STAY CLEAR OF AIR BELGIUM - THIS AIRLINE IS A RIP-OFF! 

What are your thoughts on Air Belgium? Follow me on instagram.com/gotravelyourway for daily updates :)

I like the way you told the cabin crew that your food was cold. You were extremely polite and commented that you didn't want to cause trouble. I think the crew member appreciated the way in which you asked. That was a long flight but what you paid was high. Looking forward to your flights in 2023. Happy New Year and good health.

That meal looked unappealing.... It's a shame a friendly crew is let down by their staffing levels and the product they serve and work on board of

You are one of the only flight reviewers who dies ALL classes regularly. The others can’t handle economy any more.

As a Belgian I genuinely hope that one day their product will match their prices... Buut yeah, the way they are rn is quite reflective of the mess that belgium actually can be at times (not all the time tho)

To be fair, I think their flights are usually quite affordable for direct flights. Around €650-€700 for a return trip ticket to Johannesburg is competitive, for example.

Personally, I just flew with them recently. 549 € for a Brussels - Johannesburg return on economy. Excellent experience with them. Probably one on the best long haul economy flights that I had. Direct flight, on time and far better than the 1 stop LH, AF, BA or even EK that I used to take on the same route. The only inconvenience that I see is that they don't have daily flights and their fleet is quite small. This is an honest review.

I commend you for remaining positive and still finding some good things to say in a review where you paid good money to sit in the back of the plane and didn’t receive value. Other travel vloggers sit in the front and will torch the crew and carrier if the slightest thing goes not to their liking.

Apparently Air Belgium will shuting their passengers service down for october already

I live in east-Brussels, it takes me 25-35min to reach the airport. But I used to live where your hotel was, and it's kinda the same, even 20min if you take the train straight from the station in front of your hotel. After living in Paris where it often took me 2 or even 3h to get home, this is a major improvement in my life. With my job, I travel often, the only warning I must give is to not underestimate the amount of people at security check. But the teams are well organized to manage the flow of passengers. But if your flight is before noon, be sure to have a proper ETA at the airport. But otherwise, it's my favorite airport in Europe. You can share a nice beer at the Beers and Cheers in the main terminal, grab a coffee nearby with a view on the airplanes...and the main terminal is quiet and has many places to seat.

I feel sorry for the cabin crew. Not their fault. Out of their hands. Nice one Josh. Happy New Year. All the best Mick.🇬🇧

To be honest, I don’t think 900€ for an economy class ticket is out of the ordinary at the moment. Other airlines charge similar prices or even more, especially if you are looking at nonstop flights. I think you also have to ask yourself if the prices we saw pre covid were sustainable or if the current price level is what is actually fair.

At least you got a full breakfast meal compared to United in economy class on such flight length.

3:48 Is China Airlines, which is one of the main airlines in TAIWAN. Not PRC you mentioned in the video. TAIWAN is already and welcoming all friends from all the world.

Absolutely love the friendly Cabin Crew ❤️ About the on board meal, cold? Good grief! Good content Josh, thanks.

I am from la Réunion. I live in Belgium. I used to flight from Paris to la Réunion (december flights). The price are the same when you flight with Air Austral and Air France (btw 800€ and 1000€). Idk but you used to fly in december in The video. The price is not as different from other airlines.

What do you use to book your flights josh?

The price of 900 euros for a direct flight to Mauritius from Belgium is not that bad because the alternatives are train to CDG then Air France or Condor through Frankfurt and you won’t be paying much less and you’ll be waiting around much longer in the connecting airport. And Frankly you won’t be getting much better food there either or service for that matter…

€900 for one way, that's expensive. The round trip MRU-Brussels-MRU is being sold at 25,000 MUR....which is around €600

Honestly I would say that the interior looked absolutely fantastic! I agree for the price you are not getting that customer experience for example fast serving time. However overall I think you shouldn’t give up on Air Belgium and try them again. Talking about expensive flight, Biman Bangladesh also does the same prices from London to Sylhet. The prices are even higher.

I have seen better food being sold at the gas station

Hi Josh, great upload! Belgium and its airliners seem to struggle. We all remember the Sabena years here.... Anyway, it's a shame that motivated crews have to deal with bad management. Enjoy Reunion (if you are still there 🙂)!

Was your ticket a one-way or a return as well ? Sometimes, especially on International flights, it costs almost as much to fly one-way as it does to buy a return ticket. I checked Air Belgium's website and priced a flight to MRU from BRU and the roundtrip ticket (return) was priced at 850 euro's where as a one-way ticket was priced at 841 euros. Air Tahiti Nui is the same way on flights from LAX to CDG. Nearly as much for the one way as it is for the round-trip.

In mid-2023, Air Belgium announced that all scheduled flights would end on 3 October 2023, and their fleet of 4 A330-200 and -900 would be operated for other airlines as part of the termination of passenger services.

Since I am a plane spotter myself, and live in Belgium, I have to correct you. However, first and foremost: most of your info was correct! The planes you saw weren't the entire fleet. After all, Air Belgium operates cargo flights for Hongyuan Group, with 2 B747s. These are half in the colors of Air Belgium and the other half with the name "Hongyuan Group". They also have A330 freighters, which they fly under the name "CMA CGM". And finally: they would have found funds in the meantime...

I didn’t even know this airline existed. As a n.European who used to travel quite a bit it feels like I should..

A good crew is backed up with good warm food, need some finetuning I would say. The price is correct if it all went smooth...Your rip off title is too negative... emphasis a little more on this beauty of a plane.

You should have given the train a fair chance. The trip from your hotel to the Brussels (Zaventem) airport is one of the little trips where the train is actually faster than the car.

Cabin crew ignoring you. That brought back memory of Turkish Airlines. They are masters at talking crap about you in Turkish right in front of you and then ignoring you. "Skytrax" is more like "Skyscam".

but that male cabin crew was very helpful and friendly. he was very apologetic about the meal.

Air Belgium seemed like a very interesting and promising project when it was launched a few years ago, but apparently... Not all good ideas result in good outcomes

€900 expensive? Try flying economy from NL to Brazil with KLM! I paid €1,200 I. December 2022!!! It's revolting !

More and more on airlines, I have been ignored when ringing the call button. I often wonder what those buttons are even for. On my recent trip on Air France, I finally had to get up and go to get a coffee refill. I think that overall service has declined significantly on airplanes.

I do not think 900 for nonstop is expensive for long haul from Europe to holiday island. Given that its nonstop its actually pretty cheap. Your experience was not perfect but I would take such nonstop in a heartbeat vs connecting in DXB

Air Belgium is in fact the third largest airline in Belgium, behind Brussels Airlines and TUI fly Belgium.

Hopefully they get the message and upgrade so the customer gets what they pay for. Thanks for your post, you make me feel like I can travel even when I'm home ♡

900 Euros/Economy Return is quite normal in Europe for this time of the year on long haul flights! This fare compares favourably with BA, AF, MK's one-way fare to Mauritius for this time of the year. The problem with Air Belgium as per this review is that it was most definitely not value for money in terms of food quality, delays, cold food and what has passed for breakfast! To note that BA has stuck/is sticking with its poor-quality food for Economy passengers if the latter are charged up to £1700.00 Return, for the privilege. MK has improved slightly in terms of the food proposed. After protests, MK is now serving hot breakfast but is still very bland! In its case too, the high fares charged to passengers matter not! Turkish Airlines, Saudia Airlines, and Emirates are perhaps the best bet to fly to Mauritius. It must be remembered though, that government and Airport charges, shamefully suck in, more than 50% of the passenger fare. The price of kerosene does impact airline costs. The choice of caterer is one important factor, that an airline must give the utmost consideration to. As for fares charged by airlines, with regard to Mauritius, they sell the destination and that's it! Even Mauritius must upgrade its product, particularly in terms of infrastructure. Hopefully, Air Belgium will find its 10 million Euros, in order to keep itself flying. At least, for the sake of the employees! AB must do away with the thrills. Develop an attractive product/offer that's unique to AB! Fares calculated by the Algorithm system, are to be sent to the dustbin of history. Advertising and online booking systems cost money! Appoint a few agents to sell its fares and pay them a commission not exceeding 7%. Turn the clock back and, stop wherever possible, making the passengers a sitting target. Passengers are entitled to a value-for-money holiday and not to be ripped off!

Happy 2023 Josh Travel safe I love your reviews they make my saturday nights so enjoyable. Looking forward to all your new reviews this year ✈️

Very sad. The predecessor of Brussels Airlines was Sabena. I used to fly Sabena because they were such a great experience. The crew was always hospitable & the airline went a bit beyond to exceed expectations. This was quite a long time ago, but on overnight flights between the US & Brussels there was a lovely cart set out for passengers to help themselves during the night to snacks, orange juice, & water. It gave me a chance to stretch my legs a bit & made it easy to stay hydrated without having to disturb or inconvenience anybody. I also appreciated the good meal service with real silverware --in economy. I was in my early. 20's & I felt like a valued customer.

Thanks Josh. There have been several attempts to establish new Belgian airlines in the past ... TUI seems to be doing well in Belgium but others seem to have failed or are not in a good shape. Pity that Antwerp has no proper connections either with such a convenient location and large population areas.

Hi Josh! I have been watching a lot of your videos recently and I really enjoy all of them! I didn't know I could find airline reviews and trip reviews so interesting! You have made me very curious about this whole new universe and now I can't wait to go on my next flight! I started watching you because of the Air Greenland A330-800Neo maiden flight and ever since I have watched your videos on a daily basis. I love the work you do for us, making sure that we avoid airlines like Tunis Air XD. Anyways, I am gonna go watch another of your videos now. Keep up with the good content and your lovely optimism and positivity! Best, TheGreenlandicGamer

Remark about pricing is wrong! Only AB offers direct flights. Quickly checked same date : CDG is 1150€; FRA 950. From AMS or DUS no direct flights on that date. So… AB is the cheapest flight Brussels to Mauritius non stop.

Feel sorry for the crew. Seemed friendly & trying to do their best. Very much let down by the product. Happy New year Josh. All the best for 2023

Tho it's very bad that you get served a cold meal, the way the flight attendant apologizes is very good in my opinion. You could really see he was shocked and embarrassed.

I totally agree with you for Air Belgium !

Yes, the price of the ticket seems to be very expensive! In present times, many people can not remember the prices, we paid in former times! I remember 1986! I was working on a Cruise Ship, and my company needed me to come back from vacations for a special cruise. I had to book the ticket by myself, and was refunded by my company! The flight was from Vienna to London Heathrow, with Austrian Airlines, a short flight! The price for the ticket was (one way), at that time in Austrian Schillings, 13.500,-, in Euro € 1.000,-!!! But, lucky I was, I knew the date of the "Backflight", and that was, for both flights, öS 9.500,-, in Euro about 700,-! Both flights in Economy! So we can see, that "flying" in present times is extremely cheap!

I always try to look at the bright side. As I look out my window at the recent fallen snow, it's 81 degrees in Mauritius.

Happy New Year Josh! Great video and very detailed about how dissatisfied one can be with an airline like that despite the price you paid. The crew was ok as I could see but not the product at all. And that food looked awful.

You and Jeb Brooks are the only airline reviewers I watch. I feel other reviewers gloss things over and are overly positive and can be obnoxious.

If you think 900 Euros is steep, I just put in mid Feb dates, on Skyscanner, and was quoted 966GBP (1095Euros)!!

Really enjoy your content. Thank you for honest travel opinions. I may have commented on another video, but I just came back from Dubai last week and my experience with Emirates was AMAZING. I took advantage of an upgrade to business for $1800 (on a 14.5hr overnight non-stop). It was well worth it. Didn’t have the option on the way back so it was 16.5hrs in coach. Very different experience. I definitely didn’t sleep as well but the in-flight service was still better than most airlines I’ve flown domestically. A fantastic trip overall.

German leisure carrier Condor had a Wet Lease agreement with Smart Lynx. But after too many customer complaints about the product, they ended this agreement and replaced it with Air Belgium instead. Sounds very promising now…

Oh my gosh, Josh you are so confident expressing that your food was cold the cabin crew. I could never EVER do that. You even corporated very well. You are so cool!

1:40 OMG, that is DeLijn's newest and most modern bus! Lucky catch there! 😃😃

I had a cold food on scoot but only the rice was sticky and cold but the meat and veggies were warm so I was able to use the gravy from the veggies and meat and put it one the rice then the rice was warm and the food was good

Happy New Year Josh. Stay healthy, happy and safe. I won’t comment on Air Belgium but wish to share something. In the days when my brother in law was still working his employer insisted that, when possible, he fly SABENA. He did not enjoy that and insisted that SABENA stood for “Such A Bad Experience Never Again”.

Why do you buy lavalier mics if you are using them as a handheld mic? Stick it to the hoodie and leave it there or get a better zoom handheld or something. This is annoying af

Eur900 equals a$1390 which most Aussies would consider a bargain for an 11hr flight on a route with little competition so I am surprised you harp on a bit about how expensive it was as Air Belgium is clearly not a LCC as a full meal service was supplied.

as a person living in Belgium this is what belgium is pay a lot of money and only get some or nothing in return!

900 EUR for economy is quite steep. However I think that airlines are still recovering. Not sure if that flight was for profit considering the empty seats.

The carbon crew who helped you heated the meal was cute! He is good looking and very friendly ❤

I remember regularly flying from the UK to Scandinavian with Sabena.

Can you please be clear ..... when you say Euros 900 for the flight, is that one way or round trip? As you did not return on Air Belgium I guess it is one way, but I see on Google Flights that this flight is about $900 round trip ... so I am confused! Thanks.

Traveled both to Thailand and China in 2022 and yeah, one was totally covid free and the other was the most insane, stressful and complicated journey I ever experienced. Only had 10 day in a hotel, guess i was "lucky". Used hainan a few times and it's ok, never had a bad experience. Still always painful to see your country national airline to suck :(

Another great review! Just wondering what happens behind the red curtains behind you, that on the other side of the plane were closed for part of the flight.

I'm Belgian. Never heard of Air Belgium.

Disappointing especially at those prices. Even if the crew was understaffed the flight wasn’t even full. It should never take 3hrs to do an economy class service. I’ve done a HOT meal service on a 747 in just under 2hrs with 450pax. You didn’t have a choice other than to haul ass. Even on international flights the faster the service was done the longer our breaks were. Loved seeing an Emirates A380 in Mauritius they are everywhere with that bird. Great review love to see a trip with you and Noel you guys are hysterical together. Happy trails and fly safe ✈️

Josh! Can you review ZipAir, Japan’s newest long haul LCC, which is also a subsidiary of Japan Airlines? They fly from Tokyo Narita to Los Angeles, San Jose, CA, Singapore, and other surrounding countries. I’d like to hear your opinion on ZipAir as they just were founded in 2018! I’ll be flying on them in July.

I think with more funding they could become a 5 star airline

omggg yess finally came to mauritius again! hope you enjoy your stay in my home country Josh!

Didnt they also fly for BA and LOt?

It was July last year. Lufthansa, EWR to MUC round trip. The food was awful in the economy class. In April I will fly with Finnair.

Very beautiful cabin...

The food still looks better than whatever they give you on Austrian or Lufthansa. My last long distance on Austria there was no choice and they gave us what was supposed to be veggie lasagna...but it was just a mushy thing with no texture at all. So overcooked that I couldn't find the noodle part of it. No one nearby finished that one. Also makes sense that they are broke...flight seems mostly empty.

Thanks at least being kind about the crew. This, for me, is paramount. they have no control on your experience until you are aboard. Food from Belgium has never been great. Belgiim itself also has a high cost economy so this may explain a few things. What was the cost of the other carriers ? stay strong and safe, Josh..

I really enjoy watching your reviews on all of the different airlines! I LOVE flying but it's always been in two seater crop dusting planes that land on dirt runways so the idea of flying commercial seems overwhelming (alllll the people).

Hi Josh, A really good and honest review. The food is a big part of the flight and when it's poor its not fair on the customer. Furthermore, the in flight entertainment and WiFi being below par the airline should be made to give a refund. Keep up your great reviews. Kind regards DS

Hello Josh C., and or anybody else who could answer my question? I noticed in your inflight video that behind u is a red curtain wich u can unfold and close up a large area. Do u know what this was for?

Hey josh....i love and look forward to your reviews. They are always very informative and entertaining to watch. Btw I was wondering if you can review Caribbean Airlines? It's an airline that operates within the Caribbean but based in Trinidad and Tobago.

Well damn, i’m from Belgium and never heard of Air Belgium before… i must have been living under a rock…

I will ask this right now, he says 900 euros from Belgium to Mauritius is a lot. But what other flights you get cheaper from Belgium to Mauritius? I think that's resonable price for a 12hour flight, or am I trippin here.

I guess there would be mandatory crewing numbers in the cabin, maybe an inexperienced crew? The might of Lufthansa puts paid to many airlines trying to get off the ground in Brussels....

Mauritius drive on the left, learn something new every day. Nice looking cabin, pity about the rest of it, great review!

Good information shared. Many thanks

Before boarding josh said RU-vidrs can’t review Chinese airlines but Hong Kong airlines or Cathy Pacific’s hub is in Hong Kong so they are technically Chinese airlines and also operate outside china:)

Hi Josh! New follower here :) I really enjoy your videos but just wondering, did you pay 900 with baggage and fairs included or was it 900 just for the flight? I will be flying Emirates economy in march (first time Emirates) with my husband and I paid 800 but with baggage and fairs included. Feel like prices are going up everywhere. Keep it up though! :) Greetings from the Netherlands

Hey Josh I flew with Lauda once and it was extremely bad and the plain felt unsafe. Would be great if you went on a Lauda flight just to see if it has improved

Yay new video❤️

"Is it meant to be cold?" 💀💀

Glad you are still flying economy. Please keep up the balance

Not bad prices..we paid $2350 Australian economy Melbourne to Phuket Return with Jetstar….to be fair we flew on Dec 30 th during school holidays…we sat on the tarmac without Airconditioning on a 30 degreee day, for nearly 2 hours..no pillow, no blankets, terrible headphones..for a 9 hr flight..we hate Jetstar…avoid it .

Josh, when are you flying Air Algerie?

Since u seem to be flying a lot of European airlines I'd love to see you fly the Irish flag carrier aer Lingus

Hey Josh, thanks for the video. Appreciate the fact that you were being honest and uncynical. Also liked the fact that you were giving the due credit to the crew for its job.

900 euros. It depends on when you booked it and maybe there was enough demand for that flight on that day to justify the pricing. Saying this from someone who's working in revenue management. If they go for a load factor strategy where the goal is to fill the flight, they'll charge lesser and vice versa. Also its a one way nonstop flight, which come with hefty costs on their own anyways. How much an airline charge depends on the demand for each flight and how they think their inventory is best utilized to recover their costs per sector. Not from what they think their onboard service is worth. As long as people are willing to pay that much (a concept we call 'willingness to pay') that price tag is justified as the trends in the data may have told them to expect that sorta demand. Also, not everyone has paid that price. Someone could have the exact same ticket as you, same baggage allowance, etc sitting in the seat next to you could have paid 400 euros. Take your point though, on board looked pretty bad. Nice video.

I love your videos and information you share without any bias Josh ❤️ Now I will avoid this airline for my next trip to Belgium. In that case which airline according to you is the best to travel to Belgium? 😊

We were ripped off by Belgium this month. They say we will have to wait 6 months before we get our money back.

This airport was my layover point from America to the Gambia West Africa. Flew Brussels which was nice and I must say I'm impressed with Josh's well of aviation knowledge.

Just a heads up in reference to around 3:30. China is now essentially open. Not to tourism, but there is no more 1-2-3 weeks of quarantine. You just need a 48 Covid test to go. Centralized quarantine is essentially scrapped.

Like you mentioned, the crew seems really overwhelmed. I feel sorry for them.