Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

[Atlantis]

And the airport today is much more convenient bespite a real rush during the peak in the morning, but this we have in a lot of airports during rush hours. To relativate more will bring you much further in life.

Like I wrote, if you can read, the problems are know and they will take care of.

[JOVAN]

BRU has many weak points. And many strong points.
Many improvements have taken place.
Many more improvements should be done.

This Forum allows us to express our views and ideas.

I use the airport as a passenger, a customer. I pay high airport taxes for this.

I have the right to express my views, frustrations, disappointments.
Other people may do the same.

We are not in North Korea as far as I know.

A PASSENGER

[convair]

BRU has many weak points. And many strong points.
Many improvements have taken place.
Many more improvements should be done.

This Forum allows us to express our views and ideas.

I use the airport as a passenger, a customer. I pay high airport taxes for this.

I have the right to express my views, frustrations, disappointments.
Other people may do the same.

We are not in North Korea as far as I know.

A PASSENGER

I fully agree with that.

[Atlantis]

No problem at all

Accept then also the meaning and constructive info from people who know more about it

[sean1982]

Spot on!

[JOVAN]

This is a way to make better use of the available place.

[Stij]

Next round of BRU bashing, unbelievable

Woaw! Hold your horses!

1. It's not called bashing, it's called giving an opinion and maybe even giving free feedback. Some companies pay a lot of money to know what their customers think: you get it for free!!!
2. When it's good, I mention it as well: security in the connector was very fast (1 minute waiting) , even when a lot of passengers were being processed.
3. I'm not against restaurants and shops, on the contrary, but I dislike having to enter them, whether I want or not. The problem being aggravated by sloooow window shopping Benidorm bound passengers.

Again, this is how I experience the airport, and rest assured, I still prefer it over CRL that's completely a mess during peak days...

Cheers,

Stij

[Inquirer]

I think there's something to be said for both sides in this discussion.

It's undeniably true things are finally starting to move in the good direction like Atlantis said, even though it seems to still go too slow, comes a fair bit too late and it has a very strong smell of additional revenues rather than added user comfort.

Personally, in defence of BRU, I think the airport was caught completely off guard as to the massive expansion by its home carrier Brussels Airlines (and its STAR partners) over the past 2 years now, which suddenly made the airport face a shortage of gates in the morning while its terminals are completely saturated with (connecting) passengers trying to find their way.

I can only hope that they have now understood that home carrier and airport need to work closely together if they want to become truely successful, rather than each try to go it alone, because then the result is not surprisingly as we have seen it: first an airport oversized for its home carrier in search for other clients (even if they would thus compete with that home carrier), then a few years later a home carrier in full swing operating from a cramped infrastructure flocked with meanwhile undesirable airlines!
Some more coordination between airport and airline might have yielded far better operational and financial long term opportunities for both parties as well as the larger Belgian economy, that much is a given now, but from what is published in the press, it does sound like this is widely understood now by all parties, so definitely a promissing thing for the future.

On the other hand, BRU isn't exactly a cheap airport for it's passengers either (I've read once it's one of Europe's 5 most expensive airports?), so one may expect it to have sufficient means to fund infrastructural improvements without the need of additional revenues all the time.
I must admit I never looked at the balance sheet of the airport in detail, but to me it does come across as either the main shareholder being a little bit too greedy, or alternatively the operating costs not being inline with those at other airports, if BRU can't put a convenient airport infrastructure in place on some 25M passengers paying very significant airport charges!

I can only hope that after all the extra shops in the terminals, after the delibarately designed detour through even more shops in the Connector, after the additional office spaces currently under construction on premium land right next to the checkin zone, there is finally also going to be a start of additional and conveniently located extra parking buildings, an extention of the terminal to allow for more gates and while at it, maybe some other technical infrastructural work so this airport can also run smoothly when there's a breeze of easterly wind, even if none of those are going to add much to the bottom line at first.
The first decisions taken are showing BRU really feels it can become a real hubbing airport in future and wants to undertake massive construction works for that but they were mainly revenue driven so far, so all fairly easy to sign off on; I just hope that the next steps in the much needed construction and expansion process will be made as quickly and decisively too and then I am sure everybody will be happy: passengers, home carrier, airport management.

[JOVAN]

I would include also Foreign carriers and all the people working in the airport , to be happy !!

[Atlantis]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

Discount parking 2 will be fully operational as from October.

[teach]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

Discount parking 2 will be fully operational as from October.

Excellent news! What (and where) is discount parking 2?

[sean1982]

I can only hope that they have now understood that home carrier and airport need to work closely together if they want to become truely successful, rather than each try to go it alone, because then the result is not surprisingly as we have seen it: first an airport oversized for its home carrier in search for other clients (even if they would thus compete with that home carrier), then a few years later a home carrier in full swing operating from a cramped infrastructure flocked with meanwhile undesirable airlines!
Some more coordination between airport and airline might have yielded far better operational and financial long term opportunities for both parties as well as the larger Belgian economy, that much is a given now, but from what is published in the press, it does sound like this is widely understood now by all parties, so definitely a promissing thing for the future.

Wauw, your protectionist attitude is like 50 years old and goes a lot further then "supporting belgian companies" like you posted once but comes down to eliminating everything none Belgian.

Neither LHR, AMS, CDG or FRA became this big by ONLY focusing on their home carriers. The more variation your airport offers, the more airlines it will attract, the more passengers you get, the more jobs you create, the better you stimulate the economy. Protectionism limits growth and exposes you to a big risk if something happens to your home carrier

[convair]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

Discount parking 2 will be fully operational as from October.

Very good news! Any date for Parking 3 extension?

PS: You can see now that the complaints by the so-called "BRU bashers" are bearing fruit.

[RoMax]

PS: You can see now that the complaints by the so-called "BRU bashers" are bearing fruit.

You think they expand parking space because of "BRU-bashers" on this forum? As if they didn't realise themselves that they needed more parking lots. A good pair of eyes was enough to realise that, but it does take some time before you can actually start working on such things. BRU was taken by surprise by the massive growth of last year as nobody really expected it to be so big, that took away all their margin.

[Atlantis]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

Discount parking 2 will be fully operational as from October.

Excellent news! What (and where) is discount parking 2?

Dear Teach,

Discount parking is a very cheap parking you can use. Discount parking 1 is next to the Delhaize at the Brucargo area. During the day you can use the regular bus (De Lijn) services (for free) who will bring you till the airport. During the night it is a free shuttle service.

Discount parking 2 is at the beginning of Brucargo, not that far of the "fly over". It is next to the Fedex Building.

[Atlantis]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

Discount parking 2 will be fully operational as from October.

Very good news! Any date for Parking 3 extension?

PS: You can see now that the complaints by the so-called "BRU bashers" are bearing fruit.

The extension of Parking 3 will start soon.

PS: The plans were already a while in the pipeline even as a very big other project, but too much parties are involved and more info is forbidden. But once again, you need margin, investments, authorizations, etc. It all takes time. The airport knows very well what it is doing and this already for a while

More other news I will release soon

[convair]

PS: You can see now that the complaints by the so-called "BRU bashers" are bearing fruit.

You think they expand parking space because of "BRU-bashers" on this forum?

Not really RoMax, hence the at the end of my sentence. And it is indeed nice to see that BRU looks after the comfort of its pax also. And of course these projects take time to materialize.

I believe the frustration expressed on this forum, and probably elsewhere as well, came from the fact that BRU seemed more interested by increasing asap its high profits commercial activities ( the connector, RoMax, the Holy Connector!) than by making the life of its pax a bit easier.

[Atlantis]

At the end of the Connector they are constructing the new Beer Café. This will take a huge place where you had the former moving stairs after the security check. It will be a very pleasant area to sit and to drink a real good Belgian beer. At the same place there will come also a real Italian restaurant while the Quick restaurant will be totally refurbished.

A huge renovation will also be the "lichtstraat" at the B concourse. It will be totally renovated and everything will comes on one single level. You don't need to take moving stairs anymore to go to the restaurant, etc. Everything will be on one level. Upstairs will be only offices of G4S and other related airport services.

[Airbus A330]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

2.100 additional parking places looks like a massive extension.
How will the car park be extended? By expanding the 6 levels to the West or with additional level(s) on the current surface (or both)?

P. S.: Can someone tell me the current capacity of FP3

[Atlantis]

Parking 3 will be extended with 2.100 parking places.

2.100 additional parking places looks like a massive extension.
How will the car park be extended? By expanding the 6 levels to the West or with additional level(s) on the current surface (or both)?

P. S.: Can someone tell me the current capacity of FP3

Dear Airbus A330,

At this moment it has a capacity of 2400 car places