Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

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b720
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by b720 »

PttU wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 14:33 The airport has the same problems as traffic in general: it's a risk planning to get there by car because you might be stuck in traffic, it's a risk getting there by train because there might be cancellations, strikes or other delays. The reason why one would still prefer the car is because it gives the feeling of having control: when you're in traffic you can try to find a route around it, when you're by public transport, you're dependant on when your train decides to move, and in which direction. Making the alternatives cheaper, or the car more expensive needs a way bigger difference to move people to the alternative: the cost of driving a car is way lower by perception than it is in reality and the feeling of independence and being in control of the situation is invaluable.
So if you want to reduce the amount of people coming to BRU by car, you need to have an alternative which has the image of being reliable enough, more than you need an alternative which is cheap enough or making it harder to park or get there by car.
Well said!

Passenger
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Passenger »

The Diabolo surcharge on train tickets has been made compulsary by the European Commission. Otherwise, it would be illegal state aid - illegal competition towards other airports.

convair
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by convair »

Flying Scout wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 15:04 I normally travel by motorbike => no traffic jams, no parking issues, no money needed. (also when travelling with Luggage!).
I assume you park your motorbike somewhere.
Flying Scout wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 15:04 If I do have more than needed, the dropoff zone is really OK and not as bad as mentionned. It's normally quicker to walk from there than look for a parking spot, go to the elevator, wait for it, ...
Drop-off zone is (almost) OK, ...provided you have someone to drop you; however, it's not always possible to sub-contract your problem. In that case, you obviously don't need to look for a parking spot!
Flying Scout wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 15:04 I have the impression that you all want to be dropped of just next to the plane and unwilling to go a single step. If so, consider a private plane from Abelag or so. ;)
Thanks for the advice.

jan_olieslagers
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by jan_olieslagers »

The Diabolo surcharge on train tickets has been made compulsary by the European Commission. Otherwise, it would be illegal state aid - illegal competition towards other airports.
Thanks, that is new to me. Not really a surprise, though.
When you arrive, you take a ticket, you get 10 minutes free drop off, when you leave, at the exit barrier you put your ticket in the machine. If you did not exceed your free ten minutes, the barrier opens. For every extra minute you will.be charged one euro to be paid.in coins or with a bank or credit card.
Yes, exactly what is needed. Don't other airports have such arrangements?

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skumfiduse
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by skumfiduse »

jan_olieslagers wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 17:51
The Diabolo surcharge on train tickets has been made compulsary by the European Commission. Otherwise, it would be illegal state aid - illegal competition towards other airports.
Thanks, that is new to me. Not really a surprise, though.
Does this also imply the level of the surcharge? As the current 10,60 euro return surcharge (5,30 euro one-way) + train ticket is not competitive when leaving from Antwerp.

The Airport Express bus is 20 euro return fare, leaving every hour, very comfortable coaches and now also accepts debet/credit card payments.
Flixbus is +/- 10 euro return fare, comfortable coaches, online payment, but by experience not very reliable.

jan_olieslagers
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Coach/bus will be less expensive on every transfer, from 1 km to 1000km. Still many people prefer plane/train/car. Why?

convair
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by convair »

Ansett wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 17:42 Another and perhaps even better option could be to install barriers at the entrance of the (former) drop off zone. When you arrive, you take a ticket, you get 10 minutes free drop off, when you leave, at the exit barrier you put your ticket in the machine. If you did not exceed your free ten minutes, the barrier opens. For every extra minute you will.be charged one euro to be paid.in coins or with a bank or credit card.
Good idea, but for some people, 1 euro is too small a penalty. It should be gradually increasing, say 1 euro for the first minute, 2 for the second, 5 for the third etc...reaching a total of at least 50 euros for 15 minutes. Failing that, the lesson wouldn't be reminded very long, imho.

PttU
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by PttU »

jan_olieslagers wrote: 26 Sep 2018, 19:48 Coach/bus will be less expensive on every transfer, from 1 km to 1000km. Still many people prefer plane/train/car. Why?
1-1000km is quite a range, but:
* plane for speed (near the 1000km mark)
* car for flexibility
* train over coach/bus? I'm not sure about that: mostly because of specific routing (close to departure or destination), more frequent, more flexible (for shorter distances, within the country) or just more well-known than some bus/coach companies.

But that's going off-topic. However...
* BRU has the traffic issue just like the entire Brussels-region, making BRU less atttractive, especially for people going to Brussels/BRU less frequently. So other airports (national or not to far abroad) might become more interesting. If parking should become more difficult, that might scare off passengers.
* Train: making it cheaper could attract a few more passengers through that option, but I'm afraid reliability is a bigger issue.
* The Airport Express from Antwerp is indeed interesting, I don't know if there's a similar service from Gent, Liège,... There might be some potential there to lead more passengers to BRU: not only being a hub for air transport, but why not combining it with kind of a hub for bus-transport?
All that could lead more passengers to BRU, but they don't generate as much revenue as some extra shops in the terminal or office buildings around it would.

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luchtzak
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by luchtzak »

This bicycle path must be the worst ever! At Brussels Airport ...

b720
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by b720 »

Oh my! Someone’s gonna get hurt!
I assume that the path is dark at night?

flightlover
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by flightlover »

b720 wrote: 27 Sep 2018, 10:17 Oh my! Someone’s gonna get hurt!
I assume that the path is dark at night?
You mean the new guy who rides his bike without proper lights?

b720
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by b720 »

On the phone.. and smoking as Well.
On a rainy day ;-)

JOVAN
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Re: BRU infrastructure: future

Post by JOVAN »

sean1982 wrote: 30 Apr 2018, 12:25
Boavida wrote: 30 Apr 2018, 12:14 Picture from 27 april, found on twitter. Apparently, passengers had to wait about 1,5 hours for passport check. This is getting ridiculous. Tweeting "it's not our fault, it's the federal police", does not solve anything for passengers. Action is needed.

Image

Source: https://twitter.com/BrusselsAirport/sta ... 8560849920
Standard BRU day then .... I'm starting to advise everyone to avoid as much as possible. Dusseldorf is about 40 min longer drive but cheaper in tax, parking and MUCH more customer friendly. If only BA would open ANR-LHR or something, you'd never ever see me at BRU again :lol:

I was in such a long queue 2 weeks ago.
Waiting, waiting, slowly moving.
Then I suddenly saw that the automatic pasport controls were open (all on gren).
So I left the queue .

The REASON why the queue is there and so long:
the young guys and girls in green polo, with " can I help you ?." on the back are NOT DOING THERE JOB.

They just play around ( 6 on them) , chatting on the phone, making fun...

One guy had a small pancarte with the text that EU passports can use the automatic gates. But he was more hiding is than showing to the people in the queue.
When I told him to give me the pancarte and I would solve the queue in a few minutes, he called me " un raciste "

So advise to the BRU Management: put one retired and motivated volunteer there instead of 6 young unresponsible kids who only think about making fun."

Some professionalism please, BRU Management.

An airport is not a playground...

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sn26567
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by sn26567 »

Not really about infrastructure, but about ownership: Macquarie (Australia) began selling its 36% stake in Brussels Airport, with AG Insurance of Belgium as an initial candidate.
André
ex Sabena #26567

Charlie Roy
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Charlie Roy »

The REASON why the queue is there and so long:
the young guys and girls in green polo, with " can I help you ?." on the back are NOT DOING THERE JOB.
I pass through this passport control 3 times a month, and share your opinion 100%!

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luchtzak
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by luchtzak »

Brussels Airport has just acquired the Sheraton Airport hotel, that's the hotel just across the terminal building: https://www.aviation24.be/airports/brus ... ort-hotel/

JOVAN
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by JOVAN »

Charlie Roy wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 18:10
The REASON why the queue is there and so long:
the young guys and girls in green polo, with " can I help you ?." on the back are NOT DOING THERE JOB.
I pass through this passport control 3 times a month, and share your opinion 100%!
I wrote to Mr. Feist about it; he admits the problem and declared to do something about it.

I travel next week via Pier B. Will see the improvements.

Anybody positive experience lately ???

Matt
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by Matt »

JOVAN wrote: 16 Jan 2019, 18:40
Charlie Roy wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 18:10
The REASON why the queue is there and so long:
the young guys and girls in green polo, with " can I help you ?." on the back are NOT DOING THERE JOB.
I pass through this passport control 3 times a month, and share your opinion 100%!
I wrote to Mr. Feist about it; he admits the problem and declared to do something about it.

I travel next week via Pier B. Will see the improvements.

Anybody positive experience lately ???
I used this this passport control in December, no problem.

HOWEVER, on the return I waited an hour (!!!) to get back into Belgium. It was a Saturday morning on a return flight from JFK (with Delta). The border control was a mess, the automatic gates weren't working, and apparently they rarely work... So everything was to be done manually. An hour to get into my own country. :cry:

gumblebee
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: automatic passport gates working well

Post by gumblebee »

JOVAN wrote: 16 Jan 2019, 18:40
Charlie Roy wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 18:10
The REASON why the queue is there and so long:
the young guys and girls in green polo, with " can I help you ?." on the back are NOT DOING THERE JOB.
I pass through this passport control 3 times a month, and share your opinion 100%!
I wrote to Mr. Feist about it; he admits the problem and declared to do something about it.

I travel next week via Pier B. Will see the improvements.

Anybody positive experience lately ???
I arrived early this morning. There was indeed a young lad, directing the people the right way.

The automatic gates were working, one of the gates was free when I got there, no queue at all.

Went like a dream.

If you want to complain, it was a long walk from the gate, and they had blocked the last travellator (expecting queues later on perhaps). Also, I had to try several times before the machine for selling train tickets accepted my debit card.


Amsterdam on the other hand, where I started my trip late last year : the queues for passport control were long (about 25 min. before I got to the automatic gates), and the setup was bizare : they actually had 2 queues crossing so they needed somebody for traffic control, to alternately halt one queue to let the other one pass. On top of that it was poorly signposted, I had to ask to find the right queue.

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luchtzak
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Re: Brussels Airport (BRU) infrastructure: future

Post by luchtzak »

Already promised in 2017, then 2018, TSA pre-check facilities at Brussels Airport will not arrive in the near future, RTBF.be knows: https://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detai ... d=10124339

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