During a lovely dinner in February 2023, Steve, Philippe and I decided to visit Athens during the – Catholic – Easter Holiday. As I was lucky to have the full Easter weekend – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – off, I booked flights and a room. Steve and Philippe arrived in the capital of Greece two days earlier. It wasn’t Orthodox Easter, so for the Athenians, it was a normal, low-season, weekend.

As my Brussels Airlines flight was scheduled for 5.50 AM and there’s no train so early in the morning, I booked a seat on the Airport Express, formerly know as the Sabena Bus. Now it’s Airport Express ® by De Decker – Van Riet. And it’s run by Autobus De Schelde NV from Malderen.

I had never taken the Airport Express before, so  did not know what to expect. I booked a seat online well in advance, not knowing if the bus at 3 AM was in high demand or not. 

The waiting game

I showed up at the Franklin Rooseveltplaats, platform B5, around 2.45 AM where the Airport Express leaves. There was no bus, but one obvious other passenger. I expected the bus to be there already, but no. 

There was no need to panic though. At 3 AM, the bus arrived and picked up the grand total of three passengers. The others just paid the driver. So my booking in advance was perhaps unnecessary. 

The journey

The bus left at 3.02 AM. Between the Rooseveltplaats and Brussels Airport in Zaventem, there is one stop, at the Crowne Plaza at the Esso petrol station. In Antwerp the location is famously known as ‘De Crest‘, named after the former hotel brand Crest Hotel.

I think four other people got on the bus. Afterwards it’s a straightforward bus ride to the airport.

The bus is a decent, modern bus. The seats have power outlets. Most seats are 2+2, but there are two bays of 4. There is also a seat for small children. 

The bus is a standard touring couch. It’s not tailor made for luggage. These go in the booth underneath the seats. 

Arrival

There’s not much to tell about the bus ride. There was silence, as it was 3 AM. No corny video as with the SkyBus in Melbourne. 

We arrived at 3.45 AM at the airport. There were quite a few people waiting to get on for the return trip to Antwerp.

So?

For 10 euros, the Airport Express is a very convenient way to get from Antwerp to Brussels Airport in Zaventem.