city) station and Brussels Airport. By the airport train station won't reopen until the safety requirements of FedPol (which I don't know) are fulfilled.

[flymd11]

Sunday BA0389 - load factor 20% (aircraft downgraded from A321 to A320)
Monday BA0404 - load factor 30%

Not looking good

It's not just BA with LFs in 20s.

[Kapitein]

What is the reason why there are no trains running?is it because the access to the trainstation is via the departurehall ('diamond'). Is there no exit/access on the other side which might be used or opened towards the temporary check in tent

Trainstation still needs repairs, but will open soon. And I guess it has something to do with the damage at the diamond to (not sure or confirmed btw).
Exit to the tents are just 1 level up out of the station, so not to difficult to reach the tempolary check in

[domtom]

I just saw on FR24 that Ethihad to Brussels is still landing in Dusseldorf. Is it scheduled to come back to Brussels, and if so when? What about Emirates and Thai?

Thanks to Sean1982 for a report on load factors. Any similar reports from other airlines/routes? Presumably, this is to be expected, the hope being that LF will pick up progressively as the airport goes back to normal, security measures are relaxed, etc, no?

[webstermc]

In 'Het Laatste Nieuws' of today a 2 pages article about the traffic jams and waiting time for checkin.

5 causes are detected
1. People arrive to early (up to 5 hours in front). Together wit the people who are coming on time (3h in advance), this is causing too much traffic
2. Nobody takes the fly over (like I said before , and everyone is taking the roundabout. This is the real cause of the traffic jam (I think). The fly over is open, so people should be stimulated to take the fly over
3. Police controls by car are too strict. Some police officer are also checking documents of each passenger and normally they should NOT do this. This is confirmed by the police unions. Only cars which are flagged by the ANR (licence plate recognitios) cameras or 'suspicious' vehicles should be checked. it this continuous today, the unions will inform their members again.
4. Not enough parking spaces (because everyone needs to go in the parking, also for K&R)
5. No trains yet. Use the free bus as from station Zaventem Centrum (no indicaction when the trainstation will reopen again
6. no problem with the pre-check in (if all 8 are open, no big wating lines), but at the check in itself, there can be long waiting lines. this should be better the next days when all employees will get the routine of the new check in procedures

And also according to Het Laatste Nieuws, a part of the departure hall will be open before summor, but only with a functional design, so that moren then 800 passengers can be checked in per hour. In about 14 days, a decision will be made about the future of the departure hall (it is not mentioned what this decision could be)

[DannyVDB]

Hi all,

In the airport right now ... Entrance went quite smooth.

I decided to take the train Leuven - Zaventem (city center) and walk.

06:45 - Leaving home
07:00 - On the train
07:12-07:20 small delay (train was there but was waiting for godot )
07:45 - arrival in zaventem
08:07 - arrival at entrance of the airport (first tent)
08:35 - checked in my small luggage and went through all security checks
08:40 - arrival at The Loft, eating a croissant and dirnking coffee
In fact the Loft is pretty crowded (>50% full wen I arrived), also the pier is starting to get crowded ... [Of course not as before and I am sure LF will still be low]
...
11:05 - plane will leave for FRA (to connect to OTP), so I can work !

After all, not too bad. I think yesterday a lot went wrong, but that had only partially to do with the extra control at the airport (return after the holiday period ...).

To be honest I think the people from the airport, SN, security ... are doing a great job. moreover I don't like the attitude of people that see all what goes wrong, how they would do better, solve everything; how the politicians and unions are to be blamed, etc.

I would say: keep calm, don't over-react, work hard (I have the impression some on this forum have a lot of 'free' time if I see how interactive they are big part of the day ), and please support the BRU community as much as you can. The rest is in my eyes a lot of blabla, it won't help to solve the problem ...

Regards,
Danny

[citybirdva]

Arrived on SN2638 yesterday evening... 4 pax (myself included).