I've seen other posts on this, but am having no luck with the search engine. <BR> <BR>Anyone care to relate experiences with Sabena Airlines? After searching unsuccessfully for a decent fare to Belfast in September, I broke down and tried priceline.com. Ended up with a good fare, but I've never flown Sabena. <BR> <BR>Also, anything I should look out for with priceline?

I have used priceline many times, mostly Atlanta-Paris and have been given many different carriers. Last year I ended up with Sabena and flew into Brussels and on to CDG. The flight was fine, no delays, food average, etc. Don't know what kind of plane you are booked on, at that time we didn't get individual entertainment centers. For Sept. I got US Air on the Airbus 330. I think priceline is great! Tickets arrive the next day and then I call the airlines to select my seat. Works for me! Have a great trip, Peg

I used priceline.com for my tickets to Italy in late Sept, and also got Sabena. The seats were unassigned but I called Sabena and they were happy to assign me seats on the phone. Other than that, it seems that the main drawback to priceline I've seen so far is the impossibility of making any changes (which I wanted to do once I realized Sabena flies to Venice, and our tickets take us to Milan--I didn't know Venice was even an option--don't ask me why!). <BR> <BR>Liz

Sabena is fine. We've flown them both across the pond and inside Europe. One good part of connecting in Brussels is the chance to buy scrumptious CHOCOLATE!

I booked a flight to Barcelona (from London) through Priceline and was also allocated a Sabena flight (with a short stopover each way in Brussels). Not ideal - but hardly the end of the world, until they decided to change me return flight so that I left Barcelona very early in the morning,

Apologies - incomplete message sent......anyway - I now have a FIVE hour layover in Brussels (apparently the T&Cs allow them to change the schedule even after issuing the tickets). The tickets are now useless because I am going to spend half of my weekend at the airport. I realise that I was taking a gamble when I booked on Priceline - just chalk it down to experience I guess.

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The main problem with Sabena right now is that they are in a state of financial flux. Swissair has some ownership and they have not provided the amount of money that they promised to pump into the airline. This is one of the reasons Delta broke off their codeshare alliance with them. You might of read last week where Sabena workers blockaded a Swissair jet and would not let them takeoff for over a day (although they kindly let the passengers off). I'm not saying they are going bankrupt anytime soon.

Sabena has been, over the years, an "okay" carrier. Nothing too bad to report, little to write home about. Basic problem is that it has no rationale for existence ... as many potential suitors have discovered. <BR> <BR>In the short term there's probably no reason to avoid it. And ... let's face it ... the tickets that are priceline.com and similar are generally there because they're distressed merchandise. Either it's a flight that an airline is having a hard time filling, or it's an airline that's having a hard time getting the prices everyone else can charge for similar flights. <BR> <BR>There are exceptions, of course, but prime rib is rarely sold at hamburger prices ... if it's fresh. <BR> <BR>twenj

0ne more opinion - Sabena SUCKS! I have never sat on such uncomfortable seats in my life (and I've flown Aeroflot, Pakistani Int'l & Egyptair). I had to put 2 blankets under my rear end just to get some comfort. The food & service are nothing to write home about, either. Finally, be aware that the airport in Brussels is frequently fogged in, so you may or may not make your connection.

Thanks for all the responses--I guess I just wanted to make sure the plane would have wings and engines and all that!

Paul doesn't say when he last flew Sabena, but in fact they have one of the newest fleets in the business. I've flown them over a dozen times in the last year and never had any problem (and never ran into fog at Brussels airport--now if you want to talk fogging, let's talk Eugene, Oregon in the fall and winter!). I have a Brussels-NYC flight coming up and was able to get RT business class for just under $1200--only $200 more than coach. Despite all the horror stories one hears about Sabena, that's mostly old news...in the past two years, the airline has upgraded its fleet and service significantly. Whether that continues after the Swissair partnership falls apart (as it probably will) is hard to say... <BR>BTilke (Brussels)

I have flown Sabena numerous times, it offers the most direct flights for me from Europe to chicago, I like the service, even on the most crowded flights I had room, and the food wasn't that bad..they are partial to french wines on their flights but there are worse things...

SABENA = Such A Bad Experience Never Again.

I flew Sabena several times from Brussels to South Africa- I didn't have any problems and it was a long flight...they went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable. I would fly them again with out hesitation.

In response to Btilke's statement, I flew Sabena last Sept-Oct (2000). Yes, the planes were new, but they forgot to order any cushioning for the seat bottoms. Sabena is on my list of "never again" airlines (along with Aeroflot & Lufthansa). I've already got my tix for Air France for this Sept.

I flew Sabena in December 2000. The trip over was fine and the food passable. On the way back it was extremely crowded and the lunch was a weird combination. That being said, it was not terrible--just be sure you sit in the aisles near the windows as those seats have more legroom. On both flights we had individual monitors which worked.