I had the opportunity to fly this established carrier back in July 2001, only a few months before it ceased operations on 07 Nov. 2001. After its demise, SABENA was renamed SN Brussels Airlines in Feb. 2002 and later changed to its present name Brussels Airlines in March 2007 after it merged with Virgin Express.
As an aviation enthusiast, I was extremely excited at the idea of flying a new carrier, even more so in a premium cabin in one of Europe's oldest carriers. This trip took place a long time ago, so some of the details might be sketchy and I must apologize for the quality of the pics.
I took a trip on UA to connect to JFK and once there I checked in at the SN counter which was shared with SR and OS as part of the Qualifyer Group. I was given an invitation to EL AL King David lounge which was basic with some sandwiches and cookies or fruits.
Boarding was efficient and upon entering there were 2 FA's greeting passengers. The cabin felt spacious with the reclining seats that almost lied horizontally. Pre-dept. drinks were offered in glasses and later on amenity kits, printed menus and hot towels were distributed. I loved the fabric of the seats with the flying bird that to me is so representative of Belgium and makes reference to Magritte and Surrealism.
Amenity kit. I took these pics recently and the hand cream was discarded. It was from a generic brand that I have never heard of.
Cabin with a very nice purser.
Menu.
Wine menu.
The meal service started with drinks served with tapas.
The appetizer sounded great on the menu, but actually I found that the dill and sweet mustard sauce were overpowering, so I just took a few bites. The cheese course and dessert were served on the tray at the same time.
I decided to go for something light so I chose the vegetarian dish with was tasty.
After the meal service I watched some movies and tried in vain to sleep. I don't recall any snacks being placed in the galley after dinner.
Soon it was breakfast time and I just had fruit with a warm croissant. Later on I saw a FA distributing yogurt in individual dishes. I thought that a continental breakfast in J was a bit light and a hot dish should have been offered.
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Verdict
Sabena
8.3/10
Cabin8.5
Cabin crew10.0
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Meal/catering7.0
British Airways Concorde Room - 7
5.0/10
Comfort5.0
Meal/catering5.0
Entertainment/wifi5.0
Services5.0
New York - JFK
8.8/10
Efficiency8.5
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness8.5
Brussels - BRU
9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0
Conclusion
I was glad that I had a chance to experience SABENA before it ceased operations. It's always sad to see an old carrier go and with it a part of aviation history.
Back then lie flat seats with all aisle access were rare so my seat was good for its time.
The purser was excellent with a great attitude and smile that made passengers feel like guests.
Food was OK, not exceptional.
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Sabena... A lot of memories with this airline ! I flew, I don't know how many times with them ! My father worked for Sabena so it was a family story...
It was (for me) one of the best airline in the world !
I am glad that you enjoyed this little nostalgic report Sébastien. My only regret is that I wish that I could have taken more pictures back then. I remember that there were two SN liveries during that time.
You have a personal connection to the airline and that makes it more special. It's great that you had the opportunity to fly with them.
Thank you Adan for this vintage report. Sabena : Sauf Accident Bien Entendu Nous Arrivons or the english version: Such A Bloody Experience, Never Again ^^
Thanks Esteban. Yes, I remember those funny acronyms. ;) I was happy that my one and only experience with SN was a positive one, just like with JK. I guess I am lucky.
Thanks for posting this retro-report! It's always great to see older reports to see how things have evolved. In this case I'm surprised at how mediocre the catering is for this pre-9/11 flight. The breakfast is as light as what most airlines serve on TATL and the appetizer served with the plastic wrap still on isn't very classy. So I guess AF's catering isn't that bad after all :-P
You have to know it was already the end for Sabena at this time ! So they already didn't budget to have a good catering... At the end the catering was really low cost... It was really better than this ;)
It's a pleasure to share these old memories with fellow aviation enthusiasts.
SMilano has a point but I also think that this flight was modified to be a supper instead of true dinner. The dept. time certainly falls under the dinner category. It had an express feel to the whole service, with the cheese and dessert on the appetizer tray and no choice for appetizer or dessert course. This was quite a contrast to the return flight that featured 2 choices for both appetizer and dessert, and 4 choices for main dish. The wrap on the appetizer was a bit of a turn off.
@SMilano: Yes, I'm sure it was better than this...it was on it's last breath in 2001. I've always heard good things about Sabena so I was surprised. Thanks for the info!
Thanks very very much for this special FR about an old and dead airline. You maybe should start by asking to put the true logo of Sabena and not brussels airlines. Too bad for the few photos but this is forgivable because the flight was in 2001 ! The dishes were tasty and are fairly presented.
I like to be reminded of how things have changed. We all need a point of reference in order to judge how things have improved (or worsen) through time. ;)
One of my biggest regrets is not flying the Concorde when I had a chance back in the late 1990's. During that time I was working for UA and we could have flown on BA from JFK-LHR for about USD 600-700. I thought it was way too expensive and never took advantage of it.
Sabena, back in the future ^^. I just found some pictures of an old Sabena A330, my father and I took in Brussels in 2001, I was 3 and a half at that time...
13 years ago, Business class was like premium economy nowadays...
Those pics have a lot of historical value now, not to mention the sentimental ones.
It's funny that nowadays Business class is the new F, Premium Economy the new J and Economy will always be Economy, especially on some 3 cabin carriers that make a distinction between their Econ. and Premium Econ. Talk about going back. I think initially J was conceived as a Premium Y a few decades ago, and in order to be competitive they kept adding and improving it until it became what it is today. As a result it has gotten so competitive that nowadays some airlines phase out F and just decide to have J as the premium cabin.
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15 Comments
Sabena... A lot of memories with this airline ! I flew, I don't know how many times with them !
My father worked for Sabena so it was a family story...
It was (for me) one of the best airline in the world !
Thank's again for this memories !
You have a personal connection to the airline and that makes it more special. It's great that you had the opportunity to fly with them.
It was really better than this ;)
SMilano has a point but I also think that this flight was modified to be a supper instead of true dinner. The dept. time certainly falls under the dinner category. It had an express feel to the whole service, with the cheese and dessert on the appetizer tray and no choice for appetizer or dessert course. This was quite a contrast to the return flight that featured 2 choices for both appetizer and dessert, and 4 choices for main dish. The wrap on the appetizer was a bit of a turn off.
Thanks.
You maybe should start by asking to put the true logo of Sabena and not brussels airlines.
Too bad for the few photos but this is forgivable because the flight was in 2001 !
The dishes were tasty and are fairly presented.
Thanks for your comments.
Really interesting to remind us how was the business class cabin 13 years ago !!!
Thank you so much
One of my biggest regrets is not flying the Concorde when I had a chance back in the late 1990's. During that time I was working for UA and we could have flown on BA from JFK-LHR for about USD 600-700. I thought it was way too expensive and never took advantage of it.
Thanks for stopping.
Sabena, back in the future ^^. I just found some pictures of an old Sabena A330, my father and I took in Brussels in 2001, I was 3 and a half at that time...
13 years ago, Business class was like premium economy nowadays...
Those pics have a lot of historical value now, not to mention the sentimental ones.
It's funny that nowadays Business class is the new F, Premium Economy the new J and Economy will always be Economy, especially on some 3 cabin carriers that make a distinction between their Econ. and Premium Econ. Talk about going back. I think initially J was conceived as a Premium Y a few decades ago, and in order to be competitive they kept adding and improving it until it became what it is today. As a result it has gotten so competitive that nowadays some airlines phase out F and just decide to have J as the premium cabin.
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