Wednesday, August 21, 2024 My return trip from Cairo International Airport to Brussels Zaventem included a layover at Munich Airport with the Lufthansa Group. The first segment of my journey was with Lufthansa, scheduled to depart Egypt at 03:25 local time. Although we took off late, we landed nearly on time at Munich.
I spent most of the flight resting, utilizing the extra legroom of the emergency exit row, along with the pillow and blanket provided. The crew was excellent, making the flight very enjoyable. Upon arriving in Munich, I had about two hours before boarding my Brussels Airlines Airbus A319 to Brussels.
For this leg, I opted again for the emergency exit row in economy class to benefit from the additional legroom. On my outbound flight with Austrian Airlines via Vienna, I was pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to business class for the longer segment. To my delight, I experienced a similar upgrade on my return journey, this time for the short flight to Brussels.
Check-in Experience I checked in online with Lufthansa, entered my passport details, and confirmed my selection for emergency exit row seats. After completing the process, I received a check-in confirmation email but not a boarding pass. To obtain the boarding pass, I needed to visit the physical check-in desks.
Navigating Cairo Airport to reach the check-in desks took some time. The signage was reasonably clear, leading me to the security line for “international departures,” which came before the check-in desks. At this point, I was approached by airport workers trying to persuade me to bypass the line and follow them.
Interestingly, they all inquired in English about my flight, which was the Lufthansa flight to Munich scheduled for 00:10, more than three hours away. Despite the relatively short wait, they insisted I should skip the queue. I informed them in Arabic that I had ample time and was content to wait.
Eventually, they understood and left me alone. Once at the check-in area, I joined the queue for Lufthansa Group flights. Although Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, and SWISS operate from Cairo, only Austrian and Lufthansa had flights that day, and check-in was not yet open.
After a 40-minute wait, check-in agents arrived, and it took only a few minutes to issue my two boarding passes and provide the immigration/departure form to fill out before proceeding through security. Transit Experience After a smooth flight on Lufthansa’s A320neo, we landed in Munich and parked at Terminal 2, G gates. The transit experience was marked by long queues everywhere—at security checks and for the shuttle service from the G gates to the K gates, where my Brussels Airlines flight was departing.
The walking distances between various points in the terminal were also quite extensive. When I reached passport control, I encountered a long line for non-EU passports that was daunting. Fortunately, the electronic passport scanners for EU passports were completely empty, allowing me to pass through in seconds.
Had I been in the other line, I might have had to rush to catch my flight. At the K gates, I grabbed a blueberry muffin for breakfast. With that task accomplished, I settled down to prepare for my interview later that day (see the article below for the result).
Overbooked and Upgraded Soon after, Brussels Airlines flight SN2642 was announced, but not for boarding—rather, they were seeking volunteers to take the next flight due to overbooking. I headed to the gate to see what was happening. Although I was looking forward to flying with my flag carrier and enjoying the familiar cabin announcements in English, French, and Dutch, the offer of €125 ($138) to take a Lufthansa A319 flight two hours later caught my interest.
While the compensation wasn’t substantial, I weighed my options: I approached the desk and offered to accept the compensation on the condition that I receive lounge access for the two-hour wait at the airport. Unfortunately, despite my insistence, the gate agent refused. After confirming the status of my checked luggage to ensure it would make it to Brussels, I agreed to the offer.
Since the flight was already delayed until 09:30, my actual wait time would be only about an hour. I was instructed to stand by and would be issued a new boarding pass once everyone had been processed. If any passengers missed their connection to Brussels, I would be allowed to board.
As boarding neared completion, I returned to the desk. Initially, it seemed unclear what was happening, but then a gate agent approached with a new boarding pass. I assumed this meant I was being rebooked on the other flight as planned.
To my delight, she thanked me for my patience and for volunteering and informed me that I had been upgraded to seat 3C in business class on the original Brussels Airlines flight. This was a pleasant surprise, especially since I had also received a complimentary upgrade on my outbound flight with Austrian Airlines. The Seat, the Crew, and the Meal Upon boarding the aircraft, I was warmly welcomed by the crew.
The plane was clean, spacious, and showed no signs of age. The legroom was generous, and the middle seat was blocked off for this short-haul business class flight to Brussels. However, the seat lacked power outlets, and both the economy and business cabins were fully occupied.
Shortly after takeoff, meal and beverage service commenced. I chose a cup of English breakfast tea to accompany the meal. The breakfast was satisfactory but not remarkable.
The mini pain au chocolat was served cold and quite hard, and the other pastry, whose name escapes me, was small but acceptable. The fruit was a nice addition, and the use of metal cutlery was a plus. However, my drink was served in a paper cup instead of a glass, which was disappointing but not unexpected.
While the meal was not bad, I felt that paying for business class on such a short flight with this level of service wasn’t quite worth it. This experience might not fully represent Brussels Airlines’ overall business class product but rather highlights the limitations of their offering for flights under two hours. Upon arrival in Brussels, I proceeded to baggage claim.
Within 15 minutes, my bags arrived, and I exited the airport with ease..
