Air Serbia to trial on-board streaming, elevate ground experience


Air Serbia is looking to improve both its on-board and ground product in the coming months with a range of new services, including trialling on-board streaming and elevating the experience at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport as part of the latter’s infrastructure development. In an interview for EX-YU Aviation News, the company’s CEO, Jiri Marek, said, “We will be piloting streaming of content, which will run on the narrow-bodies. We will initially test it on the ATR and Airbus for three months, to monitor how important it is for passengers to have access to music, videos, games etc. Based on the outcome of that test, our intention is to go for streaming on the narrow-body fleet, depending on customer feedback and satisfaction”. During its boutique-era service concept up until 2018, Air Serbia provided an "Elevate Play" application, enabling passengers to stream a select number of movies, TV shows and music through tablets, laptops, mobiles and other hand-held devices on its Airbus fleet.

For the time being and with the current technology, the airline has ruled out the reintroduction of Wi-Fi, which was available to passengers across Airbus jets until 2019. “In our case, on-board Wi-Fi had less than 6% usage and that was mostly on long haul flights, while on narrow-bodies it was even less, around 2% to 3%. The original concept was not the best fit and we were recently looking at different models with different providers. However, the current technology with the mentioned share of users is not economically viable. Even if we improved the concept, by reducing the prices, offering different payment models - like one month or annual subscription - usage would never go over 10%”. He added, “At the moment, Wi-Fi is not on our radar. For an airline of our size, the return of such an investment is not economically justified. If we were a larger airline perhaps we could find a provider that would take the entire investment onto themselves, which would quickly pay off from usage and revenue, but at the moment we will concentrate on improving the overall cabin look and feel, content streaming and potentially USB charging option. However, for all these product elevations you need some time to make a feasibility study and determine the size of the investment amounts necessary and what is the return on that investment. After our transformation and return to profitability, our main business objective is to keep this profitability going forward, and by doing so to accomplish long-term sustainability. The five-star boutique airline concept was not the best fit to the market at that time and we are not going down that road, as profitability is not an automatic entry ticket to unreasonable spending”.

Air Serbia also plans to elevate its ground experience with the opening of Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport new central processor building, especially for business class passengers. “Part of the VIP carpark will be dedicated to Air Serbia, from where there will be a bridge to the new facility, offering seamless movement of passengers. At the end of the bridge, there will be a dedicated and branded Air Serbia entrance and after entering the building, straight ahead you will be welcomed by dedicated separate business class desks. By separate, I mean there will be a glass-wood partition going up to the ceiling or a little bit below which will have a glass door, and inside there will be refreshments, as well as four to six check-in counters, hotel lobby-style. It may come a bit after the new facility opens as it will need a lot of fine-tuning, however this development is not fully on us. It requires synergies and coordination with the airport operator, additional discussions are ongoing and we strongly hope that we will be able to achieve this together before the summer season”, Mr Marek said. He added, “The majority of the check-in desks in the new building will be dedicated to Air Serbia. We are also, in cooperation with the airport operator, developing a new service desk with an open-space U-shape style design with eight agent seats as an additional touchpoint for our customers”.


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    Nice to see that streaming will be available on ATR!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:03

      Pity about Wi fi though.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:08

      ^ it didn't make economic sense by the looks of things.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:12

      They really rushed onboard wifi at the time when it was still new and likely very expensive. Even today it's not yet become industry standard, but in a few years maybe

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:52

      The prices were more or less the same as you have them on other airlines today

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:56

      The prices were ok but the download limit was terrible.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:57

      Prices of WiFly

      4.90 euros for thirty-minute access (download limit 20 MB)
      8.90 euros for sixty minute access (download limit 50 MB)
      13.90 euros for access throughout the duration of the flight (download limit 90 MB).

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:30

      The most important thing they should do is to eliminate chips and introduce tea, coffee and wet-wipes. Perhaps some chocolate bars. This chips thing is so f***** primitive and tasteless. Qatar may discard them only because of it 😂.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:36

      Pretzels on AA where much better. Only enough liquid is important.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:13

      They could easily increase the quality of the tech (wifi, onboard entertainment etc) by simply creating a partnership with the ETF faculty of Belgrade. A student project could be created with a prize/award which would be significantly cheaper and probably of better quality than a commercial contract.

      Delete
    10. Slav.Man12:44

      @12:13, you are right many nations use their top institutions a source of inovation and self-production, Serbia hasnt gotten the memo that they have the same potential to create their own product and further develop people's skills and knowledge.
      but at the same time there is report air Baltic are introducing free wifi on their planes with Starlink. but they have to get permission first. I think its from Airbus that has to give it.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:20

      Quite a few partnerships to benefit the passenger experience could be done but it doesn't work like that, because thought needs to be put into something and thinking is hard (for example, think of the genius idea behind serving chips and not even a napkin to accompany it). Just like previously when Elevate Play was available and there were no charging outlets for devices on aircraft. JU has failed consistently for years with the finer details. Great ideas, poor implementation. And I am convinced that the lack of attention to details costs them alot of money each year, money that could be used for further improving the onboard product ie complimentary tea/coffee.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous13:37

      @12:13 Nice idea, but unfortunately, not very realistic (in the air at least). Regulations for aircraft parts and components are way too rigid. You can't just put something built by a bunch of students in the air. There are many tests and certifications required before a new component can be used. See SR111.

      @13:20 I fully agree with you, many nice ideas, but shi**y implementation. And it seems after they implement certain things they don't even bother to review them. Let's hope they will improve further moving forward.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:02

    "The five-star boutique airline concept was not the best fit to the market at that time and we are not going down that road, as profitability is not an automatic entry ticket to unreasonable spending”

    Amen

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:04

    wow unexpected. Good work Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    This is great news, especially for people flying longer routes. I hope the feedback will be good and they extended it to the entire narrow body fleet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:07

    Good way to pass the time. Even on short flights you can just listen to music.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:07

    Ok good. They should also work on improving IFE on the A330.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      Yes, they need to add much more options and update the content on a more regular basis.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:42

      +1

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:09

    I like that they will have a separate area for business class passengers. Any chance of a new lounge too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      This would be a good idea. The current one is really crowded at certain times, especially at around midday when it is also being used by QR and FZ passengers.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:12

      A new lounge would be fantastic, the current one is small and it, unfortunately, starts to look dated. Investments have been minimal since they opened. Also the location will not be great anymore, once the new processor opens, it is quite a far way to the end of the C Gates. They opened the lounge up to third party airlines during covid in order to generate additional revenue, downgraded the food and drinks options. Fair enough, but now they should start looking out for their own premium passengers again.

      But more than a new JU lounge, I am hoping that Dufry's contract finally expires and Vinci takes charge to build and operate something proper. The Dufry lounge is an absolute joke, absolutely neglected, toilets sometimes broken and so on.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:46

      Dufry sucks so much.. .They are even managing to destroy the Hellenic Duty Free Shops that were a powerful brand.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:53

      They are horrible, I hope Vinci can get rid of them soon. Their offering in BEG sucks top to bottom, starting with the food outlets, then the awful lounge, right down to the actual duty free store. Though luckily they now finally offer Serbian meat products and cheese and stopped selling Salami and Parmesan from Italy...

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:13

    This is exactly what they need after these big expansions! Bravo JU!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:13

    Another thing they should look into is catering in business class. I think it is great that they offer so many choices and the meals are ok but they have to work on presentation and the recent trend of serving drinks in plastic cups in business' on short haul flights is not the best look.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:28

      Yes, the food is fine (or even more than fine) but the presentation gives late 80s vibes. And that's easy to change, really, it's literally just the style of vegetable cutting or the type of plate.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:00

      The food is okay, but the menus lack finesse. Also, the menu is not rotating often enough. They could also play a bit with the wine offering; there are so many wineries in Serbia that could be featured. The same goes for other products that could be featured.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:14

    Far more important to passengers would have been the introduction of power outlets on every seatback.
    Those who want to watch movies, tv series etc. on board have already download them on their laptop/smart phone.
    What they most need is the ability to charge their devices.
    Not accessing a very narrow selection of content that the airline would provide.
    Also wifi is becoming standard for airlines flying transatlantically.
    The airline should really study the best way to offer it. It is particularly important for pax flying for business. later on it should be introduced on the A320 fleet flying the longer sectors in Europe and the Middle East.
    They shouldn't bother with doing anything of the above for the ATR fleet though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      Well they do say they are looking at USB ports. As for Wi Fi I don't think 6% usage is justified to introduce it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:18

      6% usage was for the technology and the fee structure that ASL had introduced during the boutique airline face.
      Today technology exists that allows for much much better speeds. And way more people are connected to the internet away from work/home than 5 years ago.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:43

      I would rather they introduced Wi Fi than streaming tbh.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:46

      If only 6% used wifi I wonder how many will use this streaming.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:47

      That's why they say they will trial it first on some planes.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:47

      I think it will be welcomed on flights like London, Moscow, Kazan, Cairo, Tel Aviv... Plus who knows what kind of route they plan to introduce in the future.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:55

      Anon 09:14
      +1000

      Delete
    8. JATBEGMEL14:56

      @09,46

      WiFi and inflight steaming is 2 separate things. I never used their WiFi as I found it expensive and I could go the 5-6 hours between AUH and BEG without it (back when they had the product) but I did use the Elevate Play app to stream movies and TV shows. I personally loved it. Streaming I am sure will be very popular with the customers, especially if it includes the inflight map and flight information. I just hope that this time around the app is device friendly as it was really poorly designed the last time around.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:14

    Will you have to download an app to stream these or will you just enter some website on board where it will bee available?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:15

    Finally ex-yu airlines embracing new technology

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      Almost 10 years after this technology was new :D

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:22

      At one point JU was very much ahead of the pack with wifi on almost all planes and streaming.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:56

      The use of the service though (WiFly) was very expensive and also slow by today standards.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:19

    Good work JU.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:20

    When can we expect for them to start testing the streaming?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:22

    Now we talking! Excellent work, Air Serbia

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:23

    the streaming service is free right?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:27

    The thing that I like is that they are constantly talking about profitability and financial sustainability. A welcome change.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:33

      Noticed that too. The way every business should.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:28

    So both JU and OU will offer streaming soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      OU will have streaming?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:30

      ^ https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/01/croatia-airlines-to-roll-out-on-board.html

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:33

      Thanks. Missed that.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:32

    Regarding Wifi, could using Starlink be more profitable for the airline? I read recently that Air Baltic is introducing it across the fleet
    https://www.airbaltic.com/en/airbaltic-to-equip-entire-fleet-with-spacex-starlink

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:05

      Deutsche Telecom has introduced a hybrid system called the European Aviation Network that combines satellites with land based special antennas that offers much bigger speeds when flying overland and is currently being used by LH group, IAG group, and Aegean airlines in Europe.
      The coverage of the system:
      https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/EAN_Standorte_EU.png/800px-EAN_Standorte_EU.png

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:02

      Cruise companies are also switching to Starlink. Certainly increases the speed, I am not sure how Starlink is priced though.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:18

      Starlink is superior to DT product

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:52

      The DT product is much faster than Starlink when flying overland.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous15:48

      There won't be much coverage of DT product in majority of countries Air Serbia flies over for many years if ever. Starlink does Netflix HD streaming. Game over.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:41

    Blast from the past, JAT entertainment options

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XV7KTBOCtYA/U432Edbjo-I/AAAAAAAAM2o/SMbqTn5jtaQ/s1600/1964968_650508648330821_1135117189_n.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous17:24

      Simply amazing :)

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:41

    Great!! but no dates mentioned! When?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous09:42

    This is great news. A good way to attract more customers. Congratulations Air Serbia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Does anyone choose their intra European flight based on whether streaming is offered on the plane?!?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:48

      haha

      Delete
    3. JATBEGMEL14:49

      @09,43

      There is a decent sized market that goes after the product or airline and not just price. You have filters on search engines for specific carriers, alliances, times of departures, number of stops etc as well as information on the onboard product. There is even options to see your carbon footprint when booking an airline. Not everyone looks at price, even on our market which generally is price sensitive.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:43

    Is it really necessary when most flights are an hour and a half long?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      Can't wait to stream Žikina dinastia.

      Delete
    2. JATBEGMEL14:27

      For now, that may be the case. But their newer destinations are getting longer (OSL, MAD, AGP, VLC, LIS, KZN). Going forward, it is expected that they'll extend that list further and an improvement to their onboard product will be a must to remain competitive. A plus side to onboard streaming could be to further advertise the airline, destinations, route network, fun facts about their fleet, while the Serbian tourism board could provide additional advertisement material to encourage more tourism to our country. It could be a way to advertise the frequent flyer program. Perhaps even to order from the onboard menu which could be synchronised to a main device that crew could see, providing a more efficient service. It's not only about movies, music and TV shows.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:22

      Adria also introduced streaming shortly before bankrupcy.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:49

    Wonder if they will bring the Elevate Play name back for this service :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:14

      I wondered whether the technology has ever been removed from the aircraft that they installed it on.

      Delete
  25. Anonymous09:51

    It's good to see that Air Serbia starting to realise the importance of investing in customer friendly products.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:00

    I really love how AirSerbia is developing and enjoy reading the news about them. But, if you really want to improve your product, please start with the basics that are still missing. The fact that there is no online check-in on a number of airports is just frustrating! I happen to live in a city where online check-in is not available and even though I usually travel just with the hand luggage, I always have to spend half an hour in the queue in order to check in. Come on - don't overlook the basics! Compared to this, catering, USB plugs, Wi-Fi and the rest are simply less important. This is really not acceptable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:15

      And even when you do check in online in BEG, when you go to security they ask you to go and collect a printed borarding pass, and not have it on your phone. I noticed this last week (not JU’s fault, but BEG’s)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:20

      @Anonymous 11:15

      Yes, I heard that too from a relative flying to visit us, a couple of weeks ago.

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:02

    What happened to the "new" A-320 YU-APS (ex-Wizz HA-LWK)? It's sitting on ground in Katowice for two weeks now.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous10:07

    usb ports are a really handy feature. Pity more airlines don't install them in seats. It's not so difficult.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:42

      I wonder how much it costs the airline to install this. I doubt it's a huge investment but I don't really know.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:58

      Power plug would be useful too

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:15

      The question is, whether USB C wouldn't actually be the way forward, considering the EU made USB C the new mandatory standard from 2024 onwards. (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20220930IPR41928/long-awaited-common-charger-for-mobile-devices-will-be-a-reality-in-2024)

      Delete
    4. Vlad20:53

      Most modern seats that have USB ports come with both -A and -C standards.

      Delete
  29. Anonymous10:08

    USB sockets, please!

    For me, if a plane has USB socket, so I can charge my phone, the comfort of the whole journey skyrockets!

    The thing is, when you travel, you use your phone more, so the battery empties quicker. But also, you really need your phone, so having options to recharge the battery is very important. I'm surprised more airlines don't realize how much good will they can generate with their passengers by having USB sockets onboard. It should be a no brainer to include it with every upcoming cabin refurb.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous10:41

    Excellent news. It is good that they are starting to put more focus on their onboard experience and product. Same with their A330 cabins too.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous10:42

    They seem to be constantly looking at how things will affect their bottom line, which is a good thing actually.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous10:59

    it is already competitive compared to other similar sized airlines in Europe.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous11:00

    Without power outlets on each seat thatd be pointless.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous14:11

    Starlink free of charge for passengers plus latest generation seaatback IFE for widebodies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:51

      Free will bring usage to 50% or more. Great for Air Serbia promotions, paid ads etc. IFE today has to have Bluetooth and USB-C

      Delete
  35. Anonymous14:43

    I fly almost every month and I have never needed any of those gadgets. And I charge my phone before I leave for the airport. Even on trans Atlantic flights, there are always a good number of films to watch so there is no need for any upgrades. Save your $ Air Serbia. And don't worry about pleasing these "spoiled travelers".

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous15:34

    Bravo Air Serbia 🇷🇸

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous21:34

    If they want to be regional leader they should go back to offering complimentary catering including wine and beer. For that matter so should OU!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous12:30

    Is this a joke? Air Serbia cares about customer service??? How about start picking up a phone and returning emails, pls? In 2 days will be exactly 3 days that I filed claim on their web site on broken luggage arriving on NY flight, not a peep from them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:31

      Not enough coffee in the morning, typo above. 3 months without reply

      Delete

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.