Are flights to Brussels canceled? When will they resume? (Getty)
After the horrific terrorist attacks in Brussels, including a suicide bombing at the Zaventem airport and an explosion in a subway station, the Brussels airport was shut down and hundreds of flights canceled or diverted. Other major European international airports aren’t affected, although security is going to be heightened significantly, CNN reported. Is your flight affected, delayed, or diverted? How long will BRU be closed? When will flights to and from Brussels resume?
Here’s what you need to know.
Hundreds of Flights to Brussels Were Delayed or Canceled
Hundreds of airlines delayed or canceled flights to and from Brussels. You can see a complete list of canceled flights on Flightaware, using the BRU code for the Brussels airport here. This is a rundown of major airlines and their responses to the terrorist attack. Keep in mind that the Brussels Airport BRU will remain closed at least through Wednesday. We’ll update this post when flights begin resuming.
Aegean: All flights canceled. Passengers who want to cancel Brussels flights through March 31 can get a full refund or free rebooking.
Air France: Some Air France staff were present at the time of the explosion, CNN reported. One of its flights that had already left, but other scheduled flights will not resume.
American Airlines: Flight 751 from Brussels to Philadelphia was canceled. Early reports said the explosions occurred at American’s check-in, but this was not correct and all employees are safe, Reuters reported.
British Airways: A number of flights to and from Brussels have been canceled.
Brussels Airlines: All 190 flights have been canceled and 15 other flights were diverted to other airports. This affected about 20,000 passengers.
Delta Air Lines: Flight DL42 was diverted to Amsterdam and flight DL80 from Atlanta landed safely and was parked remotely.
EasyJet: All 14 flights for Tuesday were canceled. One flight from Milan was diverted to Maastricht.
KLM: Five planned flights will not depart on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Lufthansa: 25 flights to and from Brussels were canceled. Two flights from Frankfurt and Munich were rerouted to Liege and Cologne, CNN reported.
Ryanair: Flights out of Zaventem were canceled. Two in-bound flights were diverted to Charleroi. It said it would continue to operate fights from Brussels Charleroi, but with delays.
United Airlines: Both flights to Brussels landed safely. All remaining flights to and from Brussels have been suspended.
The Brussels Airport Will Be Shut Down Through Wednesday
The airport will remain closed through Wednesday says #brusselsairport CEO @arnaudfeist
The head of Brussels Airport has said that the airport will remain closed at least through Wednesday. This will drastically affect airlines and flights scheduled to arrive and depart. In addition, the many canceled flights will also affect flights for days to come, after the airport reopens.
The status of flights changes constantly and it’s not yet known when flights to and from Brussels will be resuming. If you have a scheduled flight, be sure and check with your airline before you leave to find out if the status of your flight has changed. Because security will likely be increased at many airports, you might also want to arrive early in case lines at the airport are longer.
Here’s What To Do If Your Flight Is Canceled Or You Want to Change Your Flight
In light of the terror attacks, many airlines are offering refunds and other accommodations to people whose flights have been significantly delayed or canceled. Delta, for example, will refund anyone whose flight was canceled or significantly delayed, CNN reported. Call your airline’s customer service number for more information.
Here is specific information for certain airlines:
American Airlines / British Airways / Iberia: Refunds will be issued if you don’t change your ticket and your flight is canceled. A one-time ticketing fee is also being waived if you are traveling via American, British Airways, or Iberia and you bought your ticket before March 22. If you were supposed to travel to/from/through BRU between March 22 to 29, and have flexible travel through April 12, then you can get your ticketing fee waived. Origin, destination, and stopover changes are also allowed for Amsterdam/Netherlands, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Paris Charles De Gaulle, and Paris Orly. See this webpage for updated details.
United Airlines: If your original travel date is from March 22 to 24, the change fee is waived for any new flights departing from March 22 to April 1, as long as you travel in the same class and between the same cities. The change fee will also be waived if you reschedule flights departing after April 1, or if you want to change your departure or destination city, but a difference in fee fare may still be added. You must reschedule your travel within one year of the ticket issue date. This information may change, so see this webpage for the updated details.
Expedia/Orbits/Other Third-Party Apps: If you booked your flight through an outside service like Expedia or Orbitz, changing the flight might be a little more complicated. You can’t always just call your airline to change the flight like you could if you booked through the airline itself. You should go to the app’s webpage and search for any Travel Advisories posted. Orbitz typically requires that you submit a Refund Request Form if your airline is giving refunds for canceled flights. It’s unclear what you should do if you want to reschedule an Orbitz flight, so you may want to call customer service. If you booked through Expedia and your airline is waiving fees or offering refunds, call Expedia Customer Service to make the change. If you’re also worried about booked hotels, call the app’s customer service number and ask. Many will offer refunds due to extenuating circumstances.