Brussels Airlines

[Marko1]

Flights restart early sept 2020. They look like they are having a summer break. - something I vaguely remember Sabena doing also all those years ago . A bit strange given the fact that people suddenly don’t stop wanting to go to Brussels because it’s summer

 

[Jerry]

A bit strange given the fact that people suddenly don’t stop wanting to go to Brussels because it’s summer

And I'd have thought they'd want to catch connecting traffic going elsewhere as well.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Sabena and Brussels Airlines use to drop one of the three daily rotations from about mid July through till the end of August. I can't remember if bmi regional did the same.

September's CAA stats show 3,301 passengers were carried on the BRS-BRU route. That's an average of around 60 per flight on the 90-seat CRJ900.

bmi regional carried 5,415 in September 2018 but that was on three rotations per weekday, but on smaller aircraft, as opposed to one daily rotation this September.

Obviously we can't know the yields but, given the on-off re-start date of the route though last summer, that isn't bad I suppose - more than I was expecting following the earlier uncertainty about the route's future.

If July and August are not being flown it's not a good situation, for regular travellers especially.

Lufthansa are still selling flights for BRS-FRA through the main part of the summer.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

I flew this route in mid Sept for a long weekend, and the load factors mentioned seem to correlate with my experience.

As far as yield is concerned, all I would say is that there were a lot of 'suits' on the Monday rotation ex BRU, and some of them seemed to be carrying LH boarding passes. As with the flyBMI service previously, those passengers were very familiar with the 'leave your larger hand luggage at the foot of the aircraft steps' routine.

Obviously in peak summer periods, airlines need to make hay while (hopefully) the sun shines, so they will be looking to optimise load factors & yield. Business travel usually tails off in July/August, so it's not a surprise that SN may feel they can get more bang for their buck by deploying the aircraft elsewhere - or CityJet (who do a lot of work for SK) may have other uses for the aircraft, and that has been factored in to their agreement with SN.

At least from a BRS perspective the LH service will still be operating to mop up *A connecting traffic - albeit probably at a price premium!

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I flew this route in mid Sept for a long weekend, and the load factors mentioned seem to correlate with my experience.

As far as yield is concerned, all I would say is that there were a lot of 'suits' on the Monday rotation ex BRU, and some of them seemed to be carrying LH boarding passes. As with the flyBMI service previously, those passengers were very familiar with the 'leave your larger hand luggage at the foot of the aircraft steps' routine.

Obviously in peak summer periods, airlines need to make hay while (hopefully) the sun shines, so they will be looking to optimise load factors & yield. Business travel usually tails off in July/August, so it's not a surprise that SN may feel they can get more bang for their buck by deploying the aircraft elsewhere - or CityJet (who do a lot of work for SK) may have other uses for the aircraft, and that has been factored in to their agreement with SN.

At least from a BRS perspective the LH service will still be operating to mop up *A connecting traffic - albeit probably at a price premium!

Some valid points there, KB.

With 3 x daily, 4 x daily for a short while around the beginning of this century and on AR8/Bae146 aircraft, dropping one for peak summer no doubt left enough seat availability to cater for the reduced business traveller demand.

Now there is only a 2 x daily service, dropping one in peak summer might mean that the remaining single daily rotation would be of limited use. I'm sure that the airline knows what it is doing and your point about better usage for the aircraft at that time seems sound.

 

[Jerry]

From the 14th to 21st March Brussels airlines will reduce from 12 to 2 weekly.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/3...ddle-east-frequency-adjustment-as-of-06mar20/

 

[Scottie Dog]

That is a big reduction.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

From the 14th to 21st March Brussels airlines will reduce from 12 to 2 weekly.
https://www.routesonline.com/news/3...ddle-east-frequency-adjustment-as-of-06mar20/

Hardly worth bothering. Looking at the list long list of reductions BRS seems to be one of the most savage. Presumably it reflects the return on the route.

 

[BRSregular]

It’s reducing for just one week?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It’s reducing for just one week?

At the moment, but it's almost certainly in connection with the virus therefore it has to be assumed that reductions will follow beyond the week so far reduced. If that's not the case there is always the thought that it might be.

That's what's stopping us booking any flights at the moment - fortunately our flying these days is solely for leisure. We have two return easyJet flights booked for the next three months, both intra-UK, so there will be other travel options if necessary. It's not worry about the virus that is stopping us booking further flights; it's the concern that flights will be axed after we've booked.

 

[Jerry]

Hardly worth bothering. Looking at the list long list of reductions BRS seems to be one of the most savage. Presumably it reflects the return on the route.

Yeah it is quite savage. You'd have thought suspending it for the week would be better unless they there's a minimum flights a week for the route deal with Cityjet?

 

[BRSregular]

At the moment, but it's almost certainly in connection with the virus therefore it has to be assumed that reductions will follow beyond the week so far reduced. If that's not the case there is always the thought that it might be.

That's what's stopping us booking any flights at the moment - fortunately our flying these days is solely for leisure. We have two return easyJet flights booked for the next three months, both intra-UK, so there will be other travel options if necessary. It's not worry about the virus that is stopping us booking further flights; it's the concern that flights will be axed after we've booked.

Well I have Seville from BRS on Thursday and Orlando for 2 weeks in early May. I’m hoping all will be fine. I’m not so sure about my Italian Lakes holiday in August though, but that is a long way off.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Yeah it is quite savage. You'd have thought suspending it for the week would be better unless they there's a minimum flights a week for the route deal with Cityjet?

To amplify my response to BRSregulat at #110, if it's just for one week it's even odder that they would suspend almost the entire programme for a week.

if, as I suspect, it will be longer why don't they make that decision now? The virus situation is hardly likely to improve in the next few weeks to the extent that suddenly people will be flocking back to fly again. If they are taking bookings for the week after the near suspended week or the week after that and then subsequently cancel most of the flights it's really one in the eye for those people who book flights for those weeks from now on.

Uncertainty in life is invariably worse than bad news. With the latter you know what it is and can plan accordingly.

Well I have Seville from BRS on Thursday and Orlando for 2 weeks in early May. I’m hoping all will be fine. I’m not so sure about my Italian Lakes holiday in August though, but that is a long way off.

If it's Thursday you must be going to Seville with easyJet. Looking at the booking engine the current fare for just the outbound sector this coming Thursday is £165.99 which suggests that a lot of seats have already been sold. That's backed up by the seat selector. Certainly appears no reason to axe that flight unless some form of government intervention occurs.

With Orlando you are presumably going with TUI on an inclusive tour holiday. I'd be willing to bet that they will get you there and back, again unless there is government action that prevents it.

 

[BRSregular]

That’s good news about my Seville flight.
It’s €118 coming back too so that would indicate it’s fairly well booked. My Orlando flight is with BA from LGW. TUI were unable to compete on price for 4 of us.

 

[Kernow Bravo]

That's what's stopping us booking any flights at the moment - fortunately our flying these days is solely for leisure. We have two return easyJet flights booked for the next three months, both intra-UK, so there will be other travel options if necessary. It's not worry about the virus that is stopping us booking further flights; it's the concern that flights will be axed after we've booked.

Risk of flight cancellation is certainly a valid reason not to book in the current climate.

However, this can be mitigated to an extent by choosing an airline which offers several daily flights (albeit with connections in many cases), rather than those offering 2 or 3 weekly rotations when a single cancelled flight can create a major impact if you then have to wait days for the next available service.

Whilst I have not tried dummy bookings to verify, one would imagine that fares for forward bookings would be relatively competitive regardless of which carrier one chooses to book with. Having said that I'm also holding off making any further forward bookings (I have a long haul eastbound trip scheduled for the week after next), but for me, fear of quarantine/imposed self isolation either at destination or upon return is more significant than risk of flight cancellation.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Risk of flight cancellation is certainly a valid reason not to book in the current climate.

However, this can be mitigated to an extent by choosing an airline which offers several daily flights (albeit with connections in many cases), rather than those offering 2 or 3 weekly rotations when a single cancelled flight can create a major impact if you then have to wait days for the next available service.

Whilst I have not tried dummy bookings to verify, one would imagine that fares for forward bookings would be relatively competitive regardless of which carrier one chooses to book with. Having said that I'm also holding off making any further forward bookings (I have a long haul eastbound trip scheduled for the week after next), but for me, fear of quarantine/imposed self isolation either at destination or upon return is more significant than risk of flight cancellation.

Thank you for making these points and the ones you made in the BRS Lufthansa thread. All are apposite in my view.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Brussels Airlines will suspend all its flights as a temporary measure. Flights will be gradually reduced this week until Saturday 21 March when the full suspension begins. At the moment it is planned to resume flying on 20 April.

A minimal capacity will be maintained on standby for repatriation flights should this be required.

Brussels Airlines temporarily suspends all its flights as of 21 March until 19 April

All scheduled flights will be suspended until 19 April included. Flight schedule will be gradually decreased in the course of this week, to reach...

press.brusselsairlines.com

 

[Foxlimayankee]

Brussel service now cancelled until summer 2021.
https://www.aviation24.be/airlines/...and-cancels-8-destinations-until-summer-2021/

 

[Marko1]

I doubt it will return to be honest. Number one who is going to operate the flight? Plus lufthansa would want transfer traffic to go via Frankfurt.( if they return ?)

 

[Jerry]

Surprised at that to be honest, they must not see it as being upgradable to mainline in the current climate.