Air Serbia in strategy shift


Air Serbia will shift towards a more "hybrid" business model later this year, which combines the cost-saving methodologies of pure low cost carriers with the flexibility and route structure of a full-service airline, in an attempt to increase cost effectiveness and adapt to the needs of the market in terms of pricing. The development marks the latest structural change at one of Etihad Airways' equity partners. The new model will bring with it a number of changes to the airline's product as it alters its strategy on short haul routes. As previously announced, from June, the carrier will begin charging a thirty euro check-in fee at Belgrade Airport for lower priced tickets (complimentary for online check-in), preferred seating and will begin rolling out new slimline seats across its Airbus A319 and A320 fleet. The carrier is expected to unveil further product modifications on its European network in the coming weeks, which may include pre-paid meals and luggage-free fares.

Air Serbia has announced it will be suspending operations to Abu Dhabi from October 29 in order to focus on its European network. It signals the airline putting a greater focus on attracting more point-to-point passengers, who bring in greater revenue per seat. These measures will not affect the airline's flagship service to New York, operated by the A330-200 jet, which will remain unchanged. Air Serbia's CEO, Dane Kondić, noted, "With our current business model, while still showing growth, it is growing at a decreasing rate. That means that we have to change something because we are not growing as fast as we need to grow with what we have. Meanwhile, if you look at the growth of low cost airlines, it is significant. So we can continue to do the same thing and grow at a slower rate, or we can look at the ideas that we are reviewing and see which of those we can apply to our business to ensure that we continue to accelerate our growth". He added, "Conceptually, we have to evolve our business model from what it is today, to a model that will allow us to continue to grow and continue to work to lower costs”.

Air Serbia's CEO said last year the airline is preparing for strong competition from low cost carriers on the Serbian market. Speaking to "Business Insider" in 2016, Mr Kondić noted that Air Serbia’s future is framed by the competitive environment of the broader market, which includes significant changes to the airline business in Serbia as well. “Serbia is not part of the European Union and so we don’t have the degree of openness and competitive environment that other countries who are part of the EU would have”, the CEO said. He added, “As a result, we don’t have as much low cost carrier penetration in the market”. However, Mr Kondić warned that the flood of low cost carriers that have waged war on traditional airlines across Europe is on its way to Serbia. “It definitely weighs heavily on our thoughts in terms of our future plans”.

The changes come as part-owner Etihad Airways deals with two fledgling equity partners - Alitalia and Air Berlin. While Etihad let Alitalia slide into bankruptcy after workers spurned a restructuring plan, the Persian Gulf carrier is showing more patience with Air Berlin and has agreed to provide the German company with financial support for at least another eighteen months. Air Serbia recorded a profit in 2014 and 2015, and although its financial results for 2016 are yet to be published, the carrier's Supervisory Board Chairman has said the previous year was also profitable. Saj Ahmed, Chief Analyst at the UK-based consultancy firm Strategic Aero, believes Etihad's unique business model has worked well for Air Serbia and Air Seychelles, unlike some of its other investments, and the duo will unlikely be affected in a future shake-up of Etihad's equity stakes. For its part, Etihad said it is "fully committed" to Air Serbia and that "speculation about a change to Etihad Aviation Group’s investment in and support for its equity partner, Air Serbia, is totally inaccurate and wholly unfounded".

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Well Air Berlin hast demonstrated how a full "hybrid carrier" works- Premium longhaul, charter, European LCC, P2P and of course all network based! Good luck JU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they really demonstrated how to ruin an airline by running a "hybrid carrier" model.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    It's just a matter of seeing how low cost will they go.

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  3. Anonymous09:06

    The thing is that they should have started out like this in the beginning. Offering cheaper fares with limited service would probably be welcomed by the general flying public (not us enthusiasts I assume). BUT the issue is that now the standards have been set too high and people will just view this as a major downgrade and trouble brewing behind the scenes. Or if they anticipated last year they should have introduced these changes at a slower pace.

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    1. Anonymous09:13

      They would've never been able to sell a hybrid story for hundreds of millions $$$. And for a good reason - just look at the success other hybrid airlines have achieved. Major failures, the whole lot. Choosing a boutique model was probably the only strategy with a good enough USP. On paper of course.

      So now that they've failed with it, we're in a mode of saving whatever can be saved. Let's all be surprised again how this one's gonna turn out in a couple of years.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:08

    p2p Pax will significantly reduce their numbers as a transfer pax is counted twice. The same goes for BEG. A pax flying Zag-Beg-Ath-Beg-Zag is in fact 4 Pax for JU.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:50

      p2p model ce ih ubiti i brze nego sto bi mogli pretpostaviti... Pitanje je samo koliko je vlada Srbije spremna da upumpava novac u njih.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:53

      ^ Can you write in English. I can't understand but am interested in your comment.

      Delete
    3. He said that p2p model will kill Air Serbia quicker than they think. It's only a question of how much money the Serbian Government is ready to pump into AS.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous07:47

      +1!

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:13

    By further product modification I assume meals will go next. I fly often between Brussels and Belgrade. Last Friday for the first time no menu was offered in economy class and we all got a sandwich. Before we used to get a menu and a choice of two hot meals.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      All meals on intra-European flights have been suspended as of 01.05.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      Yep and Air Serbia Catering is now making pre-prepared meals for Idea supermarkets.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:18

      Tastier and bigger were JAT's triangular sandwiches loved by passengers, pardon guests. Hot and cold drinks were served twice, now so miserable ...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:22

      Sorry I'm no Air Serbia fan but that's just untrue. On Jat I got small muffin from Rome and they didn't have beer. When I asked them for coke they didn't have that either! They only had orange juice and water. This was in February 2013. On my return flight they again didn't have beer but they did have coke and apple juice. Both times they went through the cabin only once.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:25

      @10:22 My comment was regarding Belgrade-Brussels flight (2:20h), not Belgrade-Rome (1:10h). Your comparation is silly.

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    6. Anonymous12:43

      @12.25 I wrote the Brussels comment and I can't agree with you. I will never miss Jat Airways. They were terrible with their BRU flights. We had to land in Amsterdam each time and I have never encountered ruder staff in my life. But as part of their catering I really did like the dry plumb covered in chocolate. Was delicious :)

      Delete
    7. Dang it, I was so close to getting a hot meal on my first JU flight (comment about it further below). I thought the sandwiches we got were really tasty though.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:54

      Wish them good luck, hope this model will work for them!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:57

      Sandwiches should be made BoB so that anti-JU bots now have to buy their own sandwiches.

      Delete
  6. Nemjee09:13

    Lol... so basically they will become a glorified Wizz Air.

    The other day I was looking at fares to LCA, the cheapest JU fare (no online check-in and all that) was around 24.000 Dinars while Wizz Air charged €34 one way with a large cabin bag included in the fare.

    The only advantage JU will have is that it will fly to central airports. However more and more lowcost carriers are moving into main airport: FR (AMS, BRU, MAD, FRA, ATH...), W6 (CPH) and then there are those like easyJet and Transavia which have been doing it for a long time now.

    Let's see what fares JU will roll out once their new model is introduced.

    By the way, JU has also changed its policy so now you are obliged to pay for your seat (either while booking or while checking-in) otherwise they assign you one 'randomly.'

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      And the "random" seat is the middle seat -.-

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    2. Anonymous09:16

      +1 Nemjee. Surprise surprise.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:17

      Wow didnt know that! So Croatia Airlines is now better, as they still offer free seat reservations, free check-in and have a good on-board product. What became of the boutique model in just a few years? Could they not have forseen that? Was it so far away?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:20

      OU also charges for food although they do have a complimentary snack. The seats will be the same. But you are right about the rest.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:21

      Pretty much yes. What happened? The management was clueless on how to sell their product. Simple as that.

      Their pricing was all wrong. For example there were times there were 40 pax booked on SVO but the cheapest fare was €320. They were not realistic.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:33

      You are right! But then the "boutique" has to be paid for. Was in the premium lounge at BEG when transiting from ZAG to FRA last week. Transfer time was 7 hours and I paid 45 EUR to use the lounge. It was very good and the employees also, congrats to JU. But then there were 4 people within the 3 hours I visited. Don´t know how that can work financially but otherwise a very good product.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:43

      you fly from ZAG to FRA via BGD??
      and more importnatly: you pay eur 45 for lounge access??

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:54

      A glorified Wizz Air with the possibly of flying on an ancient ATR? No thanks.
      Anon 9.33 you chose a flight from ZAG to FRA via BEG with a 7 hour transit and paid €45 to use 'that' lounge? Were you on a free ticket or were you feeling nostalgic? I think the car would be quicker and more cost effective.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:13

      ZAG-FRA 5 times per day, ticket is 180 EUR, but you still use BEG connection with 7 hours connection time?

      As 10:54AM said your trip was some 10 hours can be faster and cheaper with car (1 to BEG, 7 connection time, 2 from BEG to FRA)

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:20

      Right, but I wanted to fly JU and experience their product. It was not for the speed.

      Delete
    11. Dare we say it.... was Kućko right all along when he said he didn't see Air Serbia as a threat??

      True, you couldn't predict the management changes at the top of Etihad and Hogans mostly failed strategy which became doomed once Etihad pulled most funding but I guess Kućko would have have to have known how expensive Air Serbia's business model had to have been and that it would be unsustainable in the long run. He was probably just proved correct sooner than he thought.

      Delete
    12. Alen Šćuric Purger12:28

      Air Serbia did harm OU much. So it was threat.

      Even with those changes they are still threat to OU. Big one. If this new model will be successful, they will be even bigger threat to OU than before. Same model, but still much more flights, connection (even if they will be no systematic), JFK flights, Etihad support, support by Government (not so big as it was before, but still)

      Delete
    13. Nemjee17:04

      Q400,

      I think you are giving Kucko more credit than he deserves. I think he had no clue what he was saying and he only did it because he needed to present the situation as if OU was unaffected by what was going on in Belgrade.

      That said, I think JU is the least of his worries. There are much bigger and more dangerous players lurking around his neck of woods. Monarch is taking away their London market while it seems Eurowings will be taking over the German one. Launching a few seasonal routes with a leased out aircraft won't cut it.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous18:16

      postovani kolega Alen,

      steta koju JU pravi OU je minorna nakon ekspanzije QR i EK u MZLZ. Ne bih se iznenadio da JU predje na jedan dnevni let, jer opcije ka istoku sada nisu privlacnije via BEG. Ono sto treba da brine OU nije poprilicno posrnula airserbia vec sve vece prisustvo LCC-a u Zagrebu.

      ATCO

      Delete
    15. Alen Šćuric Purger23:52

      Prisustvo LCC u Zagrebu je zanemarivo. 9 linija na njih 79, to je daleko ispod Europskog prosjeka. Stvarno zanemarivo.

      Koju to štetu radi QR i EK Croatiji Airlines? JU preuzima putnike iz ZAG, SPU, PUY, DBV, ali i tržišta gdje zajedno lete (SJJ i SKP), kao i iz aerodroma čiji su putnici prije JU letjeli iz ZAG (BNX, djelomično i TIV). To je stvarna šteta, a ne kompanije za čija tržišta nije i nikad neće letjeti OU. Niti OU leti za Dohu i Dubai, niti dalje prema istoku pa da im šteti konekcija preko ta dva aerodroma.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous06:46

      The only way EK/QR impact OU is if they stole some passengers who used to fly to Asia via VIE/MUC/FRA.

      Delete
    17. Alen Šćuric Purger09:02

      And that was not too much. Mostly people used Turkish before Qatar and flyDubai (today Emirates), and than Aeroflot, Lufthansa, Air France, British, Austrian and LOT. So there is maybe few passengers there. In same time more and more connections were open via FRA, MUC and VIE, and that is why we have 7 more weekly flights fromm ZAG to FRA today then those days, and much bigger planes to VIE and MUC.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:24

    "Tko visoko leti nisko pada"

    Srbija sa svojom ekonomijom, nedostatkom turizma, izostankom iz političkih kretanja (Europska unija, NATO, nemogućnost slobodnog protoka robe i ljudi, te nemogućnost zapošljavanja na zapadu kakvu ima Slovenija i Hrvatska), vizama za UK, skromnim brojem poslovnih ljudi i slabim budžetom koji takav megalomanski projekt nije mogao pratiti, jednostavno nije mogla izdržati modal kakav je zamišljen u Air Serbiji.

    I sad se Air Serbija vraća na Jat. P2P model, uz to što su najave takve da će usluga u avionu biti i bitno slabija od one u Jatu.

    Jedina razlika je što ova kompanija ima novije avione, iako su 737 i ATR72 još stariji nego u vrijeme Jata, a i dalje lete. No, ti noviji avioni su i jedan od razloga koji financijski guše kompaniju.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      i opet niko ne odgovara sto je potrosio nase pare !

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:35

      350 miliona EUR starih dugova i otpremnina za radnike (a onda je broj radnika povećan za duplo, iako su se otpuštali radnici)

      150 miliona EUR subvencija u 3 godine

      Malo li je?

      Imala je Srbija gde da utroši te pare. Ljudi nemaju za hleba, penzije su nikakve, plate tragične, bolnice su užas, škole još gore...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:37

      Znači zbog članstva u EU i NATO i bezviznog režima sa UK su Adrija i Croatia uspešne kompanije..
      Noviji avioni su jedan od razloga koji finansijski guše kompaniju.
      Svasta covek moze da nauči.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:44

      ne skreci temu danasnje rasprave, OU i JP svakako imaju velikih problema, ali i potencijalno resenje u utapanju u EUROWINGS, dok se JU utapa u Bgd na vodi !

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:48

      Mala ispravka, JU nema novije avione od Jata, ti avioni su iznajmljeni i nisu u njihovom vlasnistvu, dok je Jat imao svoje avione.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:58

      To članstvo stvara putnike koji kad a nema ne postoje. Političare i niz stručnjaka koji rade za EU ili vezano uz EU (ekonomisti, prevoditelji, pravnici, lobisti, korisnici fondova EU, bankari, stručnjaci u domeni znanosti, obrazovanja, kulture, sporta i niza drugih društvenih djelatnosti, pa u NATO časnici u misijama NATOa, samo u Briselu ih ima preko 200, o vojnim razmjenama, edukacijama, koordinacijama, zajedničkim projektima, sudjelovanju u zapovjednim tijelima, vježbama i dr. da i ne govorimo...).

      Novi avioni su skupe igračke. Oni koštaju. Evo samo primjer A330 koji košta opake novce, a svejedno čuči nezaposlen na stajanci.

      737-300 cijele zime ne rade ništa. To košta. Dio A320 flote zimi ne rade ništa, a to košta. Toliko velika i nagla ekspanzija sa 14 aviona koji su uzeti na leasing koštaju. I to nisu regionalni avioni koji su jeftiniji. To su A330, A320, A319. I to relativno novi, dakle skuplji. Ako to ne razumijete onda se nemojte uopće baviti businessom, a kamoli zrakoplovstvom.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:39

      @9:58 A vi se bavite vazduhoplovstvom? Molim vas, gde bih mogao da vas pratim?
      Nisam primetio da OU i JP cevtaju zbog tog clanstva u NATO i gomile bankara, ili mozda gresim?
      Dva 737-300 su trenutno u floti, potpuno otplacena i ne kostaju nista (samo nemojte molim vas da sad pocnete onu pricu kako sve kosta itd..) sluze za charter i uskacu po potrebi ako neki od aviona ispadne, sto je fenomenalna stvar za JU.
      Airbus flota je u dugogodisnjem leasingu, u godisnjim izvestajima imate tacnu cenu zakupa i mozete se uveriti da taj zakup ne utice negativno na finansije kompanije. Naravno da su zimi avioni slabije iskorisceni i tako je od Beca do Atine.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:20

      Radim u OU upravo na prodaji. Ne cvijetaju ruže radi drugih stvari. Ali bi se iznenadili da oko 12% naših putnika su političari i službe vezane uz politiku i vojsku. Jako puno naših visokih časnika putuje diljem EU na svoje zapovjedne i druge zadače vezano uz NATO. Primjerice naši vojnici u NATO misijama u Afganistanu trenutno lete sa vojnim A319 čeških oružanih snaga, a do tamo sa Croatiom. No, još više ih putuje u razne NATO službe od sigurnostnih, preko planskih, do vježbovnih, edukacijskih, koordinacijskih, službi standardizacije, pa razmjene, zajedničkih vježbi, monitoringa... Ova brojka je još veća na linijama za Brussels koja je i preko 60% popunjena političarima i službama vezanim uz politiku. Vrlo mnogo ih putuje i za Paris, Njemačku, London, Rim, a iznanadit ćete se da ih poprilično ima i za Bucharest i Prag.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:39

      Čisto da se razumemo u vezi sa mantrom da je "Jat imao svoje avione", a evo ovi su na lizing. Svi ti avioni koji se pominju su kupljeni na kredit, a znamo da je kredit za dužnika manje-više isto što i lizing, samo sa drugačijim sredstvima obezbeđenja.

      U ovom konkretnom slučaju, sredstvo obezbeđenja je bila državna garancija za državnu firmu, koja je - nećete verovati - aktivirana. I deo onog stranog duga od 70% BDP-a koji svi vraćamo, zamislite, uključuje te Jatove avione koje je ova vrlo uspešna kompanija kao kupila, pa su naši.

      Tako da, kad pominjete subvencije, ne znam kako bih izmislio bolju subvenciju od one da ti država kupi avione, pa si ti kao genije što imaš avione u vlasništvu.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous12:34

      No, no... Ne biti nerealan i neobjektivan.

      Ipak su ti avioni ostali i oni su danas ti koji donose profit Air Serbiji jer, iako su prastari, kao što ljudi ovdje stalno ponavljaju, isplačeni su i ne koštaju ništa.

      I tu je jedan od glavnih problema: platila ih je Srbija, a sada ih koristi 49% Etihad.

      Uz to Srbija je dala 150 milijuna EUR od kojih je dio išao i na taj lizing. I to je subvencija. Ako ništa drugo onda za onaj iznos koji je preko 100 milijuna koliko su trebali investirati kao i Etihad. Ali, najgore je što će ti avioni na lizing ići nazad kada ugovor istekne. Bog te pitaj pod kojim uvjetima su uzeti na lizing, koliko je to para, ali svakako je iz državnog budžeta.

      Genije si jednako kad ti država kupi avione, ili kad ti da kupljene avione da na korištenje (737 i ATR72), a još ti da pare za lizing.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:22

      @12:34 Od 150 milona eura pola je dug stare kompanije, akumuliran godinama. U projekat AirSerbia Etihad je ulozio 100 miliona eura a Srbija 75 Srbija. sto mozete videti u ugovoru. Od stare flote, ostala su 3 x ATR72 i 2 x B737. Zakup aviona, nije nikakva nepoznanica, placa ga kompanija a ne budzet Republike Srbije sto opet mozete naci u godisnjem izvestaju.

      Delete
    12. @1:22pm O kakva dva B737-300 pričaš? Pa konstantno lete 4 komada, tek negde pre 20 dana je YU-ANJ prestao da leti. YU-AND danas leti Berlin, YU-ANI leti Diseldorf, a YU-ANK je juče išao za Hamburg i Štutgart.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous14:24

      ne to nije istina.

      Stari dug + kompenzacije onima koji su otišli je 350 miliona

      Ja govorim o 100 miliona investicija + 50 miliona koliko su do sada dali subvencija (od 2014 do 2016.). Prošle godine dato je 40 miliona. Ovo što ti govoriš je izvrtanje istine. Uz to ove godine Srbija će dati još nepoznat iznos subvencije + će platiti novi kredit koji je osigurao Etihad a za koji je garantirala Srbija, pa će ga sada i plačati. To je u buđetu.

      Air Serbija je koristila 4 737-300 i 3 ATR 72, skoro četiti godine. i dalje koristi 6 aviona iz vremena Jata (trenutno je u letnom stanju 3 737). Dakle.... Moja priča stoji.

      Kompanija ga plača, ali i Srbija je godišnje davala 40 miliona subvencija (preko BEG i direktno). Što je bar 50 miliona preko 100 miliona investicija. Dakle, Srbija je plačala troškove Air Serbie, indirektno i lizing, plače, gorivo... na što je već taj novac koji su dobili potrošen.

      E sad možeš ti uljepšavat stvari, možeš izokretat istinu, ali sve ovo se jasno vidi i u buđetu i u dokumentima.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous17:53

      Molio bih te za link ka ovih 150 milona + za ovih 40 milona za proslu godinu ( posto zavrsni racun za proslu godinu jos nije objavljen) Po ugovoru, Etihad je do sada uplatio 100 a Srbija 75 milona plus novac za restruktuiranje kompanije.Srbija je kao i Etihad ulagala novac, kompanija ga koristi prema odlukama upravnih tela, sta tu nije jasno?
      Sve je vidljivo u godisnjem izvestaju. Niko ne prodaje slotove i motore.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous23:57

      Ma i ovdje na exYu se o tome pisalo. Obajavljeno je u milijun medija. I citiran buđet... Ljudi, stvarno ste sad smješni sa tim navijanjem. Te cifre su već potpuno javno pozante.

      Koje motore? Oni na A320, A319 i A330 nisu u vlasništvu Air Serbije. Treba prvo imat nešto u vlasništvu da se može prodat. Eto Croatia ima još 5 realtivno novih aviona, slotove, vrlo skupu tehniku, hangare, zgrade. Na nesreću Air Serbia ništa od toga nema. Jer svih 6 aviona koje još ima ne vrijede ko Croatijin jedan A320.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous10:44

      Ok, znaci govoris napamet o 150 milona + 40 milona gubitka od prosle godine koje si dodao naravno opet napamet. O kakvom navijanju pricas? Jedini koji ovde navija si ti. Purger, koji je jako dobro upucen u poslovanje CTN je ovde vise puta objasnio kako ta kompanija posluje "pozitivno". Sto se tice uporedjenja vrednosti jedne i druge kompanije, kako to tako vrednu kompaniju poput CTN niko nece vec godinama?

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:30

    And will someone take the blame for this fiasco? How come EY is keeping Dane as the CEO?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:31

    "...the airline putting a greater focus on attracting more point-to-point passengers"

    So hub model was not successful. Now they are changing it. Huge change! Can new system survive just on P2P passengers? Is there enough P2P passengers for 20 planes in Serbia? And most of those are 140+ seats plane, not a regional one?

    That means connection passengers will have to choose Austrian, Lufthansa and Croatia in near future. Adria is down, so benefit would go mostly on Croatia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      It says they will put a greater focus, not that they are abandoning the transfer model.

      Delete
    2. Insider10:21

      Ohhh it will! It will. Just wait. There will be some random transfer, but it will not be system any more. Much less transfer passengers than before. Not even 30% of previous number.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:33

      Insider, how about a chill pill?

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:34

    This so called ¨hybrid¨ model has led several companies on the edge of bankruptcy so far. The bad thing about this model is that the company instead of lowering prices along with its services, continues to offer flights at ridiculously high prices, thus losing even more passengers such as premium passengers, that still expect exceptional services bearing in mind the cost of tickets.
    I believe if I am not mistaken this is the beginning of an end of ASL that we know, and in the future they will have to choose whether they want to be a flag carrier or low cost.

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    1. Anonymous09:45

      You are right, the only thing ist that ASL cannot "Choose" as they are the haunted ones. They have to become LC and compete with the likes of FR or W6. But in the end there is not the slightest chance of survival.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:43

    Shame.

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  12. Anonymous09:51

    One has to wonder will they keep the likes of Beirut in their network. BEY is a good performer but it's an expensive route. If they focus more and more on P2P then it makes it unnecessary. I assume a lot of passengers from BEY take up seats to CDG at cheap prices, unabling JU to sell them to P2P passengers at higher fares.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      next cuts : LCA, BEY, ZAG ...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:06

      It's not uncommon to see CDG operated by the A319 meaning that they struggled to fill their A320s.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:09

      CDG is packed so much so that many passengers from France buy a ticket to fly to BEG from BRU. And I don't know where you are getting your info but CDG is operating with an A320, even this morning.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous10:10

    BEG and INI keep on growing while JU keeps on shrinking. There you go. It's not the market that's at fault, it's the airline's management which is clueless and needs to be sacked before they destroy the little that's left.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:12

      Air Serbia passenger numbers increased around 7% during the first quarter of this year... It was their busiest Q1 since they launched.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:01

      The aviation market in Serbia grew much faster.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:58

      Ne lupetaj - JU's growth according to Q1 BSP data shows that its growth was greater than the total market

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:18

      Actually it was not tako da ti ne lupetaj.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:14

    Bankruptcy on 3,2...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:59

      Wishful thinking ...

      Delete
  15. Anonymous10:25

    Finaly good news from airSerbia :). As I said couple weeks ago, airSerbia is not a valuable brand. It can only compete through price. This means to offer relativly low price and service that a customer notice before booking: central-airports, smart flight-times, free WIFI on board (a plus in the digitilized world). Other services, like a meal on board or a big baggage, are not that visible/demanded from first-customers and also not from budget-customer. The first customer doesn't know if the meal is good and how is the comfort on board is. He sees only with big letters SERBIA, and that is for him not plus. The budget-customers doesn't need this extra service, only good price. So price and visible services.
    The prices shouldn't be higher as 49euro for an european flight or 99 for a retour flight (Of course not on special worthy days, like Easter, Christmas etc.). The extra services could cost a bit more (like 30 euro for a checked baggage) but less for frequent customers (like 10euro for a checked baggage). If they also invest a coulpe tousends euro in optimizing their website (to much conservative for a fresh new airline and some logikal steps while booking are missing) and offer only in the first row a business-class comfort/price for the little solvent customers, airSerbia may succeed. Now I'am optimistic. Like i said FINALLY they are on the right way. I just hope they are not to slow. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:34

    Pocivaj u miru, Air Serbija!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:49

      Lol please stop it sweetheart. JU is here to remain.

      Delete
  17. BA88810:44

    And here is me procrastinating to spend £250 (!!!!) for rtn LHR-BEG-LHR.

    Thete is no way I'll pay that price for the product announced from the hell hole called LHR (or LTN to fair!).

    LH via MUC/FRA/ZRH/VIE here I come...
    Or even TSR from STN looks attractive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:15

      Just fly on LH from either LHR or LGW.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:32

      I can see FR flying STN-BEG in not so distant future. Ideally, weekens route Friday to Sunday. They can make it work despite the fees at BEG.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:37

      Or LCY.

      Delete
    4. BA88801:04

      LCY aint going to happen. Very niche routes aimed for business and expensive holiday makers (Nice etc). Or transfers at AMS.

      STN would be great! FR too! Current W6 time table is not usable!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous07:36

      Actually often when I checked LH via FRA/MUC then LCY was not more expensive than LHR.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous10:48

    RIX looses JFK in July 2017 because HY will soon fly the Dreamliner and decided to no longer make a stopover! I think this is the perfect moment for JU to launch flights to RIX and try feeding the BEG-JFK sector.
    I think this route will be very popular and they can code-share with BT too!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous10:49

    It is easy when government lead the company. Their JFK flights are nonsense and they are non-profitable for airline like AirSerbia. First expand in Europe then you show off with long haul. Only Croatia would operated flights to USA or Canada succesfully in ex-yu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:52

      Of course it would

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:54

      Agree. It was Vucic's show off.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:57

      They should invite Delta or United to operate the JFK route.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:25

      Or they can invite Marsians to operate route to Mars.

      You really think that you just "invite" Delta or United and they run to start JFK route? Hahahahaha...

      Delete
  20. Anonymous10:56

    Why would EY burn billions on AB and AZ but not invest dozen or so millions to prop up JU long haul properly with a couple of wide bodies from the start, as it should have been done? With only one A330 JU long haul can't survive. Horrible mistake by EY.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:27

      Because they can not help themselves with stupid contract they have in AB and AZ. But in JU they have much better contract for them. So, they will do what is the best for them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:51

      JU operating just one A330 is not good for EY, it's a waste of money.

      In optimistic scenario, BEG will next summer see A330 from Air Serbia, Hainan and Etihad. In a very optimistic scenario, it will also see 777 from Emirates, 767 from Air Canada Rouge and A330 from Qatar. BEG does not have enough space for all of them!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:16

      EY is paying to participate in AB and AZ.
      But EY is getting paid by Serbia's government to participate in ASL.
      They can't lose here!

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:57

    Kondic should stop bullsh***ing. This is getting really ridiculous. Clearly, if you combine known facts with reading inbetween the lines JU is becoming a low coster. Just a low coster with some random connections in BEG.
    Even Ryanair is now offering connecting flights in some of their bases. Only negative difference is that Ryanair doesnt offer a lounge as far as I know. But they are much cheaper!
    Major disadvantage for JU is that their cost structure with having different plane types and operating a hub with costs involved for handling connections, dedicated services, lounge etc (not to be underestimated).

    JU becomes hybrid if hybrid now means "a low cost airline with higher costs".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:18

      +1
      When will airlines understand that this "hybrid" crap only results in bigger loses?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:01

      Yeah, super logic ... that's why airline's like Aer Lingus and Air baltic are on the verge of collapse

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:00

    What about Ukraine International Airways? I recently flew with them AMS-KBP-MSQ and back for 130 eur, luggage included. The only thing they charged for extra was food&drinks. All planes were packed, mostly with transfer passangers. They have an extensive and growing network in both the east and the west, and seem to be doing well. Could that be a model for Air Serbia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aэrologic11:46

      Last evening Ukraine International was sending its 767-300 to Yerevan. But for Air Serbia no market exists eastwards of the Danube Delta and this is the obvious result. There's not much more to say.

      https://scontent-waw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t35.0-12/18379084_1854642844790989_579352361_o.png?oh=2bb1397dd2faa08e492c9ff40d8ca10b&oe=5911C83F

      Delete
  23. Anonymous11:13

    JU will most likely increase capacity, get rid of/reduce business class. Start charging for drinks & food. This is not necessarily a bad thing. JU will be the low-cost division of EY something like HV of AF/KL.
    I think a good idea is to change the ATR brand to airSerbia Regional Express and pass to all economy thus competing with W6 in the Balkans.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous11:16

    Will this change into p2p mean they would finally offer some flights from INI aswell?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Well this was the only way to go.
    - P2P doesn't work and we saw that in JAT case
    - "Boutique" approach in this very price sensitive market was a clear miss
    - Extensive spoke system to BEG hub was also a mistake

    this is about the only option left for them.

    as for the cost side - crew salaries are lower or very comparable with any of its competition. BEG offers good rates. handling fees in BEG are again mostly based on low serbian salaries...
    so let's hope those cost will reflect in the ticket price, while lounge and other remnant costs of "boutique" era will be cut.

    also, the big killer with JU is the customer habits and booking tickets through agents which is cutting deeply in revenues, so that one should also change. all lowcosters are selling tickets through their channels (internet being the cheapest way) and leaving zilch to agents.

    good luck airserbia!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. also, i agree with some of the previous comments that this hybrid model leaves them to stretched (especially JFK flights are standing out from the rest of the business) and hybrid historically hasn't been the best way to go.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:31

      Hybrid works if you do it properly - and the best example of that by far is Aer Lingus. Air Serbia should have gone down this path back in 2013/2014 instead of simply following the Etihad demand of providing 5 star service for a base market (Belgrade and surrounding) where average salaries are €400-500 per month. Marie Antoinette Airlines!

      Delete
    3. Aэrologic13:14

      The problem isn't the boutique concept but that the transfer concept wasn't developped far enough.

      Delete
    4. Aэrologic13:22

      Aegean has pretty much the same level of service as Air Serbia had in the beginning and it's nothing boutique.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:01

      Pricewise, who really believes they'd cut down on fares by 40% if they could theoretically reduce costs by 40%?
      How naive does one need to be?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:04

      Aer Lingus is nothing else but a normal low coster with higher fares compared to e.g. Ryanair or Norwegian. They offer connections, so do Ryanair or Norwegian. Do we really want to call this model hybrid? Or not rather LCC!?!

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:38

      Joj slusaj ovog 3:04! You don't have a clue what Air Lingus is. Ryan does not offer connections on most flights and do not have long haul, among other things.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous19:58

      LOL!! I recommend that you listen to me. I flew EI 3 times during the last 2 years between VIE and DUB. Trust me I know very well what I am talking about! But if you prefer then compare it rather with DY! If you claim that offering connections and having long haul flights excludes the airline from being a LCC then how do you call DY?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:04

      DY is an exception that confirms the rule, an experiment in progress. Jury is still out there if experiment is a failure or not. I was talking about Ryanair.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous07:45

      If DY is an exception then EI is the next exception? Ref Ryanair, they offer connecting flights also with other airlines such as DY and EI plus connections in FCO all with luggage being checked through. So Ryanair is now "Hybrid"? Only thing they are not doing is long haul.
      You see there is merely a difference- in my opinion no factual difference at all - between LCC and Hybrid. Except for a generally higher price with "Hybrid".

      Delete
  26. Aэrologic13:37

    Problem of Air Serbia is the network which is way too undeveloped and most importantly geographically unbalanced, unable to make any returns due to the limited reach. Imagine if TK was flying to JFK, ORD, LOS, GRU but not to NRT, PEK, ICN, if all their Eastern flights ended in Istanbul and the region? Same here. That way Air Serbia is sliding into becoming another OU. So this won't solve anything but only make things worse by:

    - making Air Serbia much more unattractive border irritating to potential passengers
    - doing nothing to promote Belgrade as a transfer point between East and West with tours of the city etc. and support/promote tourism (bringing more O&D)
    - entering directly the playing field of Wizz Air without using ANY of the advantages they have as a legacy carrier, where transfer pax aren't a burden but a way to support higher frequencies and at the end be more competitive on the O&D

    Total hit and miss.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What do you wn't guys.....Air serbia and Croatia airlines are small European company's.....even worse the rest op Ex-You company's and they are struggling every year so they are all have to make miracles to continue there existence.....big sharks eating everything so i'm happy with how it is ! Greetings from Zagreb !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:12

      OU knows it is limited and does not come up with revolutionary stuff such as "Europes best boutique airline", "new wings of Europe" -> mind that it says not new wings of Balkan but it always claims "Europe"...

      OU, JP, RO etc. might be smaller airlines by size, but they know how far they can go. They know reality by experience.

      I am really sorry to say but JU (new JU under EY) with their megalomaniac concepts failed miserably and it is time they change the management.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:45

      + 1000

      Delete
  28. Anonymous14:02

    Problem with Air Serbia is too many people who think they know what is wrong with Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
  29. ....and by the way i like much more flying from Zg,Bg or Lju then driving to Wie,Ve or Budapest and flying from there....even without warm meal or juice !

    ReplyDelete
  30. What do you wn't guys.....Air serbia and Croatia airlines are small European company's.....even worse the rest op Ex-You company's and they are struggling every year so they are all have to make miracles to continue there existence.....big sharks eating everything so i'm happy with how it is ! Greetings from Zagreb !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aэrologic14:42

      There is no big and small in the world of aviation. Air Serbia covers a market of 50 million people within its ATR range.

      Delete
    2. Aэrologic14:53

      There is a lack of vision and incompetence.

      Delete
  31. Slight OT: Flew JU for the first time last Thursday, on AMS-BEG (A319) and BEG-SJJ (the newer ATR72). Flight out of AMS quite full in Y, 5ish open seats maybe (definitely less than 10 since my seq. nr. was 109). Only 1 pax in J if I saw correctly. Delayed about 35 min on departure, as the inbound flight was a bit late and gate agents seemed to be struggling a bit with something. I was in one of the preferred seats (5A) since I got it before Sabre. Sandwiches were served, very very tasty (better than TATL breakfast on DL earlier that morning).
    BEG airport not looking that good, not that many restrooms and in not so great condition.
    BEG-SJJ 66/72 I believe. Asked to be seated with my GF at transfer desk at BEG, and was told there were no open seats. Got onboard, boarding completed, and all the preferred seats were open. Asked FA to move over and he was like "sure just go for it". Silly that they didn't want to give those seats away at the transfer desk (about 1h before​ the flight when it's obvious nobody's buying them). Other airlines assign preferred seats for free at/after check in. Water and pretzels served on BEG-SJJ, no time for anything more than that.
    Overall a pleasant experience, would definitely fly JU again. Hopefully JU goes double daily out of SJJ. JU FAs are top notch: polite, caring, and really seem to be enjoying their jobs. Way above the industry average.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:59

      Thanks for sharing :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:31

      Usually, during winter, fly with LH DMM-ZAG via FRA.
      A day before flight LH sends a mail for online check in with an option to choose available seats for free.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:47

      Well, looks like food/sandwiches on-board are bad only for passengers who used to them...

      Delete
    4. Might be kinda late for a reply but anyhow..
      Online check in wasn't an option since JU flights were a part of a complex itinerary departing from the US.
      Still, given that preferred seats were empty, I'm pretty confident that they weren't offered for free to anyone at any point. (even when I asked politely at the transfer desk, they checked and said "sorry, nothing available")

      Delete
  32. Anonymous14:52

    Sadly, this airline is now becoming a joke, because their strategy was wrong from the beginning. JAT should've been shout down back in 2013... If Hungarians could have done it, Serbs could too. It would have saved a lot of money of the Serbian taxpayers and in the same time Serbs probably would have had a larger choice, as many carriers who don't fly to Belgrade now surely would if there wasn't for a joke like ASL to waste people's money in order to troll everyone and become an expensive Wizz Air now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:58

      There would not be greater choice at all. We would have gasterbaiter routes like Skopje does and no competition or no flights to Moscow, Tel Aviv, Beirut, St Petersburg, Podgorica, Tivat, Sarajevo, Tirana, Banja Luka because these are under bilateral air agreements in which Wizz Air, as a Hungarian airline which would avoid paying tax in Serbia by not registering its planes in Serbia, can not be included in. I don't know why you think JU is a joke. It still flies to 30+cities and employs 2000+ locals. On board service is another thing.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:00

      Not to mention that they would be unable to launch any non-EU route from BEG.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:19

      Disagree.

      Wizz has/had founded Wizz Air Ukraine with own AOC.
      Also Easyjet did it with Easyjet Switzerland, also with own AOC.

      That is all not a problem, if market conditions are favourable. Airlines are willing to create a seperate AOC in non-EU-countries.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:20

      Why they aren't doing it now?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:40

      Because BEG management is a bunch of p... I meant to say softies. Register, (hope to get)get AOC and pay taxes and then you can base aircraft and fly, or just pull back planes.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:00

      Exactly.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:03

      We all know: The country where you apply for AOC decides if they grant the AOC. If they have a (struggling) flag carrier to protect they might not want to grant a new AOC to a WizzAir Serbia or similar!

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:03

      So you're saying Serbia is the evil one who doesn't want to give them?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous21:08

      I'm sure they'd be more than happy to receive additional taxes they could use to support the 'struggling carrier' as well as passengers who'd be given much more choice than flying to Switzerland or Germany. #wizziarhypocrisy

      Delete
  33. Anonymous17:21

    I flew SKG - LHR via BEG business class few weeks ago, I hope they will maintain at least one row of business class seats since their service was excellent. Also the lounge in BEG is decent for European connections. I'll post video report in the next few days, working on that currently.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:29

      Business class is indeed excellent and I honestly don't get why wouldn't they disclose what is going to become of it. For example, I would have bought one business class ticket for July already, but I'm going to hold off until it is clear whether it will survive the cuts; no way I'll be paying that much extra for an empty middle seat.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous17:46

    Admin, da li neko zna ili možda shvata kada će ASL uvesti ta tanja sedišta, pre ili posle vrhunca letnje sezone ? I kako će izgledati konfiguracija kabine, koliko redova, hoće li uopšte biti biznis klase u smislu konfornijih sedišta ? Ovako se objavljuje da će se nešto objaviti u nedeljama koje su pred nama.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:33

      Trebalo bi da budu završena do vrhunca letnje sezone, i koliko ja mislim biznis ostaje

      Delete
    2. Insider00:14

      Business klasa ko u LH, 6 sedišta i srednje se ne koristi.

      Sedišta se menjaju krajem augusta i u septembru.

      Delete
  35. Anonymous17:48

    Often this part of the cabin is less than 30-50% occupied so why don't they promote this product more by giving a possibility to upgrade at the gate or to market the product at a somewhat lower price. Also I don't understand what is the point of installing more seats in economy since LF is not that great most of the time (with exceptions of peak holiday times).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:33

      I asked someone whether they are considering doing something with the Plusgrade platform, as C is constantly either emptyish or full of complimentary op-ups due to full Y - it was a flat out no, not a priority.

      Myself, I would regularly bid for upgrade. They are set to make 50 extra EUR at least per seat instead of 0, for a price of one meal.

      Delete
  36. AirCEO18:53

    Quick question for our aviation experts: How many hybrid airlines are in the USA? Tough question? Not really, the answer is: zero. Not one exists, as the term hybrid is not used there for airlines. They all transitioned (to what you still call hybrid) long time ago. Delta, Southwest or Spirit, economy passengers will have to pay at least something extra if they want more than a bare seat. With WN you get free bag but you pay $5 for a movie, $5 for a beer, $15 for early check-in etc, the mix of what’s included and what you pay for is the differentiator among airlines. Get used to it, this is the new normal. They didn’t bankrupt because of that transition, in fact they are all making a ton of money from ancillary fees.

    Same will happen with Air Serbia. This is not “beginning of the end” or “return to JAT” (jat never had those options) etc. It is a way to make more money while giving customer choice to choose what they want to pay for. For example, if I fly from coastal airport I will pay for window seat because I want to enjoy the view, then pay for aisle exit row seat on connecting flight because it’s a longer night flight. On a way back, I can pay for lounge access as the connection time is much longer or I might have an extra bag etc. I always hated binary biz or eco choice, this is giving me ability to create bespoke trip experience. You will get used to it and you will like it after a while.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:27

      Bravo ! First sensible comment of the day, after all of the earlier hysteria of gloom and doom.

      Infact, i'm betting that this will be the next phase of significant growth for JU as they actually broaden their offering to allow for passengers to build and tailor their own experience.

      So, you will not pay for the things that you don't want and you will in turn, be able to buy the things that you value.

      Get ready for the new normal

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:11

      It was said earlier already. It is fine that you give the customer a choice to book and pay only what he wants. But the question is: will ASL (come from boutique airline ratws) really lower their BASE fares so much to the level of other LCCs operating at BEG? Or will they almost stay the same as they are now - and then you are supposed to pay for all the extras - meaning you will pay much more in total.
      This is not good for the passengers, only better for income of airline.
      Also, many people on here have a problem with ASL's attitude. They are trying to sell all this as a great upgrade and enhancement to their product.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:16

      First of all, you can't compare the European aviation market to the one in the US. How many serious airlines are there in the US and how many do you have in Europe? With how many foreign airlines do US carriers compete with an with how many do European ones?

      How many ULCCs are there in the US? You are also forgetting that in Europe trains and buses are real competition while in the US they are not.

      Furthermore, US airlines are reintroducing meals on certain domestic routes, not only to Hawaii btw.

      So your comparison doesn't stand.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:25

      To make your life easy here they are:

      US

      1. United
      2. Delta
      3. American
      4. Southwest
      5. Jetblue
      6. Allegiant
      7. Spirit

      Europe

      1. Icelandair
      2. Norwegian
      3. SAS
      4. Finnair
      5. British Airways
      6. Ryanair
      7. Wizz Air
      8. KLM
      9. SN Brussels
      10. Transavia
      11. Air France
      12. Iberia
      13. Aer Lingus
      14. TAP
      15. Alitalia
      16. easyJet
      17. Swiss

      And so on and so on.

      So yeah, American airlines are making money because of the ancillaries. lol

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:26

      Problem is that they will (probably) keep the same fares while they will drop service. I mean, 120eur to 45min flight to Montenegro, its ridicilous and expensive! This all looks now like typical balkan privasitation..now is the time to take as much money they can and then they (EY) will just left the company.


      Would love to be wrong...but we will see when (IF) they put new fares.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:47

      While every market has specific issues, global common trend is pay for service at least on short and medium haul. In Japan, Ana domestic includes one bag but you have to pay even for a snack or a meal. With Peach (LCC in Japan) you pay for checked baggage etc. Globally everyone is moving in the same direction.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:13

      @Anon at 8:25 "So yeah, American airlines are making money because of the ancillaries. lol"

      It's not funny, they are. This was posted last week:

      http://cnnmon.ie/2oX1TCN

      U.S. airlines collected $4.2 billion in baggage fees last year

      Delete
    8. Anonymous22:02

      Yeah and my point is that they can get away with it because the US domestic market is extremely uncompetitive. If there was more competition it would be harder for them to take away these perks.

      Delete
    9. Aэrologic22:12

      What being a hybrid airline has to do with dismantling your network?! LO, PS even JP are all hybrid airlines.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:21

      Anon at 8.26pm ... I don't get people like you at all ... you don't wanna pay EUR120 for a tkt to Montenegro ? Then don't - go by train, bus or car - you can do that you realise ?

      Moreover, the airline is not a social service. It is a business. Do you know what businesses exist to do ? To make money - that's right !

      So until such time that the market opens up, then while ever they can squeeze out EUR120 from people like you, then good luck to them, so they should.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous22:26

      @8.11pm - how exactly do you expect them to run base fares similar to other LCCs from BEG when they fly to primary airports where the taxes alone are sometimes triple what they are at the secondary airports that LCCs fly to ?

      Delete
    12. Anonymous23:04

      Sorry, two comments: 1) Interesting that you bring up the example of U.S. based airlines. Flying in the U.S. is an absolute misery that people endure only because they have no other choice. The boarding process in 9 groups, incessant advertising, overfull bins, FAs full of attitude, infinite lines at bag drop stations -- it's just awful. Any European legacy carrier is infinitely more pleasant. 2) And yet there is not a single major U.S. carrier that will charge you 30 EUR if you don't check in online. That's just totally insane, inappropriate for JU's market, and unnecessarily introduces hoops for travelers to jump through.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous23:16

      What's the issue ? Buy the right fare with personal checkin included and you avoid the fee. Alternatively, checkin online and you avoid the fee. Or, if you still have issues, then fly with another airline and avoid the fee.

      Pretty simple, yeah ?

      Delete
    14. Anonymous06:43

      The thing is that the normal fare that includes check-in is far more expensive than the cheapest one. In other words JU is not worthy of it, it's product doesn't warrant it.

      You are right, most locals will switch to other carriers.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous06:53

      What's wrong with checking yourself in on-line to avoid the checkin fee ?

      You talk as if no one out there will even contemplate the possibility of using online checkin.

      Avoid the fee by using online checkin - i don't see the dilemma

      Delete
  37. Is there actually a single "hybrid" airline that actually runs good in Europe?

    Dane, get out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:20

      BT is barely making it so I wouldn't really call them a stable business.

      Delete
    2. And how many have failed? :D

      Delete
    3. Anonymous22:23

      Yeah, Easyjet.... they run real good

      Delete
    4. How is easyJet a hybrid airline?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous06:48

      They use traditional GDS's to distribute their fares and content - moving away from strict LCC principles of direct distribution via their own website. This is what traditional airlines to distribute their content and fares.

      In fact, more and more LCC's are adopting legacy airline distribution, realising the limitations of their direct to consumer distribution

      Delete
    6. I don't know, but I wouldn't call them a hybrid airline just because of their distribution system.

      They still don't have business class, they surely have major sales through their website. The only thing that differs them from Ryanair and WizzAir are their destinations, main airports.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous20:58

    What is the faith of YU-ANJ does anyone know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:15

      OT What happened with 2-DEER 787 visit to Belgrade (aka Mlazni Jelen)?

      Delete
  39. Anonymous21:42

    I am wondering if they will add new European routes in November when they stop flying to AUH or increase capacity on existing routes? I really hope they finally launch INI-BEG. Domestic flights are important economically for a country.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous21:52

    FB is an example of a recent business model change to combat with agressive W6 and FR presence. They recently introduced the hand luggage fare only, usually deploy their bigger A32S with all economy on busy O&D routes such as LHR, AMS, BRU, BCN but in the same time focus on efficient codesharing to ensure transfer traffic too. Next logic step is to introduce paid onboard catering too.
    I think JU can apply the same model before W6 decide to base another a/c and/or having other bigger sharks take the share of the cake such as KK, LO.
    Finally, they can apply the Norwegian or Level business model on the BEG-JFK route to ensure continuous traffic flow.
    Good luck to JU and pozdrav from your cousins in Sofia.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous22:47

    Beyond JU, this will have major implications on BEG airport. Whoever gets concession (if gov't proceeds) will not count on JU's growth and will want to focus on other airlines. I just don't see how JU can compete with LCC product and premium pricing (LHR route is a perfect example).
    In the end, it will depend on the willingness of Gov't to support it. With SNS and President firmly in power and no elections in the near future they could cut JU loose and prioritise BEG.

    my2cents

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:21

      What rubbish are you talking about ? They already compete against LCCs with premium pricing - especially on their LHR route where their loads are always very heavy.

      Delete
    2. BA88800:49

      As mentioned above...

      The insanse price of £250 for LHR-BEG-LHR with LCC product is certainly stopping me buying tickets at present. I can get to NYC for £400 rtn on exactly the same dates!

      Delete
    3. BA88800:55

      (Actually £328 as per Skyscanne! LHR-EWR-LHR with Austrian. Why on earth pay £250 to get to BEG???)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous01:02

      No need for insults. Yes, they compete with LCCs on london route NOW, with the old boutique model and product. But with the 'new' business model, it will be a very different story, as the only advantage will be flying to main airports.
      I do hope that Ryanair/Easy/Norwegian take a slice of London market with STN/LGW route.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous06:58

      Insults ? WHich ones are those ?

      JU can charge whatever they want with whatever product they care to choose... there will always be demand for flights to LHR - irrespective of which airline flies to any of the other London airports, as evidenced by Wizz Air's current flights from BEG to Luton

      Delete
  42. Anonymous09:02

    You are absolutely right. JU can do whatever they like. Let me rephrase, my view is that passengers won't pay these type of premium prices for a clearly downgraded product.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      They are already doing that today and are flying full aircraft.

      BTW, on what basis do you conclude that they will have a "downgraded" product, when no details have yet been released ?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:42

      1) paying for seats
      2) airport check-in extortion
      3) loss of legroom (adding 30 seats can't be without loss of comfort)

      And the way they are heading

      4) paying for bags ( unless they reduce the fares by eur 10-15
      5) pating for meals

      This is no different from Easy or Norwegian and close to Ryanair

      Let it sync in with passengers, it won'r happen overnight.


      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:24

      I just love refuting trolls like yourself. With the greatest of pleasure, let me respond to each of your pts above.

      1) WRONG - you only pay if you want a pre-assigned seat. So paying for seats is not mandatory or compulsory. The system will allocate you a seat if you don't want to pay for a seat
      2) WRONG - checkin online and you pay nothing. Buy a fare with checkin included and yu pay nothing
      3) WRONG - no change to current pitch, which remains the same
      4) no details yet, so that we don't know - STOP trolling
      5) no details yet, so that we don't know - STOP trolling.

      Any other lies you care to peddle ?

      Delete
  43. Anonymous08:27

    Glad to make your day.
    1) you could have picked a seat for free before. How is this not a downgrade?
    2) Correct. There will be people who will get burnt, wait and see. There are many people who still buy tickets at travel agents, not online. The idea of such rigid penalty is a downgrade.
    3) OK. 30 extra people on the plane will be felt. Boarding, overhead space, toilet queues, etc.
    4) as said, this is where it's heading, judging by announced changes and pivot in business model.
    5) same as above

    No lies, this is my opinion.

    ReplyDelete

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