Brussels Airlines is often seen by flyers as a poor relation to its German and Swiss sisters in the Lufthansa Group. However, the carrier recently advertised a revamp of its short- and medium-haul EuroBiz offering, including with new meals and a more refined service. I decided to put this product to the test on a flight from Brussels to Barcelona.

The check-in experience was a highlight of the journey. Barcelona airport (BCN) has a check-in zone for all Lufthansa Group operators which is conveniently staffed at all times. I was eager to drop off my bags early and then head into the city for a spell. Many hours before my flight, staffers accepted my bags without a fuss so I had lots of time to enjoy lovely Barcelona.

I arrived back at BCN about four hours before departure and proceeded through fast-track security, which was efficient with no queues. 

Barcelona airport does not have a specific Lufthansa or Star Alliance lounge but as a business class passenger, I was able to avail of the perfectly fine, if underwhelming Aena-operated lounge. The lounge has a shower — a welcome amenity after walking around Barcelona in the heat.

Following my sojourn in the lounge, and about forty-five minutes before departure, I made my way to the gate. When I arrived, lines had already formed against signs for boarding groups.

Lufthansa Group carriers board Senator loyalty club members first, so despite being in business class, I was in Group 2.

Nevertheless, I was about the fifth passenger to board, and made my way down the jetway to be greeted by staff still preparing the cabin.

On entering the Airbus A320, I observed a rather drab and industrial looking interior with rows of navy blue slimlines. Red antimacassars do lend a much appreciated pop of color.

The only visual difference between the EuroBiz cabin and the economy class cabin was a single small green tag on seat 1D that said “economy.”

The green sign also showed me there was only one row of business class on this flight, at the bulkhead. In fact, I was the only business class passenger on board.

As boarding continued, I inspected the seat. The well-worn seat bottoms and plasticky seat covers didn’t impress. Nor indeed did the lack of ergonomics. But the legroom is solid and the seat itself was reasonably clean.

Though the middle seat of each seat triple in EuroBiz is technically blocked, there is no cocktail table to create separation, as you might see in certain other EuroBiz cabins — and no curtain to create differentiation.

In-seat power and Wi-Fi are not offered.

A cabin crew member approached and asked what language I speak (Brussels Airlines, being a Belgian operator, has two official languages, Dutch and French; English was also spoken on board). I had pre-ordered my meal. No menu was provided for the meal before takeoff.

Following a manual safety demonstration and a gentle takeoff, the meal service began with drinks. I asked for champagne but was offered a warm Cremant instead. The flight attendant apologized, and graciously offered to chill the bottle using dry ice after serving my first glass. The sparkling wine was served in actual glassware, a nice touch.

Thereafter, the meal arrived — a reasonably fresh chickpea salad accompanied by a tasty pretzel bun.

Brussels Airlines talks up its onboard catering, saying it blends Belgian and international cuisine into a comprehensive meal service. I’m not convinced my generic meal hit the mark. On a two-hour evening flight, one would normally expect to be served a hot meal.

Nevertheless, the meal concluded with two Neuhaus chocolates, a signature of Brussels Airlines. Following the meal, I was served green tea in a paper cup.

During the rest of the flight I used my personal device to watch some content. Meanwhile, passengers from the economy class cabin came up to use the front bathroom, queuing and milling around my seat. Some passengers even sat down in my row while they were waiting.

When I went up to use the bathroom after the queue had died down the sink was full of ice cubes.

After two hours in the sky, we began our descent into Brussels Airport, and as I looked at the row of empty seats next to me I began to realize why no other passenger elected to pay close to €400 for a business class ticket. It is simply not good enough for that price point.

Readers may scoff at me for complaining that there was no dividing curtain, but this creates a sense of privacy and intimacy in business which you do not find in economy.

It’s probably excessive for only one passenger in business class to have access to the forward lavatory, but it would have been nice if a crew member had explained the airline’s policy, and certainly their decision to allow passengers to plop down in my row.

The crew performed all their duties, but gave no special treatment to their lone business class traveler. To wit, they didn’t do a final pass after tea to see if I needed anything else.

The cabin is, of course, tired and behind the times, with no in-seat power or inflight connectivity throughout, and no dividing cocktail table in EuroBiz. It’s nearly 2026!

As I collected my bags, which were last off the plane, I felt frustrated by Brussels Airlines. Like Sabena before it, Brussels Airlines has a proud and storied legacy and also acts as an informal flag carrier for Belgium. But it doesn’t do either justice with its mediocrity. I wonder if Brussels Airlines should even operate a business class cabin on short-haul routes. 

Related Articles:

• SmartWings surprises with weird yet wonderful A220 service
• LEVEL’s premium lie-flat gives space to rest, not much else
• French Bee delivers just enough honey in Premium to be worth it
• airBaltic wet-lease for Brussels Airlines: great service, no Wi-Fi

All images credited to the author, Fintan Horan-Stear