Brussels Airlines

[Starflyer]

From what I understand, it's more a question that Loganair don't want to touch LH as they saw very closely the number of limitations that a working relationship with Lufthansa imposed on flybmi. It apparently added to operating costs and really restricted operating flexibility in many ways and I'm led to believe that they don't want that imposed on their whole business just for the sake of co-operating on potentially only a couple of routes.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

From what I understand, it's more a question that Loganair don't want to touch LH as they saw very closely the number of limitations that a working relationship with Lufthansa imposed on flybmi. It apparently added to operating costs and really restricted operating flexibility in many ways and I'm led to believe that they don't want that imposed on their whole business just for the sake of co-operating on potentially only a couple of routes.

Comments have been made recently that flybmi might have got the worst of the code-share deals with the Lufthansa Group on BRU, FRA and MUC, and you seem to be confirming that. Against that, Lufthansa might not have been best pleased at the many flybmi cancellations that have taken place over the past year or two.

Loganair have taken over the NCL-BRU route with presumably just P2P traffic. Given the history of BRS-BRU over the past 30 years, admittedly with Sabena, its successors and more recently code share with flybmi all of which permitted connectivity at BRU, one might think that BRS-BRU would be as good a bet, perhaps a better one, even with P2P.

Perhaps it's a question of aircraft utilisation with NCL also seeing a Loganair Stavanger route (which might not work at BRS), or the fact that Loganair are concerned that LH's Brussels Airlines are still intent on operating their own route which is still in their booking engine, albeit the start date keeps slipping.

 

[Starflyer]

There is another dimension which may be betraying confidences to mention, but I do not think that relations between BRS and Loganair are perhaps as good as those at NCL, for example.

 

[Finger66]

Interestingly though lots of airlines provide through fares from A to B via C without having to utilise an actual code share on one or more legs of the journey. This may be the way forward for Loganair to look at picking up connecting traffic at BRU without having limitations on their own operation. This could work on NCL - BRU but I do agree the more likely reason at BRS is that SN will reintroduce in their own right once the B word is sorted of course!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

There is another dimension which may be betraying confidences to mention, but I do not think that relations between BRS and Loganair are perhaps as good as those at NCL, for example.

I certainly would not expect you to go beyond what you have already written but it seems odd that the relations are not so good given that Loganair only operates the ABZ and Airbus corporate shuttle routes (the shutttle would be a matter between Loganair and Airbus) and has never previously operated BRS routes.

I'm wondering aloud whether the relations are with Loganair's owners and date back to the same ownership of flybmi. flybmi had a big operation (for them) at BRS. I would not have thought that the impounding of flybmi aircraft by the airport following the cessation of operations ought to play a part. That's simply business where an airport operator believes it is owed outstanding debts. Whether there were outstanding debts is not something about which I would speculate.

 

[Marko1]

I have had confirmation via social media that Brussels airlines will be resuming the Brussels route from sept 1 st

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I have had confirmation via social media that Brussels airlines will be resuming the Brussels route from sept 1 st

That's good news. Let's hope they do.

I wonder why they chose not to resume the service at the end of March which was the date they were going to take the route back themselves from the flybmi code share. It's hard to think that flybmi ceasing to operate in mid-February had a bearing. Why would it?

Furthermore, had flybmi remained operating would Brusssels Airlines still have ended their code share at the end of March? if so would they then have switched seamlessly to their own operation, albeit operated it seems by CityJet for them, as appeared to be the plan from the booking engine, or would there still have been a five-month hiatus from April until the end of August?

To my mind the airline now needs to get the resumption message out quickly and widely in the area. People soon get out of the habit of using partucular services and flybmi's unreliabiity in that they were often cancelling flights didn't help traveller sentiment either.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

I have had confirmation via social media that Brussels airlines will be resuming the Brussels route from sept 1 st

I wouldn't be so sure.

A dummy HBO booking to BRU for a long weekend at the end of September shows a price of £250+ return per person. As a comparison, KL to AMS on a similar basis is less than half that price!

This doesnt strike me as a strategy which will reignite the BRS-BRU market, particularly considering that there would be signficantly more capacity than was offered by FlyBMI!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I wouldn't be so sure.

A dummy HBO booking to BRU for a long weekend at the end of September shows a price of £250+ return per person. As a comparison, KL to AMS on a similar basis is less than half that price!

This doesnt strike me as a strategy which will reignite the BRS-BRU market, particularly considering that there would be signficantly more capacity than was offered by FlyBMI!

I agree. They are crazy fares.

I can't find one in September under £130 per sector. BHX-BRU is around half that.

I'm now beginning to wonder if they really do intend to operate the route.

 

[KARFA]

there are cheaper fares filed but after reading the fare rules i am unclear why they don't show on the SN site. The cheapest one is £60 base fare for a return with a minimum stay of a Saturday night.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

In recent days the BRS-BRU route has been discussed in the BRS Route Development thread. In order to keep the history of the route within this thread I'll summarise. Thanks to Red Flyer, Marko and alphagolf in the Route Development thread for keeping us up to date.

The route is shown in the Brussels Airlines booking engine as re-starting on Sunday 1 September.

From the booking engine the timings/frequencies are as follows (all times are local):

From 1 September
M-F and Su
BRU-BRS SN2057 1505-1515
BRS-BRU SN2058 1550-1850
CRJ-900

From 28 October
M-F
BRS-BRU SN2060 0605-0820
BRU-BRS SN2059 2120-2135
Su
BRS-BRU SN2058 1730-1945
BRU-BRS SN2059 2120-2135
All ARJ85

From 4 November
M-F
BRS-BRU SN2060 0605-0820
BRS-BRU SN2058 1730-1945
BRU-BRS SN2057 1640-1650
BRU-BRS SN2059 2120-2135
Su
BRS-BRU SN2058 1730-1945
BRU-BRS SN2059 2120-2135
All ARJ85

From this timetable there will be a night-stopping ARJ85 but, as there are no Saturday flights, it seems that from early November SN2059 that arrives BRS on Friday at 2135 will remain until 1730 on Sunday to operate the next Belgium-bound flight (SN2058).

 

[Red Flyer]

Expect a positive update on the winter programme in the next few days

 

[Marko1]

Flights are now back on the CR9 including saturdays. Fares seem much lower than they have been as well

 

[Marko1]

Brussels Airlines resumes flights to Bristol - Aviation24.be

One day after learning about the reintroduction of Hanover in the Brussels Airlines network, Aviation24.be was informed that another destination will soon be relaunched: Bristol. Bristol was abandoned after the demise of flybmi (aka bmi Regional) in February 2019. Unlike other Brussels Airlines...

www.aviation24.be

Link above confirming pending route announcement

 

[Kernow Bravo]

Flights are now back on the CR9 including saturdays. Fares seem much lower than they have been as well

Indeed. I have booked a long weekend in mid Sept and fares are quite reasonable. Surprised that BRS/SN have not pushed this much yet although I did notice an item on Business Traveller this week about it in addition to the Belgian publication mentioned by Marko1, so maybe exposure is increasing.

 

[Marko1]

Next summer now on sale. Same timings on the CRJ9

 

[Marko1]

Brussels resumes this afternoon

 

[Kernow Bravo]

If you look at the BRU arrivals page (also flightaware) this rotation is listed with a codeshare LH 5539, so arguably Lufthansa service has returned to BRS!

 

[jfy1999]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1189423134899752961

 

[Severn]

Flights still not bookable after the 28th June 2020.

Fingers crossed these flights get loaded soon, however the re-starting of the route was announced in June which was only three months ahead of the start date (Sept 1st).