As I depart for Hong Kong, I’ll share a recent trip report this week of a short journey to Denmark to fly on SAS and Brussels Airlines in business class, both on the A330-300. Frankly, I was disappointed at how this trip turned out…but that’s the risk you take when redeeming miles and points.
A330-300 Trip To Copenhagen On SK + SN
I’ve recently reviewed the SAS Airbus A350-900 and A321LR in business class, but it has been several years since I reviewed the A330. Days after SAS switched from Star Alliance to SkyTeam, I flew from Newark to Copenhagen on the SAS A330 in business class. SAS is always solid.
For my flight home, I was hoping to fly on the new Lufthansa Allegris business class or the new Austrian Airlines business class on the 787-9. Sadly, neither opened…a sign of the times. I thought about British Airways First Class but that didn’t open. Finnair? No luck. Aer Lingus? No space. Iberia? Nothing.
So in the end, I booked Brussels Airlines from Copenhagen to New York via Brussels. While I was expecting this:
I got this ex-Eurowings aircraft instead…a big disappointment for a flagship route like BRU-JFK:
I flew United Airlines from Los Angeles to Chicago (I had to take care of something there), Spirit Airlines to Newark, and JetBlue from New York to LA. I’ll review the Spirit Airlines flight, but won’t review United or JetBlue.
Here’s what you have to look forward to in this trip report series:
- Spirit Airlines A321 Economy Class [ORD-EWR]
- SAS A330-300 Business Class [EWR-CPH]
- SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen (CPH)
- My Overnight Capsule In Copenhagen
- Brussels Airlines A320neo Business Class [CPH-BRU]
- Brussels Airlines “The Loft” Lounge Brussels (BRU)
- Horrific Passport Control Lines At Brussels Airport
- Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class [BRU-JFK]
Thanks for reading!
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Omg I had the same experience at Brussels airport passport control few years back… have been avoiding leaving EU from there ever since.
I transfered in Brussels once and that was all I needed.
I didn’t think anything could be worse than a transfer in LHR but the Belgians found a way to overachieve.
As a data point I can back through BRU last week. They implemented the e gates, and there was no one in line. So I was through passport control in under 30 seconds.
Did you check out the SAS lounge at EWR?
I took a picture of the outside but then thought I should go to the gate to board…and had already missed the start of boarding (ie.. my trademark pictures with no other folks). That was very disappointing. Security lines in that horrible Terminal B were truly awful.
Interesting that you don’t seem to have used the Diamond non-Schengen lounge at BRU- or have SN stopped offering access to business class pax (*G members have always been excluded from that)? And I am surprised by the queues you encountered there, I tend to fly via BRU once or twice a year (typically between the UK and Spain) and it’s always a smooth, if unexciting, experience.
I had already reviewed it and wanted to line up early to board my flight.
https://liveandletsfly.com/diamond-lounge-brussels-review/
Looks like it may have closed at some point in ’24 and been replaced by another lounge called ‘The View’.
I HAAAAAATE the passport control lines (for Non-EU Passports) at Brussels Airport! I’d be happy to connect ANYWHERE in the Schengen Area to avoid clearing immigration in Brussels Airport. I haven’t been there in a while. Can Non-EU citizens use the E-gates these days?