BRU winter 2008-2009: latest news, routes, airlines

[Atlantis]

Responding to the current quickly developing and very quickly deepening economic crisis by adjusting capacity to real demand in order to prevent massive losses?

Around 12h30-13h00 I passed through the airport and I had this awkward impression that there were way less passengers and people around today than at previous times when I passed through during lunch time. I felt like asking the staff working at the airport if they had the same impression.

Could be indeed, but at this moment and with the current figures for Oktober in front of me, we could say that the total number of pax a day, week and month are still ok facing that there is an economic crisis.
Brussels Airport is still doing a good job and that's not what we can say of the airports around us with more then 5% decrease in pax and cargo.

We will see more red figures the next couple of months because at this moment all airlines are still flying their summer schedule who was made at the end of last year.

[teach]

Let's just admit SN is a very weak player, and that the lack of strategy will hurt them more than other airlines.

No, let's stop this fatalistic doomsday BS you keep on throwing around every single time the terms 'SN', 'Brussels Airport' or 'Belgium' are mentioned. People here are increasingly tired of that. Sometimes I wonder whether you're for real or just taking the piss, as I find it hard to believe someone can be as bitter as you.

Let's just look at this realistically, and call it what it is: an airline adjusting to the times. Trust me, those airlines that haven't already done so, will be following very, very shortly.

[airazurxtror]

Flightcare is about to begin putting his workers on "economic unemployment" (economische werkloosheid - chômage économique), from mid-november, due to the lessening work load (7 to 800 less flights than in october) :

http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/economie ... 3879.shtml

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... d-in.dhtml

[Atlantis]

Finnair is going to add a fourth daily flight between BRU and HEL. The aircraft will make a nightstop at Brussels Airport (arrival at 21.35) and will depart next day at 07.35.

[sn26567]

Finnair is going to add a fourth daily flight between BRU and HEL. The aircraft will make a nightstop at Brussels Airport (arrival at 21.35) and will depart next day at 07.35.

Will it also be in codeshare with SN?

[sdbelgium]

Will it also be in codeshare with SN?

Don't think so, but I can add that flightnumber will be AY815 and A/C type is Embraer 170.

Edit: OK, apparently it is codeshare. Sorry for that .
But frequency is only 6 weekly (no Saturday)... Correct?

[Atlantis]

Finnair is going to add a fourth daily flight between BRU and HEL. The aircraft will make a nightstop at Brussels Airport (arrival at 21.35) and will depart next day at 07.35.

Will it also be in codeshare with SN?

Hi André,

Yes it will be a codeshare with SN. The flightnumber of SN will be SN5338 (arrival) and SN5331 (departing)

I was forgot to tell that this fourth flight will start on 6th January.

[Atlantis]

Sun Air will improve their service between Brussels and Billund.

Reduce frequenties: SN, SAS, AF and TAP.

Source: Brussels Airport.

[tolipanebas]

What are the consequences on fleet and personnel? Because less flights means less staff and less aeroplanes.
Will some of the crew be fired? Some of the aircraft retired?

Fleet wise, the 2 remaining Bae146 are going to be grounded as from this weekend, so as from Sunday you'll have the chance to see a nice line up of 6 146 planes next to the Brussels Airlines hangar: 2 in Air DC colours, 4 in the hybrid SN colours, but still with the Sabena tail!

As to crews, not much will happen.
SN has been notoriously UNDERCREWED for years, so even after the capacity cut over the winter, there won't be many redundant flight crews: Besides, it would be too costly to sack them, with the likeliness of having to hire them again in spring, so people are just given less flight hours over the winter months and the work is spread out amongst them.

In the mean time, SN is looking for wet lease oportunities for the Bae146 and the crews still qualified on it.
Before somebody asks: not all crew are qualified on the Bae146, but those who are, also fly other types, so its not like they will stay grounded.

[HighInTheSky]

What are the consequences on fleet and personnel? Because less flights means less staff and less aeroplanes.
Will some of the crew be fired? Some of the aircraft retired?

Fleet wise, the 2 remaining Bae146 are going to be grounded as from this weekend, so as from Sunday you'll have the chance to see a nice line up of 6 146 planes next to the Brussels Airlines hangar: 2 in Air DC colours, 4 in the hybrid SN colours, but still with the Sabena tail!

As to crews, not much will happen.
SN has been notoriously UNDERCREWED for years, so even after the capacity cut over the winter, there won't be many redundant flight crews: Besides, it would be too costly to sack them, with the likeliness of having to hire them again in spring, so people are just given less flight hours over the winter months and the work is spread out amongst them.

In the mean time, SN is looking for wet lease oportunities for the Bae146 and the crews still qualified on it.
Before somebody asks: not all crew are qualified on the Bae146, but those who are, also fly other types, so its not like they will stay grounded.

But that is exactly what happend, isn't it? All the temporary contracts of the cabin crew are not renewed, so that makes about 65 ccm's who are grounded as from November 1st... They could start again when they are needed. But when?

[Atlantis]

Korean Air Cargo is going to add a new cargo destination to BRU: it will be Tel Aviv with one connection a week.

[Atlantis]

Some Brucargo Timetable news:

Caïro: will not longer be served by RJ. No other cargo carrier is flying this route.

Dakar/Latacunga/Sao Paulo: BB changed it's departing days. Those destinations will now also start on Mondays.

Delhi: SQ7374 will now also serve this destination on Thuesday.
KE539 will suspend this route

Hong Kong: -1 flight on Sunday by CX

Lima: will not longer be served by BB

London Heathrow: BR will fly to/from this destination with an MD11 instead their B747.

Manchester: -2 flights (Wednesday and Sunday) by CX

[Flying-Belgian]

Just a few questions:

9W: MAA-BRU-JFK remains A332 ? (in that case three 77Ws will be grounded... if they don't serve DXB and JED from DEL and BOM). Is BLR confirmed ? 4x week ?

EY: What about the daily frequency ? With a bit of chance, we could see something else than EYD and EYE...

Cheers;
FB.

[Atlantis]

Just a few questions:

9W: MAA-BRU-JFK remains A332 ? (in that case three 77Ws will be grounded... if they don't serve DXB and JED from DEL and BOM). Is BLR confirmed ? 4x week ?

It is confirmed and loaded in the system that the JFK route by 9W will be upgraded to a B777.
The same for BLR with 4 flights a week on days 1567.

EY: What about the daily frequency ? With a bit of chance, we could see something else than EYD and EYE...

Cheers;
FB.

We hoped by the end of this year to upgrade EY with daily flights to BRU. It is at this moment not possible due to lack of aircraft. This route deserve a daily operation because Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and Sydney are doing very well ex-BRU. I'm afraid that we have to wait till 2009 and then its not certain due to the economic crisis.

[Flying-Belgian]

It is confirmed and loaded in the system that the JFK route by 9W will be upgraded to a B777.
The same for BLR with 4 flights a week on days 1567.

That's strange then, because I've read on some blogs that 9W has revised that decision and therefore keeps the A330 to KJFK. And 9W's website gives me an A330 for november, december,... and even untill march.

Pretty sure they will wetlease the three 77Ws.

[Conti764]

We hoped by the end of this year to upgrade EY with daily flights to BRU. It is at this moment not possible due to lack of aircraft. This route deserve a daily operation because Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and Sydney are doing very well ex-BRU. I'm afraid that we have to wait till 2009 and then its not certain due to the economic crisis.

Is the demand for BKK big enough to warrant a direct TG flight in the future when the integration of SN in *A is completed?

[Atlantis]

We hoped by the end of this year to upgrade EY with daily flights to BRU. It is at this moment not possible due to lack of aircraft. This route deserve a daily operation because Abu Dhabi, Bangkok and Sydney are doing very well ex-BRU. I'm afraid that we have to wait till 2009 and then its not certain due to the economic crisis.

Is the demand for BKK big enough to warrant a direct TG flight in the future when the integration of SN in *A is completed?

Maybe within three to four years. This would be thanks to the tourism office of Flanders because BKK is at this moment no priority of Brussels Airport.

[Atlantis]

It is confirmed and loaded in the system that the JFK route by 9W will be upgraded to a B777.
The same for BLR with 4 flights a week on days 1567.

That's strange then, because I've read on some blogs that 9W has revised that decision and therefore keeps the A330 to KJFK. And 9W's website gives me an A330 for november, december,... and even untill march.

Pretty sure they will wetlease the three 77Ws.

Like I said on an other topic, the communication of 9W is a real mess lately. Also their site is not up to date. The winterschedule started today and the flight to JFK was with a B777

[kleineboy]

Windjet Starts Brussels and Amsterdam - Bologna Forli

by the start of the summerschedule

Brussels 3x a week
Amsterdam 2x a week
http://www.forliairport.com/main/index. ... id_news=84

[tolipanebas]

With the announcement Sterling is filing for bankruptcy today and them cancelling all their flights pending the court's decision, you can pretty much forget about whatever routes and frequencies they has announced to be keeping from BRU....