Quick Links A busy Brussels Airport Security and boarding The crew and the cabin In-flight service and landing Transit experience Summary Arriving 4 hours early for my flight at Brussels Airport on its busiest day was unnecessary. Security and boarding were efficient despite the warning of busyness, allowing time for rest and food. The Austrian Airlines flight to Vienna was enjoyable, featuring friendly service and overly sufficient legroom in economy.
Leaving Brussels Zaventem International Airport (BRU) on its busiest day of the year was not one of my best decisions. At least, that’s what I thought when I got off the bus and had to join the herd of people trying to make their way into the terminal building. On July 26, I flew economy class between Brussels Airport and Vienna International Airport on Austrian Airlines as part of my overall trip from Brussels to Cairo International Airport .
I have transited through Vienna before, although it was a few years ago now so I don’t quite remember it. My overall journey this time round was nearly 8 hours long, including a 2h45m connection at the carrier’s hub. A busy Brussels Airport Checking in for my flight was very easy, doing so online.
As expected, I inserted details about myself, including my passport number, etc., before being directed to choose a seat. I selected the emergency exit rows for both flights given that I was traveling alone and would appreciate the extra legroom given the timing of the flights.
My itinerary looked as follows: Departure Arrival Timing Brussels Zaventem (BRU) Vienna Intl (VIE) 17:55-19:35 Vienna Intl (VIE) Cairo Intl (CAI) 22:15-02:40* *local time is one hour ahead of Vienna. There is no time difference between Brussels and Vienna. Overall, the connection time was 2 hours and 40 minutes.
I got to Brussels Airport by public transport, which was fast and easy. There were no delays on that side of things, although I later learned that the highway was extremely busy, so lucky I did not come by car. I got off the bus and saw just how busy Brussels Airport was.
There was somewhat of a queue to get into the airport, and going up the escalators to the departure hall took some time. I made my way to the bag-drop area for Lufthansa Group (LHG) airlines, which is super convenient. Brussels is a Lufthansa Group hub, so naturally, the services are well-signposted and organized.
As per usual with the LHG bag drop, there was no queue at all, despite the airport being jam-packed. In the distance, I could see check-in desks for other airlines with enormous queues; it seems some airlines simply were not prepared for such a busy day. I scanned my boarding pass for the Brussels to Vienna leg and my luggage tag was printed with Cairo as the final destination.
I stuck it on and went to the bag drop desk, scanned the tag and off it went. After that, I made my way to the escalators once more and met up with the Senior Communications Manager at Brussels Airport to discuss the busy day. Security and boarding Because the flight was operating within the Schengen area, I did not have to go through passport control.
Security was surprisingly quick and efficient, and I was out in no time. I made my way through duty free and sat down to have a bite to eat as I had roughly three hours to kill as I had arrived early. On its website, Brussels Airport warned of an excessively busy period and urged passengers to come well in-advance.
Using the airport’s arrival time calculator , I inputted my flight’s details. It told me to arrive at the airport between 15:10 and 15:40, meaning just under 3 hours before my flight (17:55). Because of the pre-planned interview and knowledge of the busy day, I had arrived nearly four hours before my flight.
Had I known the airport would have been this efficient on such a busy day, I definitely would have come later! Eventually it came time to board, and I made my way to gate A45. I sat there for a while as priority boarding began, but very quickly group 3 was called. As I scanned my boarding pass, I was stopped quickly by the gate agent who double checked that I was okay with sitting in the emergency exit row.
The crew and the cabin I entered the aircraft and was kindly greeted by the crew member. While I had nothing but a backpack, the people behind me had a suitcase that the crew member brought up with them. “No, there’s nothing wrong, I just love the color!” A very sweet interaction indeed, and one of many the crew had with passengers over the course of the flight.
They were professional, efficient and warm. As mentioned, my aisle seat (12C) was on the emergency exit row. This offered ample legroom, allowing me to stretch my legs out fully.
As I was only traveling with a backpack, it was very easy finding space in the overhead bins to stow it. This was also helped by the fact that I boarded relatively quickly. In the emergency exit rows, stowing bags under the seat is not allowed for safety reasons.
According to AeroLOPA , the emergency exit rows actually provide more legroom than the business class section on the Austrian Airbus A320 . The lack of storage space for bags in this A320ceo was very clear as quite a few had to be placed in the hold. This took up even more time, which was a bit inconvenient given that the flight was already delayed by about 20 minutes.
No fear, though, as we were soon off the ground and on our way to Vienna. In-flight service and landing We were offered a glass of water and a chocolate by the crew, which I felt was very reasonable given that the flight was just over an hour long. I took the opportunity to sleep and get a bit of work done, and before I knew it we landed in Vienna.
As soon as the aircraft arrived at the gate, the whole cabin got up, as people tried to run to the other end to get their bags as there was no space in the overhead bins near them. The fasten seatbelt sign was eventually turned off, but by then nearly everyone had gotten their bags. As the cabin began to empty, I got up, picked up my bag and left.
Before I walked completely through the jetbridge, I stopped to try and take a few photos through the (dirty) glass window, of the A320 I was just on. A member of staff in Vienna saw this and gestured for me to come towards him. He opened the jetbridge door and said I would get a better view there.
That I did, as well as having the pleasure of hearing the sounds of the aircraft outside. What a sweet welcome to Vienna, indeed. Avid readers will recognize that I had already been to Vienna last month, having flown there on an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 from Copenhagen.
It was an overall pleasant experience with a generous baggage allowance, a tasty snack, and nice legroom. Transit experience Because I was connecting on to an Austrian Airlines flight to Cairo, I had to take a right at the end of the jetbridge. I entered into the terminal and had to make my way towards the G gates which was quite a trip.
After a few escalators and a number of turns, I made it to passport control. This was super quick: there was barely any queue, and as an EU passport holder I was able to go to the so-called ‘E-gates’ and scan my passport. The doors opened for me, and that was that.
Now in the G gates, I took a look around, as I wanted to get something to eat as my flight was not until about two hours from then. Unfortunately, the food selection here was extremely poor, and I ended up getting a (really bad) sandwich before heading to gate G29, where my flight would board. That was meant to be my last meal of the day before I got a surprise upgrade to business class for my onward journey to Cairo.
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