Name: Lars Redeligx
Title: Chief Commercial Officer
Company, city: Brussels Airlines; Brussels, Belgium
Number of employees: 3,500
Recent project: Our updated commercial strategy strengthens the company against growing low-cost competition in the Belgian market. It introduces 21 new destinations to attract both business and leisure travelers with competitive fares and high-quality service. We will also launch a new frequent-flyer program designed for occasional travelers.
First job: Trainee at Beiersdorf, the German company known for Nivea
Little-known fact about you: When I travel, I kitesurf whenever possible. From New York to Dubai, Norway to Vietnam, I explore places from the water.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: Customers should never have to choose between price and service.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Build a strong, curious team that challenges the status quo. Travel with open eyes and an open mind.
Yardstick of success: Brussels Airlines’ return to profitability in 2015
Lars Redeligx as a Traveler
Most important item you take when traveling: Contact lenses — I once forgot them and learned the hard way.
How you spend time on board: I talk with crew and customers, work when necessary and take breaks when possible.
Favorite restaurant in the world: Perry’s Beach Club in Renesse, Holland — a wonderful family spot in summer.
Favorite destination in the world: Hamburg, my hometown by the harbor, and New York.
About Brussels Airlines
Brussels Airlines is recognized for its premium onboard food and beverages. Tell our readers about these innovations.
We aim to do more than move people from A to B. Our vision is to be a personal, almost boutique airline that connects people and makes travel enjoyable. To support that vision we’ve invested in our in-flight product, catering and ground services. Our Airbus A330 long-haul fleet now features a modern cabin: business class offers an exclusive, club-like environment with 22 to 30 lie-flat seats, while economy provides ergonomic seats with a generous 31–32 inch pitch and the same advanced in-flight entertainment system available in business class. Embracing our “Belgitude” concept, we present a “Best of Belgium” experience onboard. Long-haul business travelers can choose fine-dining options crafted by Michelin-starred Belgian chefs and, starting this year, sample eight different Belgian specialty beers curated by our in-house beer expert. Guests also enjoy premium Belgian chocolates and cookies.
These efforts have been well received by customers and industry experts. We are proud to have won Global Traveler’s Wines on the Wing competition three times and to be recognized as Best Trans-Atlantic Airline. These honors motivate us to continue investing in quality.
What does Brussels Airlines offer premium business travelers?
Brussels Airlines provides smooth connections between the United States, Europe and Africa. For passengers connecting from Schengen Area locations to the United States, terminal walking distances are short — 325 feet or less in many cases. In Brussels we opened our flagship lounge, “The Loft,” which raises the bar for business-class lounges by delivering a distinct Belgian hospitality, an outstanding customer experience and the world’s first integrated digital lounge offering developed in cooperation with Microsoft.
What’s in store for Brussels Airlines in 2015, particularly in North America?
We have positive developments for travelers between Brussels and Washington, D.C., with improved onward connections to many Brussels Airlines destinations across Europe and Africa, and to additional U.S. gateways. We continue to operate our popular daily service between Brussels and New York JFK. For U.S. customers planning European summer travel, Brussels Airlines and Brussels Airport offer convenient gateways, expanded seasonal destinations and increased frequencies on existing routes. We also expect U.S. travelers to value our smoother, comfortable connections between Washington, D.C.; New York; and Tel Aviv via Brussels Airport.