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

[Everett]

I wonder when the train station will be open again it will still be possible to get a bus. I know people who for instance come by train and take the bus to go to their work in the neighbourhood.

[webstermc]

I wonder when the train station will be open again it will still be possible to get a bus. I know people who for instance come by train and take the bus to go to their work in the neighbourhood.

I'm one of them
I have a company car, and a lot of traffic jams. I can come 1 day per week by train also, but as long I have to change trains in Brussels to come to Zaventem in stead of my direct train to Brussels Airport (Zaventem), there is no time gain for me...

[sn26567]

The temporary check-in desk of Jetairfly in the tent:

[Shengenzone]

Actually looks pretty good as it is still a tent...

[Passenger]

Actually looks pretty good as it is still a tent...

And they are smiling!

[Passenger]

It's possible that there will be a disturbance of public bus transport De Lijn (Flemish Region) on Wednesday 20 April: the trade union ACV holds another anti-government meeting somewhere in Brussels, and trade union members don't have the politeness to advise in advance if they will or will not show up for work. The press reports that Provincie Vlaams-Brabant is one of the three provinces to be hit by this social action.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... Lijn.dhtml

[Ozzie1969]

It's possible that there will be a disturbance of public bus transport De Lijn (Flemish Region) on Wednesday 20 April: the trade union ACV holds another anti-government meeting somewhere in Brussels, and trade union members don't have the politeness to advise in advance if they will or will not show up for work. The press reports that Provincie Vlaams-Brabant is one of the three provinces to be hit by this social action.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... Lijn.dhtml

I work for De Lijn, and spoke to an ACV Union representative about an hour ago, and there will be a protest march in Brussels (just like their socialist counterparts did on Tuesday), but it's not a strike, and only Union reps are expected to be present. Disturbances should be minimal to non-existent.

Don't forget the reason for all this : on May 20th there are elections for new Union reps (sociale verkiezingen/élections sociales), including at De Lijn.

[sn26567]

I am at the airport now. Cleared all the checks in half an hour. I was at the airport two hours ahead of my flight, way too early. Thus I had a nice bbreakfast at Panos. Once you are in the Connector it's business as usual. Bursting of activity.

[lumumba]

Article about Bussiness travelers avoiding Zaventem because security checks...

http://www.demorgen.be/economie/een-bed ... -b29b791e/

[BRU]

Left home at 09h30 today (Leuven) and in the BA lounge at 10h45. Agree it is not a nice experience at the moment, but can not say it is taking a lot of time, on the contrary. 10 min at the first check, smooth afterwards. Did not check anybags, that would have added probably another 15 to 30 min.

[lumumba]

Left home at 09h30 today (Leuven) and in the BA lounge at 10h45. Agree it is not a nice experience at the moment, but can not say it is taking a lot of time, on the contrary. 10 min at the first check, smooth afterwards. Did not check anybags, that would have added probably another 15 to 30 min.

Yep you are right for the moment they are doing a great job I took for the first time Iberia to Madrid from Brussels

What they have to change is to stop to ask to be there 2 hours in advance at the airport that's the main problem .
Even if it goes smoothly you loose 1h,also because that the terminal was crowdy of all those poeple waiting to board there plane!

[Inquirer]

I fully subscribe to what was said above: things go as smooth and as quick as ever before, give or take maybe 10 minutes for the additional check prior to entering the new facilities and the climb of the stairs in the connector.
They better stop saying you have to be there at least 2h prior to your flight: there's really no use for it!
OTOH, it seems like it's predominantly the popular press which keeps repeating this as a must even today; as was pointed out before by others, many airports (including BRU) have ALWAYS advised people to come that early in fact; after their reopening BRU once again stressed this general rule as it wasn't sure how smooth things would go, but thing go perfect as far as I can judge it, but of course: how to communicate that the 2 hour rule which has always been in place before, doesn't really apply in times of heightened security? Not easy. I suppose it's just one of those things people will have to experience and find out, either by trying or by hearing it from others.

[Homo Aeroportus]

Confirm.
I flew last Thursday on SN to BCN and it went very smoothly.
Took the 1320 flight though and this may explain why the whole process was so easy as this is not precisely peak hour at BRU.
I arrived at the fly-over at 1105 and almost bothered the cop by stopping at the road block; move on she said (first car in that lane and one coming behind me). Parked at P2 and followed the path to the temporary facilities. True the signage could be better as this is not a natural flow but OK and some BAC people around to help.
Chat with the military. These were the 1 EMI van Lombardsijde (you can spot them from a distance with their P90 !) and further the 1/3 Lanciers from Marche-en-Famenne (carrying the good ol' FNC). I always spend a minute with these guys and I encourage you to do the same, just a way of thanking for their support.
The pre-screening is well designed. Four lanes with one central divider made of a 3-m high concrete blast deflector. Another block perpendicular and just in front of the X-Ray machine. With the textile walls and ceiling a blast would have confined damage.

Next, it seems a number of people misunderstand the "Check-in tent" to be a necessary step while you can just carry-on if you have your boarding pass and hand luggage only.

Then comes the fitness test with the staircase up to the Connector (I don't know they handle the PRMs)
for the standard screening. No queue and not even a priority lane, no need then.

So I ended up spending more than one hour in the Loft.

Conclusion : 1-hour before should have been enough, but maybe at that time of the day though.

A heck of work done by BAC and Airlines to get this running again. Congrats and let's hope the situation will soon get even better.

H.A.

Upon return, it took a long time getting back to the parking lot due to the elevators running inefficiently. Or more exactly the lack of discipline of people keeping on pushing the call button before the lift is gone... leading to a new round of door opening.
@BAC : maybe a couple of Stewards there?

[Tompompier]

(I don't know they handle the PRMs)

PRM have a separate pass through, a few meters before the 'regular' exit. They are going through security checks on ground level, than can take an elevator to Connector.

Tompompier

[thalenoi]

Left home at 09h30 today (Leuven) and in the BA lounge at 10h45. Agree it is not a nice experience at the moment, but can not say it is taking a lot of time, on the contrary. 10 min at the first check, smooth afterwards. Did not check anybags, that would have added probably another 15 to 30 min.

How did you get at the airport? by car or other means?
I will arrive Saturday next week, usually call a friend from the baggage area who is waiting somewhere in Zaventem and head outside the Sheraton to wait for my pick up, now I see there is a pick up area somewhere? in P2, driver is allowed to wait for 10 minutes, isn't that a long walk, I am not so young any more and carrying 2 suitcases.

Other option is to take a bus from the Line, seems on Saturday a bus every 30 min and a 55 min ride, quite acceptable, no need to bother friends, and bus stop just one level lower (0)?

Leaving end of May, things will have smoothed out by then hopefully.

[BRU]

Did it by car. P1 is close, but bus is indeed almost in front of new checkin area. But arrival did not change, is same location. So no long walk to the car park for pick up.

[evyncke]

On a side note, let's hope that the security measures will adapt... I am in the Thalys from Liège to Paris: back to normal, no more ticket checks on the platform in Liège, smooth as before and as it should be Albeit all police people and armed forces converged to the Thalys platform when the train was there !

Unsure about Brussels South station though.

[Passenger]

Belgian Rail (NMBS/SNCB) announces that their Brussels Airport Railway station will not reopen before 25th April 2016. That notice doesn't mean that the station will reopen on 26th April: it's possible that the next announcement, on 25th April, will be another delay.

http://www.belgianrail.be/jp/sncb-nmbs- ... timetable&

[eagleheart]

Belgian Rail (NMBS/SNCB) announces that their Brussels Airport Railway station will not reopen before 25th April 2016. That notice doesn't mean that the station will reopen on 26th April: it's possible that the next announcement, on 25th April, will be another delay.

http://www.belgianrail.be/jp/sncb-nmbs- ... timetable&

And 3 hours after that post this one:

Brussels Airport ‏@BrusselsAirport 39 min.39 minuten geleden
Good news: @nmbs @sncb train traffic to/from #brusselsairport to resume as of tomorrow 22 April 2pm.

Source: Brussels airport on twitter

[Passenger]

Belgian Rail (NMBS/SNCB) announces that their Brussels Airport Railway station will not reopen before 25th April 2016. That notice doesn't mean that the station will reopen on 26th April: it's possible that the next announcement, on 25th April, will be another delay.

http://www.belgianrail.be/jp/sncb-nmbs- ... timetable&

And 3 hours after that post this one:

Brussels Airport ‏@BrusselsAirport 39 min.39 minuten geleden
Good news: @nmbs @sncb train traffic to/from #brusselsairport to resume as of tomorrow 22 April 2pm.

Source: Brussels airport on twitter

Very very good news!

Specially because KLM has started a new campaign: all Belgian KLM passengers get a free train ticket from whatever Belgian railway station to AMS Schiphol (r/t).