Air Serbia eyes profitability on long haul service


Air Serbia will mark two years since the launch of its flagship route between Belgrade and New York this week with the airline increasingly looking at improving the route's profitability. The carrier has noted that the service is a long-term commitment which will take several years before it reaches its full potential. "It is a long-term game, especially for us since we are a non-aligned carrier flying across the Atlantic. We can't get as quick a traction as other carriers who are part of SkyTeam, Oneworld or Star Alliance because they are part of a club that works together. We have to make it work based largely on our own efforts but we are making great progress", the company said last year. Earlier this month, the Serbian President noted, "Can you make money on flights to New York? Of course you can't. We will be able to do that in about a year or two when three to five years have passed since the route's launch".

The carrier has also generated revenue on the service from alternative streams such as cargo. Its uplift capacity to JFK, which is fifteen tonnes per flight on the Airbus A330, is in high demand. It transports a wide variety of goods to the US and onwards to Canada and countries in South America, including textiles from Romania, Italy and Turkey, automotive parts and gaming industry machines from Bulgaria, and Serbian fruits and vegetables, to name a few. From the other direction, there are regular shipments of cargo from Ecuador and Argentina being sent to the region. On the passenger front, the airline recorded an average cabin load factor of 75.6% in both directions combined for the whole of last year, carrying 72.257 passengers on the route while offering 95.614 seats. The airline sees slightly more travellers heading from Belgrade to New York although passenger numbers in both directions are largely even.

Air Serbia Belgrade - New York - Belgrade performance 2017

MonthPassengers carriedLoad factor (%)
BEG - JFK - BEG
JAN5.00873.0
FEB2.81048.1
MAR4.11262.3
APR5.50183.3
MAY5.47582.9
JUN8.43185.1
JUL8.63881.0
AUG9.36583.8
SEP8.51579.8
OCT3.74873.8
NOV4.69471.1
DEC5.96066.2
TOTAL72.25775.6

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the United States

Ethnic travel agents in the United States have said the route has been largely a success. Travel agency Axioma Travel, which caters to the ethnic market and diaspora from the former Yugoslavia in the US, told EX-YU Aviation News, "It's hard to believe we are already in the third year of selling these flights. This year's schedule is the most ambitious yet with six flights planned during the busiest season. Air Serbia has done a remarkable job of maintaining an on-time schedule with just one airplane, and only a handful of delays over the two-year period, most caused by weather. The challenge this year will be even greater as just one major delay on Monday could create a domino effect all the way through Saturday". The agency's head, Fedja Stepanovich, added, "Obviously, for New York passengers, the non-stops flights are preferred almost always. But beyond NYC, it's been a tale of two types of cites (to paraphrase Charles Dickens), the ones with no one-stop flights to Europe such as Cleveland, Phoenix and Tampa, and the others with established flights to Europe such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Ethnic travellers living in the former cities are very excited about flying Air Serbia and love the fact that they can reach Belgrade with just one stop. They almost always insist on Air Serbia. However, the latter try to avoid having to connect in the US and having to have immigration in New York. They prefer non-stop flights to Europe from their city. For these customers the Air Serbia flights are a very hard sell. They prefer flying with Swiss or Lufthansa, even Air France and KLM. LOT has also been a strong competitor from Los Angeles and Chicago offering good connections and low fares. And of course, Turkish Airlines especially to Skopje, Podgorica and Sarajevo".

Despite Air Serbia's transformation into hybrid full fate - low cost carrier over the past year, services to New York have been largely unaffected by the change. "The transformation to a hybrid model has not really impacted the customers living in the United States. The JFK flights are exempt from the changes seen on the European routes. The only source of frustration we see is the thirty euro [airport] check-in fee, as its not common with transatlantic carriers", Mr Stepanovich said. He added, "Overall the flights have been a success from a customer satisfaction standpoint and are generally viewed very positively in most ethnic communities, especially outside of Chicago, LA, Boston, San Francisco etc".

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    If they had a more decent network and connections from BEG, the route would be even more successful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      I still think this route came way too early and they should have strengthened the short haul network first before going into any long haul flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:53

      +1000
      Megalomania!

      Delete
    3. But they have gone backwards on their short haul network so by that logic it would have never been launched.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:38

      Exactly, instead of focusing on becoming a solid reasonably priced carrier serving their primary customers and sponsors - Serbian tax payers.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:02

      Where is the requirement you have to be a tax payer to be a passenger on any airline? Grey economy, cash money, no taxes - you are still accepted everywhere. Mentioning Serbian tax payers all the time means you have no clue.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:11

      Anybody mentioned taxpayer status requirement to travel?! I do not see it.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Hope they manage to improve yields.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:04

    Interesting what they say about alliances. Any chance of Air Serbia joining one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      I doubt while they are with Etihad.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:54

      Well they are already practically integrated with Sky Team even though nothing good seems to be coming from this cooperation.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:04

      It's not about any alliance in particular, it's about JV when it comes to TATL.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    Good to hear. Those figures are definitely interesting, especially the cargo part. Just proves how important JU is, as a leading, legacy airline. JFK is extremely prestigious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      SMFH...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:55

      Numbers are disaster! Load is around 80-85% in busiest months with tiny business class.

      Delete
    3. Does anyone have LF for other transatlantic routes in the summer months and year round average?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:18

      LF is not that crucial. It is overall profitability that counts. If you have good number of premium passengers then transAtlantic route makes sense.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:54

      Average LF on TATAL flights

      winter: 80-85%
      spring and autumn 85-90%
      summer 95-98%

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:38

      But it's the "prestige" that matters, not the load factor or the yields.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:45

      Prestigious route that makes no sense financially. Economics of the 21st century.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:05

      winter: 80-85%
      spring and autumn 85-90%
      summer 95-98%

      fake news/fake stats

      Delete
    9. Anonymous14:59

      Show us real stats

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:16

      I am not your math tutor. Source of stats is listed below the table in the article.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous15:32

      JY is envied for JFK by many other carriers such as RO, A3, FB, YM.

      Delete
    12. Yes, I am sure their shareholders envy JU's "prestigious" losses.
      And they use their profits to go to the psychotherapist's office and talk about their envious feelings for JU.

      SMFH!

      Delete
    13. Anonymous18:13

      Your comments are the best proof of your jealousy. Can't contain it every single time there are positive news about BEG or JU.

      Delete
    14. You need professional medical help!

      Delete
    15. Anonymous19:12

      Decade of jealous comments on this site when it comes to BEG/JU clearly point to who needs help. Do I need to remind you of complete meltdowns on the day Air Serbia started flying to JFK? Ouch!

      Delete
    16. Today's sandwich probably had magic mushrooms in it.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous21:00

      Bot/sandwich theme is a sure sign of a lost argument. Every time Air Serbia haters lose an argument they resort to their final crybaby sandwich option. What a bunch of patetic losers.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous21:41

      Oh yes !!!!! Especially A3 is going to burst out of jealousy.... my God this is insane !

      Delete
    19. Anonymous22:27

      Me too I also agree A3 must be so envy with 42 a320 neos on order by their own money and not to expect from the others ( Etihad ) to buy for them .

      Delete
    20. Anonymous22:43

      If only they did it for sandwich/mediocre salary in party secured job! Some of them are doing it for free :)

      Delete
    21. Anonymous23:07

      1: A3 is not an ex yu airline. Nothing wrong with it, but it's out of scope.
      2: There doesn't seem to be any Air Serbia hater capable of advancing the agenda once it gets stuck in the sandwich/bot mud pit. Ever seen videos of rednecks getting their truck stuck in the mud? It's the same thing!

      Delete
    22. Anonymous23:45

      A3 might have a big Airbus neo order, but it still doesn't have flights to JFK.
      Any carrier enjoying or serving such a service is seen by others as a serious competitor.
      Also JU is already stealing and attracting Greeks that fly ATH/SKG-BEG-JFK.
      The route is prestigious guys, sorry for those who don't like the thought of it.

      Delete
    23. Anonymous23:51

      Prestigious route with free onboard sandwiches. Still free. :)

      Delete
    24. Anonymous00:00

      Precisely. So, you cannot bear with the fact? RO and FB used to fly JFK a long time ago but failed. The same for OK and MA.
      So, currently no other carriers in East Europe fly to US except JU, PS and LO.
      Also JU service is way much superior compared to the old PS aircraft.

      Delete
    25. Anonymous00:16

      What is so prestigious about flights to JFK? Why are people obsessed with JFK, LHR, CDG etc. Please go and see for yourself, regular airports just bit more congested.

      Delete
    26. Anonymous00:24

      Because they are PRIMARY airports and not German village destinations.
      JU already flies to the most important European destinations + JFK.
      Heathrow is also prestigious.

      Delete
    27. Anonymous00:36

      If something is prestigious in London that is City airport. Very boutique, business, posh and simple.
      LHR is congested, confusing, disaster waiting to happen with only two runways.
      Many "primary" airports are very inconvenient and quite distant from city center - that is the case in Paris, Rome Milan...

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:05

    Quite seasonal in the loads.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:07

    Congrats from croatia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:22

      Congrats from the US!

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:08

    72,000 passenger isn't bad at all. With more flights this year, numbers should go up.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:10

    Are there any plans what they are going to do with the A330 this winter? If they keep 2 flight p/w outside peak holiday period they can comfortably use the aircraft on some other route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      YYZ.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:14

      YYZ? lol wut.

      Give it BKK 1pw. YYZ needs to come in spring season.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:13

    What is impressive is that there have been no major delays or cancellations for 2 years now and they have managed to keep these flights with just 1 aircraft. I remember the comments and hysteria when they launched and how flights would be delayed and cancelled.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      True. Let's hope they keep it up.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:57

      It is the same whether you have 1 or 11 planes. If all are tightly scheduled it will always be a problem.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:09

      Still it's a remarkable reliability, only 3 diversions in a year: one to EWR, one to PHL and one to YYZ if I remeber correctly

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:50

      Plus one emergency landing due to crew incapability to deal with autistic child (as we were informed) which then resulted in huge media scandal when they denied boarding to other child with autism.

      Delete
    5. Nemjee15:00

      That incident with the emergency landing in Ireland could not be blamed on the crew. The kid started screaming, shouting and throwing feces all over the cabin. What were they supposed to do? Knock him out with the fire extinguisher?

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:14

      Kid was throwing feces?! Really? I have not heard of that. In that case it is completely justifiable. However, they mishandled the other incident big time. It so backfired.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:13

    Ajmo da se podigne LF na preko 80% pa da krenu Toronto i Cikago a mozda i Sangaj. Ovih dana u rezervacionom sistemu vidim da su letovi za JFK krcati,ohrabrujuce je i to sto je biznis klasa puna.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:59

      Ljudi ovde vec dve godine pricaju o krcatim letovima za JFK, te videli su na letu, te videli su u sistemu, ali statistika je neumoljiva kao sto vidimo iz tabele.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:07

      Statistika je tacan skup netacnih podataka.
      Ako je let pun, ne znaci da je povratni 100%, prosta logika. I jedno sediste koje je prazno spusta LF.
      Neki jos ne mogu prezaliti sto BEG ima letove za JFK

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:54

      Da, ali po koju cenu?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:13

      Po cenu da treba izdrzati prve 2-3 godine a posle se prave pare. Najgore su ostavili iza sebe, dakle od sada u sledecim godinama i decenijama se isplati. Nije losa investicija. Brze vraca ulozeno nego recimo Elon Mask i njegova Tesla.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:02

      brate ne pravite pare od kad je linije a bome necete ni nakon "prve 2-3 godine". kako ne shvatas da je ovo cista politicka volja

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:13

      Ja nisam tvoj brat niti cu ikad biti. Slobodan si da se trujes i zaslepljujes politikom. Ja sam se te napasti oslobodio i umesto toga gledam brojeve, a oni neumoljivo pokazuju da ce ovo biti odlican posao.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:17

      Ja i dalje ne znam ko im je prodao pricu o "razvijanju linije" nakon tri do pet godina. Ili postoji potraznja, ili ne postoji. Ili postoji potraznja ako se stvore uslovi tipa konekcija, promovisanje linije potencijalnim novim turistima mesecima pre starta itd. Ako ti dodatni uslovi nisu ispunjeni ne pokrece se linija. Vrlo jednostavno.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:24

      Ovaj covek sve zna, kakva intelektualna gromada. Gde bi kraj bio Lufthansi ili Emirates da tebe slusaju!

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:46

      Ne mesaj Lufthansu i Emirates. To su dva potpuno razlicita tipa poslovanja. Svako moze da ima profitabilnu kompaniju ako je osnuje emirat. Hvala za kompliment :)

      Delete
    11. Anonymous23:13

      Nije kompliment, to je sarkazam ;)

      Delete
    12. Anonymous23:48

      Ah onda ga nisam ukacio xD

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:13

    Thank you for the loads!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:20

      Would be interesting to compare to this year.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:13

      Popunjenost kabine je totalno netačna, lično znam da je u Decembru 2017 popunjenost bila 81%. Ne razumem na osnovu čega su napravili ovu tabelu ?

      Delete
    3. The information is provided by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the United States.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:18

      Thank you EX-YU Aviation for being brave enough to publish this!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous18:11

      Anonymous at 2:13 PM
      Clearly this is another American conspiracy against ASL and the country itself!

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:14

    30 Eur. check-in on a long-haul flight, are they nuts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      If you buy the lowest economy fair and forget and don't check in online.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      They really could have excluded JFK from that considering many passengers on this route are quite old and don't even use the Internet.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:25

      ^ True that.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:26

      Most of those people buy tickets through ethnic tour agencies. I wonder if they do the checkin for them. In some agencies in Belgrade they check you in for the flight as well.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:58

      Kad kupis kartu za US da te oni voze do nekog evropskog grada ne treba ti nikakav glupi chekin pre dolaska na aerodrom. Sto pre napuste ovaj sadasnji glupavi rezim maltretiranja svojih putnika pre ce izaci na pozitivne ekonomske osnove.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:00

      Only premium service for ASL guests!

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:55

      Check-in is charged in Belgrade only for Ecenomy White. As far as I know, there is no Economy White rate for JFK.
      Further, JFK is listed as one of the airports without chargers.
      I don't understand why people write stupid things like this when it is easy to check:

      https://www.airserbia.com/en-DE/airport-check-in

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:57

      And it is charged 10eur for economy white, not 30€.
      There are some type of passengers that need to pay this even in White rates...

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:58

      It is completely confusing system across the JU network. There is no straight forward answer whether one must check in online or pay at the airport. At one point it used to be 30 eur in Belgrade, I am not surprised if they charged it in NYC as well and then got directive to stop. This is not a legacy carrier approach.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous14:18

      There is no charge for JFK

      Delete
    11. Anonymous14:19

      There is or at least tgere used to be.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:47

      Let me repeat this for slow readers: there is absolutely NO charge for JFK. Get it now?

      Delete
    13. Anonymous15:22

      Have you worked at JU check in desk at JFK for past year so you are completely sure that there was no single passenger charged to check in? There were several confusing months until the system stabilized somewhat. However, on many airport you can still only check in at the counter for free (no online possibility) but then on a way back from Belgrade you learn that there is a fee in Belgrade. So unnecessary.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous19:16

      Let's just calm down, there are no check in charges from either JFK or BEG for this flight.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous00:18

      That this new choice and opportunity should be introduced for "guests" :)

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:23

    The only thing that matters is profitability.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:24

    JU transatlantic product is excellent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      Agree.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:34

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2018/04/trip-report-air-serbia-belgrade-new-york.html

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:28

    Tickets are no longer cheap for this route, unless you book for February. Return tickets in July are 900 euros.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:30

      That is still the cheapest option from BEG to the US. The only cheaper option (barely) is LOT via Warsaw but it means having to transfer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:31

      When JU launched this route in June 2016, Air France-KLM dumped prices to New York from Belgrade to 250 euros in the highest season - July/August. That was absolutely crazy.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      What are JUs prices like in low season?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:41

      Around 500 euros.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:01

      @anon 9:31
      That is fantastic Sky Team partnership :)

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:44

      Indeed. Funny how some visitors to this blog never mentioned poor French and Dutch taxpayers who made this hefty subsidy to travelers from BEG...

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:57

      450 EUR most of year, 750 in top season. Combined with 75% LF yield is disaster

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:49

      Dutch taxpayers? France owns 14.3% of AF-KLM and all the rest of the owners are private entities.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:02

      If and when I become Dutch or French tax payer I will look into the case. However, to the best of my knowledge AF-KLM group is mostly privately owned and profitable without state aid.
      @anon 10:57
      Exactly, not really and money making operation. I do not know how on Earth they plan to "develop" the route with these network cuts. Who sold this "route developing" story to Serbian politicians anyway?

      Delete
    10. Anonymous13:10

      No need to move the posts. We all know how much hate and tears over taxes you would release if JU ever tried something like dumping JFK fares to 250 euro.

      Yet you have no issues when others do that and cut their own profits.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous15:30

      Many people from Serbia only have issues when their money is wasted on a political project.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous16:11

      We know JU's LF's are lower than TATL average, around 10%. But more importantly, how are the yields? If they have managed to charge more than avg. maybe they could have balanced the loss from empty seats. Here are some avg. fare examples for one-way XXX-NYC (JFK+EWR) flight in 2017 from various airports on direct flights to NYC:

      Paris (CDG): AF-$1254
      London (LHR): BA-$1014
      Frankfurt: LH-$835
      Munich: LH-$939
      Istanbul: TK-$507
      Warsaw: LO-$497
      Belgrade: JU-$244

      Same comparison for 2018 Jan-Apr
      Paris (CDG): AF-$1089
      London (LHR): BA-$1881 (wow)
      Frankfurt: LH-$1025
      Munich: LH-$1263
      Istanbul: TK-$465
      Warsaw: LO-$490
      Belgrade: JU-$212

      These numbers tell us that JU not only operates with a lower LF than other players, but also sells tickets with a fare of 1/2 to 1/5 of other players can sell.

      If we accept WAW and IST avg. fares as break-even point (it is definitely higher due to the lower volume but let's assume $500 for easier calculation), then here comes the math:

      72,500 * ($500-$244) = $18,5M

      In addition, LF has to be 85% for break-even with avg. fares, meaning that we need to add the missing 10% capacities * avg. fare to be able to see how much JU misses the break-even point: 9500 * $500 = $4,75M.

      When we add this two numbers, we'll find a rough estimate of JU loss on the route in 2017: $18,5M + $4,75M = $23,25M.

      Of course not all pax on board fly between BEG and JFK, there are connecting pax on both end etc. but this is valid for all other carrier and has been neglected for the ease of calculation.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous16:16

      Forgot VIE.

      Vienna: OS- $688 (2017), $842 (2018 Jan-Apr).

      Delete
    14. Anonymous17:48

      @anon 4:11
      Thank you X1000!

      Delete
    15. Anonymous at 4:11 PM
      Thank you. Great post!

      Delete
    16. Anonymous18:33

      @Anon at 4:11

      Make sure you provide the link to the source of those fares. Make sure it's legal.

      Delete
    17. Anonymous21:09

      @Anon 20jun 12:02PM
      http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/07/investing/air-france-airline-ceo-quits-flights/index.html
      So much for the profitable company

      Delete
    18. Anonymous21:34

      Of course there is no link to the source, there is no source! Those numbers are fake! Here's what else is fake with Anon @4:11, his expertise:

      He based his math on OW "prices". What percentage is OW and what is RT in reality? Why base it on something that's unrealistic? For Air Serbia in particular, key demographics is US based diaspora. Fares originating in JFK are far more expensive than those originating in BEG, their yield is better and that's the key for Air Serbia. Costs of BA, LH and even LO are far higher. Pricing in the first/second year of operations can't be really compared to those operating for decades. Making outrageous assumptions and ignoring realities just to prove predetermined point is amateurish.
      Just looked at quick WAW-EWR v.v LF for LO and it's not even close to 85% you used in calculation, it is just 76% and EWR is *A UA hub. Where are C class fares, cargo, transfer passengers, aux revenue? Do I need to go on? Find some other audience to believe in fake math.

      Delete
    19. Anonymous22:50

      @last anon
      Maybe his math was not perfect but was very illustrative of the JU problem. If you guys are so happy about your financial results why don't you go public with 2017 figures?

      Delete
    20. Anonymous22:59

      His math is not perfect? No, it was completely wrong.

      No one is saying they are happy with results. Just read today's headline and the article. But it's getting better and closer to profitability.

      Delete
    21. Anonymous23:45

      Overall figures, not this particular route as we all know that it needs "two to three, maybe five years to become profitable as no airline is profitable when it starts flying to New York. But it is prestigious for the country."

      Delete
    22. Anonymous01:09

      Last sentence is not in today's news article. Just your imagination.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:32

    Good news for Air Serbia. I'm glad this route is improving.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:33

    Any idea on what percentage of pax are O&D, and transfer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      I think in summer its around 50/50. In winter more than 50% are transfer for sure. At least that was the experience on all my flights so far.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:35

    It will be hard to make a profit with limited potential for connections beyond the Balkans.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:40

    If you JU had PRN flights, they would be able to fill these planes to the US even more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      PRN flights don't depend on them. If they could launch it today, they would.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:48

      To je jedna teska glupost koja se ovde stalno poteze kao i navodni putnici iz Tirane. Iz Beograda ljudi vecinom ne lete sa ASom za NYC. Dobar deo njihovog saobracaja potice iz US, a ne iz regiona.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:49

      Vidi se da bukvalno nikada nisi leteo na ovoj liniji.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee11:41

      Анон 09.48

      Нетачно. ЈУ је буквално и скоро у потпуности преотела путнике од конкуренције у Београду.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:52

      Since JU = Vucic = president of Serbia, it shouldn't be that difficult.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:04

      @Nemjee
      Are you that sure? I know lots of people still traveling to NYC with other airlines for various reasons. Not just price, as JU is rather cheap most of the year having in mind they are struggling to fill that plane.

      Delete
    7. JATBEGMEL12:17

      @ anonymous 12,04pm

      JU don't really struggle to fill their ac, but they could do some minor tweaking to their network to allow better connections to better fill/support the flight. For a poorly executed route, the loads aren't too bad.


      Where JU struggles is finding use for the A330 in the winter months.

      Delete
    8. Nemjee14:43

      Anon 12.04

      Yes, they took almost all passengers LH and OS carried. That said they seem to have no problem filling their planes in Belgrade. I guess they compensated the loss of JFK passenger by finding new ones.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous15:34

      @JATBEGMEL
      For a poorly executed route, the loads aren't too bad. ... Where JU struggles is finding use for the A330 in the winter months. - well said

      @Nemjee
      LH seems to be doing very well. Not that sure about OS, they tend to send smaller aircrafts.

      Delete
    10. Nemjee17:26

      You are right, I noticed that too. It could be that they are facing increased competition at VIE so they can't be as adventurous with their transfer fares.

      I think LH from MUC is making a killing this year.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous17:52

      @Nemjee
      I fly a lot between Italy and Belgrade. LH group mostly offer competitve fares to Belgrade matching those of AZ through Vienna.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:44

    Could Air Albania have an impact on these flights once they launch TIA-JFK as they announced?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      Par hiljada putnika.

      Delete
    2. JATBEGMEL10:03

      Doubt it. They havnt even started flying. It took JU 3 years to rush in and start JFK. The bigger impact I see if the LOT flights from BUD.

      Delete
    3. Nemjee11:40

      LO will impact OS and VIE the most.
      Austrian Airlines is already suffering in JFK. The route was downgraded from a B772 to a B763 that operates six times a week during summer and just three times in winter.

      Naturally, OS also serves EWR (daily in summer and 6x in winter) but this route is mostly there for transfers onto United. Both destinations are served with the archaic and extremely uncomfortable B767-300 with a 30' pitch in economy class. At least JU on its A332 has 32'.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:07

      If OS serving one of the richest capitals of Europe and cultural gems of the World can barely sustain 9/10 NYC flights in winter why do we dream of having them.

      Delete
    5. JATBEGMEL12:25

      @ nemjee

      I do agree, however with LO now in the transatlantic market from BUD, with decent timings, its not making it any easier for JU either.

      Delete
    6. Nemjee14:42

      Anon 12.07

      Well, LO is based in a much poorer city than OS but they seem to be doing fine. BEG has a large catchment area while JU has low costs.

      JATBEGMEL

      Maybe not in theory but I think they would be affected only if a lot of people traveled from Budapest and Hungary to catch a flight on JU. Somehow I don't think that was the case. Then again, the more the merrier I guess.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:45

      LOT relies on O&D in BUD and is not seen as a domestic carrier. They have to establish themselves on this route. JU has developed a decent feed and is now well known in a third summer of operations.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:35

      Ja ne znam zasto vi uopste pricate o LOTu kada Alitalija ima odlicne cene iz Beograd za Ameriku? Ko ce ici da se hebava do BUD kombijem celu noc kad moze lepo preko Milana ili Rima za US. Dok ne pandrkne Alitalija pod pritiskom Adrije.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:57

      AZ generally offers great fares. Their planes are constantly packed everywhere you fly but obviously they are not making money. Plus they have FCO bottle neck that costs them a lot.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:50

    I hope they expand with some sort of agreement with one of the US airlines. Living in Philadelphia, it is still very inconvenient to take Amtrak to NYC, change to LIIR/Subway and Airtran to get to JFK. Tried that once, it takes at least 4 hrs and it was very stressful with bags and crowd on trains. In the terms of cost, PHL-BEG-PHL on Delta/AF/KLM or Star Alliance group matches or is often even cheaper than JFK-BEG-JFK. Then there is a need to add additional $100 for trains. Service on AS was great, I'll give them that. I traveled in January 2018, and I don't recall being charged extra for check in at the airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

      @anon 9:50
      Thank you for the post. You described exactly what is wrong with this route and how unprepared they were when they introduced it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:36

      JFK Filadelfija sat i po preko Varranzano mosta.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:44

      Google says around 2h by car using that bridge. But anybody mentioned taking car and leaving it at JFK parking?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:54

      Kad dolazis iz Beograda izadjes na rentacar i sednes u kola i odvezes se do Filadelfije i vratis se posle 10 dana istim putem nazad zaludna budaletino. Tvoje poznavanje sveta dolazi iz Googla dok sam ja to vozio. Ne razumem vasu perspektivu sveta bez ikakvih iskustava. Ne poznajete niti novinarstvo niti avijaciju niti Ameriku i drzite glavnu rec.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:00

      It is at least 2 hrs with no traffic on Jersey turnpike. $18 parking at JFK for 10-15 days + all tolls? What about people without car? JFK is the worst nightmare of the airport.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:37

      Anonymous @ 10:54, why there is a need for such language? Who are you arguing with, and why? The only perspective you are showing here is the perspective of unhinged, uncivilized person. Calm down and take a Xanax. Your preference rental car is not the preference of another person. Someone prefers taking train, someone prefers flying directly the the airport where they live. Peace.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:11

      @anon 10:54
      First of all - behave.
      Anybody mentioned going from Belgrade to Philadelphia for ten days?
      P.S. I never drive, I am always driven. :)

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:56

      They used to have code share with JetBlue?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous17:30

      Mislim stvarno koja ste vi teska seljana? Kakvi teski proviuncijski maniri. JFK je laganica od aerodroma samo vozis u krug. Rentakar agencije su blizu Beltparwaya koji direktno ide na Varranzano most. Ja razume da postoji razlika kada zivis na Menhetnu i u Filadelfiji, ali ipak je to veiki grad sa dosta komplikovanih raskrsnica da voznja do JFK ne bi trebala biti problem kao i dugacak parking.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous18:09

      @anon 5:30
      O cemu je tacno tvoj post?

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:44

    I don't understand why the aircraft in off season ins't used on frequent routes by demand? E.g. on full ZRH or MOW flights around christmas? Even last summer the aircraft was parked on some days in front of the hangar, instead of using it commercially. This puzzles me. So either it is totally uncommercial (even full) to send it on an charter or european schedule or yield management in AUH was totally incapable to plan this. JAT used their DC10 quite often to ZRH or DUS and even TIV!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:46

      Spot on!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:17

      But why, even other major and much more stronger european airlines rarely use wbs on such short flights? BA use or used 763 to ARN and thats about only flight i can recall for now.

      Delete
    3. Nemjee11:35

      Actually, BA sends the B763 to ARN mostly because of cargo. Other destinations where the B763 is being dispatched is LCA, ATH and IST.

      JAT used to send the DC-10 to places like ZRH and TIV because it couldn't really send it anywhere else. That's not the case with Air Serbia.

      Also, it's far more economical for JU to add more flights on the A319 to places like ZRH than to dispatch the A330.

      The A330 is quite a heavy aircraft so airport charges would be much higher than for the A319 while fares would remain mostly unchanged. Not to mention that you would have to expand your A330 crew base for European hops.
      On top of that, frequencies and schedule is the only competitive advantage JU has at this point. All others were lost with the hybrid concept.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:15

      Why does TK send A330 frequently on European routes? JU should really utilise that aircraft more on popular routes in holiday season.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:21

      TK sends their WB around Europe quite frequently.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:21

      The plane is more expensive but also carries double the number of pax. I'm sorry Nemjee but that is really not an argument.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous12:41

      TK sends them, mostly to Germany, but TK can nicely and efficiently fill them. After all they are No 1 in the World by number of destinations they fly 300+ so plenty of pax for that.

      Delete
    8. JATBEGMEL12:43

      JU really doesn't have a market for 18 seats in Business Class in Europe. If it did, they wouldn't have removed the business class cabin (8 seats), nor would they have drastically cut down on the lounge timings either.

      236 seats in Economy also is not as easily filled, evident how JU has a hard time keeping their A320's busy.

      In the summer months, they don't really have room to send their A330 anywhere.

      The best I think is for JU to either work with tourist agencies and to charter the aircraft to Thailand or to start a seasonal scheduled flight to BKK/HKT. Scheduled traffic would mean they would need to work with Thai tourist agencies in getting their groups to use JU and include Serbia into their packages. One way with JU, the other via a European city onto an Etihad flight. India could be another market. But for the European market, better to keep the frequencies as Nemjee says.

      Delete
    9. Nemjee14:39

      A330 has 234 seats in economy class while the A320 has 174 so that's a difference of some 64 seats. I doubt JU will manage to make that much more money so as to cover the extra cost.

      For JU it's much more important to be able to offer a decent number of frequencies rather than the number of seats per aircraft. Their ZRH schedule is pretty good as is. They should work on maintaining at least two or three weekly the departure at 12.40. It's good as the return to Belgrade isn't as late as the current one that leaves at 21.00 if I am not mistaken.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:12

      Because even if the plane is full (which probably wont be the case), tickets are much cheaper than for NYC and it again would not pay off. I am sure they made a calculation about it by now.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous15:40

      Guys we are speaking about sending A330 on ad hoc basis in busiest periods of year on days when the aircraft is not flying to JFK. There are numerous occasions like this when you could be able to sell the full plane. I am not sure whether people in Abu Dhabi did their numbers about this.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous17:47

      Opet veliki eksperti. Za agencije je bolje da ih salju preko uhodanih komapnija sa redovnim linijama sa povoljnim kartama nego preko cartera sa AS za Tajland.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous19:10

      A ti kao veliki ekspert bi trebalo da znas da je kod JU, ne AS.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous11:40

    Maybe the problem is crew for A330. Do they have enought crew trained to fly on this aircraft?
    Though, how do they add more flights during the season... Hmm, anyone has any idea about that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:41

      This should be reply to previous post by Anon 10:44h.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:16

      It would only be reasonable to have 5 crews trained for the type of the aircraft so I would say there are enough crews.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous15:04

    Air Serbia had three times the cargo in 2017 compared to 2016 but there is still about twice as much cargo on BEG to JFK than JFK to BEG, so that's an opportunity to improve.

    LF has improved over 2016 and esp on the JFK-BEG leg, which should help with yield. Trends look good for the 2018 and with improved business class booking everything is pointing to a solid summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:41

      Lets wait and see 2018 numbers year from now.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous17:28

    YU-ARA is almost 11 years old, which is not bad at all. But given that the oil prices are going up, is this an economic plane or it guzzles up lots of fuel ? ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:52

      For the JFK-BEG route based on the distance overall cost is similar if not slightly less than of 787. Dreamliner is more expensive but it shines at longer stages, however there is no indication JU wants to fly to LAX or other destination further away.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous19:13

    Air Serbia should consider BEG-ZAG-JFK, surely that would improve the route performance substantially. The LF for June-September could go up to 100% and 80% in winter would be easily achieved.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:20

      Cro is preventing JU from expanding to more coastal airports, so no need for this provocation.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:32

      They can be happy they got even this many routes approved.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:00

      Why? There's no OU competition on that route. And if they can cooperate with Emirates and Korean on domestic why not with Air Serbia

      Delete
    4. What you are proposing makes perfect business sense but it does not have any "Balkan" sense if you now what I mean.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:53

      Air traffic is a strategic asset and access should not be allowed to countries which are not your allies or partners.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous21:37

      Wjy cant we be partners? It would benefit both

      Delete
    7. Anonymous21:44

      Somehow I believe Croatia and Serbia are nowhere close to Germany and France. For that reason true partnership between these countries is not very likely.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:58

      Fact: if there is any field where Serbia and Croatia get along it's the economy.
      Fact: Croatian government is more than interested and is perpetually pushing for a direct flight to US.
      Fact: Air Serbia has the necessary equipment.
      Fact: The figures above show Air Serbia's performance to US is below competition, not profitable or on margin.
      Fact: Demand from US to Croatia is constantly rising.
      Fact: OU and JU are not really rivals. The only markets where they are “competing” are Bosnia and Macedonia.
      The solution is in front of us; just put the two and two together

      Delete
    9. Anonymous22:01

      You have such a childish way of looking at relationship between those two countries. There will NEVER be flight BEG - ZAG - NY, regardless of the economic reasons which might fully justify it. You ask yourself why.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous22:55

      Unfortunately no Croatian government would dare to let AirSerbia fly the route. The atmosphere in the society is still charged. However, an American company might be acceptable for Croats in such arrangement.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous23:06

      C’mon, as the greatest Croatian hardliners are the biggest fans of Serbian folk singers, even greater than Serbian hardliners, I believe they would be the first on board JU506 ZAG JFK, business class. So is there any rational reason against this route or are they all irrational like losing the sovereignty to an enemy?

      Delete
    12. Anonymous23:42

      You listen Ceca at home and then you go an spil out hard line nationalism. No ASL planes :)

      Delete
    13. BEG-ZAG-JFK is never happening. It doesn't make sense.

      -It doesn't fit with the current schedule
      -It doesn't make sense economically (doing a 200 mile hop on a 240ton jet to pick up some passengers instead of getting connections via ATRs)
      -ASL won't make its core passengers wait on the tarmac at ZAG. It completely ruins the point of a nonstop flight and would be unpopular.
      -Politically very difficult because of USA needing to approve this. Almost certainly not happening.

      But most importantly:
      Air Serbia and the GoS will never allow their prestige route to have a stopover at a regional rival. Simply not happening.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous00:13

      For Serbian nationalist this would actually be a plus. We have a big one and you do not. The route used to function like that in former Yugoslavia. Is it economically viable, well we are not talking profitability in today topic anyway.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous02:15

      "we are not talking profitability in today topic anyway"

      uhmmm did someone forget to read the headline?

      Delete
  27. Anonymous23:05

    C’mon, as the greatest Croatian hardliners are the biggest fans of Serbian folk singers, even greater than Serbian hardliners, I believe they would be the first on board JU506 ZAG JFK, business class. So is there any rational reason against this route or are they all irrational like losing the sovereignty to an enemy?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous23:10

    I think they should remove this bisiness class and start charging for food and water to improve profitabiliyu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:18

      Ryanair doesn't fly transatlantic

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:39

      Still not. But Norwegian does.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous23:40

    Was there an idea in any point to introduce premium economy to improve offer and income from this route?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:54

      Give them some time, they just changed their LCC hybrid business model.
      Also, introducing premium means buying and changing current seat configuration, which will be expensive for them.

      The LOT one seems nice:

      https://www.lot.com/us/en/lot-premium-economy

      Maybe JU can apply this model.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:59

      Well they changed concept 5 times and cabin twice on 319/320 fleet over four years so they might introduce premium economy as well on JFK flights.
      LOT cabin looks nice, but seats seem bit bulky.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:04

      Maybe, depends on your taste.
      The last JU seat retrofit is this one:

      http://www.exyuaviation.com/2017/05/air-serbia-unveils-new-seats.html

      Still looking very decent and upclass.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous00:08

      I really like new JU seats on A319/320. Much more legroom and quite comfortable. Costed a lot of money and added unnecessary capacity (except for few weeks) but I like them.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous00:10

      It is good that LOT is using 2+3+2 premium economy configuration on 787. JU should go for similar.

      Delete

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