Brussels Airport

This airport is impressively well-preserved, offering a clean, organized, and efficient travel experience. Facilities are maintained to a high standard, with spotless restrooms, clear signage, and comfortable seating areas. The blend of modern amenities with careful upkeep of original design elements gives the space both charm and functionality. Staff are professional, and operations run smoothly. Whether you're arriving or departing, this airport reflects a strong commitment to quality and passenger comfort.

Brussels Airport is a vast and generally clean hub that offers a pleasant travel experience. The sheer size of the airport means you'll have plenty of space to navigate. A standout feature is the abundance of excellent chocolate shops, a true highlight for any traveler with a sweet tooth. "The Chocolate House" is particularly noted as a top destination for indulging in some of the world's best chocolate. While the airport can be busy, especially during peak times, planning for an early flight can help you avoid the crowds. Overall, Brussels Airport is a great starting point for your journey, especially if you're looking to stock up on delicious Belgian chocolates. I also love their water for cause idea. Make sure you are prepared to pay for excessive baggage… because you know…. You can never have enough chocolate!

I like this airport — it has everything you need. A basic airport with good facilities and easy access. I was here only for a connecting flight, and there was no additional control in between; I could just pass directly and wait for my next flight.

Horrible, disorganised customs clearance and unhelpful ground crew. No clear signs showing the immigration clearance counters. Just displayed "B" gate, who knows that's where the customs clearance counters are. Ground staff were not welcoming and not helpful at all, even aggressive to the crowds. We checked in 3 hrs at the airport, but due to the disorganised airport layout and festive crowds, there was a super long queue at the customs, we told the ground staff that our boarding already began, they simply offered no help at all, not even trying to expedite to allow those time for boarding to clear the customs first. And for EU passport holders travelling with non EU passports holder can joined the EU queue too. But when asked multiple times at this female ground staff, she simply said no way, we had to continue to stay on the "All Passport" queue which was horrendously even much longer than the EU queue. Then after we asked another ground staff whom seemed to be kinder, he told us to join the EU queue, whereby we found many other EU and non EU families with younger kids were on this queue. Then saw at the customs counter, the officer shouted at a mum with a young kid. What a horrible airport and staff.

Brussels Airport is generally a pleasant and well-maintained airport, with several features that make the travel experience smooth and comfortable. The terminal is clean throughout, and the toilets are large and spotless, something you definitely appreciate on a long travel day. It’s also very accessible, with excellent connections via train, bus, and tram, making it easy to get to and from the city. There are plenty of vending machines available, and water can be purchased for as little as €1, which is rare for airports. Staff were kind and helpful, and I really appreciated the effort put into making the airport feel welcoming. There are great facilities for both kids and pets, including a nice grassed area with a fake tree for dogs. The duty-free section is solid, and the Tintin shop is a highlight, offering some really fun souvenirs and bags. However, there were a few areas that could be improved. At one point, the toilets near my gate were being cleaned, and I had to walk nearly 10 minutes to find another one—not ideal when you’re about to board. Prices throughout the airport are steep, even compared to other major airports. The signage can be a bit confusing, especially for first-time visitors, and the food options in the B section are quite limited—especially late at night when many places close early. There were also slight delays with Brussels Airlines, though nothing major. All in all, Brussels Airport offers a clean and mostly smooth travel experience, with some unique touches—but it could definitely benefit from clearer signage and more late-night amenities.

**Brussels Airport – Arrival Experience** This was my first time landing here from Singapore. I flew with Singapore Airlines, and in my opinion, this airport is one of the best in Europe. After leaving the aircraft, it didn’t take long to reach the immigration area. However, I would suggest adding more officers around the immigration counters, as some passengers had limited English proficiency. After clearing immigration, since I had booked a rental car, I was able to easily find the signs leading to the Sixt rental counter. The process was smooth, and after completing the documents, I could quickly find the parking area to pick up my car. My suggestion for airport management is to add more food outlets or restaurants in the arrival area, because we were very hungry when we arrived in the morning. It would also be great to have more Asian food options. In terms of facilities and security, everything is very complete. The signage is clear and easy to read. Overall, I give **Brussels Airport arrival area a score of 9.5 out of 10**.

The worst of all I've been to. Avoid if possible! It took me 3 hours of standing at the immigration. The airport staff already distributed water and cookies for everyone in the non-EU passport.

Be prepared - Flights arriving from outside the EU have an extremely long corridor to walk down to passport control (with often broken people movers). Then, if you don’t have an EU passport, be prepared to stand like cattle for 1-2 hours in the “all passports” queue. (Even as a resident here with a protocol ID or residence card.) Roughly 3-4 agents servicing hundreds of passengers, utilizing no new technology or procedures since the 1950s. My ancestors from Ellis Island would feel right at home. This often leads to backups in passengers getting luggage, so it will pile up on the conveyors or get moved to another area.

After deboarding the plane from London, I had to retrieve my luggage from the baggage claim area, which was very easy to locate... just follow the signage. There were plenty of various restaurants, working areas and seating areas. The restrooms were very clean. After claiming the luggage, follow the signs to customs. Going through customs was to bad..... the signs will direct you which line to go to. Approximately, 15 minutes later, I was at the custom gate. After answering a few questions, I was on my way. Instead of taking a train, I decided to take an Uber to the hotel. Just follow the signs for the car sharing, taxi and bus area. By the time I got to the designated location, the car was with a few minutes. I didn't find this airport to be very difficult.

Brussels was a bit hectic for non EU travelers in early December 2025. The new "EES" - Entry/ Exit system is being implemented throughout Europe and began rolling out in October. While all the searches implied that the traditional passport stamping has been phased out- for international flights, this is not yet the case. For me - I love the passport stamps, that's part of memory making of each destination. We were required to get in line for (2!) agents when entering and this was quite time consuming. (But I did indeed get my stamps). At this point they are requiring that you offer your right hand fingerprints- which is part of the plan and will eventually phase out the stamp. Returning to the airport for the return trip to the US was the same process. The rub was when after quite a long delay for the outbound flight to the states, the airline (United) announced 20 minutes before boarding that all passengers must have the entry "sticker" on the back of the passport. Literally no one had this sticker. Lots of frustration, lack of patience, and time spent on this. 2 gate agents approached each person with many questions and then once satisfied - put the sticker on your passport and allowed you to proceed to boarding. Hoping this all gets worked out by the new year. The Brussels Air lounge is accessible for Star Alliance Polaris passengers and was fine. Lots of passengers, a fair offering of breakfast (then on to lunch based on our 4 hour + delay). Help yourself to beer, on tap and bottled and sparkling wines.

Most airports in Europe have quirks and sometimes you have a great experience, others not so much. Well, if coming/going to US (non EU passport) this airport is a consistent mess. I rather fly to AMS or CDG and take train vs direct flight to this airport. Arrival - a zoo! Easily 45+ to get through immigration. Completely understaffed. Worst part? The lines makes you go right next to the 30+ kiosk meant to automate the process, and they are all sitting there turned off! Departure - either understaff or systems down constantly. Same story, they have automated kiosk that non-EU passports can use, but dont have enough in place. Only after 1hr wait in regular line did they decide to "allow" non-EU passports to use these... and again, they have plenty of these machines available and off, but not in use. That whole experience makes it unpredictable to know how early to arrive at the airport and its a pain. Outside security experience aiport is fine. Plenty of overpriced chocolates available from big brands and it has a pretty good priority pass lounge.

This is one of the worst zoos I've ever been to. When you first arrive, there are people just milling about absolutely everywhere, and there is no clear indication on what to do if you have bags to check, if you can go to security (and where?), and if all the others even know what they're doing. As I walked by the crossroads of two terminals, I saw a line a mile long for passport control (thank frick I was staying within Schengen). I had time to grab a coffee, but they'll not release the gate info until about an hour before departure. You'll likely have to walk a LOT... more than the average airport from my experience. Obligatory duty-free detours included. I'm glad I had fast-track for security, because I waltzed right in, but the other queue was Disneyland long. The one saving grace was that they actually did hand-check my film when I asked them at security. (I've read it can go either way, leaning towards no) They weren't too fussy about it. I had to wait a bit longer, but it was worth it to preserve my art!

Long queues, obnoxious staff, high flight tax making tickets 20 to 50 percent more expensive than close by airports in Germany and the Netherlands, strikes, lack of enough luggage carts, etc. It sucks.

Great airport with a lot of cool specialty duty-free souvenir shops that sell chocolate (got a lot of gifts here for my family back in Taiwan). Also nice sandwich and waffle restaurants as well, and decent coffee places in addition. Relatively spacious and convenient. Recommended!

A huge pro is how this airport is directly connected to the main public transit system. It took us less than 40 minutes to get from downtown without having to walk outside. A major con is the layout. It's a big airport and they just don't seem to have it streamlined. Bathrooms are also rather spread out. A pet peeve, although this one on the airline and not the airport, was that British Airways didn't have its screen lit up. After we ran into trouble checking in at the kiosk, we struggled to find them. Even airport staff wasn't sure.

I will NEVER GO TO BRUSSELS AIRPORT as a first entry to the EU. I am insulted by the despicable, deplorable, inexcusable hour(s) long lines waiting to go through immigration. Expect long delays. NO EXCUSE for a modern country, and why the delay is NOT my problem. SOMEONE is in charge, it is up to them to fix the problem. They are inept at their job and they should be sent to Siberia without a coat forever. They have no sense of urgency. This is time no one will ever get back, and doing their country a disservice. You only get one chance at a first impression, and they blew it. Left a bad experience in my mind, This is time thousands of travelers are NOT spending money in the country, They can't fix the problem, but YOU can. DON'T GO TO BELGIUM.

We flew in to BRU from the states. It was a lovely flight on United Airlines, but then we stepped into the airport and it was a bit of a let down. We walked for awhile through the plain terminal to where they have an immigration checkpoint and the line was an hour long. I haven't had to wait in such a crazy long line before, but maybe it was just our bad luck. I had plenty of time to look around at the walls and ceiling while waiting in line and there was a lot of dust. The workers just kinda stood around. There was nowhere to sit. It wasn't an experience I wish to have again.

After visiting hundreds of airports around the world, the Brussels Airport, surprisingly, provided the worst passport control experience. Upon landing from JFK, the line for non-EU passport holders was incredibly long with just a few people manning the booths. It took us two hours to get through and some it took up to three hours. Besides that, the airport isn't very new, clean, or design-forward. However, you can easily get a ride share in the parking lot just outside arrivals.

The Brussels airport doesn't really have different terminals. It's one terminal with different gates, like A, B, T, etc. I took a bus to get to the airport, and it was very easy. The bus stop is just outside the airport. There is a nice pathway with many signs to direct you to the terminal. There is a huge blackboard with all the departing flights. It's really cool. Before security, there is some shopping area with chocolates, toys, souvenirs, books, etc. There are restrooms on either side of the check in counters. There is a Starbucks with overpriced drinks. There is even a sign that will tell you how fast the security line is. **The Monday after Tomorrowland, there was a DJ inside gate A!! How cool is that. They were throwing downnnnn

Really easy airport to traverse. Duty free is huge, like most EU airports, with a tremendous amount selection. Visa control took 5 minutes to get through. Gate area was large and well managed. Plenty of dining options as well.

Flew into this airport after coming from Iceland. First thing I noticed was that the airport is very spacious. The next thing I noticed was that they had us walk a long way from the gate to baggage claim. This must be a fairly large airport. Our baggage came on a different conveyor than what was listed. But at least it didn't take that long to arrive. Overall had a pleasant experience at this airport.

What can I say about an airport. Not much. The only problem I found with this airport is the Customs lines are slow and the temperature is regulated. It was cold outside and we were sweating waiting in line. Sort of sucked going from extremely hot to cold outside. Other than that, it's a typical airport. Enjoy your wait.

I've mostly connected via this airport a few times now and for the most part has been smooth and easy. On my most recent trip, I had a different experience. There is a section that is a waiting area with a few restaurants/shops before Passport check. I noticed a line forming and that ended up being for passport check. They had one person in the booth. It took an hour for this process. First time this happened and hopefully the last. Other than that, there are a good variety of restaurants to get your final Belgian waffle (Belgorama) or Belgian Beer (Leffe Bar) as well as a few chocolate shops. A couple of areas with a piano so those who can play can give a mini concert. At my A gate (40), there were beautiful paintings hanging in the area. They were highlighting Leuven-area university town. Overall, I've had good experiences here with the exception of the one time issue with the Passport queue.

De automatische poortjes van immigratie bij aankomst gaven constant aan dat ik naar de "manuele controle" moest gaan, terwijl ik op de juiste manier mijn paspoort scande en Belg ben. Dan kwam een Afrikaanse werknemer met krulhaar naar me toe en zei op niet-respectvolle manier dat ik "het verkeerd deed". Toen ze het zelf probeerde werkte het ook niet, en liep zo abrupt weg. Het is compleet onacceptabel dat ik zo onbeschoft wordt ontvangen door een buitenlander in mijn eigen land!

So-so airport with some typical airport inefficiencies. Left the EU via Brussels airport today. Arrived at 7am for a 11am flight as recommended by the airline. Barely anyone was there, so check in was pretty seamless. Customs (for VAT refund) was pretty fast as not many people around 7am. Mailboxes for VAT refund are outside of the customs area, so it was a simple stamp then drop. Brussels airport had pretty poor staffing over the summer, so since then many US airlines have advised passengers to come as early as possible. This is because passport control when leaving can be a mess with long lines. The EU line is very short when exiting EU, but all other passports line can be very long especially in the morning since that's when all the US flights depart. Me and a bunch of other US passengers were in line in "all other passports" and right when we got to the front, they then directed us to the EU line to use the automatic kiosks. OK Brussels airport, why didn't you tell us earlier we could use those EU gates?? Instead of us waiting in line for so long waiting for the 1 passport guard. Not very efficient, but it's okay, I was able to get through passport control in about 30-40 minutes of "idle" waiting around until we got redirected. After passport control, there's a bunch of duty free. Prices for chocolate are comparable to outside on the streets, maybe slightly cheaper for some brands. The only thing is the chocolates sold in the airport may not be as fresh since they were packaged at an earlier date (vs in store / packed day of!). So do your research if buying chocolate! Also bathrooms are far. If you're flying in the B terminals, the closest loo is by B17. Nothing between B1-16. Bathrooms are not well sanitized either, without any alcohol to wipe toilet seats, and empty soap dispensers in the men's bathroom. You might need to bring your own wipes! Overall an average experience at an average airport. C'est la vie. Overall a 3* experience.

Worst security and customs before getting on a flight anywhere in the world. 3 @$@$) hours....

It is an airport, not a restaurant, so whether I recommend it or not, it is not like I or anyone have a choice. Anyway. I have two gripes. First - access to the club. I'm star alliance gold via United, and yet I can't access the club when Brussels Airlines is a member of the same alliance. Second - the airport is incredibly boring. No shops, no restaurants, just rows of the black moderately comfortable chairs. Mediocre.

The line to get out of the country took an hour and half. It's understandable during entry, but on exit is ridiculous. No one cares that the passengers are delayed got their boarding and some unruly passengers had to jump the line making it worse for everyone else. 30yrs of flying, I must admit this is the worst airport experience ever.

Worst airport experience ever (40 years of travelling the world). Took 2 hours with a US passport to clear passport control. Would recommend any other airport (including Kabul) over this one. No excuse for the capital of the EU to have this as the entry experience.

This airport is spread out so make sure you make enough time to get to your gate. There are buses you may need to take to get to your terminal.

Very easy airport to navigate through, which is always appreciated by international travelers. The customs line was insanely long, but I was surprised by how quickly it moved. Always people around to help with any navigational questions, but it was very easy .

Brussels Airport is a well organized airport with fast security checks. ( At least the day that I was there). There are plenty of shops to explore, and food options are diverse, the staff is welcoming and helpful. It's a great place for a smooth and enjoyable travel experience!

Absolute garbage staff, wait times above 13 hours in the EU within being more than 3 hours for me personally at the US part, as i can see this always like this. Nothing said or questions answered. Never flying here again. Thanks!

Now that Amsterdam Schiphol has become understaffed and overcrowded, Brussels Airport is now my go to airport for connections from my home airport in Toulouse. We most recently transited through here when we took a week long trip to Brussels and Luxembourg. The airport is well laid out and it is very easy to find everything. There is clear signage throughout and lots of bathrooms available. Many restaurants and take out options also make this one of my preferred airports along with the quiet corners where you can stretch out on chaises. You can also take the train directly to the airport from the city centre. My negatives are as follows: most of the restaurants and takeout places close fairly early, which is unfortunate if you have a later connection (however, this is common for many shops in Europe). The airport should have more elevators/escalators from the train station under the airport to the departures area.

Brussels international airport is one of my favourite European airports. The location is central to Belgium and is a great connection airport should you need to travel elsewhere in Europe. There is easily accessible public transit to get to and from the airport along with a variety of restaurants and vending machines for so many different food options. The duty free section is large and reasonably priced with some unique items like locally made beers and chocolate. Staff is helpful and speak several languages to ensure a smooth and great experience when transiting through here

Have used this airport a few times flying to West Africa. It's a nice airport with lots of shops and nice clean facilities for the most part. It seems to always be so cold when I arrive but my layovers aren't to long just maybe a few hours.

Crappiest experience, at an airport, ever. By checking our passports 6 times (yes, you read that right... 6 TIMES. 6.), I felt the opposite of safe. I felt like wow, I wonder what happens so often that none of these people trust each other. We got to the airport at a time that was so early that I was a little put off by the groups decision. However, I am so glad that we did. It took about 20 minutes to find our airline & check our bags. Then we headed to the gaye. But not so fast. We ended up waiting in an hour long line just to get through customs/border control. Then, it was another 20min walk to the actual gate. So, in summary, if you are flying out of Brussels to the U.S. give yourself 3 hours of walk time BEFORE you get to your gate. We gave ourselves 2 1/2 hrs & barely made it!

First time at the Brussels Airport for a three hour layover before a connecting flight to Portugal. There is plenty of signage once you're off the plane searching for the next gate. Customs moved. I think they do a very good job at keeping the airport clean with plenty of seats to avoid over crowding the gates. Something minor I noticed is there aren't as many food options and the food options that are available more or less sell the same food products. Overall good airport!

I must say that traveling to Brussels and going through their customs was the worst experience I have ever had going through customs in any country. Several planes land at the same time so there are always a few thousand people on line to get through customs. The line was huge, with easily a couple of thousand people on the line. This turned out to be a 2.5 hour line with people literally having to lie down on the floor from aches and pains from standing for so long. My wife had to go on the floor and push her luggage forward as she, as well as many others, were suffering from pain from being in this line for so long after traveling all night with no sleep. When we finally reached the end of the line, it turned out that only TWO customs agents were working to accommodate a couple of thousand passengers. The agent did not apologize or give any explanation for this outrageous waste of 2.5 hours standing in line. I looked up about this situation, and apparently, this is the daily norm, as they said that they have chronic budget shortfalls and can't hire any more agents. This was an absurd situation that had existed for a long time. So, when flying to Europe, avoid at all costs landing in Brussels!!!!!!!

We landed at this airport, but didn't depart from here. We have an e-passport, so we were able to get through immigration quickly. We took the train from here to get to Brussels. It was a painless experience overall.

The worst airport in the world! Took four hours to clear passport line with a USA passport Worse than Guatemala or any central American country Terribly organized, avoid at all costs flying to Brussels

3 1/2 wait for passport control complete disregard to people standing- no seating options. Don't fly into this airport-waste of time

It's a pretty standard airport. It's not very big or particularly extravagant, but it does have a few decent small places to get breakfast and coffee as well as soda vending machines frequently enough to actually be able to find something to drink. Also, importantly it has nonstop flights to and from Washington, DC, which is really the biggest thing I care about.

If you have the opportunity, go to any other airport but this one. One of the staff members (short gal with pony tail) merged two lines together and caused absolute chaos and mayhem....she forgot to tell us one line is for European passports and they other for all others. She started fights and arguments. People missed their flights and can't get one for days. She took zero accountability but was kind enough to cuss people out in line. We got to the airport 3+ hours early. If you're trying to do VAT, the guy downstairs will just direct you to go through the line to the one inside the airport through security....which if you're like the 200+ of us on this one flight, you didn't get time to do it. They could've put signs at the "lines" but nope. No signs, just staff wandering around aimlessly not sure what they're doing. Ask anyone for help including supervisors they will just tell you they don't know or there's nothing that they can do. Even after confronting a supervisor about his employee he just shrugged his shoulders and said I don't know what else to say. Zero compensation except water and a teddy bear that says "come back soon" or something like that. Probably the worst airport experience anyone of us has had. 5 stars goes to the gentleman who checked us in at the kiosk from boom. He was nice, attentive and professional.

Sorry to say, but Brussels airlines and the services in the Brussels airport are really pretty bad. I took a flight today and Brussels airlines canceled my flight. I'm stuck in this airport for seven hours. Everyone is grumpy and unfriendly. Services are deeply minimalized. Must be budget, cuts or simply nobody wants to work anymore here.

Customs is the absolute worst here. There isn't a line for fast track business/first, and not a quick access line (like Amsterdam) for passengers with tight connections. Staff is unhelpful and could care less if you miss your flight due to their inefficient system.

We were only in the Brussels airport for a transfer on the way to France, but what we saw of it was good. It was clean, organized and easy to navigate. We made our way to our departure gate for our connection with room to spare.

They've done a ton to this airport since it got blown up & since I've flown here but it's still lacking. Not enough places to sit or dine. The entrance to the airport is all jacked up with lines and temporary buildings to walk through. Not a fan of the airport but Flanders brussels Antwerp Brugge all are exceptional to visit.

First time here. Did not get much of a chance to visit it but of what I saw, this place seems nice. The luggage pickup was large and spread out but only a few bathrooms. The staff was friendly and helpfull in french or english.

Ridiculously understaffed airport. Arrived this morning to a line of 500 people waiting to clear immigration. Not multiple lines, a single line. Fly into somewhere else!

This place is HUGE. So you'd think the efficiency level would be lacking due to the size. We'll let me tell you, I was impressed. I've been here twice, the first time flying from Montreal to Sweden with a nine hour layover in between. Overall, this airport is extremely clean, the bathrooms are regularly checked and cleaned and it shows. Everyone willingly made an effort to speak English to me, and all signage is in multiple languages. The second time flying through this airport was for my return home from Sweden to Montreal with an hour and a half layover in between. Our incoming flight was delayed due to someone checking in their baggage having it loaded onto the plane and then them missing the cut off resulting in our flight being an hour delayed making my connection extremely tight. When I got off the plane, myself, and roughly 20 other individuals whom had various different flights were quickly and efficiently, met with gate agents, who hustled us in the direction of our connecting flight and handed us fast passes to get us passed any line up. I had to run from gates A all the way to gate B; honestly it was one end of the airport to the complete opposite with only 11 minutes to spare. When I got to my flight I was the last one to board and they closed the doors. I had already written off that my luggage was not gonna make it on the plane, but to my surprise, when I landed in Montreal, my bag was one of the first ones to come off. Can we just discuss the efficiency of that ground crew. Within minutes of me, sitting down in the plane we began moving. They had under 15 minutes (max 20) to get my bag onto my connecting flight. Would recommend this airport!

It took almost FOUR hours to get through immigration after landing from the US. By then the info about where your bag might be spinning (along with hundreds of others) is long gone. They did start handing out bottles of water. They must know they have a problem and are choosing to not address it. My recommendation is to use another airport as your international connection. I'll never arrive here again from outside the EU.

Absolutely love this airport. Clean, sleek, sensible. Navigating through is a breeze and the staff is helpful.

Absolute disaster! Zero out of ten do not recommend at all! For those outside of the EU customs is when you're flying out as well as entering! The lines are disgustingly long! They do not have any one watching the back of the line or any part at the matter everyone is skipping and just a big gaggle trying to squeeze into the lanes. We arrived 3 hours early for our flight back to JFK and the check in counter for your bags took over an hour they were moving at a glacial pace with no care in the world! After checking in the bags and attempting to go get reimbursed for the taxes we were told the comp y who gives cash back closed down so they don't have anyway to give money back and we would have to mail the vouchers, so that was a debacle. Finally we head to airport security and they have machines you scan your boarding pass at to get into the security line. This line was also ignorantly long and hundreds of people squeezing and pushing and skipping each other to pile into about 8-10 scanners. After that line was the line for security which was like over a thousand people! After all those lines we were extremely pressed for time, i noticed they had a expedited line that you pay €15 euro per person and i paid it immediately to not miss the flight! Unknowingly to us an even longer customs line awaited us. That was probably about 2,000 people long and a cluster of people swarming into two lines. The EU line was long but the non EU line looked to be about 2/4 hour wait in itself. The wait was so long that 2/3 of the passengers on my flight were missing and the pilot delayed the flight to wait for the other passengers because it just didn't make any sense. The flight took probably about a 90 minute delay... I will never fly into or out of this airport again. I shouldn't be panicking about catching the only flight out for the day when I was three hours early. No one absolutely not one worker had a care in the world!

Passport control took over an hour, for no good reason. There were only 3 windows open for "all passports", and 4 windows open for Euro passports. It should've been the other way around, more windows for "all passports". Complete lack of logic and organization.

Brussels Airport, at least the terminals I went to, were highly disorganized and understaffed. I had a 5 hour layover in Brussels and can't say I enjoyed a single minute of it. I was flying to West Africa from Dulles on United, so I had to go from Terminal B to Terminal T. I landed around 7 am and got to the Terminal T transfer bus area around 7:20 am. There were signs everywhere that said the bus runs every 10 minutes from 8:00 am until 1:00pm. No problem. The bus arrived at the door at 7:57. Okay great, 3 minute wait to get on... nope! Instead we waited 48 minutes to get on that bus. The bus and the driver literally just sat there. No staff were anywhere to be found and the bus driver never came in to explain the delay. The more and more time passed, the more people filled in the small waiting area. Everyone was frustrated and angry. By the time the bus finally loaded there had to be at least 100 people waiting. It was completely chaotic. Extraordinarily disappointing that the airport did nothing to explain the situation or even apologize. When we finally did arrive at Terminal T, it felt like we were in purgatory. Just a giant waiting area. Only two small shops and one tiny cafe. Nothing to do at all and no easy way to get to the other terminals. My gate had a security check before you even get to the waiting area. That's where they checked tickets and passports, not at your typical desk by the gate. Because of this, the very small waiting area past the security check filled up very quickly and everyone was basically on top of each other waiting for the bridge to the plane to open. Once the door to the bridge was opened by a staff member it was literally a mad dash to the gate. Not organized at all! I don't know if the entire airport is like this or just Terminal T, but if it is, I will never choose to layover here again.

I've been here many times all my life and it's one of those spots that you see changing over time,, the modern upgrades are amazing. When arriving in Brussel I've never seen my luggage come out so fast and be out so fast. Parking is expensive that's all.