Hey everyone!
After roughly 8 unforgettable months living and studying in Brussels, it was finally time to pack my bags, say my goodbyes, and head back home to Manchester. For the first leg of the journey, I managed to grab a flight operated by airBaltic on behalf of Brussels Airlines on one of my absolute favourite short-haul aircraft—the Airbus A220-300. Here is how it went!
Flight Information
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Route: Brussels Airport (BRU / EBBR) to Frankfurt Am Main (FRA / EDDF)
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Airline: Brussels Airlines (Operated by airBaltic)
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Aircraft: Airbus A220-300
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Seat: 10F (Window)
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Flight Time: 55 minutes (aiirved with ~3 minutes delay)
After going through all the airport formalities, which naturally included me being “randomly selected” for additional screening, I made my way to gate A56. Of course, I had to take a slight detour at Quick Burgers—the Belgian/Dutch equivalent to McDonald’s. Seriously, if for whatever reason you find yourself in Belgium, go there instead of the Golden Arches; thank me later.
Boarding ended up being via a jetbridge. Unfortunately, I couldn’t snap a picture of the plane because the view was blocked. Without much delay, we started pushing back towards Runway 25R, and before I knew it, we were lined up on the runway, ready for a powerful departure.
Soon after lift-off, the captain immediately reduced the throttle and initiated a sharp left turn over Zaventem and Schaerbeek (a suburb of Brussels). There, I caught one last glimpse of the city that hosted me before we disappeared into the clouds.
Overall, the flight was uneventful, apart from the crew somehow squeezing in a buy-on-board service during the ~35 minutes, and before I knew it, the nose dipped and the first flimps of Frankfurt Airport came into view.
After touchdown, we taxied for what felt like an eternity to a remote stand located all the way near the cargo terminal. The only upside was that I managed to snap a quick shot of our beautiful airBaltic A220 basking in the sun before we were bundled onto the bus and driven over to Terminal 1.
Overall Ratings:
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Seat Comfort: 9/10 (The A220 seats and legroom are top-tier for short-haul)
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Cabin Ambience: 10/10 (Huge windows, modern overhead screens, and quiet engines)
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Punctuality: 9/10 (A tiny 3-minute delay, easily forgiven)
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Overall Rating: 9/10 (Rare for SN)
