On November 28, I flew with Air Serbia from Belgrade to Paris CDG, and I must say the experience felt a bit strange.
To start, I booked a one-way ticket during Air Serbia’s promo week, and the fare to Paris was quite cheap. I selected the early morning flight so I would have more time to explore the city. Waking up that early was difficult, but I had to make it in time for check-in. I arrived at the airport at around 4:20 a.m. and headed straight to the check-in desks.
Check-in went smoothly, but to my surprise, the agent at the counter asked me to place my backpack on the conveyor belt, even though it was just a cabin bag. I’m not sure if this is specific to CDG, but it felt odd to check in a cabin bag. I don’t really like doing that, but at least it was free.
Security and passport control were quick, and I reached the gate in no time. Boarding was delayed by half an hour and began at 6:30 a.m. instead of 6:00 a.m., which meant we were going to be late. The night before, the aircraft had been changed from an A319 to an A320. The plane was about 80–85% full, while the three rows of business class were nearly full, with just one empty seat.
Once on board, I noticed that a ground agent stayed on the aircraft much longer than usual, which made it clear that something was going on. After a few minutes, the reason became apparent: a passenger from the back of the aircraft had to be deboarded for some reason. We could not proceed until the cabin crew completed the standard safety checks required in such situations. As nothing was found to be wrong, the aircraft eventually pushed back one hour and fifteen minutes behind schedule. The pilots taxied to the Runway 30R threshold and performed an immediate takeoff.
About twenty minutes into the flight, the cabin crew distributed a bottle of water, a sandwich, and a refreshing towel. Luckily, there were no clouds that day, so I had a great view of the Alps, which was a fantastic sight.
The seat itself wasn’t the best. The plastic behind the tray table had traces of what I assume was spilled coffee. Legroom was acceptable, similar to the rest of Air Serbia’s A319/320 fleet. The service, however, was underwhelming. I didn’t see any flight attendant walk through the cabin to ask passengers if they needed anything. On top of that, loud and rather annoying laughter could be heard from behind the curtain prior to landing.
The remainder of the flight was uneventful, with no turbulence. After landing, I headed to passport control, which was pure chaos. The waiting time was around an hour and a half.
I chose Air Serbia this time because of the promotional fare and the early morning departure, which gave me more time in Paris. However, if I had to choose again, I would probably go with easyJet next time - cheaper and with better on-time performance. Hopefully, they remain committed to the route and eventually upgrade the service to daily operations.
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Thank you for the detailed report Marko.
ReplyDeleteMy experience more often than not sadly is similar to yours with regards to the flight crew.
+1
DeleteTravellers have hight expectations for 2 hrs flight . Just the first service was 45 minutes long and now he was expecting the crew to go around and ask if they need more service? That is just unreal expectation and shameful how some passengers are so demanding for short haul destruction. He would chose an easy jet next time? What service do you expect there? 0 service and pushy FA trying to sell you cheap drinks and food. Honestly people that do not travel much should not even do this reports in my opinion.
DeleteAnd I have somewhat of a problem with folks who are annoyed by laughter.
Delete^
DeleteNo need to advocate FA's. With all due respect. Nobody expect fulfilling wish lists but if somebody sometimes "otaljava posao" that's being seen.
I agree with you, he has paid next to nothing got a free seat assignment fresh sandwich and a bottle a water. Suddenly not happy and need more service . Just wow. No plain is perfectly clean on any airline, especially when tail swap happens last minute.
DeleteAir Serbia does not have free seat assignement, not even at check in. They charge you for it.
DeleteAlso just because the plane was changed doesn't mean it's ok it was dirty or its cabin worn out.
There is a reaon foreign airlines do so well in Belgrade.
Looking at market share at Beglrade, Air Serbia does better than all than foreign airlines combined.
Deletei flew with Lufthansa to Belgrade last year. Flight attendants were disrespectful and didn't pay attention at passengers! A few days after that flight, I flew with Air Serbia to Podgorica and cabin crew was very polite. After that experience, I prefer to fly with Air Serbia!
DeleteGood report Marko, waiting 1.5 hours in the Paris zoo (aka CDG passport control for non Schengen travelers) after more than an hour delay of the departure is brutal.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of cabin cleanliness and maintenance has been mentioned here so many times but the airline doesn't seem interested at all in fixing it. 🤷♂️
So true!
DeleteTrue dat!
DeleteDidn't the JU CEO say a few days ago how passengers are choosing them because they recognized the quality of their service?
DeleteThank you Marko, great trip report. Air Serbia must do something with it's cabin quality. Their CDG service is for some reason neglected, both with frequency and equipment. And you are right, if easyjet goes big on the route, JU will be in trouble.
ReplyDeleteThey are certainly not going big. From today's news
Delete"easyJet will not operate flights on its Paris Charles de Gaulle - Belgrade service from January 9 until February 6, removing a total of seven flights."
And can I ask what's the issue with frequency? JU has 2 DAILY flights. easyjet has 2 weekly. Air France has 0.
DeleteA lot more competition is needed on the route.
DeleteNo one called for more competition when Easy had monopoly on Geneva route..
Delete@10:04
DeleteJU constantly announce CDG frequencies up but nothing in the end. They are missing third daily big time. BT's equipment would be perfect both capacity and product wise.
@12:00
DeleteEveryone calls for competition.
...but only to compete against JU. Having been a regular on this site for over a decade, I have seen it too many times to think it's a coincidence.
DeleteWell flying on planes with a dirty cabin and worn out seats usually means passengers want an alternative. You have pics as proof.
DeleteYeah, that's why so many of them are flying with JU AGAIN this year. Actually, more than ever
DeleteThak you for yout nice report!
ReplyDeleteASL seems to still to face issues with properly cleaning its cabins.
Dear Marko, thank you for your flight report. Regarding " the agent at the counter asked me to place my backpack on the conveyor belt, even though it was just a cabin bag. I’m not sure if this is specific to CDG, but it felt odd to check in a cabin bag. I don’t really like doing that, but at least it was free." it seems to be the new standard. I flew to Nice in mid November and I was also asked to have my cabin bagage weighted.
ReplyDeleteThere is only so many bags you can fit into the aircraft before sending them into the cargo, hence why ULCC's charge for cabin bags. If you are expecting a heavier load (such as 80-85%) you plan this in advance and not last minute at the gate.
DeleteCheap ticket, free baggage check, and complimentary meal on a two hour flight and you're complaining?
ReplyDeleteI just took a three hour flight on a respectable American airline to Florida. We were late and got none of that.