My Brussels Airlines A330-300 flight in business class from Brussels to New York was pleasant, with a very nice food and beverage menu, but I was quite surprised to find myself on an ex-Lufthansa aircraft with a very outdated seat.
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Review (BRU-JFK)
Just a warning. Brussels Airlines has two planes, OO-SFP and OO-SFJ, that are former Lufthansa and Eurowings aircraft. While these planes now fly exclusively for Brussels Airlines, they contain Lufthansa interiors…including a dated business class cabin.
For some strange reason (perhaps because Delta is running its dated 767-300 on the same route…), Brussels uses these aircraft quite a bit on its flagship route to New York. You can see what aircraft has been assigned to your flight using Flightradar24. While Brussels’ “own” A330-300 business class cabin is also not industry-leading, at least every seat has aisle access and the cabin finishes give it a very stylish appearance.
Not so on my aircraft…
My aircraft, OO-SFP, still has Lufthansa-style livery on the outside of the plane, with only the Lufthansa on the fuselage replaced with the Brussels Airlines logo and the crane on the tail painted blue.
Boarding began 40 minutes before departure, but we did not push back until 10:55 am thanks to the slow-moving passport control lines at BRU.
Brussels (SN) 501
Brussels (BRU) – New York (JFK)
October 2024
Depart: 10:35 AM
Arrive: 1:20 PM
Duration: 8hr, 45min
Distance: 3,667 miles
Aircraft: Airbus A330-300
Seat: 1A (Business Class)
The jetbridge felt like it was hundreds of meters long, which I used to my advantage to sprint down and snap some photos before others boarded.
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Seat
As previously mentioned, I stepped onboard and found a Lufthansa seat (a customized Collins Diamond Parallel seat in a 2-2-2 configuration with 30 seats in business class) with a Brussels Airlines headrest cover.
I found my seat, 1A, and also found that 1C was “inop” which meant that no one would be next to me…a nice surprise. The rest of the cabin was full…
In terms of storage, each seat has a storage compartment beneath the screen large enough to hold water bottles, reading material, and a small travel bag. There’s also a small storage area on the armrest.
The seat is 20 inches wide and legroom is 64 inches (the seat converts into a lie-flat bed that is 78 inches long). The center console separating the two seats has a universal A/C plus and USB-A plug.
There are no overhead air vents, though the cabin did not get too warm during the flight.
Seat controls in the center console were labelled in German and English.
Bedding was very below average, with a pillow and a warm blanket that was too small…nice bedding is a very low-hanging fruit and the poor bedding onboard is inexcusable for an overnight flight in business class.
These seats (and the cabin itself) have seen better days. My tray table was dented and scratched and it looks like there were gashes in the cabin wall below my first window.
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Lavatory
The Brussels’ A330-300 has one lavatory in the front of the cabin and two behind business class. The lavatories contained no special amenities, though the bathroom cups (generally used for rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth or taking medication) were labelled for coffee…
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Amenity Kit
An amenity kit had been placed at each seat and I quite liked the leather brown bag, branded with Aesaert, a Ghent-based brand that sells high-quality leather goods.
Contents included:
- dental kit
- eyeshade
- ear plugs
- socks
- lip balm + hand creme from Nomige, another Belgian company
I appreciate the use of Belgian products in the amenity kit…it’s little things like this that make it special to fly on a flag carrier.
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Wi-Fi + IFE
Even tough this was an ex-Lufthansa aircraft, presumably with Wi-Fi installed, there was no Wi-Fi on this flight: Brussels Airlines does not offer internet onboard.
Meanwhile, the IFE library was decidedly average, with a library of movies, TV shows, games, and audio plus a moving flight map.
I did like that a menu was available on the screen both for economy class and premium economy class:
The noise-cancelling on-ear headphones had the Lufthansa logo on them.
It was a beautiful day outside, especially as we took off from BRU:
As we approached JFK, the heavy scratches on the window and the angle of sunlight made it difficult to take pictures…
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Food + Drink
Pre-departure beverages were offered (I had some sort of fizzy citrus non-alcoholic concoction) and menus were personally distributed during boarding.
As you can see, the drink menu is particularly impressive, with a wide selection of Belgian beers (I’m not a beer drinker) as well as wine, cocktails, mocktails, and spirits.
Service kicked off 15 minutes after takeoff with a hot towel.
Lunch began with a choice of beverage and a packaged “chili mix” of peanuts and cashews. I ordered a negroni to drink.
The menu for the main meal service looked quite appetizing. For my starter, I chose beetroot (Douenne de Comice pear, mustard seed and horseradish sauce) over the carpaccio of veal loin (with Ghent pickles, mustard seed and green herb sauce). Both sounded very good, though beets are now among my favorite foods. The appetizer was served on a tray along with a Belgian cheese course (KrieKet and Gentse Keizer), a green salad, and bread with butter.
The main course followed, served by trolley, with a choice of braised beef jaw, cod, or a “celeriac variation.”
Once again, all three choices sounded delicious, but I chose the herb-crusted cod, served with “Tierenteyn” mustard, cream sauce and leek puree.
This was a good choice…the fish was very flavorful and the sauce and leek puree were lovely.
I ate it all…
I concluded lunch with a hazelnut chocolate cake served with vanilla sauce. So, so delicious!
Notice the ramekins used for the main course and dessert sauces were made of paper…not very premium.
About 90 minutes before landing, a second meal was served…there was no mention of it on the menu. No choice: just a Caesar salad with chicken and anchovies, served with a side of bread and very nice speculoos ice cream from Missault for dessert (a Belgian company).
I’ve had better chicken, but it was a respectable snack. I had a cup of coffee with dessert and it was strong…from Rombouts.
Brussels Airlines A330-300 Business Class Service
The ladies working business class were all very pleasant. Refills were offered during the flight and while there was no extended exchange, I found the service courteous and professional.
One thing I love about Brussels Airlines is that business class passengers are presented with a large box of Neuhaus chocolates prior to landing.
It’s a nice touch and underscores how well Brussels Airlines does in highlighting Belgian products in its in-flight offering.
CONCLUSION
Despite our late departure from Brussels, we landed at JFK on time.
While I was not unhappy with the flight experience, Brussels Airlines offers a below-average product, especially on the ex-Lufthansa A330s. Poor bedding, no Wi-Fi, and no direct aisle access are almost unforgivable sins in 2025. But Brussels does shine in terms of its onboard catering, with repeated emphasis on Belgian products.
Interestingly, I took Brussels 501 from BRU-JFK in 2013 (you can read the review here). That was on a “Brussels” plane, not an ex-Eurowings plane, and I found the seat better…12 years ago…than the Lufthansa seat today.
Do watch out for which aircraft you are assigned, though sometimes it happens at the last minute and there’s really nothing you can do about it…as was the case for me.
But the service was lovely and the food even better onboard (at least the main meal).
I want to fly Brussels Airlines again, but on the “real” Brussels A330, not the Lufthansa one.
The second meal was mentioned on the menu, it’s under the dessert, with the explanation that it’s only available on flights longer than 7 hours (checks watch).
Thanks. I missed it.
This review makes me think Etihad may have actually charged too much for SN redemptions back in the day. But hey, at least M&M remains a strong program with a great value prop for loyal LH group flyers!
Lol.
Mr Klint do you understand the significance of the red and white rocketship?
I love to taunt Americans but your European background might save you here
Tintin!
My son loves reading these adventures.
yes! may this unique culture never die…..
I’m impressed Mr klimt
Matthew himself is like a daddy Tintin.
Thanks for the review. I flew on Discover Airlines a month ago and it was the old Lufthansa business class seat. The LH group needs to really start pushing to get rid of them on all their respective airlines. One thing about your review, you showed a picture of the menu, which does state at the bottom of the page that on flights of seven hours or longer duration a light meal will be served. It shows the Caesar salad and the ice cream as being the meal.
I’ve flown Brussels a few times and I think they’re one of those airlines that’s “perfectly fine”. They get all the things right that need to be right, but they’re not over the top and don’t claim/strive to be something they’re not. They aren’t CX or EK or SQ or EY – and they don’t aspire to be. Like a certain Ed Bastion airline that consistently claims (and fails) to be premier or deluxe or some other nebulous term.
This aircraft aside, all my flights have been very pleasant in their hard product – everything worked correctly, I slept well, and things were well-appointed. For soft product, the crew are always friendly, proactive, and accommodating, and the food is very-edible-to-good and hits the spot. I wouldn’t choose them for their meals specifically, but they far exceed the slop served by the US3 most of the time on the same or similar routes. They’re one of those airlines that when friends/family ask about them I say, “I would absolutely fly them if they’re the best price/schedule. Won’t go out of my way, but they are a great choice if you’re just trying to get to mainland Europe.
Beetroot is delicious. Next time you’re in Australia you’ll have to get a burger with the lot. Egg bacon and beetroot standard.
What a terrible LOPA.
How can the Lufthansa group call this atrocious, 20-year old hard product “business class”? It’s premium economy, at best. Just terrible.
Worse, why do credit card bloggers keep insisting that it’s not awful?
I sometimes crave chocolates. (Not often) The BRU stores are something I will airport buy. Neuhaus box is delicious, even though I can buy the in my area. And hey, they keep well until next wanting. So this is a nice parting gift.
JFK is unlikely to be anything like a flagship route for SN, their African destinations are a much higher priority as the yields there can be phenomenal.