Recently, I flew JFK-JTR (Santorini) on a Brussels Airlines Business Class Flight as I returned to Greece. This flight was booked on United Airlines for 88,000 United Miles plus $5.60 in cash per ticket. I made this trip with my friend Deanna, who has never flown business class before. Here is my review of the Brussels Airlines business class flight.

 

NYC-Brussels Flight

First off, JFK is a madhouse! If you fly out of there, allow plenty of time to get through security. Once I had passed security, I went to the Lufthansa lounge, which is immediately to the left once you pass security. Lufthansa lounges are not my favorite as I find much of the food in them subpar. 

 

First Impressions of Brussels Airlines

We were seated in the first seats on the right. This flight was in a 2-2-2 configuration. This is fine when traveling with someone you know, but I hate that configuration if you are traveling solo. I hate climbing over someone or having them climb over me when I need to use the lavatory. If I traveled solo, I would pick the middle two seats, as both have direct aisle access. Not having a center divider is also a negative for me if I am traveling solo.

 

 

The seats themselves seemed old but comfortable. When Deanna noted how her dining table slanted down, the steward said they were evidently retrofitting some of these airplanes. 

At our seats were a pillow, one thin blanket, a bottle of water, and a very cute amenity kit (I may keep this one). The seats were comfy, but I was too close if I had been beside a stranger.

 

 

Meal Service

Once on board, there was a choice of champagne or sparkling wine (sorry, I don’t drink, so I didn’t know which😜), orange juice, or a mocktail (much appreciated). Once we were in the air, we received warm washcloths, a bag of spicy nuts, and a choice of beverage.

There were no menus, which surprised me. They came round with appetizers, with a choice of meat or shrimp dish. The shrimp dish and bread were yummy.

For the main dish,  I had the ravioli (which was not so good), but my friend raved about her salmon. There was also a pork dish available. We were then served apple tarts for dessert.

We slept through breakfast, so I’m unsure what that was. I knew we could go to an airport lounge in Athens, so sleep was more important to me.

The first flight was in lay-flat seats. It was less than 8 hours long, so I didn’t get much sleep after eating dinner and rewatching The Devil Wears Prada. The service we received onboard this flight was impeccable, though—everyone was so pleasant and kind. When we were ready to land, they brought full boxes of Belgian chocolate—you know how I love my treats!

 

 

Brussels-Athens

We spent a couple of hours in Brussels before our Athens flight, so we went to the Brussels Airline Lounge (The Loft). This was a spectacular lounge with many seating areas, great food, showers, and a children’s room.

 

 

 

 

The typical business class flight in Europe has a normal seat with the middle seat blocked off. We were in the first seats again, so we had the front bulkhead and plenty of legroom. It was about a 3-hour flight, and we were served a nice meal of chicken, noodles, pea puree, and a dessert. Again, their bread is delicious!

This flight had no in-flight entertainment, so I wished I had downloaded something. However, I could doze occasionally, catching up on some sleep.

 

Athens- Santorini

This part of our flight was on Aegean Airlines, and it was bedlam in this part of the airport. We were delayed over an hour, and there was not enough seating at the gate. Plus, we were exhausted.

Once on the flight, we were pleasantly surprised by the newer airplane, cute bagged lunch, and the 30-minute flight to Santorini. Again, the business class flight was a middle seat blocked. Looking out at the beautiful Aegean Sea and the many islands was delightful! 

Because we had traveled through Athens, we didn’t have to go through any security. In fact, in Athens, the only security we passed through was when we went to our A Gate, which was really quick.

 

Bottom Line

While the hard products on the Brussels flights were a little old and outdated, it was comfortable. The service was great across all of our flights. My review of Brussels Airlines business class flight is that I would do it again if I couldn’t find a one-stop flight (my preference). Considering that this was a last-minute find (after my original flight to Santorini was canceled), I was pleased that I could still fly business class all the way to Santorini.

 

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