Brussels Airlines announces new short haul product

[b720]

That's the thing. It is NOT cheaper than the 'late' b.lite! Take check n Go add luggage u end up paying more than the previous b.lite. You said it yourself: (almost)No one paid 99 EUR for the b.lite fares.. The new "69"is actually replacing the enigmatic 99 which they offered on a few flights (a few seats) just to be able to post the fare on billboards. The new Check n Go is actually the old b.lite minus the luggage! You can't fool your "guests"for too long.

[RoMax]

Let's agree then that FR's business plus is hanging between light&relax and flex&fast .... but at 69.99EUR serioulsy undercutting SN's prices for a similar service.

Flex&Fast will be the more attractive choice for companies signing airline contracts, they get additional discounts and often go for the more premium option. Just like many b.flex business passengers have been flying on company contracts for years.

I'm sure this FR offer will make them more attractive to the individual business traveler, but of course that also depends on other aspects. For example: FR still serves many secondary airports, depending on where the business visit/meeting will take place, I can imagine that for example someone flying from Brussels/Charleroi to Milan, will prefer to take the Linate option instead of the Bergamo option.

[RoMax]

That's the thing. It is NOT cheaper than the 'late' b.lite! Take check n Go add luggage u end up paying more than the previous b.lite. You said it yourself: (almost)No one paid 99 EUR for the b.lite fares.. The new "69"is actually replacing the enigmatic 99 which they offered on a few flights (a few seats) just to be able to post the fare on billboards. The new Check n Go is actually the old b.lite minus the luggage! You can't fool your "guests"for too long.

If you follow your own logic: took b.light, deducted luggage and dropped the 99 base fare to 69, than you add 30 again and end up with the 99 fare again. Of course that fare is not available in that large amounts, but neither were the 99 b.light fares. Even the way you explain it yourself, it's a zero sum game.

[Inquirer]

Okay, this is getting difficult to discuss because you post the same info in 2 topics, so maybe the mods should all move it under 1? thank you.

Again, IMHO this business product of ryanair is closer to light@relax than it is to flex@fast, for the simple reason it doesn't come with the refund option you normally expect from a fully flexible ticket, nor does ryanair have any priority check-in counters for that luggage they assume you come with: there's no way to check in a suit case via an app, is there Sean?

And finally, another thing I really don't get: right at the time when others are discovering corporate flyers rarely fly with a suitcase and are thus adapting their fare structure to it, ryanair comes with a huge combo deal which combines ticket flexibility with totally unwanted luggage? Why on earth do you want to make us pay for checked luggage too, when we really only need ticket flexibility? This is really not making any sense at all, sorry, we're not 2004, but 2014, you know?

At 69,99 per leg, so close to 140 euro return, this isn't such a great deal: the same can be had for less in Light&Relax at Brussels, especially if you don't take any luggage like I do most of the times, and then I do collect miles while at it, which give me access to the lounge in BRU based on my status.

[tolipanebas]

That's right, all of that for 0.99EUR more than SN's LCC ticket.

Now you've got me confused, Sean, because you are comparing a return ticket price at brussels airlines to a one way ticket price at ryanair.

From the sound of it, this looks like ryanair's Light and Relax but with luggage added as a standard and it costs a minimum of 140 euro for a return ticket at ryanair.
To get the same deal as on ryanair, you'd need to book a return ticket at Brussels Airlines which is minimum 109 euro for the Light&Relax ticket + 2 times 15 euro for the bag, so 139 euro in total.
Not to nitpick, but for 1 euro less, they also give you 3 kgs more luggage while doing so.

Hi inquirer!

Indeed, Sean got you confused with all his nonsense, it seems!

In Light&Relax the bag is included in the price already as well as the flexibility to change to an earlier flight and all of that that for a price starting at 109 euro return vs. a whopping 140 return at ryanair, and no: just because you pay less doesn't mean you have to walk to your plane in the rain.
And both your cabin bag as well as your checked cases can be heavier too.
Oh, and we'll give you a compementary newspaper on both your outbound as well as your return flight.

So in fact, the situation is even worse than you depict it for this ryanair product: it would have been a good attempt to outsmart the old b.light, but sadly for them, SN have moved on and is indeed offering much more choice nowadays for less money.

[Inquirer]

Oops,
indeed, you are right: the bag is included in the Light&Relax!
I underestimated your generosity there for a minute. LOL
Anyway, it adds to the conclusion that the ryanair business offer really isn't such a good deal at all then: there's simply too much packed into one product.

I have a feeling all these different service packs from the different airlines will make the market less transparant than it was so far, as the cheapies of before are no longer to be called such at all, whereas the premiums of before are catching up or even surpassing them with a bunch of newly created deals. Seems like all this is getting more complex than comparing prices on the mobile phone landscape, with so many different bundles and fare structures which are really hard to compare 1 to 1 sometimes: yet isn't that exactly the aim then?
"Door het bos, de bomen niet meer kunnen zien"

[airazurxtror]

Interesting and amusing : Brussels Airlines trying to attract no-frills customers whilst Ryanair is trying to attract business travellers.
I'd think that both airlines are wrong, but we'll see how it all ends up.

[Flanker2]

It's like 2 old women sticking their hand in the other's purse at the same time while looking at eachother in the eye.
The questions will be who has the most valuable stuff, the biggest purse and the biggest hand.

IMO FR is trying to replace some of their low yield occupied seats with higher yields, while SN is trying to fill the empty seats with low yields, so we already know which one is more likely to succeed.

[OO-ITR]

OK, I'll see it in a broader perspective : once on board, I wait in the aisle for people to put their hand baggage and clothes in the overhead luggage bins before I can get to my seat; then I sit on an uncomfortable seat in a hot aircraft cabin ; have to pay for water very much needed after a short while in a cabin without adequate air ventilation. "Zit op een wolk zodra je instapt"

well I don't see how else you can get to your seat than walking through the aisle. Or do you know an airlines where they drop you directly into your seat... lol
And you don't want to pay for drinks and snacks? fine there is bizz&class and flex&fast...

[OO-ITR]

example

BRU-BCN retour in october
with FR business plus : 159.98 EUR
SN flex&fast : 378.42EUR

I thought it was 69.99 EUR with Ryanair... lol

[OO-ITR]

http://www.brusselsairlines.com/en-be/m ... tipps.aspx

[White Light]

FR offers selection of our seats with more legroom, in other words, front of the aircraft

What is the seat pitch at FR at the front of the cabin and what is the regular seat pitch ?

Thanks.

[speedbird1]

I would say that obviously row 1 has more room for your legs as well as 16 & 17. But otherwise with a 189 seat fit on their 800's I think the seat pitch for the other seats is 30 ins. On seat guru I see the first 5 rows are marked a premuim but I think that has more to do with location rather than space. Ditto with the last row.

Rgds,
Speedy

[airazurxtror]

I would say that obviously row 1 has more room for your legs as well as 16 & 17.

Also seats 2 DEF

[OO-ITR]

I would say that obviously row 1 has more room for your legs as well as 16 & 17.

Also seats 2 DEF

OK you better start running already to be on these seats then

[sean1982]

Seat pitch is not the only consideration, but also how near an exit a seat is. FR has confirmed that 45 "premium" seats are available. It also looking at the option to have an altered cabin seating on high demand business routes.

[airazurxtror]

OK you better start running already to be on these seats then

For the travellers of normal height and weight, the Ryanair ordinary seats are quite satisfactory.

[White Light]

What is normal height and weight ?
So many people are overweight today that they don't fit in an economy seat without invading their neighbour's space.
People of "normal height and weight" are an exception today.

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

A few months of 69,- euros fares ?
Anyone found one ?
I found none for dayretours, none for weekends, none for within three months and none for next year..
Maybe my dates,destinations didn't fit... but for me the 69,- euro is a hoax.
BTW, I found a deal to OSL for check n' go 89 euro without luggage,snack,seat reservation..
When I tried to book the same flights on LH site I receive luggage and snack for 93 euro... Economy Saver Deal..
How will this work out when I book Luftie ...
Anyone an idea ?

CXB

[airazurxtror]

Oh, and what's more, as from tomorrow morning no less that 50,000 additional seats at 69 euro return will be made available for sale throughout our entire European network so you can't even say availability is limited. Now, will you spend the night searching our website for potential typos, or will you book a couple of extremely low fare flights out of BRU, often to places you couldn't go at such rates before, regardless how much annoying discomforts you were willing to accept on the flight there?

This is what tolipanebas answered me just one month ago.
Lex, I suggest you ask him how to find those 69 euros fares, he should be able to give you the dope !