Brussels Airlines is ready for the busy summer season

A bigger fleet, resilient operations and product innovations are the highlights of the holidays

Brussels, June 24th 2024 – Brussels Airlines is ready for the busy summer holidays. More than 1.6 million* people will travel with Brussels Airlines during July and August. The Belgian national airline takes several Initiatives to make sure all operations run smoothly, and passengers get a top-notch customer experience.

Summer is traditionally the busiest season in the aviation industry, and 2024 is no different. In Europe, Islands are particularly popular this summer with full flights to Zakynthos, Corfu and Rhodos in Greece and Gran Canaria, Mallorca, and Lanzarote in Spain. But also city-trips during summer are popular, specially to cities known for a slightly milder climate like Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. ​

Outside Europe, many Belgians decided to explore the United Sates during the summer. Brussels Airlines offers direct flights to New York JFK and Washington DC. In cooperation with tour operators, destinations like Hurghada (Egypt) and Antalya (Turkey) are also very full.

Brussels Airlines has expanded its network. Thanks to an additional Airbus A330 and an additional Airbus A320, Nairobi (Kenya) and Krakow (Poland) are new in Brussels Airlines’ network.

Tomorrowland
Like every year, Brussels Airlines expects to bring over 20.000 party people to Belgium for Tomorrowland. The airline continues its tradition of the world-famous party flights, this year with the brand-new Amare plane.

New this year is that all Global Journey packages from Tomorrowland are so-called “Tomorrowland Green Fares”, including the purchase of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce 20% of individual flight-related carbon emissions. On the specific party flights, Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland have closed a partnership to even reduce 100% of carbon emissions of these specific party flights by the purchase of SAF.

Operational reliability
To be ready for summer, Brussels Airlines hired 180 additional cabin crew members and 64 extra pilots. The airport teams in Brussels have also been reinforced with 40 new passenger service agents, and on top of that: 70 summer students supporting the ground staff.

The chatbot on Brussels Airlines’ website has been enhanced to help passengers even better in case of irregularities. Also, a “pre-seating robot” was developed within Lufthansa Group, that assigns seats to passengers according to connecting times. This means passengers with a tight connection will be able to disembark the aircraft first, increasing the chance for them to make their connection.

“We’ve hired across all our operational departments to be able to work full force during summer. July and August are always challenging months in the aviation industry. We will do our utmost to ensure reliable operations. I want to take this opportunity to tank all our teams on the ground and in the air for their professionalism and dedication. It is thanks to their hard work, so many people can enjoy their well-deserved vacation.”
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Tilman Reinshagen, Chief Operating Officer, Brussels Airlines

Premium product
As from this summer season, Brussels Airlines offers Business Class on all its flights, including to popular leisure destinations in Spain, Greece, and North-Africa. This way, the airline responds to the growing demand for a premium product amongst leisure travelers.

Brussels Airlines didn’t only expand the footprint of the Business Class offer, it also invested in its product to remain at the top of the industry, amongst other with an enhanced meal offer on short- and medium-haul flights and with many summer events in THE LOFT, the biggest lounge of Brussels Airlines.

“If you want to travel on a premium product out of Belgium, it is obvious that Brussels Airlines is your carrier of choice. Our lounge has been awarded ‘Europe’s Leading Airline Lounge’ for six times in a row now, and we’ve invested a lot in our product on-board too. We’re really proud of the ‘Belgitude’ our guests will encounter on every step along the way: from Neuhaus chocolates to the world-famous beer, and the Belgian design of our uniform. We’re premium, we’re Belgian and we’re ready to show it.”
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Tilman Reinshagen, Chief Operating Officer, Brussels Airlines

Investments for staff
Brussels Airlines doesn’t just aim to make every passenger feel at home, the airline has also made significant investments to enhance the working conditions for all employees. A brand-new crew center was recently opened at the airport, where cabin crew and pilots can meet before their flight, perform pre-flight duties, or relax during a stand-by shift.

Earlier this year, Brussels Airlines opened a new training facility in Vilvoorde. With state-of-the-art simulators, trainings were enhanced even further and centralized on one location.

Nico Cardone

Nico Cardone

For media requests only

* initially communicated the incorrect number of 1.2 million passengers

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About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is the home carrier of Belgium and one of the four network airlines of the Lufthansa Group. It connects the European capital from Brussels Airport with over 90 destinations, 18 of which are in Sub Saharan Africa. The company employs more than 3,500 people and operates 44 aircraft.

Brussels Airlines aims to emit 50% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2019 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. The airline is participating in the Stargate Project led by Brussels Airport and is therefore part of the testing ground for sustainable aviation at its home base. In addition, the airline signed the Circular Economy agreement of the Antwerp Management School in 2021. The airline was the first to transport Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the CEPS-pipeline connecting Brussels Airport early 2023. By end 2024, Brussels Airlines will have welcomed five state-of-the-art Airbus A320neo allowing the airline to significantly lower its CO2- and noise-emissions on its medium-haul network.

As an ambassador of its country, Brussels Airlines brings the world to Belgium and the best of Belgium to the world, among others through collaborations with Belgian Star Chefs, Belgian culinary products and the Belgian Icons, specially painted aircraft that honour a Belgian iconic person, team or event to promote Belgian culture worldwide.

More information on brusselsairlines.com 


About Star Alliance

Established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, the Star Alliance network was founded on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition, and seamless service. Since its inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the customer experience throughout the entire Alliance journey.

Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 17,500 daily flights to over 1,150 airports in almost 190 countries.

Star Alliance Press Office: +65 8729 6691; mediarelations@staralliance.com
More information on staralliance.com

Contact

b.house Zone General Aviation - Airport Building 26 1831 Diegem

+32 2 723 89 90

press@brusselsairlines.com

www.brusselsairlines.com