A busy European airport, Brussels International Airport (BRU) is well-situated for further flights around Europe and Asia, but handles traffic from all over the world. Brussels Airlines is based here, and flies directly to more than 40 cities around Europe. Most recently, Thai Airways International and Brussels Airport have established a direct route between Bangkok and Brussels.
Located 11km (7 miles) northeast of Brussels in Zaventem, the airport was awarded Best Airport in Europe by the Airports Council International in 2005. Although that was a few years ago, the level of service hasn’t changed, and the airy and spotlessly clean airport is a genuine pleasure to use. You should, however, keep your belongings close at hand, as pickpockets are becoming more common, especially in the public areas before security. Also note that staff shortages have seen the average luggage collection wait-time increase to over 30 minutes.
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<div class="rxbodyfield">Piers A and B are in the same building, so don’t worry about terminal transfers.</div>
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Train: There is a train service into Brussels, via the railway station located below the terminal, on Level -1. Trains leave every 20 minutes from 5am to midnight, and the fare is about €7.
Bus: There are several bus services into Brussels. De Lijn goes to the centre of town, STIB/MIVB goes to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, and the Brussels Airport Express bus goes to Antwerp every hour. Buses into Brussels cost in the region of €3-€8, depending on how far into the city centre you’re going.
Taxi: Metered taxis are available from the taxi rank outside the arrivals hall. The average fare into Brussels is around €45. Use taxis with the blue-and-yellow emblem, as you’ll avoid the higher fees charged by unlicenced cabs.
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The Express Parking Lot is immediately across from the terminal building. The charge is €5 per hour, and you’re limited to four hours. The short-term P1 and P2 Lots charge €4 and €3.50 per hour respectively. The Economy Lot is good for long-term parking (up to a week), costing €16 per day. There are additional Holiday and Extra Security (Lock) parking lots for long-term parking, and a premium valet service within the terminal.
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Money and communications: ATMs, currency exchange offices, mobile phone rental (and purchase), fax machines, and a post office.
Luggage: The airport offers a porter service (€ 2.50 per piece of baggage), baggage wrapping, and trolleys. Lost luggage queries are handled by the individual airlines, but there is a lost and found office at the airport. There are luggage lockers available for €7.50 per 24 hours, located on Level 0 near the bus station.
Conference and business: There are welcome services that offer reception rooms to accommodate up to 600 people in the airport. Additional facilities are available in the attached Regus Skyport Meeting Centre, and in the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel, which boasts dozens of meeting rooms and catering facilities.
Other facilities: Additional services at the airport include travel agencies, a hairdresser, pharmacy, petrol station, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox and Protestant places of worship and a meditation room, baby-changing facilities, handicapped facilities and airport hotels.
Wi-Fi: There is Wi-Fi internet access available throughout the airport, via rent2connect or any of these service providers: Boingo, Quiconnect, iPass, Telenet, T-Systems, Trustive or WeRoam. Wi-Fi is available at the attached Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel.
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