Air Serbia CEO: No decision on US flights

Air Serbia evaluating feasibility of transatlantic services

Air Serbia’s CEO, Dane Kondić, has said that no decision has been made on launching flights to the United States but confirmed the airline is continuing to evaluate the feasibility of transatlantic services. Speaking to the “Flightglobal” magazine recently, Mr. Kondić said, “No decision has been made. There has been a lot of talk about it. We haven’t actually said anything about it”. He added, “The government is a shareholder in the business and they've asked us to look at the feasibility of serving North America. We are in throes of doing studies and analysis. Now, simultaneously, and not to prejudice the outcome of what analysis is going to show us, we've asked the government to make sure everything regulatory, that would enable us to fly, if we decide to fly, is in place”.

The CEO of Serbia’s national carrier previously told “The Australian” newspaper, in an interview published on February 20, that the airline hopes to establish transatlantic flights within twelve to fourteen months. Serbia and the United States signed a Bilateral Air Service Agreement on Tuesday, paving the way for future services. The Serbian government has pushed for flights to the States since Etihad Airways took a 49% stake in Jat Airways and renamed it to Air Serbia in August 2013. The government has been continuously pushing for services to New York and Toronto. On the other hand, Etihad Airways’ CEO, James Hogan, said exactly a year ago that Chicago will likely become Air Serbia’s first long haul destination. “Air Serbia will connect the entire region. We plan to expand our network based on the Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin diaspora”, Mr. Hogan said at the time. He added, “We will launch new routes and Chicago is the first destination we are thinking of”. However, Etihad’s CEO has continuously said that services would be launched “only if the numbers stack up”.

Speaking to “Flightglobal”, Mr. Kondić noted that Air Serbia’s analysis of future transatlantic flights has been based around Airbus A330-200s. The CEO said the airline would follow a similar process in leasing the aircraft as it did with other members of its fleet. “We’d go in and see what aircraft are available within the [Etihad] family, that’s the synergies that come from being part of a family. It would be a remiss not to do that - so we’d see what aircraft might be available, and of course we’d go out to the market”, Mr. Kondić concluded.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:30

    Hmmm..."...We are in throes of doing studies and analysis....no decision has been made on launching flights to the United States...." It seems that Mr Kondic is less enthusiastic and optimistic than Serbian politicians are. Or maybe, he is more realistic than them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:21

      +1.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:37

      I suppose he would have to make promises, announce the exact dates and name specific routes? And then you would bash him for doing so without even having DoT's approval in hand. Whatever this guy and ASL do or say, the Night Watch on this blog will always be ready to launch the immediate barrage of doom-end-disaster-loss-tragedy posts. It is more easy to predict than tomorrow's weather.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:03

      AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 9:30 AM

      To the contrary, he is actually being purposefully shrewd with his comments, so as not to disclose too much of the upcoming developments. You always have to take your opponent by surprise, and this is no different in the aviation industry. A long-standing Etihad policy, btw. However, if you were listening to his previous comments on this matter, a more clear set of clues is left by him. Certainly, the GoS is pursing this as a matter of national pride, but network wise, JU has been preparing for this too, over the past year. This forms part of a much wider Etihad strategy to keep the pressure on the North American market.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:39

      Actually, Mr Kondić is a businessman, not a politician, as well as Mr Hogan. These kind of people have only one thing is mind and that is long-term profit, while politicians only care about their own popularity. That is why there are differences in their press releases. Personally, I don't believe in those flights if Hogan estimates there will be no profit, so that leaves us with option of state subsides. But it is to early to say. Still, I believe Mr Kondić knows more about aviation market and airline management than Mrs Mihajlović and his statements are more realistic.

      Darko ZL

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:33

    start to fly to USA. And now it starts „we said IF“, „we mentioned that it will happen just in case route structure will do well“. So what they want to say?

    That Air Serbia is not really profitable?
    That LF is not good to feed USA flights?
    That there is no more money for dumping and because of that LF will be even lower in 2016 and less feeding passengers for potential USA routes?
    That there is no money for present routes structure and more risk and spending money is not possible?

    Those are logical questions but one thing is for SURE: if CEO said “We haven’t actually said anything about it” then it is at least not good and he make possible way of getting out of plans to open USA routes. That is on-time excuse for what will happen in future. Not to make it as shock in few months. And we will see if that “we haven’t actually said anything about it” will become “numbers are not in favour for USA routes” and latter “it will be irresponsible for us to start USA routes and put Air Serbia project in danger” than there will be no USA flights.

    But actually I thing that this announcement is not because of “getting out” but it is pressure to government and Vučić. He promise USA flights. It is his political project. Serbia invest huge amount of money in this pinkie dream-company. And he cannot afford not to open USA flights. And Etihad will not do it without extra money, extra lot of millions of EUR. On top of several hundred millions already put in company. So this Kondić announcement in reality is: “Dear Mr. Vučić if you will not give us more money we will not open USA flights”. Does Serbia have that money? Or it will make another loan from UAE?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Ja isto mislim da se radi o novcima.
      Niko ne treba godinama za te feasibility studije.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:11

      Why do you care how much money we in Serbia have? Worry about your own issues and leave us primitives with our "pinkie dream-company".

      Btw, I'll send you an update of my customer experience next year, via my laptop or my mobile phone, somewhere over the Atlantic, as I'm flying BEG-JFK.

      Cheers!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:29

      Last anonymous,

      Your comment is just pathetic.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:04

      AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 12:29 PM

      +1

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:06

      Jel mozete biti naivniji,pricu u usa letovima gura etihad jer krece napad na to trziste na mala vrata preko air serbia oni to zestoko guraju i doslo je prethodne godine do velikih varnica izmedju njih cak su delta i ostali trazili zabranu letenja prema usa za sve kompanije iz zaliva i njihove partnere.Letovi za usa i Kanadu ce se desiti jer etihad tako zeli a ne Vucic ili sta znam ko.Koliko moras biti ogranicen da mislis da ce od usa letova imati korist neki politicar ili da to potencira cisto iz hira pa za par meseci da propadnu letovi jer je bilo napamet.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:46

      Da, da... Etihadu treba Air Serbia za letove prema SAD. I siguran sam da će Etihad, Emirates i Qatar nagrabusiti radi 2 leta koje bi mogla imati Air Serbia. Znate li vi gospodine uopce da

      1. USB3 (Delta, American i United) vode otvoreni rat preko Kongresa da se zatvori nebo za MEB3 (Emirates, Qatar i Etihad). Taj rat je ogroman i vrlo ozbiljan. On nije niti prošlost, kako vi kažete (prošle godine), nego je sadašnjost i toliko je velik da ministri UEA i Qatara odlaze u SAD da bi pokušali to spriječiti.

      2. Znate li vi, gospodine da MEB3 (Emirates, Etihad i Qatar) imaju 26 linija prema SAD-u (Emirates 10, Etihad 9, Qatar 7, te otvara još 3) sa oko 220 tjednih polazaka. Što u ovih 10-tak tjednih polazaka na potencijalne 2 linije prema SAD-u Air Serbije u tom kontekstu znače?

      3. Kako to mislite da Etihad kreće na napad na ovo tržište? Ove linije koje predlaže Air Serbia (Chicago i New York) sva tri prijevoznika iz Bliskog Istoka već lete i to sa 70 tjednih polazaka (10 puta dnevno). Kako etihad kreće u napad ako već ima 9 linija prema SAD među kojima i Chicago i New York i najavljuje dodatne letove i linije?

      Hajde omanite se ovih diletantskih populističkih objašnjenja za široke i neuke mase.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:53

      Da bi ti letovi funkcionirali Air Serbia mora uvesti cijelogodisnje letove prema SPU, DBV, RJK (bar 3-4 p/w). To znaci da im fali jos ATR-ova za obavljanje toga. Uz to namjestiti sve regionalne letove da dolaze u BEG kroz jutarnji val tako da se linija za Ameriku dobro napuni...

      Delete
    8. Vaske16:48

      Why are people on this site constantly in favor of regional routes, and nobody sees that last year a massive regional expansion occurred ( BUD, SOF, OTP, BNX, LJU, ZAG, PRG,TIR ). How does nobody see that we need to go out of the box and look at Amman, Cario, Iran, Spain, Norway etc. Of course its not a gurantee that those routes will be a immediate success, but its worth a try. Yugoslavia is gone but some people are stuck with that regional mentality, lets fly to Ohrid, Cluj, Zadar, Portroz all year long.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:41

      The point is that Croatia is absolutely tourist star in Europe and that Serbia (Air Serbia) can have part of that big cake by transporting tourists to Croatian coast via Belgrade. You won't believe how many tourists last year came to Croatia via Belgrade.

      Delete
    10. Vaske17:56

      I am well aware that there are tourists transiting in BEG to go to places such as Split and Dubrovnik, but that is very seasonal. Yes there is tourists in the spring/winter time but other companies are also there. I would say ( free estimate) there are close to 100 companies operating in Croatia including regular/charter flights. Do you guys really think that ASL is a big player there? Just look at U2 presence in Split. Also do you really think that flights during months like November, December, February would be profitable if ASL has flown to Split or Dubrovnik?

      Delete
    11. @ Anon 2:46
      I have to corrcet you, zahtjev USB3 je ne da se kompletno zatvori US nebo za MEB3 nego da se zaustavi izdavanje dodatnh dozvola. Sto znaci da ih zaustave gdje i jesu. To se isto desilo i u Kanadi, gdje su zaustavili EK na 3 leta sedmicno za YYZ iako su htjeli da povecaju frekvencije i lete na druge destinacije. Tako da, ako se sve uzme u obzir ja nebih 100% iskljucio ono sto anon 2:06 govori. Iako, ako US DoT ne dozvoli sirenje Etihadu, nevjerujem da bi puno drugacije gledali na sirenje kompanije koja je u 49% vlasnistvu Etihada.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous20:41

      Ja sam ovaj od 2.06 za ovog ispod
      Znam ja od kad je to i znam zasto je obzirom da Etihad i ostali iz zaliva lete iz usa,Kanade prema svojim habovima a ne prema evropi sto je ogromna za razliku od air Serbia npr zbog geografske pozicije,koliko mi jos necemo uci u eu a imamo potpisano sa uae da mogu koristiti nase nebo prema 3.zemljama nisi o tome mislio.Air Serbia je trojanac u tom ratu a SM je lepo napisao poenta je da se zaustavi dalja ekspanzija a ne da se zabrani letenje zalivskim kompanijama.Usa nije kao Kanada oni jednostavno nece moci uraditi to sto hoce delta i kompanija to je nemoguce jer se to kosi sa samom sustinom liberalizma u usa odnosno globalizma kojeg su oni promovisali sve sa bombama nad drugim zemljama jedino sto mogu uraditi je da odloze malo ovako kao sto rade dizuci tuzbe koje nemaju sanse da prodju i pravnim zackoljicama.Ponavljam ovo nema nikakve veze sa air Serbia vec iskljucivo rat zaliva protiv starih divova u usa ASL je trojanac koji ulazi na mala vrata.Mislim da uopste nije pitanje da li ce biti putnika vec je pitanje samo koliko ce letova dozvoliti i nista vise.Cene koje asl moze ponuditi su nezamarljivo manje od ostalih a to nema nikakve veze sa subvencijama vec... a sad mozete me ismevati.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous22:19

      Nisam procitao vecu glupost nego tvo komentar AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 8:41 PM.. Da covek ne poveruje..Ti bolje da ides u neke politicare nego da komentarises ovde.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10:11

    Odlican potez .
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:21

    Interesantna izjava...

    Mislim da je u pitanju lova. Ali u ovom slucaju lova moze biti sa nase strane isto kao i sa Etihadove. Cinjenica je da je pocelo da se "reze" i smanjuje potrosnja u UAE, zbog niske cene goriva, troskovi se moraju smanjiti. Navodno situacija u Etihadu je takva da su 'zamrzli' direct entry Kapetanstvo. Znaci i njima nije sjajno dole, a ovde kod nas naravno svako bi da leti do Marsa ali pritom da se ne investira lova.

    Tako da ovo moze biti CEO-ova poruka nasim politicarima, ali u jedno mozda i znak da u Etihadu ne stima sve najbolje, i da to moze isto biti razlog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:35

    I think that Mr.Kondic is the guy to state what he as GM is to do with the company. If Vucic is not happy with this, he can act thru the legal body of the company and get a new GM. This is the way to operate and this is what Serbia has to start understanding that personal wishes, desires, benefits has nothing to do with a company.

    I think that Mr.Kondic and Ethidad has taken a perfect stand on this issue, we all know that nobody in the Balkans does anything until it has really happened. We can all make plans 5 times over, but things very rarely happens. Why spend all the time on making plans when it all comes down to some stupid political happening or non-happening. Just look at the case with the tour-operators and Turkey, all of a sudden the Ministry of Stupidity has some crazy idea about what they think is right instead of letting people chose what they want to do.

    Now the facts are on the table, there is a deal, which however has to be ratified by XXXXX.....great, things can still go upshot creek.

    Then, the airport itself.......infrastructure, runway load = type of ac, terminal, flow of passengers, passport control....

    On Tuesday I was to pick up one (1) guest that flew in for a couple of hours, no luggage.....it took him 55 minutes from landing until he was out.....

    Please, somebody help the airport to get things right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pera Kojot14:26

      BEG airport is one of the fastest airports to get out. I don't know where your guest got stuck but if there was no luggage he could wait 15-20 min on passport control and that would be max.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:35

      @Pera Kojot, you are not a frequent flyer, are you? And you do not work in the aviation industry, do you?

      Delete
    3. Pera Kojot is right, one time when there was no "guzva" I came out in less then 10 min. With a lot of pax it took me max 20 min due to passport control. In that segment I would rank BEG a full 10/10.

      Delete
    4. This all happened during summer time, in winter I could who knows, maybe 5 min?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:00

      Correct. If anything, beg is fast and efficient to get in or out of.

      Delete
    6. JATBEGMEL20:47

      I also find it quick to exit the terminal after landing. Roughly 15-20 mins.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:39

    Air Serbia is being run by professionals, BEG is being run by politically appointed people, does anybody understand the difference?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:40

    A few comments on my recent flights SVO-BEG-LCA and return. I had JU tickets (return 390E) and sector SVO-BEG was on code share flight with Aeroflot. All 4 flights on time or slightly ahead of schedule. 90 and 45 min respectively connecting time in BEG; luggage made the connection and was at destination on both flights despite my fear of the 45min transfer time. Transfer in Beg smooth and easy; boarding passes given in LCA fro both segments. Aeroflot service was average standard. JU service on board better than SU and staff much more welcoming. Now LF ... SU flight 100%; JU BEG- LCA 66pax (2 in business); JU LCA-BEG APJ 80pax (0 in business); JU Beg- SVO APB 101 pax (7 in business which was a big surprise to me as it was a 6:30 AM departure!). Seated in row 8A in A319 very little legroom thanks God row 9 exit was not occupied so I treated myself with a bit more comfort. Overall JU has a pretty consistent product, good looking planes, excellent crews (both cabin and cockpit) and decent fares. They easily can manage the transatlantic game and come out as winners since their current product is even superior to many western companies. America should welcome JU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:17

      Thanks for the feedback. Sounds good!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:47

      Was direct tickets between Moscow and Larnaca so much more expensive?
      I would thought with Aegean starting the route and not being high season yet that you could get a lot better prices for a direct flight than 390E.

      Delete
    3. Thankyou Anon. 10:40 AM. So please to reading such positive comment. You lifting trust to AIR SERBIA, and proofing you self. You are in right hand. You are in hand of AirSERBIA. On the way for winter season in Fatherland, looking forward to be on seat of airline on mouve, AIR SERBIA✈.
      Friendly regards. ✈Rodney from sunny Coogee, Sydney✈.

      Delete
    4. Direct flights between Russia and Cyprus can be crazy expensive. Some friends of mine have paid €500 during the summer months.

      Rossiya can have really good prices but that's to LED alone.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:38

      Any direct flight was 2-3 times more expensive due to the May 8-11 holidays in Russia. Used Momondo and JU came as one of the best options flight time vs price. The cheapest was with Ukrainian International but the total flight times were ridiculously long (over 15hrs). Connection via WAW was pretty close to JU but I elected BEG to witness for the first time how does it feel to be in transit via BEG )))

      Delete
    6. America won't welcome AS because of their airlines' dispute with the gulf carriers. AS is 49% owned by a gulf carrier.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:50

      Stvarno ? .
      INN-NS

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:57

      INN ostao bez reci. Necuveno.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:23

      AS je Alaska Airlines a ne Air Serbia.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    10. Anonymous18:42

      Ne vadi se na gluposti. Danas su se tvoje grandiozne prognoze redimenzionirale. Cutaj i rep pod noge.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous19:19

      Jel to isto kao da ce doci ATR tek za 2-3 godine a dosao u roku od mesec dana tako nisam ja kriv sto vi ne razumet.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    12. JATBEGMEL20:43

      @ E

      "America won't welcome AS because of their airlines' dispute with the gulf carriers. AS is 49% owned by a gulf carrier."

      America or the US3? Jetblue doesnt seem to be against the ME3. Lets not forget that the US3 have been caught out in alot of lies, especially in regards to EK.

      Delete
  8. ADRIA AIRWAYS UNOFFICIAL statistics for April 2015

    7% more flights
    4% more scheduled flights

    17% more passangers (98860)
    15% more scheduled pax and 33% more charter pax

    57 pax per scheduled flight (up 10%)

    Overall in first 4 months of 2015 Adria transfered 11% more pax and increased operated flights by 2%.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:44

      Looks good, do you have info about loadfactor?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:41

      +10

      Delete
  9. OT : JU 631 from WAW to BEG had exactly 64 pax. Which on 737 (YU-AND) means 80 empty seats, and LF of 44 % .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:15

      They should put an ATR on this route.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:19

      Warsaw will be terminated shortly

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:29

      Btw, when ASL uses any of its Boeings with 144 seat configuration on regular scheduled flights, is the business class on offer ? If yes, do they block some seats in the first two or three rows thus not selling them ? Does anybody here have any info or experience about that ?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:42

      Its too long a flight to be flown with ATR.
      Not so mu7ch due to range but it would be very uncomfortable for the passengers flying that long in an ATR.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:56

      It is only 850 km, less then two hours on ATR72.

      Delete
    6. I agree that ATR would do much better on the route, in terms of load. But I'm not sure how economical ATR is on longer flights.
      They send it to PRG, where the distance is aprox 740 km. To WAW it is around 820 km .
      As we all know, they are in lack of ATR's, so I doubt that they are going to put it on this route.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:32

      Last week I flew bel - vie with a 733. First 2 or 3 rows were business. The seat in the middle was not sold.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous13:39

      The seat in the middle was not sold because it is Business class! 3 seats all over but one difference is that in Business Class you only have 2 passengers per seat.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous13:48

      Correct. I thought that much was obvious.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14:28

      Should of course be per ROW.....haha! Otherwise I guess that business class passengers would complaint a bit.... :)

      Delete
    11. I would be mad if I paid for business and got a 737. Imagine it on a flight to TLV, where the economy ticket for random date is 310 € , while business is 500 € . So the 190 € difference for a better meal?

      Delete
    12. HEHE22:06

      ^true, plus somebody might say " you got an extra seat between", well my answer to them is that economy pax will also get an extra seats cause the flights are at 50% LF. Actually there is a chance that biz class will be more cramped then economy. Its better to seat in Y with 40-50 other pax than to seat in C with other 4 pax.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous12:25

    I think this statement has a lot more to do with what's coming for JU then about the CEO being cautious or not wanting to reveal too much. Lots of cuts ahead and mostly routes that were supposed to fill these transatlantic flights.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:41

    Its too long a flight to be flown with ATR.
    Not so mu7ch due to range but it would be very uncomfortable for the passengers flying that long in an ATR.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:05

      That's why they need a regional jet or Q400 for those routes. Both have around 80-90seats.

      Delete
    2. Q400 would not make a huge difference - maybe 10 - 15 min. I think that E170/75 would be great for this route, but we all know that it won't happen any time soon.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:16

      No they do not need regional jets for WAW. You can fly them in slow months.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:37

      Q400 would make a bigger impact then that I can assure you. 10-15min on shorter sectors, but on longer one, it would take 30min+ for ATR to catch up to it. Regional jets at not a solution as they burn more then props. So it leaves only the Q400 or ATRs. On medium/longer range, the Q wins any day.

      Delete
    5. On 300 NM (555 km) flight Q400 is 13 minutes faster than ATR 72 - 500.
      But also it burns more fuel than ATR 72, which is for many companies more important. The Q400 would cost 1.3 more to operate than ATR 72 - 500.
      The advantage of Q400 over ATR 72 is the number of seats, but that doesn't help the economics.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous21:48

      I agree with you, as I said above, on shorter sectors the advantage of Q400 is around 15min. But Warsaw is 500+miles. The time difference would be greater plus you carry 10-15 more people. Again, I'm not disputing ATRs superiority on short (under 300miles) routes, but Q400 would be able to supplement Airbus on some routes that ATR just couldn't do without great time penalty, which would affect turnaround times and ultimately the entire schedule.

      Delete
    7. It wouldn't make sense for Air Serbia to operate both ATRs and Q400s . The Q400s would have a very small niche in the network because they can't compete with ATRs on routes less than 300nm, and because after about ~600nm, all the advantages that a Q400 has over a regional jet are lost.

      ATRs are necessary for JU's regional routes, so that fleet has to stay. A320s are also here to stay. The only additional fleet that I think might make sense is a 70-100 seat jet.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:43

      The Q does quite well on routes up to 600nm. Having said that, how many routes does ASL have that are significantly longer than 600nm from BEG? LHR, SVO, CDG?? Those routes are always full anyways...

      Everything else is easily a task a Q400 can do when Airbus is half empty. On the other hand ATR would struggle with capacity and schedule. Having said that, the Q400 can do long range cruise which brings the speed back at around 285kts (at FL250) and reduces fuel consumption drastically. So if you need it for short haul, it can do the job, and if you need it to replace A319 on a certain leg during off peak times, it can do that too with a marginal time penalty but considerable fuel advantage. Anything about 1000km, the jet makes more sense.

      Delete
    9. JATBEGMEL10:42

      adding a new type for a couple of flights is an expensive move. Crew would need to be trained whilst maintenance cost would as well rise. ATR suits JU better for now. The situation for now may not be the best, but in the second round of expansion I am sure things would look different. Alot happened for our small insignificant airline in the past year.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:20

      Valid point and I agree the positives have overshadowed negative issues at ASL. I'm not proposing a new (third) type. All I'm saying is either replacing all ATRs or upgrading them to -600 series would probably be the best solution for now. Issue is you still haven't solved the problem, and ultimately another type has to step in or just have to deal with 2 type fleet and take the hit certain times.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous11:22

      Too bad Bombardier is not producing new Q100/300 to supplement the Q400. Now you got unmatched versatility while you maintain common type for crew :)

      Delete
  12. Anonymous13:49

    Hi!

    Has anybody ever flown AUH-BEG-SJJ-BEG-AUH with Air Serbia before?

    Where can I read reviews of these flights?

    Has anybody here flown these routes? What are the seats / meals / in-flight entertainment system like?

    Cheers! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:18

      Score 10 out of 10

      Cabin Flown

      Economy


      Value for Money


      Seat Comfort


      Staff Service


      Catering


      Entertainment


      Recommended


      I flew with Air Serbia in June from Abu Dhabi to Belgrade and from Sarajevo to Belgrade. Nice, young, friendly cabin crew, excellent catering, and flying with Serbian people you don't need better entertainment. Both flights were on time with wonderful landing from Sarajevo to Belgrade turning around Avala mountain.

      this is a review from Skytrax

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:42

      Landed from London... flight about 85% full... I'd say 60% foreigners, decent food, excellent cabin service and crew, a few comments flying about how good the service is... clean aircraft, every seat pockets stocked up with fresh magazine and safety instructions... all in all, better than my recent Lufthansa and Swiss experiences... a British guy next to me told me he feared flying Air Serbia but now thinks its miles ahead of British Airways.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:32

      If 60% are foreigners, that is not a good thing. It probably means that most pax are only transiting in BEG, and it's not their final destination, resulting in low yields...

      Delete
    4. JATBEGMEL20:36

      Transit pax isnt as bad as it seems. That is an extra 2 seats (or 4 for a return sector) JU will have sold. In BEG they will spend at least for a coffee. Long story short, extra cash for Serbian businesses. Yields have improved, the prices are not as low like they were last year, and yet there is still growth in pax numbers which is positive. JU is still forming their brand lets not forget, and recent reviews on skytrax for example show there is possitive feedback.

      Online check in is something they need to bring in, they are aware of that, and they have said they are working on it. They did say it will come with the new website, I just hope that doesnt dissapoint.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous23:05

      AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 4:42 PM
      Have you landed from LHR today, 14.05., with JU381?

      Delete
  13. AirCEO15:42

    "we've asked the government to make sure everything regulatory, that would enable us to fly, if we decide to fly, is in place"

    FAA Cat I - check (delayed a bit); US bilateral - check (delayed a lot); what else is on GoS ToDo list? Sounds like something else is missing... Could it be something at BEG airport, perhaps separate arr/dep passengers, or at least two A330 capable gate areas, or dedicated Air Serbia Terminal? Almost nothing has been done at the airport in the last 12 months and no concession decision has been made! In the meantime, Kondic and his team made a gargantuan task of transforming JAT into modern airline that is Air Serbia.

    Could be something else, but look at the prime suspect first: BEG airport. My 2 outsider cents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:43

      Definately airport, as well as FAA and TSA audits. Next up, slots - which is no mean feat at either JFK or ORD....

      Delete
    2. Don't they need DoT permit as well?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:30

      Speaking of 'gargantuan' work in JU... when is Air Serbia adopting late 20th century* technology, also known as Online check-in? I know, it's only 2015, but some airlines (Alaska Airlines) adopted it as early as 1999, only 16 years ago.

      Delete
    4. AirCEO20:02

      Keyword here seems to be "regulatory", and I remember vaguely that some outstanding items have been published after FAA visit, so there could be some still outstanding things for FAA or TSA as someone said. Other than mentioned items I think there were also accident investigation items etc. Ball is (again) in government's court, it seems...

      As far as I know, actual carrier - not country, has to submit DoT application, so that would not be on GoS list. ASL should be well positioned to get approval this time, as Delta/ALPA objections used back in 2013 to reject EY codeshare application are no longer valid.

      Online checkin is not a requirement for US flights, and it's not ASL's fault they don't have it yet. Hopefully they will have it fairly soon after flights commence.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:18

      Could be something else, but look at the prime suspect first: BEG airport. My 2 outsider cents.

      You are getting it now.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous23:19

      AirCEO: "Online checkin is not a requirement for US flights, and it's not ASL's fault they don't have it yet. Hopefully they will have it fairly soon after flights commence."

      Whose fault is it if not ASL??? Is it maybe AF, LH, BA, AS fault? Or maybe the fault of the Maxi shop clerk?

      Delete
  14. Anonymous16:18

    I remember that i read here in comments few months ago that runway is in need of major overhaul soon and that few solutions are currently considered (alternate airports, second runway or work on current runway during night time). That could is first time that comes to my mind why BEG airport would be problem for flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:08

      AnonymousMay 14, 2015 at 4:18 PM, +1

      Delete
  15. Anonymous16:57

    Nisam imao vremena danas da se raspravljam sa vama posto sam bio na poljoprivrednom sajmu u Novom Sadu.
    Vecina vas soli pamet G Kondicu a ustvari lupate gluposti .
    Letovi ce poceti ne boj te se .
    INN-NS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:07

      Hahaha :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:10

      Inn sns zna bolje od kondica. Kondic kaze nije sigurno ali zato mi imamo 17godisnjeg insajdera iz innsbruk. S njim nema da se bojis.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous18:03

      Ja nikad necu taj posao znati bolje od Kondica osim ako me put ne na nese na takvu poziciju i ako me ne zanima .
      A problem je u tome sto vi savetujete nekoga koji se 100 puta bolje od vas razume i zna sta radi .
      INN-NS

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:07

      Sad znamo šta je INN-NS-ov tajni izvor informacija o avijaciji - poljoprivredni sajam u Novom Sadu! Moram i ja da odem!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:53

      Letovi ce definitivno poceti i nije pitanje da li ce vec samo koliko gradova i koliko brzo ce ekspanzija biti,to ne vidi samo onaj ko ne voli ovog onog pa eto njegova zasluga pa nece biti nista od toga ili onaj ko apsolutno nista ne zna o vazduhoplovstvu a takvih je kukavaca puno ovde.Inn-ns samo napred mani ove sinje kukavce.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:54

      Sta je vama krivo sto sam gledao poljoprivredni sajam a ne vas ?
      Preporucio bi svakome da ga poseti.
      A sto skrecete sa teme .
      INN-NS

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:52

      Jel si kupio traktor ili kravu?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous22:33

      Mr. Kondić said, “No decision has been made. There has been a lot of talk about it. We haven’t actually said anything about it”. 
      Anon 8.53, da li za kondica kazete da je sinja kukavica posto, eto, I on nije povrdio? Samo vi I inn sns ste 100% sigurni. Ubedjujete da bice sigurno.
      Ja bih voleo da bude tih letevoa kao I vi ali stvarno ne razumem vasu potrebu da u situaciji gde kondic ne potvrdjuje, vi karakterisete svakog ko ima sumnju kao sinju kukavicu. A inn sns po obicaju vredja I omalovazava. Ali to je zato sto je on ovde partijski vojnik a ponajvise sto je klinac napaljenko. Nadam se da I vi niste ovde da nam zavodite red I pricate sta sme a sta ne sme da se pise o air srbiji.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous08:12

      Nisam imao vremena da vam odgovorim ranije.
      Ne vredjam G Kondica i nikad nebi to ucinio zato sto je ucinio sto nijedan CEO nije uspeo za 1 god .
      A sta je bilo za ATR nece doci za 2-3 Godine a i nije bas najsvezija vest vec je pre potpisivanja ugovora sa USA .
      A ponnovo mesate politiku, a mene sme svako da vredja a ja ne smem da uzvratim.
      INN-NS

      Delete
    10. Anonymous09:58

      Не смеш да узвратиш јер си смешан. Као што си лупетао овде да крећу летови за Кину и како долазе А332. Дакле престани да се бламираш и да се претвараш да си стручњак.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous18:11

    Flight to U.S. = much ado about nothing,
    W. Shakespeare

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:11

      You wish! Keep piling up sedatives, you will need a lot when they start!

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:59

    Meanwhile in Istanbul...

    Turkish Airlines to Bucharest, A332
    Turkish Airlines to Algiers, A332
    Turkish Airlines to Madrid, B773
    Turkish Airlines to Dubai, A332
    Turkish Airlines to Athens, B773
    Turkish Airlines to Frankfurt A332
    Turkish Airlines to Zurich A332
    Turkish Airlines to Milan, A332
    Turkish Airlines to Heathrow, A333
    Turkish Airlines to Paris, A333
    Turkish Airlines to Barcelona, A332

    I am sure TK's reaction to JU's north Atlantic aspirations is just: how cute.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JATBEGMEL10:36

      Comparing Turkey and Serbia is stupid to say at best, as well as TK with JU. EK sends their A380 to JED, KWI and BOM. Also EK offers a thing called first class, something foreign to TK!

      JU lets remember in 2013 was a poorly run airline with half the fleet grounded and no hope for the future. 2013 wasnt soo long ago.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:17

      Turkish Airlines was as bad as Jat up until 2000 or so. They pulled their act together and became what they are today.
      The size of an airline's home market means little if the airline is not capable of capturing it.

      So before calling other people's statements stupid, you might want to think first.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:43

      I think it's stupid to backtrack two hours to fly to the west. 2 + 2 = 4 extra stupid hours not including transfer time. Oh, you now want to talk about price? I can take you out on that item, too.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous17:18

      Just because you think it's stupid to backtrack doesn't mean everyone does.
      If you want to take on someone then feel free to do it with TK who advertise flights from Belgrade to North America and their pricing is very often more than competitive. Very often they have more than good enough fares to certain parts of Europe.

      In a poor country like Serbia, the price is usually the deciding factor.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:20

      btw Istanbul is roughly 01.35 block time (01.20 flying time) away from BEG, not two hours.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:26

    Making a selection at this point is crucial.

    ReplyDelete

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