Brussels Airlines
| Brussels Airlines | |
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| IATA code : | SN |
| ICAO code : | BEL |
| Call sign : | BEELINE |
| Founding: | 2007 |
| Seat: |
Brussels , Belgium
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| Turnstile : | |
| Home airport : | Brussels-Zaventem Airport |
| Company form: | SA |
| IATA prefix code : | 082 |
| Management: | Dieter Vranckx ( CEO ) |
| Number of employees: | 3,500 |
| Sales: | US $ 1.44 billion (2014) |
| Passenger volume: | 7.5 million (2015) |
| Alliance : | Star Alliance |
| Frequent Flyer Program : |
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| Fleet size: | 52 |
| Aims: | National and international |
| Website: | www.brusselsairlines.com |
Brussels Airlines is a Belgian airline based in Brussels and based at Brussels-Zaventem Airport . It is a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and a member of the airline alliance Star Alliance .
history
2000s
Brussels Airlines was founded through the merger of SN Brussels Airlines , which emerged from the Sabena subsidiary Delta Air Transport , and Virgin Express . On March 25, 2007, the first flight under the name Brussels Airlines and the IATA airline code "SN" , which was adopted by SN Brussels Airlines, took place. The Sabena flights also carried the code, this is intended to express the origin of the airline. The sabena was very popular in Belgium and part of national pride. Their bankruptcy turned into the biggest bankruptcy in Belgian history. Since the fate of Sabena was sealed by foreign investors such as Swissair , the highest priority was given to maintaining the Belgian identity and independence when founding SN Brussels Airlines. For these reasons, the new company, Brussels Airlines, was owned by 40 Belgian investors who jointly managed a stake of just over 70 percent of the shares. Due to the merger with Virgin Express at the end of 2004, however, the airline Virgin Atlantic owned by Richard Branson became the largest shareholder. In 2007, the first year in the company's history, Brussels Airlines carried 5.8 million passengers and thus achieved a net profit of 23.1 million euros .
At the end of 2007, Brussels Airlines founded the Mauritanian airline Pan African Airlines together with Hewa Bora Airways under the name airDC . After the plane crash of a Hewa Bora machine on April 15, 2008, Brussels Airlines revised the cooperation. A renewed attempt to introduce airDC became unlikely after the former partners Hewa Bora and Brussels Airlines entered into competition on the Brussels-Kinshasa route.
Due to the rising oil price , Brussels Airlines set itself the goal of looking for new ways of saving fuel in 2008. The planes fly slower and the ashtrays, which are unnecessary anyway, have been removed from the seats. Furthermore, Brussels Airlines cancels flights on January 1st every year, with the exception of flights to and from Africa. The New Year is associated with high costs. Also in 2008, Brussels Airlines phased out the BAe 146-200 . The last flight of one of these machines was also the last flight between the now closed Berlin-Tempelhof Airport and Brussels.
On September 15, 2008 Lufthansa announced that it would initially take over 45 percent of the shares in SN Airholding. At the same time, Lufthansa received a purchase option to acquire the remaining 55% between 2011 and 2014. This option will now be exercised at the beginning of 2017. The European Commission approved the transaction on June 22, 2009.
On March 24, 2009, Brussels Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa announced the expansion of their cooperation. Codeshare flights were carried out on the routes between Brussels and Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Nuremberg and Stuttgart . The mutual use of airport lounges and the collection of bonus miles was simplified and later also African destinations were included. Brussels Airlines has been part of the Lufthansa Group since July 1, 2009 . On 9 December 2009 Brussels Airlines joined the airline alliance Star Alliance at.
2010s
In the summer of 2010 media reports were published that the founding of a new Congolese airline by Brussels Airlines with the help of the parent company Lufthansa and local investors under the project name Korongo Airlines was being planned. She flew from 2012 to 2015.
Brussels Airlines retired its last Boeing 737-400 in autumn 2012 . In May 2015, after four years, a wet lease contract with Austrian Airlines , which operated a De Havilland DHC-8-400 for Brussels Airlines, was terminated .
In September 2016, the Lufthansa Supervisory Board approved the complete takeover of Brussels Airlines.
On March 30, 2017 it was announced that Brussels Airlines was taking over Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium . This stopped its own flight operations in November 2017. A two-year wet leasing agreement was entered into with CityJet , in which 7 Sukhoi Superjet were to be used. In spring 2018, Cityjet had to cancel many Brussels Airlines flights for almost a month due to a lack of spare parts; instead of five aircraft, the flights for Brussels Airlines could only be carried out with two aircraft. The Superjet were returned to CityJet at the end of 2018 and replaced by Bombardier CRJ 900 and CRJ 1000 aircraft, which are operated by CityJet partner Air Nostrum . In addition, an Embraer 145 from flyBMI was used on a few flights .
At the end of August 2017, plans became known to found another airline in Africa.
At the end of 2017, the last of the previous 12 units of the Avro RJ100 were phased out, which formerly formed the workhorse of Brussels Airlines and its predecessors with the Avro RJ85 (14 units) and BAE146-200 (6 units).
From April 2018, Brussels Airlines operated long-haul flights from Düsseldorf on behalf of Eurowings with A330-300 and A340-300 aircraft . The A340-300 should however leave anytime soon and operated on behalf of Euro Wings, used the fleet A330-300 of Lufthansa to be replaced. According to these plans, the aircraft used in wet lease for Eurowings were given Eurowings paintwork and cabin furnishings, with three-class seating with full business class being offered exclusively for the first time on the aircraft operated by Brussels Airlines. The cockpit and cabin crew at Brussels Airlines should wear Eurowings uniforms.
2020s
The complete merger with Eurowings was planned until the end of 2020, but was finally abandoned in July 2019. At that time, the airline stated that it wanted to keep Brussels Airlines as a brand in the future.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated decline in passenger numbers and numerous flight restrictions, Brussels Airlines temporarily suspended air traffic in March 2020. There are only a few return flights for stranded holidaymakers and EU citizens.
Classes of carriage
Brussels Airlines offers four different types of tickets on European flights:
- Bizz & Class is the most expensive class of transport (business class) and, in addition to Flex & Fast lounge access, includes menu selection from the menu, 2 pieces of hand luggage and two pieces of luggage weighing 32 kg each
- Flex & Fast includes FastLane, Priority Boarding, free rebooking and free seat reservations as well as one piece of luggage weighing up to 23 kg
- Light & Relax enables rebooking and cancellation for a fee. One piece of luggage up to 23 kg and a choice of seat are included
- Check & Go is the cheapest option. No rebooking is possible and only includes hand luggage
Destinations
Brussels Airlines flies mainly to European , but also African and Asian destinations from Brussels-Zaventem Airport .
In the German-speaking area, there are flights to Berlin-Tegel , Hamburg , Hanover , Frankfurt , Munich and Nuremberg in Germany, Vienna in Austria and Basel and Geneva in Switzerland.
Brussels Airlines was one of the few remaining international airlines to fly to the historic Berlin-Tempelhof Airport up to five days before its closure on October 30, 2008.
Codeshare Brussels Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines: ( Star Alliance members are marked with * )
fleet
Current fleet
As of June 2020, the Brussels Airlines fleet consists of 52 aircraft with an average age of 15.5 years:
| Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats | Average age
(June 2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 22nd | 15 inactive | 141 (- / - / 141) | 16.1 years | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 16 | 12 inactive | 180 (- / - / 180) | 15.9 years | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | Retirement by 2022, all inactive | 257 (22/21/214) | 21.3 years | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 12 | four aircraft operated for Eurowings , all inactive | 295 (30/21/244)
292 (16/21/255) 285 (- / 30/255) 284 (- / 30/254) 262 (- / 22/240) |
13.1 years | |
| total | 52 | - | 15.5 years | ||
Previously used aircraft types
| Aircraft type | number | comment | Floating | Extermination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 2 | Both operated for Eurowings ; formerly Lufthansa , back to Lufthansa | 2018 | 2019 |
| Boeing 737 | 11 | 5 of them Boeing 737-300 ; & 6 of them Boeing 737-400 | 2007 | 2012 |
| British Aerospace 146 / Avro RJ | 33 | Replaced by used A319 / 320 and Superjet 100. | 2007 | 2017 |
| De Havilland DHC-8-400 | 5 | 4 of Flybe operated | 2011 | 2017 |
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 1 | of Flybmi operated | 2014 | 2019 |
| Sukhoi Superjet 100 | 7th | operated by CityJet ; 4 in Brussels Airlines colors | 2017 | 2019 |
Special paints
| Aircraft type | Aircraft registration | Painting | Period | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | OO-SSC | Star Alliance | since April 2010 |
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| Airbus A320-200 | OO-SNA | Red Devils | since April 2016 |
,_Airbus_A320-214,_OO-SNA_(29652967064).jpg)
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| OO-SNB | Tintin | since March 2015 |
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| OO-SNC | René Magritte | since March 2016 |
_DME_UUDD_1_(28885950578).jpg)
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| OO-SND | The Smurfs | since March 2018 |
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| OO-SNE | Bruegel | since May 2018 |
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| OO-SNSF | Tomorrowland | since February 2017 |
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Frequent flyer program
Since October 26, 2009, Brussels Airlines has been part of the Miles & More frequent flyer program under the leadership of Lufthansa , which has replaced its own Privilege program .
In autumn 2015, Brussels Airlines founded its own new frequent flyer program Loop . Passengers can decide whether they want to continue to participate in the Miles & More program or instead of miles to receive three points in the loop program for every euro spent on Brussels Airlines . These points do not expire and up to five people in the same household can collect loop points together.
Appearance
The upper part of the fuselage is white, the lower part is painted pastel gray, and the tail and vertical tail are dark blue. A b consisting of 14 red dots on a dark blue background can be seen on the vertical stabilizers. Thirteen balls were originally planned, but a 14th ball was added so as not to scare off superstitious passengers. Inside, dark blue leather seats await the passenger. The Virgin Express aircraft, which were previously almost completely red, were repainted and adapted to the new corporate design . The aircraft operated by SN Brussels Airlines, however, are different.
Transitional painting
First variant: only the “ b ” logo is already on the fuselage
Second variant: The vertical stabilizer now also has a " b logo"
Current appearance: Completely in the new design
- First variant: The old "Sabena-S" was still used on some machines. Not all of the old SN Brussels Airlines aircraft immediately flew in the new colors. Here only the "SN" on the fuselage was replaced by a small "b" (see picture box on the right) .
Some BAe-146 machines continued to fly in the old colors of the first variant until 2008. In the meantime, there is no longer a machine with the historic "S-Tail" in use for Brussels Airlines.
- Second variant: In the meantime, a red “b” instead of the “Sabena-S” has been placed on the medium blue vertical stabilizers with the old paint scheme (status: November 2007) .
Even this transition painting, which at first glance looks very similar to the new design, still has an orange side line of the old SN painting and a fuselage that is not completely filled in gray.
See also
Web links
- Brussels Airlines website (including English, French, German)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Factsheet Brussels Airlines (Star Alliance) 2014 ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ brusselsairlines.com - All-time record for Brussels Airlines in 2015 ( Memento of the original dated February 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English), accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ europolitan.de - Lufthansa is checking takeover of the Belgian airline Brussels Airlines ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 29, 2008
- ↑ touristikpresse.net - airDC: A new airline in the Congolese skies accessed on November 2, 2007
- ↑ aero.de - Brussels Airlines examines partnership with Hewa Bora, April 16, 2008
- ↑ rtbf.be - Hewa Bora reprend ses vols Kinshasa-Bruxelles après une pause de deux ans ( Memento of the original from June 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French), accessed May 30, 2009
- ^ Der Spiegel - Bye-bye, low-cost airlines, accessed on May 23, 2008
- ↑ YouTube - Last international flight Tempelhof, accessed on November 5, 2008
- ↑ Brussels Airlines goes to Lufthansa for 2.6 million euros. In: aero.de. Retrieved December 15, 2016 .
- ↑ European Commission - Merger control: Commission attaches conditions to approval of the takeover of SN Brussels Airlines by Lufthansa. Accessed on June 22, 2009
- ↑ konzern.lufthansa.com - Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines expand partnership ( memento of the original from March 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 24, 2009
- ↑ konzern.lufthansa.com ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (no longer available)
- ↑ staralliance.com - Brussels Airlines to Join Star Alliance, December 11, 2008 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ aero.de - Brussels is pushing ahead with the establishment of an airline in Central Africa, accessed on July 13, 2010
- ↑ ch-aviation - Brussels Airlines (English), accessed on December 22, 2015
- ↑ austrianaviation.net - AUA ends wet lease to Brussels, accessed on May 19, 2015
- ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Radical cure at Air Berlin, September 29, 2016
- ↑ Airlines swallows Belgian Thomas Cook ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed March 30, 2017
- ↑ Why Brussels Airlines cancels many flights operated by CityJet with Sukhoi SuperJet 100 aircraft , aviation24.be, 25 May 2018
- ↑ Lufthansa subsidiary examines Africa airline. Aero Telegraph, August 30, 2017.
- ↑ Phasing out: Brussels Airlines also says goodbye to Avro. In: aeroTELEGRAPH. October 4, 2017, accessed on March 16, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Eurowings, Brussels to merge by end-2020. ch-aviation , October 16, 2018.
- ↑ Brussels-Jets keep Brussels-Design. In: aeroTELEGRAPH. July 17, 2019, accessed July 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Brussels is suspending flights until mid-May. April 6, 2020, accessed April 6, 2020 .
- ↑ brusselsairlines.com - Travel classes accessed on February 19, 2019
- ↑ brusselsairlines.com - Destinations accessed on April 24, 2015
- ↑ brusselsairlines.com - Partner Airlines (English) accessed on April 24, 2015
- ↑ a b Brussels Airlines Fleet Details and History. In: planespotters.net. Retrieved April 8, 2020 .
- ↑ Brussels Airlines is gradually phasing out Sukhoi SuperJet 100's - Aviation24.be . In: Aviation24.be . November 2, 2018 ( aviation24.be [accessed November 6, 2018]).
- ↑ CityJet, Russians Differ on Reasons for Superjet Shuffle , ainonline.com, February 19, 2019
- ↑ brusselsairlines.com - Brussels Airlines passengers earn Miles & More points as from today, October 26, 2009 (English)
- ↑ aerotelegraph.com - Brussels Airlines brings innovative loyalty program accessed on October 21, 2015
- ↑ The Standard - Superstition Altered Logo, accessed December 21, 2006
- ↑ Flugzeugbilder.de - picture of a plane with transitional paintwork , accessed on November 18, 2007.
| Members |
Aegean Airlines • Air Canada • Air China • Air India • Air New Zealand • All Nippon Airways • Asiana Airlines • Austrian • Avianca • Brussels Airlines • Copa Airlines • Croatia Airlines • Egypt Air • Ethiopian Airlines • EVA Air • Lufthansa • LOT • SAS Scandinavian Airlines • Shenzhen Airlines • Singapore Airlines • South African Airways • Swiss International Air Lines • TAP Portugal • Thai Airways International • Turkish Airlines • United Airlines |
|
| Connecting Partners | ||
| Former |
Adria Airways • Ansett Australia • British Midland Airways • Continental Airlines • Mexicana • Shanghai Airlines • Spanair • TACA • TAM Linhas Aéreas • US Airways • VARIG |
| Virgin Atlantic Ltd. (20%) | ||
| Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. (8.7%) |
Virgin Australia Airlines • Virgin Australia International • Virgin Australia Regional Airlines |
|
| Former |
Pacific Blue Airlines • Polynesian Blue • The Lightship Group • Tigerair Australia • Virgin America • V Australia • Virgin Blue • Virgin Express • Virgin Nigeria • Virgin Samoa • Virgin Sun Airlines |
