Air Serbia prepares for second transatlantic service


Air Serbia is preparing for the launch of its new Chicago service and the expansion of its New York frequencies to daily next summer with ticket sales for its second destination in the United States expected to begin shortly. The carrier plans to maintain a two-weekly service between Belgrade and Chicago from the start of the 2023 summer season. “We are thrilled to welcome Air Serbia to O'Hare International Airport. Passengers will now have additional options for affordable travel between Europe and the "Windy City”. As aviation continues to recover and more and more travellers once again take to the skies, offering options to our valued passengers is more important than ever. We’re pleased to partner with Air Serbia to connect people and businesses in Belgrade with the Windy City”, the US airport said in a statement.

Air Serbia is soon expected to conclude a codeshare partnership with a carrier from the United States, which would further improve its connectivity to the North American market. The deal could be made public by the end of the year, with the aim for it to be operational next summer. Air Serbia has again ruled out the possibility of joining one of the major airline alliances. Its CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “I have experience with all three alliances. But as a smaller company, you always put more into it than you get out of it. We would be limited in who we can and cannot work with. At the same time, we are the leader in the wider Balkan market, which expands our possibilities across alliances. Cooperation between companies is supposed to be mutually beneficial, but it doesn't work that way in alliances”. 

Air Serbia’s regional network is expected to be strengthened in the lead-up to its new transatlantic service, which will play a key role in the route’s success. “With the introduction of Belgrade - Chicago flights, for the first time after 32 years, the capital of Serbia will be directly connected to the American city where approximately 350.000 residents of Serbian origin reside, as well as a large number of those hailing from other countries of the former Yugoslavia and neighbouring Balkan states, which are, and will be, well-connected with Belgrade via the regional Air Serbia network”, the carrier said. Air Serbia is interested in adding more destinations in the United States once it commences operations to Chicago next year. “We're looking at other destinations in the US. But again, our main strategy is to target cities that have year-round potential. We do not want to increase seasonality, which is already high in our region”, Mr Marek said recently.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Great job Air Serbia

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Who is the codeshare partner? American or Jet Blue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Or Delta.

      Delete
    2. Delta doesn't have hybrid in ord, zo hopefully aa

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:34

      Hybrid?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:03

      There is going to be a lot more passengers once they finally get that codeshare.

      Delete
    5. JATBEGMEL13:12

      Rumour is Jetblue. Lets wait and see.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous14:43

      AA would be ideal

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:41

      I'd guess American, which has a big presence at both JFK and ORD. JetBlue is not strong in Chicago.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous17:49

      What about Alaska Airlines? That would provide decent coverage of the West Coast.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    Fantastic news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:57

      Well done Serbia

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    Fair point about the alliances.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      OU can vouch for that.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:04

    What will be the fare likes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      * fares

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      I'm assuming similar to New York.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:06

    I am sure that Chicago will prove to be a success for Air Serbia and that frequency will be doubled within 1 year of service. I hope they restore and maintain their punctuality as they had it before with New York (which has deteriorated lately).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09:06

    Miami next please

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:58

      I hope they won't wait 5 years after launching Chicago to start another route in the US.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:03

      They should first add frequencies to Chicago, make it a success and profitable and only then should they start a third destination. That's what they did with New York.

      Delete
    3. There is a major reason why they couldn't expend and start more wide'-body operation. There was global pandemic for 3 years and still it is for USA as you must be fully vaccinated to enter Anonymous10:58

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:41

      Skip Miami and go to Fort Lauderdale. Bunch of American Serbs own a property there.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:41

      There is no way Miami would be ahead of Toronto on the list.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:33

      Fort Lauderdale has lower fees too.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:08

    Finally :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:09

    A bit disappointed that Toronto will be left behind but looking forward to see Air Serbia spread its wings in North America

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Vucic said that Toronto will be next on the cards in N America.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:04

      Toronto seems to be completely sidelined

      Delete
    3. Toronto is next, probably by year 2040,so don't lose your hopes....

      Delete
  10. JU520 BEGLAX09:09

    Interesting and open statement about alliances for smaller airlines

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      Describes Croatia Airlines' situation very well.

      Delete
    2. JU520 BEGLAX09:27

      +1

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:12

    The Balkan Diaspora is huge in Chicago. It will do well on this route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:24

      Chicago will be a huge success for connecting flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:05

      I wonder which transfer destination will be most popular. I know for JFK it is Podgorica.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:15

    Go Serbia!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:15

    OU is the market leader in the Balkans!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      Yeah, sure.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:25

      OU is not in the Balkans lol

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:32

      Good one

      Delete
    4. Hahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahaha Hahahahahahahaha

      Delete
    5. Now, after having a gooooood lough : OU had all chances and potentials to become market leader in ex-yu, Balkans and SE Europe. But it did not because of corrupt politicians appointing incompetent management and guys like you who support their deeds and Bravo them

      Delete
    6. Anonymous18:23

      @Rijeka, OU with its small hub in Zagreb could never even be a leader in exYu much less in wider spaces as you mentioned. No hard feelings, it is nice to fly high, but be serious.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:16

    How long will the flight to Chicago be?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:24

      Around 10 hours probably.

      Delete
  15. Biće žurka i kaos na svakom letu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:30

      Cope harder.

      Delete
    2. Haters are furious.

      Their indignant rage gives me joy.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:39

      Ali kad se trude da napisu na srpskom pa bude Biće umesto Bit će, al se opet zaj… obožavam :)

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:25

    Any ideas what days the flights will be operational?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:35

      We will find out soon.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:28

    Wonder how long it will take this one to become profitable. New York took 4 years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:03

      I think that Chicago will turn out even more successful than New York.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:05

      And how do you know New York is profitable now ? Have you ever seen any official numbers or just because Mr Marek says so ?!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:14

      Maybe because the flights are always full?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:18

      Several sources have said so and there was absolutely no reason for them to do so as no one even asked them or forced them to comment on it. And all those sources cite the same year when the route became profitable.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:28

      And how do You know that New York is not profitable now? Maybe because You say something about of profitability New York line? I really do not understand that argument.

      Delete
    6. JATBEGMEL13:33

      @ 09,28

      JU is not the same airline today as it was in 2016. YU-ARC should be cheaper to integrate into the JU fleet compared to YU-ARA, not only due to the lease price but also that familiarisation flights are not needed as was the case in 2016. The airline next year will be larger than 2019, with more capacity, more frequencies, better pricing policy and they have finally stepped up their marketing. Not to mention that in the mean time they've established various contracts in the US, which had to be done from scratch back in 2016.

      JU seems optimistic in long haul and expects to expand to 5 ac in the short to mid term. Theyve been very quick to pull out of routes that don't work or where they can find better use for the aircraft.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous14:53

      Because Aleksandar says so!

      Delete
    8. JATBEGMEL15:13

      Actually, a number of comments about JFK have been made by JU.

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/10/us-market-of-great-importance-to-air.html?m=1

      There was a period in 2020 (September I believe) when JU had the best CLF of any airline operating into JFK. Capacity in business class has increased with YU-ARB reconfiguration and with YU-ARC the route will finally go daily. Routes not performing well don't see frequency increases, which JU has done on a number of occasions to JFK.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:34

    Congratulations to Air Serbia for expanding long haul. Well done on moving in the right direction.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous09:40

    Meanwhile they keep selling out their Tianjin flights! The inaugural one is almost sold out according the reservation system (just one seat left in economy and a couple in business). They have sold out the flights on 30 December and 6 January!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      And people were wondering why they were rushing to launch China :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      wow nice. This is from BEG to TSN?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:44

      Yes

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:08

      I'm sure it will be full in the bellyhold too :)

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:40

    Good luck JU.But when is YU-ARC cooming?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Some people are saying this week, but essentially it just needs to arrive by the first week of December.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:46

      Interestingly seat map layouts are currently showing the same across all long haul flights. So either YU-ARC will get the JU long haul product (the same one as YU-ARB due to its longer than expected stay on the ground) or they still haven't uploaded the new seat maps.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:44

    Exciting times for JU!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:03

    Can't wait for the flights to begin!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous10:04

    Now the hard work begins in making Chicago sustainable.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous10:07

    Wonder what the cargo potential is on this route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:09

      If they have a lot of cargo to New York as they indicate and data shows, then Chicago should be similar.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous10:09

    they should increase frequencies on almost all ex-Yu routes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:16

      I hope they start MBX soon.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:31

      They have already increased drastically this winter. When the new ATRs arrive, they will increase even more.

      MBX is nonsens.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:33

      They will start Portoroz, not Maribor.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:38

      They are in talks with POW. Doesn't necessarily mean they will start it.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:46

      Ohrid should come next summer too.

      Delete
    6. JATBEGMEL13:45

      Frequencies will definitely increase on the regional routes. Theyve already done so this winter, including adding flights to PUY during the Christmas /New Year holidays, which hasn't happened since the 1990/1991 winter season. Not only has OTP frequencies increased but will also be on the A319 3 pw.

      OHD is tipped to be a returning route next summer. POW will likely replace TRS. I expect SJJ will see some increases as well. I wouldn't be surprised to see both SPU and DBV operating at least daily next summer, LJU with a third daily, TIA 14 pw. The announcements lately have been impressive so let's wait and see.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:38

    What will be the flight number? Same as during Yugo times?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JATBEGMEL13:11

      I doubt they will be the same.

      JU506 is in the JFK number range. It used to be used for LCA. Currently unused.

      JU566 is in the VCE number range. Currently unused.

      Most likely it'll be in the JU7## range.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:21

      Why don’t they just group all long haul under the same range?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:06

      The JFK flight was symbolic I guess because they wanted to use the same flight numbers that were used by JAT.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:46

    Waiting to buy ticket :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous11:03

    Excellent news

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous11:11

    Interesting. Nice to see US market developing for JU. Many were saying here that there would be no passengers.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous11:11

    Congrats Air Serbia. That is quite a good development.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous11:52

    After Chicago largest unserved destinations from BEG are LA and Miami, my bet is they are looking at Miami .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:47

      Shaghai, Toronto and Hong Kong have more passengers from/to BEG than LAX. A lot of airports have more demand than Miami.

      Delete
  32. Anonymous11:55

    Definitely looks as if more than the current two wide bodies are planned :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous12:12

    Only One World make sense at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous13:19

    AS is definitely profitable on the Beg-JFK route. I fly to Serbia twice a year, every year and only one segment was not sold out. It was the only time I managed to sleep in an airplane spread out on four seats ( the middle rows).

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous15:31

    What is with the inflated diaspora numbers? Chicago does not even have 100 thousand Italians but apparently there are 350 thousand Serbs there..... so dumb!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:30

      Maybe the fact that in Chicagoland alone there are 19 Serbian Orthodox Churches (plus 3 in WI: Racine, Cudahy and MKE), 3 Serbian Monasteries, 1 seminary, 3 cemeteries.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous03:11

      Could be but there is a big difference between 15K official and 350K claimed.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous23:56

      United Airlines has a bigger hub at ORD, bugger hub at LAX, plus SFO, IAD, MCO, TPA. The frequencies of feeder routes into ORD from Canada, both YVR and YYZ are far better too especially since Air Canada is a Star Alliance partner. Sure AA has the JFK advantage, but in every other scenario UAL would be a better option. UAL is trying to expand at JFK and probably will in the spring time when they restart JFK operations and add more to it.

      Delete
  36. Anonymous17:25

    Chicago is all United Airlines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:33

      ? American Airlines has a major hub there lol AA which also has hubs in JFK, MIA, LAX all current / possible JU destinations …. That’s why I think AA is best

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:56

      United Airlines has a bigger hub at ORD, bugger hub at LAX, plus SFO, IAD, MCO, TPA. The frequencies of feeder routes into ORD from Canada, both YVR and YYZ are far better too especially since Air Canada is a Star Alliance partner. Sure AA has the JFK advantage, but in every other scenario UAL would be a better option. UAL is trying to expand at JFK and probably will in the spring time when they restart JFK operations and add more to it.

      Delete
  37. Anonymous20:25

    Toronto needed ASAP

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous22:55

      Don't you have a weird feeling someone within Air Serbia is trying to prevent Toronto launch?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:07

      Why on earth would they. They probably did yield calculations and considering how expensive YYZ is, it probably made more sense to start Chicago first.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:36

      With all that intense defensiveness it would be weird not to think someone on the inside was trying to block Toronto, but it would be even weirder to say it out loud without providing some evidence. So let's keep it to ourselves for the next couple of months.

      Delete
  38. Anonymous00:06

    Hope the fares will be competitive and affordable.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous18:13

    Great for Serbian & Balkan diaspora on the east coast. How about West Coast & Canada? Why not finally think about Vancouver, Seattle??? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

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