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Brussels Attacks: Airport & Flight Status, Business Travel Community Reacts

By Elizabeth West & Michael B. Baker / 22 March 2016 / Contact Reporter
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Two explosions in Brussels, one at the airport in Zaventem and one at Maelbeek metro station near the European Union headquarters, have paralyzed the city. The current death toll is at least 30, while the injured total more than 230. Flights in and out of the airport have been canceled, the subway system has been shut down and people have been told to stay inside.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which came on the heels of last week's capture of Salah Abdeslam, the suspected organizer behind the attacks in Paris last November. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told reporters, "We were fearing terror attacks, and that has now happened." Authorities continue to search for suspects, and border controls have been reinforced across Belgium and France. Major airports across Europe also report enhanced security.

Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport has been evacuated for investigation of the bombing there that killed several and severely damaged the departures hall, according to the BBC. Brussels Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said on Twitter the airport would remain closed Wednesday. Officials will evaluate then whether it can reopen Thursday.

United Airlines reported that a flight from Washington Dulles arrived Tuesday morning before the bombing but a later flight from Newark was rerouted to a remote location. The carrier is waiving change fees and fare differences for flights to and from Brussels through March 24 if travel is rescheduled to occur by April 1; the change fee is still waived for departures later than that, but a fare difference might apply.

American Airlines canceled its flight from Brussels to Philadelphia on Tuesday and is allowing travelers booked for travel to Brussels on Tuesday or Wednesday to request a refund, select an alternate airport or reschedule travel through April 5.

Delta Air Lines diverted its New York JFK-Brussels flight to Amsterdam, and a morning arrival from Atlanta landed at Brussels and parked remotely. Delta is allowing tickets to, from or through Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam through March 31 to be changed without a change fee, and the carrier is waiving the fare difference if the rebooked travel begins no later than March 31.

Ripple Effect in the United States

As events unfold in Europe, the bombings' effect already has been felt in the United States. Authorities tightened security at major airports and subway systems in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

Though no specific threat to the U.S. or a particular city has been identified, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters, "We are in a high state of vigilance and readiness."

Fearing knee-jerk calls to change federal security policy and legislation in the United States, U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow has called for "thoughtful leadership" in a statement: "Those who would do harm to the Western world are a deranged minority and should be treated as such—our travel security policies should work to identify and separate them from the pool of legitimate travelers so that law enforcement can focus their full resources on bad actors." Reacting to recent political rhetoric, the statement continued, "Words matter and move markets. It's just not realistic to ban religions, order war crimes and end international travel."


While everyone is still taking stock of the situation in our country, they have focused on locating their employees, through industry tools and suppliers along with social media, and providing for any needs."

Brussels-based ACTE board member Yves Galimidi

Effect on Business Travel

ACTE excecutive director Greeley Koch released a statement expressing sympathy with people in Brussels and those impacted, adding that he was confident in travel managers' ability to leverage duty-of-care plans to protect business travelers.

Brussels-based ACTE board member Yves Galimidi confirmed that travel managers were prepared. "While everyone is still taking stock of the situation in our country, they have focused on locating their employees, through industry tools and suppliers along with social media, and providing for any needs," he said.

Global Business Travel Association president Christle Johnson also voiced solidarity with Belgium and the business travel community there. The organization will post ongoing updates on its blog. In December, it polled 169 corporate travel buyers about their plans in the wake of the Paris attacks and ongoing threats in Belgium. At that time, 47 percent reported "no change" in their travel volume in Europe and another 26 percent reported only "slightly reduced" travel within Europe for their companies.

As additional terror threats are realized within Europe and pressure increases on the Schengen Agreement, the no-borders agreement that facilitates European crossborder travel and trade, European business travel may yet feel the effects.

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