REVIEW | Brussels to Athens with Brussels Airlines Airbus A319, in business class, early morning

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.

To make the most of my weekend in Athens, I took the 5.50 AM Brussels Airlines SN3245 flight from Brussels Airport to Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ (Διεθνής Αερολιμένας Αθηνών «Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος»).

Business class on short-haul flights in Europe is usually not worth the money. But as the premium was only 50 euros – I paid some 550 euros instead of 500 euros in economy without seat selection or luggage – I booked a business class seat. This gave me an included piece of luggage (a perk I didn’t use), included seat selection and access to lounges.

With a 5.25 AM boarding time, I did not go to the Brussels Airlines lounges. They open at 5 AM and that was too short. Also because at 4.50 AM there still was no plane at the announced gate. There would be a change of plane and of gate and I didn’t want to miss new information.

1A

I chose seat 1A because why not. Having seat 1A sounds special, no? I was also the first passenger on board so I put my cabin-size suitcase in the overhead compartment and I installed myself in 1A.

I haven’t mentioned yet the plane was an Airbus A319, SN’s workhorse.

Business class seats on short European flights are (almost) always economy seats but with the middle seat kept free. Sitting on row 1 gives you a little more legroom, but you can’t store anything under the seat in front of you as there isn’t a seat in front of you. So everything must go in the overhead compartment. But I was carrying a fanny pack across my chest so that was okay.

Seats are firm and not comfortable for long(er) flights. 3 hours, 3.15 hours is stretching it a bit. I missed decent head support and those adjustable ‘winglets’ next to your ears.

Breakfast

I received my breakfast fairly quickly after take-off and reaching cruising altitude. Breakfast consisted of cheese and cold cuts, a fruit salad, a yoghurt, butter, jam and Jules Destrooper biscuits. Obvioulsly there are bread rolls and croissants available and coffee and tea.

The offering looks underwhelming and is certainly not overwhelming. A hot item would have been nice. But what the photos don’t show is how often the flight attendant asked if I wanted something.

So?

There’s not much to report. There’s no in-flight entertainment. I slept most of the flight because that’s what I do on flights and it had been a very short night.

I was the first to disembark and it was great to have stairs and a shuttle service. I felt like a head of state. More like the King of the Divan (whoohoohoohoo).

Anyway, a nice experience.

New menu since June 2023

I flew in April 2023. Since June 2023, there is a new business class menu at Brussels Airlines. “The airline remains committed to products and dishes with a Belgian culinary touch. In addition, reusable porcelain and steel cutlery are making their comeback. Not only does the porcelain provide a pleasant experience, it’s also more environmentally friendly”, the press release said.

“As of June, the breakfast menu on flights below 80 minutes offers a fresh sandwich accompanied by a pain au chocolat or a croissant and fresh fruit. For early snackers, the classic fruit and cheese brochette gives way to Belgian tapas, with a finger food-sized sandwich or quiche, accompanied by a fresh salad and petit fours made with Belgian speculoos, cuberdon or chocolate. On flights above 80 minutes, passengers will be presented with a fresh seasonal salad, along with a dessert of macarons or Neuhaus chocolates. On flights over 2.5 hours, passengers can enjoy a hot meal with a dessert and fresh cheese. The meals will vary from week to week, providing the loyal frequent flyers with variation on their travels.”

Brussels Airlines is reintroducing porcelain as well as steel cutlery in business class.

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REVIEW | Brussels to Athens with Brussels Airlines Airbus A319, in business class, early morning