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

[Magiktrix]

According to Le Soir the old platform of SNCB/NMBS (50m distance) will be used so that nobody access the elevator to the terminal. A special way will be used to the temporary entrance.

[RoMax]

According to Le Soir the old platform of SNCB/NMBS (50m distance) will be used so that nobody access the elevator to the terminal. A special way will be used to the temporary entrance.

They will be using the old station which was used until a number of years ago and there will indeed be a different route to the pre-check to avoid the damaged diamond (which is the main reason they are not using the new station). They did some basic refurbishment of the old station and installed ticket machines, the regular ticket counters will not be reopened overthere. Also there will only be regular stairs and elevators, escalators will not work. This is just a temporary solution until the diamond is (partly) released again.

[b-west]

I do hope they gave it a thorough scrub. The homeless people made a rather smelly mess at the end of the stairs to the old station.

[brusselsairlinesfan]

Can someone post some pics of the old station please?

[domtom]

I see that Air Europa/Vueling and other airlines are still flying to Liege/Lille. A friend has also had a flight from Scotland cancelled. What is the situation now? Clearly not back to normal? Is Brussels running to 50% of its capacity, more, or less?

[sn26567]

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).

That's a knife in the back of all Belgians, but it is not surprising from the Dutch : for them, business is business, whatever the circumstances!

[Poiu]

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).

That's a knife in the back of all Belgians, but it is not surprising from the Dutch : for them, business is business, whatever the circumstances!

A knife in the back of SN, I agree, but not a knife in the back of all Belgians. It is actually a nice gesture towards the Belgian travellers.

[Conti764]

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).

That's a knife in the back of all Belgians, but it is not surprising from the Dutch : for them, business is business, whatever the circumstances!

A knife in the back of SN, I agree, but not a knife in the back of all Belgians. It is actually a nice gesture towards the Belgian travellers.

It's not... It's just the mercantile Dutch mentality of grabbing whatever market they can. You can't blame them. The Dutch are like the Germans, they value ratio above emotion and it always payed of for them. Compare it to all those flag carriers seizing the momentum of Sabena's demise and flooding BRU.

[sean1982]

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).

That's a knife in the back of all Belgians, but it is not surprising from the Dutch : for them, business is business, whatever the circumstances!

I think a lot of belgians are actually quite happy with that. Not everyone's emotional stability depends on the wellbeing of SN/BRU you know?

[Passenger]

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).

I have to correct the above: the train ticket is only for the Thalys train Brussels-Antwerpen-Amsterdam.

[b-west]

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).

I have to correct the above: the train ticket is only for the Thalys train Brussels-Antwerpen-Amsterdam.

Ah, but doesn't a Thalys ticket automatically include "all Belgian stations"? The one I bought last week did, though that was of course a stand alone Thalys ticket, not one tied in with a KLM ticket.

KLM has always been trying to get Belgian passengers to come to Schiphol, just as SN has tried to lure Dutch pax to Zaventem. It's part of doing business.

[sn26567]

Belgian Premier Charles Michel sharply criticised KLM for its unfair practices.

http://wp.me/p5lySl-36y

[Poiu]

Belgian Premier Charles Michel sharply criticised KLM for its unfair practices.

http://wp.me/p5lySl-36y

Why would it be unfair? Competition yes, but unfair??

[Conti764]

KLM has already proven they're no quite the vulture... But hey, who can blame them?

[Passenger]

Belgian Premier Charles Michel sharply criticised KLM for its unfair practices.
http://wp.me/p5lySl-36y

Why would it be unfair? Competition yes, but unfair??

The KLM campaign is legally allowed indeed and the campaign is not "unfair" when referred to the legal concept of "fair trade" in the Wet Marktpraktijken en Consumentenbescherming / Loi Pratiques du marché et Protection du consommateur.

But is that the only parameter we have to use here: "is it legally allowed"? Charles Michel said it's "no fair play", and he is right. There is a human factor involved: more then 30 people have been killed. It's ugly to use those victims for own benefit, as KLM is doing with this campaign.

What KLM is doing here, is lijkenpikkerij. It's about the ugliest word there is in Dutch.

edited: "lijkenpikkerij": "vulture behaviour" comes closest: feeding yourself from the dead.

[Boeing767copilot]

http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/video ... =1.2635964

[telspace2005]

When was the last time KLM went on strike ?
When was the last time Dutch ATC went on strike ?
When was the last time Schiphol bagages handlers went on strike?
When was the last time Schiphol airport closed due to energy problems ?
When was the last time Schiphol police decided to slow down the work?
When was the last time, trains in Holland went on strike ?
When was the last time Schiphol passengers were taken hostages of unexpected unions actions ?

Flying to or from BRU is just a nightmare, not only today, but from a long time.

[Passenger]

As posted by Boeing767copilot indeed, VRT Ter Zake is available on their website deredactie.be:

only the item about the KLM campaign (5 minutes):
http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/politiek/1.2635999

the full episod Ter Zake, 21 April 2016 (30 minutes)
http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/video ... ke/2.43912

Ter Zake / VRT asked KLM for a reaction about their campaign. KLM didn’t want to react on camera, but they have sent this written reply to VRT:

“KLM heeft regelmatig campagnes om het treinproduct onder aandacht te brengen van Belgische klanten (...) Ook dit jaar had KL dergelijke campagnes gepland. Vanwege de huidige beperkte capaciteit van Brussels Airport, heeft KLM besloten om de campagne nu te doen en zo de Belgische klanten in de gelegenheid te stellen via Schiphol (AMS) te vliegen.”

Translation via Translate.Google.com: KLM regularly has campaigns to bring the train product to the attention of Belgian customers (...) KL had planned such a campaign again this year. Due to the current limited capacity of Brussels Airport, KLM has decided to do the campaign now and to enable the Belgian customers the opportunity to fly via Schiphol (AMS).

[Crosswind]

Flying to or from BRU is just a nightmare, not only today, but from a long time.

True. But who's responsible ?

[b720]

The PM's reaction to the KLM offer is ridiculous. He should thank them for diverting Some pax out of BRU. KLM' s free train is equivelant to SN' s "free" flights from CDG to bru offered to pax originating in France flying SN to Africa. Business is business, and the PM was badly advised when he made that remark.