TRIP REPORT: Croatia Airlines, Zagreb - Amsterdam

TRIP REPORT


From: Zagreb
To: Amsterdam
Flight number: OU450
Aircraft type: Airbus A320-200
Registration: 9A-CTK
Flight time: 1:50

This flight was taken in September. It was a busy morning at Zagreb Airport and while our inbound flight to Zagreb was on KLM, we flew back with Croatia Airlines, primarily because of the later departure time. KLM had a flight at something like 6.00 in the morning, while Croatia Airlines was at 8.20. We wanted to maximise our sleep.





After checking in, we headed upstairs for the security and immigration check. Once we cleared everything, the final call for our flight was already in progress. On this occasion, our plane was the A320 registered 9A-CTK. It was delivered new to Croatia Airlines in June 2000, so it is a 21-year-old aircraft. Zagreb Airport has eight air bridges, and they are incredibly long, although they are entirely covered in Uber ads, so there is some reading material.




At the entrance of the plane, we were warmly welcomed by two lovely crew members who gave us sanitising wipes. The flight was mostly full with around 150 passengers on board. We pushed back on time, and on one side of the plane we had a Turkish Airlines A321 preparing to depart to Istanbul and on the other a Croatia Airlines Q400 to Zurich. As we taxied to the runway, TV screens dropped down and the safety video was played. We had a long taxi to the runway passing by the old terminal building, which is not close to the current terminal.



We reached our cruising autohide over Austria, which is also when service started. It comprised of some sweet Dalmatian biscuits and a small bottle of water. The packaging indicates they are made up of olive oil and lemon. When reading the ingredients, I also noticed it contains white wine. A very interesting combination.





Mid-way through the flight the screens were lowered again to show some commercials. No flight map was shown unfortunately. Notice that there are also ads on the overhead bins. The seat pocket contains a Croatia Airlines magazine, aircraft safety card and an inflight shopping menu. All other consumption, besides the complimentary water and biscuits, must be purchased. Prior to Covid-19, a larger selection of complimentary beverages was available. There is an interesting page for aviation fans in the “SkyShop” menu with some Croatia Airlines souvenirs available for purchase.







We landed ahead of schedule as a KLM jet taxied past us lining up to depart to Dubrovnik. We arrived at the terminal and the seatbelt signs were turned off as people rushed to disembark.


Overall, it was a nice flight with Croatia Airlines. KLM however offers much more on the same route.


Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:16

    Nice report. OU and JU now have the same service in economy although you get a napkin in OU.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous13:55

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. A full list of comment guidelines can be found here. Thank you for your cooperation.