SN – Virgin venture to offer cheaper business flights

Belgian airline SN Brussels is aiming to take on rivals such as Ryanair by offering budget-friendly flights, while also offering full-service travel for premium passengers.

The airline, which flies from London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle, will soon merge with Virgin Express and aims to provide two products inside with a single brand on the outside.

"One will be a basic no-frills brand, at the back of the plane," the company's president and chief executive, Neil Burrows, told Luchtzak Aviation. "The other will be a more 'plus' or 'premium' product, although not a replica of business class."

SN Brussels has best cabin staff in Europe

If you're looking for great service from cabin staff on European flights, SN Brussels could be your best bet.

The airline has won the award for Best Cabin Staff for a European airline in the World Airline Awards, which are organised by audit company Skytrax.

SN Brussels improves comfort on Africa flights

Belgian airline SN Brussels has made some improvements that will make its flights connecting Europe and Africa more comfortable for passengers.

For travellers to Africa seeking low-cost fares in economy class, new ergonomically-designed seats will afford more legroom and personal space, while taller people can benefit from a new adjustable headrest.

SN Brussels to axe Glasgow flights

Belgian airline SN Brussels has announced it will axe all flights between Glasgow and Brussels.

The Belgian flag-carrier is pulling the daily service to free up aircraft capacity for new summer destinations.

Passengers who have already booked a ticket on the route will be offered alternative travel solutions or full refunds.

Real-time downloads with SN Brussels

Belgian no-frills airline SN Brussels has launched an innovative new scheme rewarding frequent fliers with free mobile phone content, delivered in real-time.

Members of its loyalty programme can now redeem air miles for ring tones and wallpapers in a matter of seconds, thewisemarketer.com reports.

Although the scheme is open to those who clock up big points, SN Brussels is also hoping to score success with members with smaller accounts.

Go behind the scenes with SN Brussels

Millions of people take to the skies every day, yet few of us have any idea what goes on behind the scenes to make air travel possible.

This could be about to change, with SN Brussels giving passengers the chance to gain an insight into the workings of a major European airline.

The low-cost airline is hosting an open day this Sunday, October 2, giving travellers the freedom to explore all aspects of its operations. Visitors will be able to view the engine workshop in the SN hangar, explore the staff areas and the cockpit of its planes and discover the safety measures in place in case a flight encounters any difficulties.

SN Brussels honours Belgium's favourite son

Ask most people to name a famous Belgian and they will almost certainly struggle. It may be the heart of the EU and produce some of the world's best beer, but in terms of celebrities, few have entered the international consciousness.

Few real-life celebrities, that is. For while 90s action hero Jean-Claude Van Damme is perhaps the only current Belgian household name, when it comes to creating cartoon celebrities, Belgium is second-to-none.

SN Brussels begins flights to Bulgaria

SN Brussels is launching its first flights to Bulgaria.

From tomorrow, the Belgian budget airline will fly non-stop between Brussels and the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

It will fly three times a week between the two cities, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

In addition, SN Brussels has announced a new code-share agreement with Bulgaria Air, giving passengers the choice of three additional flights a week between Brussels and Sofia, on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

SN Brussels teams up with Eurostar

Budget airline SN Brussels has announced a new partnership with cross-Channel train operator Eurostar.

The plane and train operators are merging their loyalty programmes, meaning that passengers who regularly travel with Eurostar can now redeem their loyalty points for flights with SN Brussels.

Members of the airline's Privilege scheme will also be able to redeem their points against Eurostar tickets.

SN Brussels is hopeful that the new link-up will persuade travellers who usually go by train from London to Brussels to take advantage of the airline's cheap flight deals to the Belgian capital.

All points earned as part of the Eurostar Frequent Traveller Programme are eligible to be swapped for flights.

SN Brussels plans Gatwick increase

Passengers travelling between London and Brussels will soon have more choice as SN Brussels announces new flights.

The Belgian no-frills airline currently flies twice a day on weekdays and once on Sundays between London Gatwick and Brussels National airports.

However, it has just announced that it has secured two additional weekend slots at Gatwick airport.

This will enable SN Brussels to offer flights from London to the Belgian capital on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

The new flights will be welcomed by travellers looking for weekend breaks in the Belgian capital, famed for its café culture, designer boutiques and world-class museums.

SN Brussels teams up with El Al

Passengers looking to fly from Israel to the heart of Europe now have more options, thanks to a new link-up between SN Brussels Airlines and the Israeli airline El Al.

A new code-sharing agreement means that passengers will soon be able to choose from nine flights a week between Brussels and Tel Aviv.

Starting on October 2, 2005, the two airlines will jointly operate flights between Brussels National and Brussels Zaventem airports to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport.

The airlines will also operate additional flights during October, which is usually a busy month on services from European destinations to Israel.

Three new routes from SN Brussels

Belgian operator SN Brussels Airlines is to open three new summer destinations from its Brussels base.

Due to extra capacity the airline will fly to Cork, Jersey and Bari in Italy with return ticket prices starting from € 114 including tax.

SN will fly twice a week to Cork, on Monday and Thursday, with an AVRO RJ in July and August, journey time will be two hours. A return ticket starts at € 121, all taxes and meals included.