Review of Ryanair flight Brussels Dublin in Economy

Airline Ryanair
Flight FR 47
Class Economy
Seat 27
Aircraft Boeing 737-800
Flight time 01:50
Take-off 05 Apr 15, 19:40
Arrival at 05 Apr 15, 20:30
FR   #22 out of 22 Low-cost airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 392 reviews
MonsieurNut
By 2072
Published on 14th March 2015
Hello my little potatoes!

I welcome you for my first FR in English! I'm only 16 and I'm learning this language, so I hope you will not mention my mistakes.

Today, I have a treat for you (which goes with the FR - to reflect my feeling when I took this flight). Sit comfortably, open the youtube link in a new tab and relax. :D



I went in Ireland during my Easter journey in order to improve my speaking. I really had loved Dublin 6 months ago when I was with my family. I had reported my flights in French (also with FR). I booked lessons and a host family for two weeks. (For those who are interested in, I chose EF as school -and I found that it was a good choice, even if they're more expensive than the others-. If you want more details about it, ask me in the comms.)

Before the search, I had some points to look after:
-I had exact days
-I had a 20kg checked baggage
-I wanted the cheapest flight possible
-And I wanted comfortable flights (with maybe a stop but no at 6am or at midnight.

Ok, there were many points but I finally found that flight… a FR with 190e price!! Aer Lingus was at 200 and with inconvenient flights. I looked also for other companies (I think I tried every single European company) but nothing was better than FR. In another point, I booked the flight only 3 weeks before and in middle season.

So, let's begin. Do you like the music? (I hope you do.) I chose this one because it gives me the feeling of being completely free. It was my very first experience where I was by my own in another country that my parents. It was also the first time I took the plane alone. I loved it and afterwards I still say that this was the best thing I've ever lived until now.

I knew that CRL is an airport in which I don't have anything to do, so I arrived without many expectations about the place. I think the airport is just like Charleroi (the city): ''the most depressing place on earth'' (Belgian joke). In the entrance, we can see a roundabout with the translations of smile, fly, love, imagine… I'm pretty sure that it's to prepare people to the city. :P

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That's the entrance of the building. Take care if you came in Belgium that CRL is (also) called Bruxelles-Sud. Whatever, even if it's 30 km far from Brussels, it's quite easy to access and the travel in coach is only 5e. (There's no rail station but only coaches, bus and taxis.)

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In another point, it's quite easy to take plane form here: there's only one terminal which is well marked. Here, the baggage check.

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As you can see, today is Easter which means less people and a pink rabbit as decoration. I found this pleasant and smart from the airport which wants (like FR by the way) be friendlier with its travelers.

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CRL is a secondary-hub of FR which explain the number of FR flights. There's also some flights to Eastern Europe with Wizzair (W6) -my first FR- and sometimes with Pegasus and Transavia.

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The departure and arrival are in the same corridor. There are just in the two extremities of it with shops in the middle.

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Once I passed the police, I arrived here. There is a little duty-free, a market and a Leffe pub with a view on the runway. The water and the food are really expensive and I found that it's better to buy a bottle of water on duty-free (1e30) that in the market (2e60) or from the vending machine (2e60) - for the same volume (0,5L).

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I didn't look for the food but it seems that it's better to eat before the flight that in the airport (as everybody know)… (-except for The Lounge in CDG haha)

What about the architecture? It's completely the same that in the entrance hall: a long hall (with gates and chairs). There is also a child-corner but it may be paying.

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In the same view of wish of being friendlier, they bought a piano which is free to play. There are also some sheets for people who don't know any song by heart.

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I was badly impressed by the toilets because of two points:
-there wasn't paper anymore
-they installed a Dyson tap which gives water and dries the hands but when it's supposed to give water, it dries and then he project water and foam everywhere (from the mirror to the user's shirt).

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When I saw this, I understood that people are more sensible to the para-Olympics games that to the animals.

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Also, another advice: if you have to go off the Schengen-space, you'll have to pass the ID check and you'll wait somewhere where there is only one single shop which can be closed (as it was when I was there). Buy all you need before passing this gate.

The priorities were respected during the check-in and we went in the plane. Our today bird is called EL-DWE. Also, as you can see, CRL is neither against spotting nor free-spotting. The flight was full and FR allowed to put our hand baggage in the hold. I decided to keep it with me but it was a gentle suggestion.




Check-in and installation on the seat. I confirmed the schedule four days ago and I was happy when I discovered that I had a window seat as I wanted.

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As I had said before in my 3rd FR, I really don't understand why people are so badly astonished by the pitch: I'm 1m87 and I had 1cm free until the next chair. It's enough for an as small flight! (Ok, for the price I paid, I was able to found better but I didn't had the choice I remember).

Also, I don't understand why people speak about the numerous ads in the cabin; because I think there's no so many. They put some classic music before the take-off that can calm down people who are frightened by planes.

Bye-bye Belgium! Next stop: Dublin :D

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Some little planes from the BFS (Belgian Flight School).

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Take off in the late after-noon.



The first minutes of the flight and Brussels.

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Above London: clouds.

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Some English mountains between London and Liverpool with the light from the close sunset.

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The Man Island.

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Some clouds above the Man ‘sea,a picture of Phoenix Park and Dublin's centre.

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Next to the airport.

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Landing and parking with the sunset and some other planes.



The engines are still hot.

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Dublin, I'm back!

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Goodbye old sport.

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The water here is cheaper… but only in the airport. In Ireland, the bottle of water is as expensive as Coke but the tap water is free. However, the Irish government voted a law to sell the water and people did strikes because of it. Every single Irish that I met was against this law…

So, I went through this exit until the huge baggage claim area and took my luggage.

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I’m fond of milkshakes… And AMT do one of the best I've ever drunk. I had one in my town but it closed when Starbuck opened. I was extremely happy to found it here. PS: do not try the ones from Starbuck: there're not tasty at all!!!

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Once I had my large banana milkshake, I took a taxi to my host home (not so easy to take the coach with a huge luggage…). I arrived at the terminal 1 and behind taxis, we can see the second and new one.

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Thank you very much that you’ve read my FR and I want also to thank all people who tried to give me an as great journey as it's possible, even if they'll not read this (my host family, EF staff, kind Irish people that I met, my parents, …)

In bonus, there are some beautiful pictures from Dublin. I was really lucky: during 2 weeks I had only blue sky with a big warm sun and with some clouds in the worst moments!!! :D

See more

Verdict

Ryanair

6.5/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi5.5
Buy-on-board menu5.5

Brussels - CRL

6.9/10
Efficiency8.5
Access6.5
Services6.0
Cleanliness6.5

Dublin - DUB

9.0/10
Efficiency9.0
Access9.0
Services9.0
Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

My feelings: there was a smooth flight in a fantastic plane with a compagny that I like to a destination which I over-love. The single bad thing that I can say is about the price but I had no choise. By an other side, I had an AMT milkshake and a formidable journey so I'm able to forgive the price (even if it's completly subjective as thinking). :D

Information on the route Brussels (CRL) Dublin (DUB)

Les contributeurs de Flight-Report ont posté 4 avis concernant 1 compagnies sur la ligne Brussels (CRL) → Dublin (DUB).


Useful

La compagnie qui obtient la meilleure moyenne est Ryanair avec 5.9/10.

La durée moyenne des vols est de 1 heures et 36 minutes.

  More information

8 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 146220 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Thanks for sharing this first FR in English. Interesting that you say Ryanair is more comfortable than Aer Lingus. It is surprising considering Aer Lingus is the Flag Carrier of Ireland and FR is an Ultra-Low-Cost carrier. All that yellow in the cabin hurts my eyes...yuck. Nice shot of Brussels on takeoff. Seems like an overall good and uneventful flight, but I do find your grade of 8/10 for comfort to be a bit over-generous considering the seat pitch is notoriously bad on Ryanair and the seats don't recline. But the essential thing is that you enjoyed the flight. Wow, you had lots of sunshine in Ireland; you got lucky! I have friends that live in Ireland and I'm told the summer has been very rainy and gloomy.
    Is over-love your translation of Sur-kiffe? LOL.
    Thanks for sharing!
    • Comment 324814 by
      MonsieurNut AUTHOR 49 Comments
      I've never took Aer Lingus and I don't use comfortabe for the seats. I wanted to say that it's more comfortable to take this flight at 7pm that the aer lingus one which was at 6am (so wake up at 3/4am).

      I don't see in which part of my FR I say that about Aer Lingus, sorry. :D For me, Aer Lingus is just Ryanair in green (knowing that FR has 30% of it tells us a lot).

      As I've explained in the FR, I'm with those who are quite pleased about Ryanair (a lot more than Wizzair). I put 8 to express that (and upgrade a little the FR mark- that's true). However, (once again) I've never flown in another compagny that those that I reported (FR and Wizz, both low cost) so I hasn't had a lot of experience yet.

      You don't even imagine how lucky I am in life... Just as an exemple, during this trip, I walked single and went in a restaurant. There, my glass felt, broke and made some noise which was the begging of a talk with the familly next to me... who offered my meal when they finished. :P

      Hahaha not at all. I didn't even think about it. It's just like the word ''over-generous'' that you used. Well maybe my over-love is not correct in English but I don't know.
    • Comment 324820 by
      KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
      Ah ok, I get it now...perhaps the word convenient would be better to use if you are speaking about flight schedule, because the way you word it makes it sound like EI is not comfortable. Here is the sentence that I was referring to; it's at the beginning just after the video: Ok, there were many points but I finally found that flight... a FR with 190e price!! Aer Lingus was at 200 and with uncomfortable flights.

      As I've explained in the FR, I'm with those who are quite pleased about Ryanair (a lot more than Wizzair). I put 8 to express that (and upgrade a little the FR mark- that's true).
      - Haha...so you admit you're cheating :-P Just kidding...everyone is entitled to their opinion. If it's 8/10 for you then that's what you put. The price is certainly very good, so that makes all the rest better.

      You don't even imagine how lucky I am in life... Just as an exemple, during this trip, I walked single and went in a restaurant. There, my glass felt, broke and made some noise which was the begging of a talk with the familly next to me... who offered my meal when they finished. :P
      - Nice! it's always good to get a free meal :-)

      Well maybe my over-love is not correct in English but I don't know.
      - It's not an expression I've ever heard, but it's cute and gets the point across :-)

    • Comment 324871 by
      MonsieurNut AUTHOR 49 Comments
      Thank you very much! I'm going to report the return and also 2 other flights BRU-BCN and BCN-BRU (spoiler alert :O). Unfortunatly, it takes me a lot of time, so the next time you'll read me will be certenly in some months.

      Dublin has become my favourite city I've visited, it really worth! My pictures are just about well-known parts of the island but you can find a lot of little cosy places in quite every street or funny things (like the last picture).
  • Comment 146465 by
    Benoit75008 7191 Comments
    Thanks for your report,
    Many things were already mentioned.
    FR have still some flights from CRL as i thought they transfered many in BRU.

    See you
    • Comment 325049 by
      MonsieurNut AUTHOR 49 Comments
      Your comment is completly true! There are some FR about this route but not in English or with FR. Moreother, I use this occasion to exercise my language.

      FR didn't used BRU in order to transfer flights, just to open new routes (closer to Bruxelles).
  • Comment 146744 by
    Chibcha SILVER 540 Comments
    Thanks for the FR, you managed to make a Ryanair flight an interesting read!

    BTW I thought your description of those hills in Great Britain as mountains a was a bit funny...if you compare them with the Alps or the Andes.

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