Information on Brussels Airlines Flights

The national carrier of Belgium, Brussels Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, sitting alongside Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, ITA, Eurowings and a few other regional, leisure and low-cost airlines.

It’s a member of Star Alliance, the group that includes United Airlines and Air Canada, and is based at Brussels Airport just outside the Belgian capital. The airline’s compact hub here stands out, enabling swift connections around Europe and further afield.

The Brussels Airlines model

Brussels Airlines is my first choice for European connections, hands down. Most flights leave from a single concourse at Brussels Airport, which contains the A gates for flights within the Schengen Area (the European single-visa zone) and the T gates for the rest.

The size of the concourse and the concentration of flights means that connections are very quick and easy. A few non-Schengen flights still use the B gates in another concourse, but Brussels offers a shuttle from the T gates to the B gates. Compared with European mega-hubs, I love how efficient it is here.

For historical reasons, Brussels Airlines has a strong network in western and southern Africa and is a reliable choice for connecting to and from these destinations via Brussels Airport. As part of the Lufthansa Group, I also appreciate that they can usually reroute you onto another group airline in the event of a disruption.

Long-haul classes of travel and fare categories

Brussels Airlines offers business class, premium economy and economy aboard its Airbus A330 planes on long-haul flights.

Economy class passengers can choose between 3 fare bundles – Basic, Basic Plus and Flex – earning slightly more miles with each fare. Basic flights come with one 8-kilogram (17.6-pound) carry-on bag and one 23-kilogram (50.7-pound) checked bag, and include meals and drinks. Rebooking comes with a fee, while refunds are not available at all.

Basic Plus flights add a second checked bag, reduce the rebooking fee and allow flight refunds for a slightly higher fee. Flex flights make rebooking and refunds free and also include a seat reservation.

Premium economy flights are sold in the same 3 fare categories. Note that long-haul premium economy passengers are booked into economy seats on their short-haul leg if they’re connecting.

The Basic bundle includes one 17.6-pound (8-kilogram) carry-on bag and two 50.7-pound (23-kilogram) checked bags, as well as upgraded premium economy meals and drinks. You can rebook for a fee, but refunds aren’t allowed. The perk increases for additional fare categories are the same as in economy.

Business class tickets can also be bought in the same fare categories. The only difference here is a slight increase in points earned and a change in rebooking and refunds – Basic and Basic Plus have a fee for rebooking, but only Basic Plus allows refunds, for a fee. Flex allows both rebooking and refunds for free.

All business class passengers get two 8-kilogram (17.6-pound) carry-on bags, two 32-kilogram (70.5-pound) checked bags, a seat reservation, airport fast track privileges, lounge access and business class meal service with beverages.

Short-haul classes of travel and fare categories

On shorter flights where Brussels Airlines uses its A320 family (including the A319 and A320neo), you’ll find the standard European-style business class – three economy seats with the middle seat kept empty – and economy.

Brussels Airlines offers four economy-class bundles on its short-haul flights: Light, Classic, Green and Flex.

Light fares allow just a 17.6-pound (8-kilogram) carry-on bag, and you can’t rebook or refund your flight. Classic fares add a 50.7-pound (23-kilogram) checked bag and a seat reservation and also allow rebooking for a fee.

Green adds free rebooking and some extra miles, while Flex tickets bring free rebooking, refunds for a fee and seat selection in the priority zone. Flex also comes with priority boarding and lets you change an earlier flight on the day of travel if there is one.

In business class on short-haul flights, your bundle choices are Business Saver, Business Green and Business Plus. All passengers get two 17.6-pound (8-kilogram) carry-on bags, two 70.5-pound (32-kilogram) checked bags, a seat reservation, a guaranteed empty middle seat, a meal and drinks, airport fast track, lounge access and priority boarding.

Business Saver fares don’t allow rebooking or refunds, while Business Green adds free rebooking and some extra points. Business Flex enables free refunds.

Seats in Brussels Airlines economy

Brussels Airlines’ economy is solid, with its long-haul A330 planes offering reasonable legroom in a decent 2 by 4 by 2 layout, seatback entertainment and a free meal. There’s also a USB type A port to keep your device powered up.

On short-haul flights, seats are in a 3-3 layout and are average by European standards, often with a little more space than you’ll find on a low-cost carrier. If you like a bit of extra legroom, try to select a seat as far forward as you can – the seats in the first section convert between business and economy class depending on how busy business is, and there’s usually a bit of extra legroom as a result.

The A320neo planes have USB-A and USB-C charging ports but older planes don’t, so I always bring a power bank with me.

Meals on short-haul flights are buy-on-board, with a standard range of snacks and drinks for sale on every flight. Purchasing combos will save you a little bit. Several wraps and sandwiches are also available on flights over 70 minutes.

On flights longer than 2 hours and 40 minutes, hot options are also available. The onboard fries have something of a cult following and I always order them with mayonnaise for dipping along with a nice Belgian beer. My favorite is the Leffe Blonde.

Brussels Airlines seats in business class

Brussels Airlines business class is decent enough, but getting a little long in the tooth compared with the newest seats out there. Most long-haul business seats on Brussels Airlines have lie-flat beds in a staggered layout that offers direct access to the aisle for most – but not all – passengers. Some planes have an older layout with less direct aisle access for window-seat passengers.

On most of these flights, the best seats to pick are the single “throne” seats, which have no neighbors and two side tables. These are very private and let you get out to the aisle freely.

The food and drinks are decent too. You won’t go hungry regardless, but the highlight of the offering is the 8 Belgian beers on the menu, making Brussels Airlines the biggest beer cellar in the sky. Don’t skip the Neuhaus chocolates with coffee either.

Premium economy seats on Brussels Airlines

Premium economy seats on Brussels Airlines are great, offering the usual kind of larger recliner that you might find in US domestic first class. They are arranged in a 2 by 3 by 2 layout, so there’s only one middle seat per row. Food and drink onboard are slightly improved from the economy, but you’re really booking premium economy for the extra seat space.

It’s a good option for a longer flight, but note that if you have a connection within Europe that doesn’t offer premium economy, you’ll be traveling in an economy seat on that leg. You should still get all the bag allowances of your long-haul premium economy fare, though.

Check-in, airport experience and lounges

Like most full-service airlines, Brussels Airlines offers both online check-in and airport check-in without any extra charge. Priority desks and priority boarding are available for business class passengers, as well as some airline and partner frequent flyers. At most airports, some sort of fast-track security is on offer as well.

At Brussels Airport, the airline’s lounges are The Loft for the A gates (near gate A42), The View for the B gates (near gate B1) and the Sunrise Lounge for the T gates (at the end of the concourse). Business class and certain frequent flyers are welcome for free, while other passengers can pay. Brussels Airlines also operates its own lounge in Kinshasa.

Elsewhere, Brussels Airlines uses Lufthansa Group, Star Alliance and third-party contract lounges.

In-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi

Long-haul Brussels Airlines flights have on-demand in-flight entertainment on seatback screens, and the systems are modern. I find the range of movies and TV shows pretty extensive, and with the airline’s African network comes an interesting and atypical range of African content that’s well worth delving into. There’s currently no Wi-Fi on board Brussels Airlines planes, though.