Brussels Airlines passengers can now enjoy free digital newspapers

Starting today Brussels Airlines passengers who check in online receive a free digital copy of their newspaper thanks to a unique collaboration with publishers De Persgroep and Rossel. Passengers can choose from a wide selection of newspapers on the day of their flight on any route of the Brussels Airlines network.

E-newspapers have gained popularity over the last years, and news sites get more and more visits. Thanks to a collaboration between Brussels Airlines and the Belgian publishers De Persgroep and Rossel, Brussels Airlines’ 6 million passengers can now enjoy a free newspaper on their laptop, tablet or smartphone while they travel.

The growing number of passengers that check in online for a Brussels Airlines flight can now not only select their plane seat and save time at the airport, but they are also invited to select a newspaper, for which they will receive an access code.

 

Free for all passengers

 

This new service is free for b.light economy, b.flex economy+ and b.business passengers on European flights, as well as for Economy- and Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights to the United States and Africa. Passengers can choose from a selection of popular Belgian and Dutch newspapers: Het Laatste Nieuws, De Morgen, De Tijd, Le Soir, l’Echo, La Meuse, La Capitale, Nord Eclair, La Province, De Volkskrant, AD, Het Parool and Trouw. The aim is to expand the offer with more foreign newspapers as well as magazines soon. Negotiations are ongoing.

“This is a good example of how Brussels Airlines responds to the rapidly changing consumer needs”, says Anne Tricot, VP Customer Experience at Brussels Airlines. “A lot of passengers consult news sources on their computer or tablet. With the e-paper service we are the first airline to respond to this digitization trend. We expect that the service will be a success and that it will motivate more people to check in online for their flight.”

 

At this stage, the free e-paper service does not entail that Brussels Airlines will not distribute newspapers to b.business or b.flex economy+ passengers anymore, although it is expected that the number of paper newspapers on board the nearly 300 daily Brussels Airlines flights, will drop significantly. That's a good thing for the environment thanks to both the paper saving and the weight reduction of the planes.