TRIP REPORT: Brussels Airlines, Lome - Ljubljana via Brussels

TRIP REPORT

Wirtten by Matjaž Nose

This report wraps up my recent 10-day trip to Togo, a country located on the West African coast. With almost the same geographical size as Croatia, it is home to approximately 9 million souls living in this rectangular-shaped country. Its width does not exceed 100 km (between Ghana to the west and Benin to the east), while its length, from the coast along the Gulf of Guinea to Burkina Faso in the north, is approximately 700 km. But since I am not preparing a report for National Geographic, let me rather focus on my flights, which I want to highlight in the following lines, especially my return flight from Lomé, the country’s capital, to Ljubljana. Key words will be Brussels Airlines.

After collecting my miles in the Miles & More loyalty programme for some time, I decided it was time to book an award ticket using some of the miles I had earned. The Miles & More programme offers some attractive options for flights to Africa – in the past, some years ago, I had already redeemed my miles for a return ticket to Dakar. This year, I decided to return to West Africa. Togo seemed like a perfect destination: the country is not too big for a 10-day itinerary, it offers an easy e-visa process, and it is also one of the countries that is not overcrowded with tourists.

When I checked all my flight options to Lomé, I decided to fly from Zagreb to Brussels (because there are no morning flights from Ljubljana to Brussels), where I would transfer to a Brussels Airlines flight to Lomé. The return leg was Lomé - Brussels - Ljubljana, also with Brussels Airlines. The total cost for the trip was 55,000 miles (20,000 miles for the economy class ZAG-BRU-LFW flights and 35,000 miles for the business class LFW-BRU-LJU tickets). Additionally, I had to pay €419 in taxes.

Brussels Airlines, the flag carrier of Belgium, is part of the Lufthansa Group. They commenced operations in March 2007 and are definitely the “African specialist” within the Lufthansa Group, offering flights to multiple African destinations, mostly as triangle and W flights. For example, my Brussels – Lomé flight was part of the Brussels - Accra - Lomé - Accra - Brussels route, while the return Lomé – Brussels flight was the last leg of the Brussels - Abidjan - Lomé - Brussels triangle route. The airline also flies to Dakar, Banjul, Conakry, Monrovia, Freetown, Ouagadougou, Cotonou, Yaoundé, Douala, Kigali, Nairobi, Entebbe, Kinshasa and others.

The sole aircraft type they use for their long-haul routes to North America and Africa is the A330-300 (they have a fleet of nine aircraft). Additionally, they also operate A319 and A320 aircraft. In total, their fleet consists of 38 aircraft. As per their press release from September 2024, they plan to increase their widebody fleet to 13 aircraft in the coming years. On March 5, 2025, they published their financial results for 2024, showing that they successfully concluded the year with an adjusted EBIT of €59 million, operational income of €1.623 billion, 8.36 million passengers, an 82.7% seat load factor, and 3,573 employees (check their website for details).

My SN251 flight from Lomé to Brussels departed at 21:20 on November 1, 2025. Lomé Airport, named after former Togolese president Gnassingbé Eyadéma, is located less than 30 minutes from my hotel, so I left my room at around 18:00, took a taxi for which I paid 2,000 CFA francs (approximately €3), and headed towards the airport in the still humid and hot evening.

I reserved my seats in advance, which was included in the ticket price. I chose seat 5K for the LFW–BRU leg and 2F for the BRU–LJU leg. I also checked in online 24 hours before departure for my flight back home, this time in business class. I dropped my baggage at the check-in counter and proceeded to immigration and security. I was airside within minutes.

Lomé Airport is rather small and offers only basic facilities—nothing special. There were some duty-free and other shops selling typical airport merchandise, a café, and also the UNION Lounge, where I headed as a business class passenger.

Lomé Airport

Check-in area

Airport shop

UNION lounge

UNION lounge

The lounge consists of two rooms, and there is no self-service, so you have to order whatever you would like to eat or drink. I ordered some rice and fish, along with my last Togolese beer on this trip. I spent some time there; the experience was rather average.

Once I noticed on FlightRadar that the inbound flight from Brussels via Abidjan was approaching Lomé Airport, I moved towards Gate 1, which was used for my flight, to take some pictures of the arriving aircraft. On this day, aircraft registered OO-SFH was assigned to the LFW–BRU route. This 20-year-old A330-300 was once part of the Cathay Pacific fleet before joining the Brussels Airlines fleet.

I was very happy that OO-SFJ was not assigned to my flight, as this ex-Lufthansa jet features a 2-2-2 business class configuration, while the other A330s in the fleet also offer solo business class seats in an alternating 1-2-1 and 2-2-1 pattern. My seat, 5K, was a solo seat on the right side of the aircraft.

The flight from Abidjan landed with a half-hour delay. Passengers arriving from Brussels disembarked, while those who boarded in Abidjan for their flight to Brussels remained on board. Soon, boarding was announced. Passengers travelling with children and business class passengers boarded first.

The business class cabin comprised 30 Thompson Aero Vantage seats customised by Priestmangoode. Seat width is 52.1 cm and converts into a 200 cm fully flat bed. Already waiting at the seat were a pillow, a blanket, and an amenity kit. Noise-cancelling headphones were hung on the wall of the seat. Nearby were a power socket and a reading lamp. For entertainment, a 13.3-inch HD touchscreen display was located in front of the seat.

The IFE offered a decent selection of movies, including Belgian and African titles, music from different decades and countries, a section dedicated to Brussels Airlines, games, a kids’ corner, and, of course, an inflight map. The system can be browsed in six languages: English, French, Dutch, German, Italian, and Spanish. Two printed menus were provided, one for meals and one for drinks, with photos of the beverages on offer. It felt like a very good start to our six-and-a-half-hour flight to Brussels!

The airplane arriving from Brussels via Abijan

Business class cabin

Breakfast menu

Drinks menu

Dinner menu

Onboard, we were greeted in three languages, which were also used for announcements throughout the flight: English, French, and Dutch. Before take-off, we were asked to fill in a questionnaire related to the breakfast service served before arrival. I opted for a croissant, coffee, orange juice, and some fruit. There was also an option to skip breakfast, in which case the cabin crew would not wake you up.

The crew was friendly and attentive. The safety video was presented as a song introducing standard safety procedures, which was definitely something unique. The business class cabin was 100% full. On my outbound flight to Lomé in economy class, I had also noticed a very high load factor, probably around 90%.

We departed with some delay, and about an hour into the flight, the crew distributed and later collected hot towels. Dinner was then served. The main course options were beef goulash (my choice), cod, and ravioli with ricotta and spinach. For the starter, braised veal with tuna mayonnaise and capers was served. The meal also included an assorted cheese platter and crème brûlée with speculoos for dessert. I ordered a French red wine to accompany my meal. Everything was very tasty and enjoyable.

Dinner

After dinner, I prepared my bed and managed to get around four hours of good, though short, sleep. I was woken up by the crew approximately an hour before arrival to be served the requested breakfast. By then, we were already flying over France.

After take-off from Lomé, we headed north, entered the airspace of Benin and later Niger, before reaching Algeria, the Mediterranean Sea, France, and finally Belgium for our approach into Brussels. Before arrival, all business class passengers were given a Neuhaus box of chocolates as a farewell gift.

Breakfast

Farewell gift

We arrived on time, a few minutes past 5:00 AM local time. We were one of the first African arrivals in the morning wave (between 5:00 and 7:00), when most African flights land, so there were almost no people at security or immigration. I was through within minutes and headed directly to The Loft lounge, located near Gate A42 in the Schengen area.

My flight to Ljubljana was scheduled for 11:20, so I had more than six hours before the final leg of my journey. The Loft by Brussels Airlines and Lexus lounge was almost empty upon arrival. It offers an excellent selection of food and drinks, all self-service, as well as a sleeping area, showers, workspaces, and a kids’ corner. I spent almost all the remaining time there and really enjoyed it. The lounge is also open to economy flex and classic passengers, as well as premium economy passengers, for a fee of €49 and €39 respectively.

The Loft by Brussels Airlines and Lexus lounge

Sleeping area in the lounge

Room for kids in the lounge

Early morning view from the lounge

The gate number for my Ljubljana flight, SN3343, was announced an hour before departure. Conveniently, the gate was located near the lounge entrance - Gate 42. The inbound flight from Munich arrived a few minutes early. The aircraft operating the Brussels - Ljubljana service that day was an A319 registered OO-SSO.

Boarding began on time, and I counted 86 passengers in total, with only four of us seated in the business class cabin. Seats in both cabins are identical; the differences are the blocked middle seat and increased legroom in business class. I had seat 2F for this flight.

After standard pre-departure procedures, we departed on time. The flight lasted one hour and twenty minutes. Business class passengers were served lunch, consisting of a cold smoked fish fillet with vegetables, a bread roll, butter, and chocolates for dessert. Drinks were complimentary; I opted for a beer. The food was good, and the remainder of the flight was uneventful. We soon began our approach into Ljubljana Airport, where we landed a few minutes before 1:00 PM.

On runway for take-off

Lunch on LJU-BRU flight

Back home!

My overall experience with Brussels Airlines and the lounge at Brussels Airport was excellent. You can see the age of their A330 fleet, particularly in the economy class cabin, but overall I had a very positive experience on all my Brussels Airlines flights, both in economy and business class. I would gladly choose them again in the future, especially for my next African adventures.

Togo, a former German and French colony, is a fascinating country to explore. Often overlooked by travellers, it offers friendly people, diverse nature, and is a perfect choice for a short trip. I spent a few days exploring the capital Lomé and the coast, then headed north to Kara for three nights (by air-conditioned bus, nine hours, €11) to explore the land of the Batammariba tribe and their mud tower-houses. Finally, I saved a few days for Kpalimé, a town near the Ghanaian border, surrounded by green hills and magnificent waterfalls. I thoroughly enjoyed my Togolese adventure.

So, if you ask me whether to go or not to go, my answer is simple - Togo.

Independence monument, Lomé

Akodessewa fetish market, Lomé

Batammariba mud tower houses, north-eastern Toga, Kara region

Batammariba boy

Kepimé falls near Kpalimé

Lake Togo

Local street food (akassa)

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