2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

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Passenger
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by Passenger »

ATV, news from yesterday (starts with publicity):
https://atv.be/nieuws/video-minder-vluc ... lair-69568

I agree with the manager/owner and with other people here: the disappearance of the free parking (in front) and the disappearance of VLM are two disasters. But I also agree with Marcel Buelens and with other people here: you cannot have business hours 11h-19h in a non-established brasserie/pub at an airport. When there is a flight with 100 tourists leaving at 06h35, you must be open at 05h30.

Solution? Talk to the parking company. And talk to your staff to find customer-friendly rosters.

jan_olieslagers
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Non-established?????? Sorry but that is sheer nonsense. This tavern/bar/brassserie was well estasblished and indeed extremely successful 50 years ago, and did fairly well even 10 years ago. People - totally unassociated with aviation - would have a "chique" Sunday noon dinner there, or have their "Bolleke" in good company on the terrace, enjoying the fine atmosphere and the aviation activity in good weather. Except the good weather, the current airport management has "managed" to kill all those attractive factors. It is their fault and only theirs if the tavern/pub/bar cannot/won't offer decent service today.

And no, it is beyond reason to expect such a bar to open on a Monday morning at 5:30 to serve 80 cups of coffee and 20 of tea and 20 "sudderans", then send all that staff back home one bare hour later. None can run a profit there, especially not under Belgian taxation and Belgian social security.

Passenger
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by Passenger »

jan_olieslagers wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 18:26 Non-established?????? Sorry but that is sheer nonsense. This tavern/bar/brassserie was well estasblished and indeed extremely successful 50 years ago, and did fairly well even 10 years ago. People - totally unassociated with aviation - would have a "chique" Sunday noon dinner there, or have their "Bolleke" in good company on the terrace, enjoying the fine atmosphere and the aviation activity in good weather. Except the good weather, the current airport management has "managed" to kill all those attractive factors. It is their fault and only theirs if the tavern/pub/bar cannot/won't offer decent service today.

And no, it is beyond reason to expect such a bar to open on a Monday morning at 5:30 to serve 80 cups of coffee and 20 of tea and 20 "sudderans", then send all that staff back home one bare hour later. None can run a profit there, especially not under Belgian taxation and Belgian social security.
The airport is an established place. Brasserie Belair is not: it's unknown to 99% of the 450.000 inhabitants. They're only known as "the brasserie/pub inside the airport". But being an non-established brasserie is no problem to be successfull, as long as they can benefit from the airport. With VLM gone and their free parking gone, they need to adapt their business plan. I don't think that to close on Mon-Tue-Wed and to open 11h-19h isa good idea.

ostair
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by ostair »

What about the people who work for the airport? Bring your own food...

flightlover
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by flightlover »

ostair wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 21:05 What about the people who work for the airport? Bring your own food...
Just like at any other company, order in, close by supermarket or food shop. It's not like it is in the middle of no ware.

DIBO
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by DIBO »

The in-house competition from the Fly Shop, especially since the opening of the drink/snack corner in the departure lounge (used to open at 06:30, maybe they still do?), surely played also a role...

ostair
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by ostair »

flightlover wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 21:17
ostair wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 21:05 What about the people who work for the airport? Bring your own food...
Just like at any other company, order in, close by supermarket or food shop. It's not like it is in the middle of no ware.
Agree but a hot meal prepared with TLC always better than your own sandwiches ;)

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KriVa
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by KriVa »

Passenger: If I may ask, how often have you visited Belair at ANR? Both before and after the bombings at BRU/Maalbeek?
I used to be a very frequent visitor of theirs, and the difference, both in amount and “style” of clientele, was spectacular before and after.
The restaurant owner is not lying, before the bombings (and before the abolishment of free parking) the restaurant was pretty much fully packed at any time of the day. Since I’ve moved away from ANR, it’s been some time since I’ve visited the Belair myself. The last few times I’ve been there, however, it was very clear that it simply wasn’t sustainable to keep it open seven days a week.
I really do hope they manage to keep it profitable, lots of good memories, and really good food for a decent price.
Thomas

Passenger
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by Passenger »

KriVa wrote: 29 Nov 2018, 11:49 Passenger: If I may ask, how often have you visited Belair at ANR? Both before and after the bombings at BRU/Maalbeek?
I used to be a very frequent visitor of theirs, and the difference, both in amount and “style” of clientele, was spectacular before and after.
The restaurant owner is not lying, before the bombings (and before the abolishment of free parking) the restaurant was pretty much fully packed at any time of the day. Since I’ve moved away from ANR, it’s been some time since I’ve visited the Belair myself. The last few times I’ve been there, however, it was very clear that it simply wasn’t sustainable to keep it open seven days a week.
I really do hope they manage to keep it profitable, lots of good memories, and really good food for a decent price.
I change my view.
Maybe it was allways pretty full then, but they were making huge losses. At the moment that the free parking disappeared, they already had a cumulated loss of some 700.000 €. So there aren't many options left, apart from changing from "brasserie" into "pub", thus allowing opening hours with "one staff member only".

PttU
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by PttU »

jan_olieslagers wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 17:11 The paid parking certainly has kept me away! Then again, I am not an airline passenger anyway so perhaps I am not a factor of loss... The reduction of service at BelAir is bad too, but quite understandable. They are not a charity, after all.
I'm not too familiar with the surroundings, but isn't there some kind of free parking using the parking lot of the ALDI? Or is that too far or some other reason not to use it?

b720
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by b720 »

PttU wrote: 30 Nov 2018, 11:27
jan_olieslagers wrote: 28 Nov 2018, 17:11 The paid parking certainly has kept me away! Then again, I am not an airline passenger anyway so perhaps I am not a factor of loss... The reduction of service at BelAir is bad too, but quite understandable. They are not a charity, after all.
I'm not too familiar with the surroundings, but isn't there some kind of free parking using the parking lot of the ALDI? Or is that too far or some other reason not to use it?
I guess that few people will want to visit the brasserie from outside the airport. I used to go there years ago, when the terrace was almost open to the apron! Early 90s. I used to take my books and study there, have coffee after coffe and delicious rice cakes!! Lots of crew used to hang out there between flights.. DAT KLM etc. I think that times have changed, the airport has an eerie feel to it these days. One has to pay for the parking.. I think that they will need to rely on those working at the airport, crew, the odd person waiting for loved ones to arrive or dropping them off, provided they want to pay the parking.. and pax .. those arriving too early for their flights might want to have a coffee.. but that s about it, i m afraid.

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luchtzak
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by luchtzak »

A free parking ticket for every customer in the bar, e.g. consuming more than €10 ?

FLYAIR10
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by FLYAIR10 »

A free parking ticket for every customer in the bar, e.g. consuming more than €10 ?
I was having the same idea? Why not give a voucher for the parking or so for customers of the restaurant.

This year I have been at the airport 3 times , 2 times for lunch, 1 time to drop off some relatives for the BCN-flight. If I remember well ,each time I had to pay some 3-4 euros for the parking. Not enormous,but coming on top of the consumption in the airport of course.
Each time the restaurant was quite busy or even completely full (BCN-ANR-BCN in delay).
I had the impression also a lot of people ( groups) ordering lunches were not directly related to the airport or were picking-up/dropping off pax. Maybe, friend groups using the 'ambiance' of the airport restaurant for their 'monthly lunch-meeting' and/or 'koffieklets'.

The fact that the restaurant would not be profitable comes a bit as a surprise to me,unless they have to pay an enormous rent which is not in line with the real or potential income...

Of course the disappearance of VLM did not help,that's for sure, but hopefully that gap will be filled soon...

b720
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by b720 »

luchtzak wrote: 30 Nov 2018, 14:12 A free parking ticket for every customer in the bar, e.g. consuming more than €10 ?
A very good idea.

jan_olieslagers
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Yes. But who will pay for it?

DIBO
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by DIBO »

The original Kiss&Fly zone is now staff only parking, with often 10 or more unused parking spots. They could reserve these for Belair clients, with very little investment and without interfering with the paying parking.

b720
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by b720 »

jan_olieslagers wrote: 01 Dec 2018, 01:00 Yes. But who will pay for it?
Shared by the resto. Parking and the client..
It could be free parking for an hour or two.

Passenger
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by Passenger »

Tariff for the parking in front:
01-30 min: 1 euro
31-60 min : 2 euro.
61-120 min: 3,5 euro
121-180 min: 5 euro.
181-240 min: 6,5 Euro.

Indigo Parking expects some revenu from people, only picking up friends/relatives. Maximum revenu they may expect for those tickets is 2 euro (one hour parking). Average revenu for pickups is probably 1 euro, as passengers can predict quite correct when they will exit the building.

So the brasserie should make a deal with Indigo Parking, example "we pay 1 euro, and you give them the first hour for free". So if passengers stay 2 hours in total, the restaurant pays 1 euro and the passengers pay 1,5 euro.

After all, it's the interest of Indogo Parking too that the airport is consumer friendly. Thus has a pub/brasserie.

convair
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by convair »

Passenger wrote: 02 Dec 2018, 14:27 Tariff for the parking in front:
01-30 min: 1 euro
31-60 min : 2 euro.
61-120 min: 3,5 euro
121-180 min: 5 euro.
181-240 min: 6,5 Euro.

Indigo Parking expects some revenu from people, only picking up friends/relatives. Maximum revenu they may expect for those tickets is 2 euro (one hour parking). Average revenu for pickups is probably 1 euro, as passengers can predict quite correct when they will exit the building.

So the brasserie should make a deal with Indigo Parking, example "we pay 1 euro, and you give them the first hour for free". So if passengers stay 2 hours in total, the restaurant pays 1 euro and the passengers pay 1,5 euro.

After all, it's the interest of Indogo Parking too that the airport is consumer friendly. Thus has a pub/brasserie.
Good idea, but the practical manner to do so in an equitable way doesn't seem easy though.

b720
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Re: 2018 Antwerp Airport (ANR/EBAW) latest news

Post by b720 »

Many malls do that.. u validate parking ticket at the shop .. inno in Antwerp used to do that as Well.. not sure they still do..

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