STAY CLEAR OF AIR BELGIUM - THIS AIRLINE IS A RIP-OFF!
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- Опубликовано: 6 янв 2023
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This is a comprehensive Flight Review of Air Belgium.
Class: Economy
Route: Brussels (BRU) to Mauritius (MRU)
Plane: Airbus A330-900neo
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What are your thoughts on Air Belgium? Follow me on instagram.com/gotravelyourway for daily updates :)
Since your in Mauritius come to rodrigues island
The thoughts on you are that your a PUTRID LITTLE MAN ...
Since your in Mauritius, try air Seychelles
Fly Brussels airlines, they r much better
Prices in Australia to fly locally and internationally with a family are astronomical. The airlines charge my 14 and 12 year olds as adults and I know they take up a seat but hey the can't drink alcohol so why should they be charged adult prices. Rant over, keep up your great work Josh
I like the way you told the cabin crew that your food was cold. You were extremely polite and commented that you didn't want to cause trouble. I think the crew member appreciated the way in which you asked. That was a long flight but what you paid was high. Looking forward to your flights in 2023. Happy New Year and good health.
She moved his food around the crew and everyone took a spit.
@@CuriousConnoisseurs no
It's always good to be nice to people who serve you meals or anything.
That meal looked unappealing.... It's a shame a friendly crew is let down by their staffing levels and the product they serve and work on board of
flashback to Sabena 45 years ago:
the most terrible food i ever got on an airplane.
it seems like it is like a trade mark for airlines from Belgium?
The Belgium airlines fly to parts of Africa not flown to by many airlines while charging sky high prices for below the par service. Compare to other airlines, the value for money in economy is not worth it. There is no incentive to improve service when they’re the only airline flying to certain countries, many former Belgium colonies and improvised nations.
Speaking of staff... please correct me but is there not meant to be certain air stewards to the amount of people on board
Like almost all airplane food in economy class is disgusting.
@@arthplayz74
maybe you should fly with singapore airlines for a change? for example.
You are one of the only flight reviewers who dies ALL classes regularly. The others can’t handle economy any more.
Saying he DIES economy is not an understatement
As a Belgian I genuinely hope that one day their product will match their prices... Buut yeah, the way they are rn is quite reflective of the mess that belgium actually can be at times (not all the time tho)
As a Belgian who left the shithole in january last year, I agree.
As a Belgian, I forgot this airline existed, in the beginning it was very promising, but now... (maybe a consequence of covid, but it doesn't explain everything).
However, not all prices are that awful.
a Belgian complaining about Belgium, so cliché. The airline and Belgium is just fine
You really think other countries aren't a mess (politically) sometimes? You Belgians are way too hard on yourselves (and it's getting a bit tiring tbh)...
@@benjicool2808He’s talking about the politics. They’re a mess.
To be fair, I think their flights are usually quite affordable for direct flights. Around €650-€700 for a return trip ticket to Johannesburg is competitive, for example.
Not true. Joburg Brussels return is 1112.3 Euros…in economy. A HUGE RIPOFF.
Personally, I just flew with them recently. 549 € for a Brussels - Johannesburg return on economy. Excellent experience with them. Probably one on the best long haul economy flights that I had. Direct flight, on time and far better than the 1 stop LH, AF, BA or even EK that I used to take on the same route. The only inconvenience that I see is that they don't have daily flights and their fleet is quite small. This is an honest review.
I am getting a flight to CPT in October, and we wanted to have a direct flight from Brussels Airport because we have a toddler. I hope that the problems that Josh mentioned are finally gone and that they improved rather well, like you mentioned here. And as a Belgian I am willing and curious to try Air Belgium.
I live in east-Brussels, it takes me 25-35min to reach the airport. But I used to live where your hotel was, and it's kinda the same, even 20min if you take the train straight from the station in front of your hotel.
After living in Paris where it often took me 2 or even 3h to get home, this is a major improvement in my life.
With my job, I travel often, the only warning I must give is to not underestimate the amount of people at security check. But the teams are well organized to manage the flow of passengers. But if your flight is before noon, be sure to have a proper ETA at the airport.
But otherwise, it's my favorite airport in Europe. You can share a nice beer at the Beers and Cheers in the main terminal, grab a coffee nearby with a view on the airplanes...and the main terminal is quiet and has many places to seat.
I commend you for remaining positive and still finding some good things to say in a review where you paid good money to sit in the back of the plane and didn’t receive value. Other travel vloggers sit in the front and will torch the crew and carrier if the slightest thing goes not to their liking.
I feel sorry for the cabin crew. Not their fault. Out of their hands. Nice one Josh. Happy New Year. All the best Mick.🇬🇧
Apparently Air Belgium will shuting their passengers service down for october already
What do you use to book your flights josh?
Absolutely love the friendly Cabin Crew ❤️ About the on board meal, cold? Good grief! Good content Josh, thanks.
Was your ticket a one-way or a return as well ? Sometimes, especially on International flights, it costs almost as much to fly one-way as it does to buy a return ticket. I checked Air Belgium's website and priced a flight to MRU from BRU and the roundtrip ticket (return) was priced at 850 euro's where as a one-way ticket was priced at 841 euros. Air Tahiti Nui is the same way on flights from LAX to CDG. Nearly as much for the one way as it is for the round-trip.
€900 for one way, that's expensive. The round trip MRU-Brussels-MRU is being sold at 25,000 MUR....which is around €600
Honestly I would say that the interior looked absolutely fantastic! I agree for the price you are not getting that customer experience for example fast serving time. However overall I think you shouldn’t give up on Air Belgium and try them again. Talking about expensive flight, Biman Bangladesh also does the same prices from London to Sylhet. The prices are even higher.
More and more on airlines, I have been ignored when ringing the call button. I often wonder what those buttons are even for. On my recent trip on Air France, I finally had to get up and go to get a coffee refill. I think that overall service has declined significantly on airplanes.
3:48 Is China Airlines, which is one of the main airlines in TAIWAN. Not PRC you mentioned in the video. TAIWAN is already and welcoming all friends from all the world.
also want to point out that as of Jan 8th, China has removed all on-arrival quarantine and testing requirements; you only need a negative PCR within 48 hours of departure to be able to enter, assuming you have a valid visa.
Happy 2023 Josh
Travel safe I love your reviews they make my saturday nights so enjoyable.
Looking forward to all your new reviews this year ✈️
At least you got a full breakfast meal compared to United in economy class on such flight length.
I am from la Réunion. I live in Belgium. I used to flight from Paris to la Réunion (december flights). The price are the same when you flight with Air Austral and Air France (btw 800€ and 1000€). Idk but you used to fly in december in The video. The price is not as different from other airlines.
Hopefully they get the message and upgrade so the customer gets what they pay for. Thanks for your post, you make me feel like I can travel even when I'm home ♡
As a Belgian travelling sometimes, I'm not very surprised. In general, our services are often less quality for a higher price due to lack of competition due to unattractive taxes.
We have this weird "we don't have much but at least everybody has it" mentality.
Check reviews for the "premium" restaurant at Brussels Airport to give you an idea : international travellers are shocked while Belgians are already happy to have one option.
I totally agree with you for Air Belgium !
To be honest, I don’t think 900€ for an economy class ticket is out of the ordinary at the moment. Other airlines charge similar prices or even more, especially if you are looking at nonstop flights. I think you also have to ask yourself if the prices we saw pre covid were sustainable or if the current price level is what is actually fair.
Joburg Brussels return is now 1112.30 euros. A huge rip off! Stay away…
Hi Josh, great upload! Belgium and its airliners seem to struggle. We all remember the Sabena years here.... Anyway, it's a shame that motivated crews have to deal with bad management. Enjoy Reunion (if you are still there 🙂)!
Sabena is no longer for many many years. Brussels airways is excellent and absolutely comparable with any other one.
@@dbertobis actually there are still small parts of Sabena that are not completely gone: SFA and Sabena Engineering (and the last one is doing pretty well).
Unfortunately Sabena on it's own as an airline is gone :(. It had such a beautiful history and strong name.
@@dbertobis
For short trips,l around 2018, I got worse service on modern Brussels Airlines than Easyjet.
Easyjet charges a lot for any option, but at least the option is there. Staff is poorly trained, but at least there's staff and not forced self-checkout.
Can you remember everyone said S.A.B.E.N.A
You should have given the train a fair chance. The trip from your hotel to the Brussels (Zaventem) airport is one of the little trips where the train is actually faster than the car.
The price of 900 euros for a direct flight to Mauritius from Belgium is not that bad because the alternatives are train to CDG then Air France or Condor through Frankfurt and you won’t be paying much less and you’ll be waiting around much longer in the connecting airport. And Frankly you won’t be getting much better food there either or service for that matter…
I always try to look at the bright side. As I look out my window at the recent fallen snow, it's 81 degrees in Mauritius.
Happy New Year Josh! Great video and very detailed about how dissatisfied one can be with an airline like that despite the price you paid. The crew was ok as I could see but not the product at all. And that food looked awful.
Feel sorry for the crew. Seemed friendly & trying to do their best. Very much let down by the product. Happy New year Josh. All the best for 2023
Yay new video❤️
Hi Josh! I have been watching a lot of your videos recently and I really enjoy all of them! I didn't know I could find airline reviews and trip reviews so interesting! You have made me very curious about this whole new universe and now I can't wait to go on my next flight!
I started watching you because of the Air Greenland A330-800Neo maiden flight and ever since I have watched your videos on a daily basis. I love the work you do for us, making sure that we avoid airlines like Tunis Air XD.
Anyways, I am gonna go watch another of your videos now. Keep up with the good content and your lovely optimism and positivity!
Best,
TheGreenlandicGamer
Another great review! Just wondering what happens behind the red curtains behind you, that on the other side of the plane were closed for part of the flight.
Thanks Josh. There have been several attempts to establish new Belgian airlines in the past ... TUI seems to be doing well in Belgium but others seem to have failed or are not in a good shape. Pity that Antwerp has no proper connections either with such a convenient location and large population areas.
It’s not a belgium airline! It’s a CHINESE airline as most of the capital is chinese!
Antwerp is great and all but its just too easy to get to Brussels or even Amsterdam. the few flights out of ANR are quite nice like the London one though.
I remember regularly flying from the UK to Scandinavian with Sabena.
I had a cold food on scoot but only the rice was sticky and cold but the meat and veggies were warm so I was able to use the gravy from the veggies and meat and put it one the rice then the rice was warm and the food was good
can anyone explain what are these red curtains for?
Crew rest are just behind in those back row seats on right hand side
Good information shared. Many thanks
wats that red curtain thing behind u
Very beautiful cabin...
Didnt they also fly for BA and LOt?
I do not think 900 for nonstop is expensive for long haul from Europe to holiday island. Given that its nonstop its actually pretty cheap. Your experience was not perfect but I would take such nonstop in a heartbeat vs connecting in DXB
1:40
OMG, that is DeLijn's newest and most modern bus! Lucky catch there! 😃😃
MAN Lion's City? They do ride on De Lijn routes with De Lijn logo's, but are owned by private companies.
2 weeks ago one of these was defect, all passengers had to board the bus which I was on.
Since I am a plane spotter myself, and live in Belgium, I have to correct you. However, first and foremost: most of your info was correct!
The planes you saw weren't the entire fleet. After all, Air Belgium operates cargo flights for Hongyuan Group, with 2 B747s. These are half in the colors of Air Belgium and the other half with the name "Hongyuan Group". They also have A330 freighters, which they fly under the name "CMA CGM".
And finally: they would have found funds in the meantime...
He try to get upgrade,but didn't work.But nice to crew and pilot afterwards that was ok.
Remark about pricing is wrong! Only AB offers direct flights. Quickly checked same date : CDG is 1150€; FRA 950. From AMS or DUS no direct flights on that date.
So… AB is the cheapest flight Brussels to Mauritius non stop.
German leisure carrier Condor had a Wet Lease agreement with Smart Lynx. But after too many customer complaints about the product, they ended this agreement and replaced it with Air Belgium instead. Sounds very promising now…
Cabin crew ignoring you. That brought back memory of Turkish Airlines. They are masters at talking crap about you in Turkish right in front of you and then ignoring you. "Skytrax" is more like "Skyscam".
I have seen better food being sold at the gas station
Very sad. The predecessor of Brussels Airlines was Sabena. I used to fly Sabena because they were such a great experience. The crew was always hospitable & the airline went a bit beyond to exceed expectations. This was quite a long time ago, but on overnight flights between the US & Brussels there was a lovely cart set out for passengers to help themselves during the night to snacks, orange juice, & water. It gave me a chance to stretch my legs a bit & made it easy to stay hydrated without having to disturb or inconvenience anybody. I also appreciated the good meal service with real silverware --in economy. I was in my early. 20's & I felt like a valued customer.
Hello Josh C., and or anybody else who could answer my question?
I noticed in your inflight video that behind u is a red curtain wich u can unfold and close up a large area. Do u know what this was for?
That converts into the Crew Rest Area when the curtain is closed.
Air Belgium seemed like a very interesting and promising project when it was launched a few years ago, but apparently... Not all good ideas result in good outcomes
I think its due to a very poor management. They had a couple of issues along the way.
@@JoshCahill we'll see what is going to happen to them, but I don't think they will survive much longer like this. Also, would be great if you reviewed Croatia Airlines before they renew their fleet, I would like to know what you will think of them
@Josh Cahill Could you review? aeromexico. I would like to see your opinion on it.
It’s a CHINESE company!!! Most of the capital is chinese…Price is a huge Rip Off. Joburg Brussels economy return: 1112.30 euros!!!Stay away
@@JoshCahill The guy who started the airline (and still runs it AFAIK) had some succes with his previous employer TNT Airways (now ASL Airlines), so he has experience. And he seems to be keeping Air Belgium going despite the financial issues. I think there is potential (despite what I think of the fact that they choose the paint the flag wrong) and I hope they keep going but let's be honest, Belgium isn't exactly big enough to sustain 2 big airlines, they'll always serve a certain niche. I do hope the best for them though, they do have some nice planes 🙂
omggg yess finally came to mauritius again! hope you enjoy your stay in my home country Josh!
Hey Josh I flew with Lauda once and it was extremely bad and the plain felt unsafe. Would be great if you went on a Lauda flight just to see if it has improved
€900 expensive? Try flying economy from NL to Brazil with KLM! I paid €1,200 I. December 2022!!! It's revolting !
Aha, at least 1 useful reply. Direct flights, with luggage, cost a lot. E.g. KLM, AF, LH,…
The food still looks better than whatever they give you on Austrian or Lufthansa. My last long distance on Austria there was no choice and they gave us what was supposed to be veggie lasagna...but it was just a mushy thing with no texture at all. So overcooked that I couldn't find the noodle part of it. No one nearby finished that one.
Also makes sense that they are broke...flight seems mostly empty.
Happy New Year Josh. Stay healthy, happy and safe. I won’t comment on Air Belgium but wish to share something. In the days when my brother in law was still working his employer insisted that, when possible, he fly SABENA. He did not enjoy that and insisted that SABENA stood for “Such A Bad Experience Never Again”.
Josh! Can you review ZipAir, Japan’s newest long haul LCC, which is also a subsidiary of Japan Airlines? They fly from Tokyo Narita to Los Angeles, San Jose, CA, Singapore, and other surrounding countries. I’d like to hear your opinion on ZipAir as they just were founded in 2018! I’ll be flying on them in July.
A good crew is backed up with good warm food, need some finetuning I would say. The price is correct if it all went smooth...Your rip off title is too negative... emphasis a little more on this beauty of a plane.
Can you please be clear ..... when you say Euros 900 for the flight, is that one way or round trip? As you did not return on Air Belgium I guess it is one way, but I see on Google Flights that this flight is about $900 round trip ... so I am confused! Thanks.
In mid-2023, Air Belgium announced that all scheduled flights would end on 3 October 2023, and their fleet of 4 A330-200 and -900 would be operated for other airlines as part of the termination of passenger services.
I really enjoy watching your reviews on all of the different airlines! I LOVE flying but it's always been in two seater crop dusting planes that land on dirt runways so the idea of flying commercial seems overwhelming (alllll the people).
Traveled both to Thailand and China in 2022 and yeah, one was totally covid free and the other was the most insane, stressful and complicated journey I ever experienced. Only had 10 day in a hotel, guess i was "lucky". Used hainan a few times and it's ok, never had a bad experience.
Still always painful to see your country national airline to suck :(
Mauritius drive on the left, learn something new every day. Nice looking cabin, pity about the rest of it, great review!
Really enjoy your content. Thank you for honest travel opinions.
I may have commented on another video, but I just came back from Dubai last week and my experience with Emirates was AMAZING. I took advantage of an upgrade to business for $1800 (on a 14.5hr overnight non-stop). It was well worth it. Didn’t have the option on the way back so it was 16.5hrs in coach. Very different experience. I definitely didn’t sleep as well but the in-flight service was still better than most airlines I’ve flown domestically.
A fantastic trip overall.
Legit question. Where are you getting a 14.5/16.5 non-stop flight from Dubai? Only possible one can think of would be DBX-AUK on the 380 but top of my head I don't think even that on would hit those times. No argument that that upgrade was an absolute steal for such a LH flight & you'd have to be mad not to take that kinda deal even if it was a bit of a push to afford it.
@@C2K777 Miami to Dubai
@@C2K777 777-300ER
@@C2K777 Dubai to Miami was longer than the Miami to Dubai flight
@@DannyA3579 Totally forgot that was an active route - doh! thanks
Hello Josh, i live in Belgium and i really know the existence of this airlines for some while already, but no details about their service on air or on the ground, it is not as known as Brussels Airlines, i used to think it was a military airlines, but, i seem to be mistaken.
Totally mistaken...
Eur900 equals a$1390 which most Aussies would consider a bargain for an 11hr flight on a route with little competition so I am surprised you harp on a bit about how expensive it was as Air Belgium is clearly not a LCC as a full meal service was supplied.
Yes, the price of the ticket seems to be very expensive! In present times, many people can not remember the prices, we paid in former times! I remember 1986! I was working on a Cruise Ship, and my company needed me to come back from vacations for a special cruise. I had to book the ticket by myself, and was refunded by my company! The flight was from Vienna to London Heathrow, with Austrian Airlines, a short flight! The price for the ticket was (one way), at that time in Austrian Schillings, 13.500,-, in Euro € 1.000,-!!! But, lucky I was, I knew the date of the "Backflight", and that was, for both flights, öS 9.500,-, in Euro about 700,-! Both flights in Economy! So we can see, that "flying" in present times is extremely cheap!
Exactly!!! Flights to BKK from Europe costed 800€ early 90’ies with “normal” airlines. Price brakers were eastern europeans ( TAROM, Balkan Air, Czech, Yugo etcetera with Russian birds). I do remember that flights to Asia costed 850-900€ with Singapore, Thai or Malaysian. Only later came the consistent cheaper flights with arab airlines - all with a stop btw!
I find the price competitive. Josh didn't say when he booked the ticket. Last-minute tickets are always higher.
Tho it's very bad that you get served a cold meal, the way the flight attendant apologizes is very good in my opinion. You could really see he was shocked and embarrassed.
Josh, when are you flying Air Algerie?
Hey josh....i love and look forward to your reviews. They are always very informative and entertaining to watch. Btw I was wondering if you can review Caribbean Airlines? It's an airline that operates within the Caribbean but based in Trinidad and Tobago.
It was July last year. Lufthansa, EWR to MUC round trip. The food was awful in the economy class. In April I will fly with Finnair.
Oh my gosh, Josh you are so confident expressing that your food was cold the cabin crew. I could never EVER do that. You even corporated very well. You are so cool!
I didn’t even know this airline existed. As a n.European who used to travel quite a bit it feels like I should..
They only took off in 2018 with CRL-HKG flights, trying to win over Chinese (and/or Hongkong) travellers to fly into a cheap airport in Europe. After Covid they switched to leisure destinations, with rather limited luck in their choices.
be happy you don't 😂😂
Hi Josh! New follower here :) I really enjoy your videos but just wondering, did you pay 900 with baggage and fairs included or was it 900 just for the flight? I will be flying Emirates economy in march (first time Emirates) with my husband and I paid 800 but with baggage and fairs included. Feel like prices are going up everywhere. Keep it up though! :) Greetings from the Netherlands
but that male cabin crew was very helpful and friendly. he was very apologetic about the meal.
Yes very nice crew member :)
@@JoshCahill ,waw one thing you can write nice.If you told that you wifi wasn't working, they would have helped you .Or was it because you didn't get upgrade?
Nice destination, just a shame how you got there. I plan to do a A339neo soon, I think I stick with Virgin Atlantic. Great vlog. 😊
I guess there would be mandatory crewing numbers in the cabin, maybe an inexperienced crew?
The might of Lufthansa puts paid to many airlines trying to get off the ground in Brussels....
Hi Josh,
A really good and honest review. The food is a big part of the flight and when it's poor its not fair on the customer. Furthermore, the in flight entertainment and WiFi being below par the airline should be made to give a refund. Keep up your great reviews.
Kind regards
DS
Hmm, yeah right, try with any airline to get a refund because “the wifi was bad”…. good luck…. :)
Amazing video as always.
Glad you are still flying economy. Please keep up the balance
super interesting report, as usual, thanks a lot !! 🙂
Wow! Interesting review!!
Josh can we have 1440p resolution videos, 1080p kinda looks washed out
If you think 900 Euros is steep, I just put in mid Feb dates, on Skyscanner, and was quoted 966GBP (1095Euros)!!
You should one time try the longest flight New York-Singapore
You and Jeb Brooks are the only airline reviewers I watch. I feel other reviewers gloss things over and are overly positive and can be obnoxious.
Air Belgium is in fact the third largest airline in Belgium, behind Brussels Airlines and TUI fly Belgium.
Look at that, a Belgian, proud he can tell the world a fact about his shit country.
Sadly, for the time being, I’m living and working in this overtaxed dump.
What is the difference between sn brussel airlines and air Belgium ?
Two airlines that's it
Reunion-Chennai! Oh that's one flight my family takes recently :p
Hey Josh, thanks for the video. Appreciate the fact that you were being honest and uncynical. Also liked the fact that you were giving the due credit to the crew for its job.
I live in Mauritius ! :) welcome here
My only experience flying on a Belgian carrier was a few years ago on a Sabena 737. Soon after climbing to cruising altitude there was a loud whistling from the rear door near to where we were seated. Clearly the door seal was faulty and after being visited by one of the flight crew a stewardess grabbed a huge pile of paper tissues and stuffed them into the door seal area. That stopped the whistling which was obviously cabin pressure being released, but that was a safety issue and even so they carried on to the destination which was a fairly short 2 hour flight. Needless to say I never flew with them again.
Glad to see you back, love your videos:)
Ah yes, the notification i was waiting for!
Just a heads up in reference to around 3:30. China is now essentially open. Not to tourism, but there is no more 1-2-3 weeks of quarantine. You just need a 48 Covid test to go. Centralized quarantine is essentially scrapped.
This airport was my layover point from America to the Gambia West Africa. Flew Brussels which was nice and I must say I'm impressed with Josh's well of aviation knowledge.
You can flight to China now without any restrictions. And Hainan is a great place to go in winter. End of January is China new year. Take a chance and come.
Since u seem to be flying a lot of European airlines I'd love to see you fly the Irish flag carrier aer Lingus
HI Josh Thank you for another interesting video wishing you a very Happy New Year 2023
Yes that is verry sad ! I had the same expieriance on Brussels airlines 🤦🏾♀️ paid almost 1000 on economie class but at least this plaine you showed was clean. Brussels airlines was so dirty !! The windows, the seats, The thing where you put your food on. Also for dinner on my way back from Rwanda to Belgium we got a pizzabaget the sice of an 330ml can of soda 🤦🏾♀️ omg I was left so hungry. 😂
Never experienced this.. on which route?
@@PieterCusters1983 Brussel - Kigali flight 0467