My first experience flying Brussels Airlines (who are part Lufthansa group) from London to Berlin via Brussels left me with profound disappointment and frustration. As a result, we’ll both avoid trips with Brussels Airlines in future. It began with a delay. Late boarding, and to make matters worse, no announcements explaining the reason behind the delay.
The aging A320 aircraft I boarded had a worn appearance, and the loud noises throughout the cabin made for an uncomfortable atmosphere resembling that of a budget airline. During the journey to Brussels, the crew were preoccupied with advising passengers on their short or missed connections, leading to a tense cabin atmosphere. Not their fault as they were just the messengers. The worry and confusion continued as I was initially informed that I had missed my connection, only to be later told that I might make it if I rushed.
Upon landing, the helpful cabin crew moved me to the front of the aircraft to assist in making my connection. However, my anxiety turned to frustration when I discovered that the aircraft was parked on a stand 1 mile away from where my connecting flight was departing. Inside the terminal, the gate staff appeared utterly confused by my arrival from London, despite me clearly having just got off a plane and stating that I needed to connect to Berlin.
The poor signage throughout the terminal only added to my frustration, as I had to stop and ask for directions multiple times. To my surprise, I was even forced to pass through a duty-free shop, which seemed like an unnecessary obstacle in an already stressful situation.
I had to run an exhausting 1.5 kilometres in just 8 minutes to reach my connecting flight, only to find unkind and generally unpleasant gate staff who seemed unaware of the challenges I had just faced. Seeing a long line of passengers queuing down to the plane, I asked the gate staff if I could rush to a nearby toilet. Their answer was “we’re closing the gate now, so it’s up to you”
The crew on the London sector had told me that all connecting flights would know inbound London passengers were delayed. The gate staff’s lack of situational awareness and indifference to my efforts of getting to the gate on time left me feeling disregarded. I should’ve walked, missed the connection, stayed in a hotel and taken the €250 compensation.
Despite rushing to make it to the gate before it closed, and witnessing the queue snaking down to the plan, the gate staff showed no consideration for the situation and just wanted to adhere to their rigid procedures. Jobsworths.
Throughout the ordeal, Brussels Airlines demonstrated a lack of reliability for connecting flights, and the setup at Brussels Airport proved to be ill-equipped for smooth connections. The only consolation was that my bag made the short connection, but that was little solace in light of the overall disheartening experience. However, to add insult, the frequent flyer miles haven’t been credited, so now I’ll have to do a lot of chasing.
For future flights, we both will be sticking with Lufthansa, who have consistently provided a more reliable and customer-oriented service. This experience with Brussels Airlines served as a valuable lesson, reminding me of the importance of choosing an airline that prioritizes their passengers’ comfort and satisfaction, and flying via an airport that understands how onward connections work. We’ll avoid trips with Brussels Airlines in future, especially where a connection is involved.
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