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

[webstermc]

I would say wait and see. As we say in dutch: de soep wordt nooit zo warm gegeten als ze opgediend wordt.

Now that BAC is obliged to do entrance checks, they will do everything to avoid long waiting times. Long waiting lines is not good for their image ad their revenue.

And maybe that is why renovation should take longer. The new security measures must be installed and this must be done in cooperation with the unions. This means a lot of extra discussions and negotiations. So it will take longer before renovation can be started.

EDIT: corrected Some spelling mistakes.

[b720]

Holiday flight 14 hours plus 5, that s bad. Just imagine on a 1 hour business trip add 5! 2 or 3 times a week, and for nothing! Security is not improved, we are actually more at danger in that tent.
Bombers came by taxi, I bet they will not search taxis. I and my colleagues will shift to anr for our flights to gva and to ams for other flights.

[sean1982]

I would say wait and see. As we say in dutch: de soep wordt nooit zo warm gegeten als ze opgediend wordt.

Explain that to any non-belgian person who has read all of this in the news and who has already made up his mind never to use BRU again

[Jetter]

If SN is bankrupt in about half a year, remember to thank b-west and his friends for fiercely demanding lunatic security measures

[Flanker2]

I think that there is something very fishy about this police union story. Because if you think about it, it doesn't make much sense. Why does it slow down the departures flow so much? Why don't they temporarily use the excess security staff to carry out those checks instead of fedpol?
Why don't they open more check lanes to facilitate a higher volume of pax?

Imo it's a very convenient way to shift attention away from the slow reopening of BRU.

Perhaps the bottleneck is somewhere else.

[Jetter]

I think there's something fishy about the police unions themselves. They are probably out to ruin BRU so they can use the 'brugpensioen' asap.

[flightlover]

I think that there is something very fishy about this police union story. Because if you think about it, it doesn't make much sense. Why does it slow down the departures flow so much? Why don't they temporarily use the excess security staff to carry out those checks instead of fedpol?
Why don't they open more check lanes to facilitate a higher volume of pax?

Imo it's a very convenient way to shift attention away from the slow reopening of BRU.

Perhaps the bottleneck is somewhere else.

No, the bottleneck will be at that point. Hell even at an event it gets overcrowded at the entry points, and that's often without security check.

[convair]

So, according to the medias:

- Full check (Identity + Plane ticket + bags) before entering the terminal
- End of the Kiss and Fly
- No parking closer than 100m from the terminal
- Daily screening for the staff

Recipe for bankruptcy.

What would suit these unions is a quiet job in an airport with no departing pax, no arriving pax and no connecting pax! Well, they'll get it sooner than they think.

Unions are a Federal nuisance.

[convair]

I think that there is something very fishy about this police union story. Because if you think about it, it doesn't make much sense. Why does it slow down the departures flow so much? Why don't they temporarily use the excess security staff to carry out those checks instead of fedpol?
Why don't they open more check lanes to facilitate a higher volume of pax?

Imo it's a very convenient way to shift attention away from the slow reopening of BRU.

Perhaps the bottleneck is somewhere else.

Flanker, I hope you do understand that this has nothing to do with the security of the pax: those outside controls will be performed by private security staff, in order to ensure the security of the police that will be INSIDE the building! It's all that matters to these c***ds!

[Acid-drop]

Why do you complain so much about the checks ?
The real issue is the delay, not the checks.
We should force them to be (very) organised and efficient, thats all.
But i'm happy they finally care about safety.

[Jetter]

The real issue is the delay, not the checks.
We should force them to be (very) organised and efficient, thats all.
But i'm happy they finally care about safety.

Guess what? Checks and delays are related. At every airport in the world where there are checks, there are delays at times. To think BRU would be the 1st exception is ludicrous.

How can you say they care about safety because of these checks? That would mean every other airport in North-America and Europa doesn't care about safety

[Flanker2]

Flanker, I hope you do understand that this has nothing to do with the security of the pax: those outside controls will be performed by private security staff, in order to ensure the security of the police that will be INSIDE the building! It's all that matters to these c***ds!

1. Ok, then why do they need more police staff?
2. Ok supposing that half the security staff now working at connector and terminal B security checks are moved to the outside checks, why doesn't the airport reopen with a 50% departure capacity but only 20%?
It clearly shows that the bottleneck is somewhere else.

[Acid-drop]

That would mean every other airport in North-America and Europa doesn't care about safety

They have intelligence instead.
Do we have intelligence ?
How fast can we get an efficient one ?

[RoMax]

1. Ok, then why do they need more police staff?
2. Ok supposing that half the security staff now working at connector and terminal B security checks are moved to the outside checks, why doesn't the airport reopen with a 50% departure capacity but only 20%?
It clearly shows that the bottleneck is somewhere else.

And you think G4S is willing to do those checks at the entry? Think again.

In this first phase 20% capacity (local departing pax) is the best possible. This will progressively increase over time. Btw, don't forget they'll still not be able to use Pier B. There is nothing wrong with it, but they still have to release that building again for commercial flights departing and arriving there.

[convair]

Flanker, I hope you do understand that this has nothing to do with the security of the pax: those outside controls will be performed by private security staff, in order to ensure the security of the police that will be INSIDE the building! It's all that matters to these c***ds!

1. Ok, then why do they need more police staff?
2. Ok supposing that half the security staff now working at connector and terminal B security checks are moved to the outside checks, why doesn't the airport reopen with a 50% departure capacity but only 20%?
It clearly shows that the bottleneck is somewhere else.

1. They don't NEED more police; in fact they will NEED less since the building will now be "safe". But, they pretend they were understaffed before, so, naturally, they ask for more people (Have you ever seen a union not asking for more people?)
2. Performing security checks outside the building wil be slower than inside (you just can't have the same 10 lanes outside and you won't have all the necseary equipment from day 1). And BTW, there is no longer security check at terminal B; all pax go through the "connector's" lane.

That would mean every other airport in North-America and Europa doesn't care about safety

They have intelligence instead.

Are you serious? Do you read newspapers or watch the news on TV? Intelligence never stopped a mad person to make a carnage! It happens every week in the US! We surely need intelligence, but intelligence itself is not enough!

We also need common sense, and we seem to have lost much of it last week!

The most appropriate headlines for the current situation would be:

Brussels Airport: A Security Breakthrough!
Brussels Airport has taken unprecedented measures to ensure the security of the police!
Passengers will have to report on foot to the airport 5 to 6 hours before their flight's departure!

Seriously now: we'll be, again, the laughing stock of the world.

Edited: missplelling corrected; there might be more!

[sn26567]

The foreign press suggests a comparison with Nairobi:

This entire scenario begs comparison with East Africa of course and more recent developments for instance in Nairobi. Following an attempt to use explosives which thankfully proved to be a dud, did the Kenya Airport Authority on the fast track create a 20 lane entry security control area outside the main perimeter, where passengers must undergo personal scanning while security operatives and police check vehicles for suspicious packages or bags.

[sn26567]

At a press conference being held right now, Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist announced that flights would resume tomorrow with 3 SN flights to Faro, Athens and Turin.

Initially no public transport. Car and taxi access to the airport through parking 2 (Kiss & Ride not accessible). Parking is free for 10 minutes. From there on foot to the ground floor of the Connector (passengers only!).

Pre-check (identity and ticket) and 4 screening lines before check-in, to be extended to 8 later. 800 pax/hour. Check-in before the Connector. Arrivals in the normal way.

Hope to reach full capacity for the holidays in July.

Random screening of cars coming to the airport. License plate recognition for all cars.

Arrival at the airport 2 hours ahead of flights.

[RoMax]

And to be clear, they are NOT asking to come 4-5 hours in advance of your flight. They just tell you the usual story of 'at least 2 hours for Schengen' and 'at least 3 hours for non-Schengen'. Especially in the beginning I would play safe and actually do that, but if the pre-check doesn't prove to become a major bottleneck and also check-in goes smooth, there is no reason why for example 1,5 or even 1 hour in advance shouldn't be enough. Especially if you have already checked-in and don't need to drop baggage.

I don't know if it has been mentionned here, but besides the regular check-in counters, the second tent also has a number of computers right next to the check-in entry, which can be used for 'self check-in' (basically internet check-in with printing available) by SN passengers (next to these computers they have a ticket desk). So especially for those travelling without baggage (and in case of SN that's a quite high number actually), you don't need to enter the temporary check-in zone in Connector platform level and you can just proceed through the tents up to screening platform of Connector.

[lumumba]

I come 30 minutes before...for me it's finished I did my first reservation in Mai to Johannesburg with the train from Brussels

[RoMax]

I come 30 minutes before...for me it's finished I did my first reservation in Mai to Johannesburg with the train from Brussels

While you are not the only one, you can easily get stuck in Connector screening for 20-30 minutes as well, and that is if you don't need passport control for non-Schengen. So that's risky anyway.
At worst this pre-check adds another long time queueing, at best (and that's what BAC hopes to achieve, but they are also dependent on the staffing of fedpol etc.) you hardly have to wait at the entrance and then there is nothing that should make your throughput time at the airport that much longer than before.