Air Montenegro has apologised to popular aviation YouTuber and influencer Josh Cahill and launched a series of internal policy changes following his review of the airline, in which he accused the carrier of scamming him. Mr Cahill purchased a business class ticket on an Air Montenegro flight from Podgorica to Zurich but was subsequently downgraded, with the airline citing a “change of equipment” as the reason. Despite operating a single-type fleet with an identical cabin configuration across all aircraft, the airline has noted that one of the three jets does not feature business class. However, it is unclear why this is the case, as the carrier has the same seating throughout its fleet, curtain dividers on all planes and does not require ovens for preheating meals as it does not serve hot food. Complaints regarding involuntary downgrades on Air Montenegro flights have increased in recent months. In his video, Mr Cahill also highlighted cabin crew drinking coffee in the last row of the aircraft, stained cabin interiors and security personnel smoking at Podgorica Airport.
The review has sparked a growing backlash in Montenegro and has amassed more than 150.000 views since being published over the weekend. Responding to the video, Air Montenegro’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tihomir Dragaš, said, “I wish to begin this address in the only way befitting such situations - with the deepest and most sincere apology. After reviewing and analysing in detail, together with the team, the video by travel vlogger Josh Cahill, I feel immense regret for the experience he had on our flight. As a national airline, we promise every passenger hospitality, professionalism and reliability. In this case, we failed to uphold those promises, and for that, I am profoundly sorry. It is utterly unacceptable that a passenger who duly paid for business class should be moved to economy without being informed in a timely and clear manner. An even greater failing is that the process for refunding the fare difference was slow, complicated and insufficiently transparent. That simply is not the level of service I stand behind”.
He added, “Furthermore, I take the complaints regarding the behaviour of the cabin crew and the cleanliness standards on the aircraft with the utmost seriousness. Passenger care and hygiene must be impeccable, without exception”.
Mr Dragaš said the airline has launched a review of its services and internal procedures. “We have already initiated specific steps to rectify these shortcomings: 1. Urgent reform of the refund procedure: We are simplifying and accelerating the compensation process so that, in such situations, passengers receive their money back quickly and without administrative hurdles. 2. Internal audit and training: We will launch an internal review of crew performance and additional training, with a particular focus on communication standards and passenger care. 3. Enhanced hygiene controls: We will review our hygiene maintenance procedures and strengthen cleanliness checks across the entire fleet before every departure”, the Chairman said.
The full review can be viewed below


They have been doing this for years. Glad someone finally called them out
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know how they are doing with the arrival of Wizz? Judging by the ticket prices to LJU, their loads are horrible, not one one-way trip in June is priced at more than ~70 euros
ReplyDeleteYou can find many flights around europe for 70 in June so that doesnt mean a whole lot.
DeleteWizz has had great loads on this route so far. Today's loads are 225 outbound and 227 inbound.
DeleteThe government is introducing PSO in order to save the airline financially.
Delete@9.46 - is this the avg load or the load of one particular flight you took. The LF seems amazing then, they just need to improve the yields because the prices are frequently only 20 for a ticket.
Delete20 euros for a ticket is great for consumers.
DeleteThe question is who actually selects to pay for a business class ticket on this most basic of operations?
ReplyDeleteEveryone has the right to choose what they want. That does not mean they should be scammed.
DeleteIndeed. But seriously. Would you select to give more money for that?
DeleteWhy do you care? It's not your money.
DeleteI would never, except in the case of having extreme amount of luggage since Business class allows 2x32kg checked-in luggage. But some people have money to waste.
Delete@09:09 Oh calm down
DeleteCalm down about what? Why would it be your business if someone else pays business class. If you don't want to, no one is forcing you or questioning you why you are flying economy.
DeleteI asked the question. Why? Do you have a proper answer? Or are you just a troll?
DeleteAvitation bloggers immediately come to my mind or people who simply want to try a given product “because they can”. There’s nothing bad about the approach as long as you keep in mind that exploring the unknown sometimes leads to experiences like this one.
DeleteI think you are the one that needs to calm down. Maybe they want to get off the plane first, not wait in line for passport control, maybe they have luggage that exceeds economy class allowance. Or maybe they have money and don't want to bother sitting next to someone in a plane even for 2 hours. It's their right how they use their money. When people have money, they can afford such luxuries for themselves without thinking twice.
DeleteBusiness gives lounge access, priority lane at security, priority boarding, extra baggages, flexibility for changes, better leg room and an empty seat next to you (at majority of airlines). For someone who makes a lot, the price difference is worth it.
DeleteOr, just imagine having millions in the bank, and earning $10k a day just through interest. Why would you care if the ticket costs $100 or $500? It's like difference between 1 and 5 euros for the rest of us. Sure, 1 euro is cheaper, but do I care if I get even marginally better service? Absolutely not.
DeleteAll these comments are fine. But Montenegro Airlines business class? Talk about a waste of money.
DeleteThose who need: business class lounge, priority check in, fast lanes, dedicated security checks, priority boarding, empty seat next to them, business class meals, 2x23 kg, and more miles.
DeleteMontenegro business class makes OUs effort look 5 star
DeleteTrue lol
Delete^ what bad value
DeleteFirst things first, but security smoking it's none of his business.
ReplyDeleteWhy? If smoking is banned for passengers why should be allowed for security staff in the terminal?
DeleteIm always shocked to see people smoking those smelly heated tobacco things in airports in the balkans. I mean get with the times guys.
DeleteIt wasn't electronic cigarrates they were smoking cigarettes in full view of all passengers not giving a toss. It's in the video. Mind you Podgorica is without doubt the worst capital city airport in Europe and I can imagine with the Wizz flights it is now 100x worse with so many people in that shoe box.
DeleteYeah i've seen even passengers smoke when there is a delay, using coffee cups to put the fags out.
DeleteTill you are bragging about nicotine clouds, they are poisoning you with PFAS named chemicals more potent than lead, co2, co, etc.
Delete@11:32, indeed. But smoking in public is disgusting and outdated and should not be tolerated in any form.
DeleteIt's a human right in the Balkans to spark up where you wish
DeleteSadly many people still think that way.
DeleteJosh Cahill is the most popular but also genuine airline reviewers on YouTube. I’m glad he uses his publicity for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteHe’s a little neurotic but seems like a good guy. Could just be German culture.
+1 german culture
DeleteCan't stand Cahill and his excessive clickbait and havent heard nice things about him, but how truthful was he being?
ReplyDeleteWell look at the video. He filmed the crew with a big cup drinking cofee and chatting, sitting in the last row, stains all over the cabin, staff at TGD smoking and he got downgraded under some bogus excuse. I mean it's filmed in the video. It's not AI.
DeleteI also cant stand him. Stopped watching him ages ago beacuse he is very egocentric and often vaguely creepy. However Montenegro Airlines are without doubt a rather slack operation.
DeleteYeah the clickbait stuff is just how the content game is like these days. But he was truthful.
DeleteAlso, his cab driver in Podgorica told him that Croats aren’t good people. Like come on lady, don’t make Montenegro look bad. The country thrives on being multi cultural but there are some who have an issue with that unfortunately.
Josh Cahill's videos can be controversial but in this case Air Montenegro has effectively confirmed his complaints by apologising and launching internal reforms.
DeleteEveryone has a right to express his or her opinion about other people.
DeleteAnd she did not do that with purpose to be published (as she did not know she was recorded), but only in usual chat with the customer.
Don’t make excuses for her behavior. The whole West is dealing with this discriminatory behavior and it’s killing societies.
Delete@09:58 "Everyone has a right to express his or her opinion about other people."
DeleteYou mean its ok to be rude about other nationalities?
Realistic
DeleteExactly.
DeleteRealistic.
@9.13 but what if this was THE ONLY few minutes when they did it and he filmed it because he knew it will make people talk. At one moment he said the crew didnt welcome you on board but in the same you can hear them saying Dobar Dan to others
Deletehave never flown with Air Montenegro, but these youtubers are also not trusty at all ..
This guy, Aljoša I think his actual name is - he always gets into trouble. There is always a conspiracy against him. Just in general I mean from watching his videos. I saw a video of him getting into a heated argument at LUX and then noticed he always gets into trouble. I think he wasn’t able to get into the USA for a couple of years because he didn’t disclose the name change. It’s documented on YT.
DeleteJosh Cahill is one of the most realistic reviewers of airlines. I personally dont find him egocentric at all.
DeleteOh, well views of ego differ greatly. I find him really really annoying.
DeleteThere’s always too much drama around him. Something sits “off” with him for me. And why change your name? Hide you’re German? It doesn’t make any sense.
DeleteHe never hides that
DeleteWell it's good that they admitted what they are being accused of. It's a shame an influencer has to come and film it for them to take some action, seeing as they have been doing this since their very foundation.
ReplyDeleteExactly. How many ordinary passengers complained before and received no response?
DeleteGood on Air Montenegro for apologising, but the real question is why this was happening in the first place. You don't suddenly discover a flawed downgrade process after a YouTube video gets 150,000 views.
ReplyDeleteisn't that equivalent to a 1/5 of the country?
DeleteThe chairman's response is actually quite refreshing.
ReplyDeleteHe later admitted that he and the CEO had no clue how the refund process works and that they are not returning people's money, which is a whole issue within itself.
DeleteI've flown Air Montenegro several times and the crews were always friendly. The biggest issue has been inconsistency. Some flights feel professional, others feel completely disorganised.
ReplyDeleteThe "change of equipment" explanation never made sense. If all aircraft have the same seats and curtains, why couldn't business class be offered? I wonder what the real reason is.
ReplyDeleteYeah, they are definitely making stuff up with that one.
DeleteEven a bigger mystery for me is why would they not offer business class, if on one hand it means issuing refunds and unhappy pax, and on another it's about closing the curtains and serving better cold meal and drinks? Like, cost for that to the airline is zero.
Delete^ was thinking the same
DeleteCredit where it's due. Many airlines would have ignored the criticism.
ReplyDeleteThey have just 3 planes and how many crew? 50? And they can't keep a decent standard? Crazy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteActually it is much harder when you are small
DeleteThis is horrible.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how, after this video went viral, Air Serbia introduced new rules prohibiting any filming or photographing of the cabin crew or the cabin without prior consent. I heard this announcement firsthand on my JU flight just a couple of days ago.
ReplyDeleteThat announcments have been there for 3 months. Has nothing to do with this video.
Delete* announcment. And btw, Josh Cahill did a review on Air Serbia 2 years ago or so. And it was positive,
DeleteYes, thoat announcment has been there for months. Same like announcment asking people not to destroy the cabin interiors.
DeleteThe first time I heard it was last weekend, and I fly at least twice a month with JU. I did, however, hear the other announcement regarding respecting the cabin interior a few months back. Do you reckon it’s okay to prohibit passengers from taking photos or filming the cabin? I do, however, agree that filming the cabin crew should not be allowed.
DeleteI alsop fly JU regularly and can confirm that announcment has been made for a while. It has nothing to do with this.
DeleteWell, good to see that JU is proactive as always!
DeleteWell, the cabin crew are employees doing their work. They are actually not in a public space, but in their 'office' and unless you sign a GDPR-compliant contract regarding recording them at their workspace, you should not be able to record them.
DeleteThe announcement reminding passengers not to film crew members without their consent is something I regularly hear on Aer Lingus and KLM flights. On Lufthansa flights between Frankfurt and New York (FRA–JFK), I have also been warned about recording crew members and, on one occasion, was asked to delete videos or photographs that had been taken.
DeleteIf this is strictly enforced, does it mean we will never see another trip report (at least not with pictures) from JU unless it is pre approved by management? That sounds like JU is trying to control the narrative and discourage potential critique.
DeleteThis announcment has existed for months and you have been getting trip reports here almost weekly. Give it a rest.
DeleteHe is trying to create drama out of nothing. Let him be. There is no use debating wuth such people.
Delete@11:00 you'll notice many vloggers will blur faces etc. Trip reports will continue. JU are doing what other airlines have done as people have mentioned.
DeleteI understand it’s not new, but that doesn’t make the discussion irrelevant. Trip reports on JU still exist, but the question is what happens if the rule is enforced more strictly. It’s a reasonable point to raise, not something to brush off, no?
DeleteAgain, you are creating drama out of nothing and hijacking a topic completely unrelated to this airline. It is against the law in Serbia to film other people without their consent. Articles 144 and 145 of the Serbian Criminal Code
Delete^ although I think it only becomes a criminal offence only if the act significantly intrudes into their private life.
DeleteI’m not trying to create drama, just raising a point I find worth discussing. If you don’t see it the same way, I'm fine with that, but dismissing it outright in a condescending tone doesn’t really add much to the conversation.
DeleteI'm dismissing it bevause this rule has existed forever and they have been announcing it for months. And I have seen almost a weekly JU review since then, both positive and negative and there are countless reviews each week on youtube too. It's likely they are making an announcment about it because there was probably some incident with some unruly passenger filming staff.
DeleteEven without that announcment its common sense that you should not film the cabin crew or other passengers. When i was cabin crew i was very strict about it, i dont want to see myself on a random tiktok video. Sometimes we were stoping the safety demo just to go to the pax and tell him to put his phone down.
Delete@11:21 Topic has been clarified before. Brining it up again is rather vulgar and primitive.
DeleteLol, manager didnt say they will stop selling business class tickets.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what people expected.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about an airline that on 11 June is not selling any ticket for winter season.
We're talking about one of Europe's worst airlines to be fair.
DeleteAnd after 5 years still unable to sell connecting flights...
DeleteConnecting what to what?
DeleteConnecting destinations in their network via Podgorica and actually have transfer passengers, like Montenegro Airlines did from Belgrade. It took Air Montenegro 4 and a half years to sign a codeshare for gods sake.
DeleteWhat destinations?? You think someone will fly Belgrade - Podgorica - Lyon??
DeleteHahaha
DeleteHas anyone ever actually seen what Air Montenegro offers as business class?
ReplyDelete^ Yes. Some people have.
DeletePretty much nothing
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2026/01/trip-report-air-montenegro-rome.html
wow I missed that report. Terrible haha
DeleteWell as people above have stated. Its the right of those with money to spend it! even if its very bad value lol
DeleteThe first part of the review is absurd. "no in flight entertainment", "only water and snacks". Tell me an airline where you get more than that on intra EU flights?
ReplyDeleteWith 2nd part I agree completely
Does anyone have any data or insights on the load factors of Wizz Air's TGD–BSL/MLH service? It seems possible that the route could cannibalize some demand from Air Montenegro's flights to Zurich, as Basel/Mulhouse may be an attractive alternative for passengers in the region.
ReplyDeleteI flew them a few times in business from BEG to TGD and there was a dedicated check-in, priority lane, dedicate business class product, lounge access...
ReplyDeleteJosh Cahill (real name Alyosha) tends to be extremely dramatic and his reports are known to be provocative and he is more focused on creating drama than on being impartial. I stopped following him some years ago.
Not saying 4O is without flaws but he is full of flaws as well.
What did tyne "dedicated business product" involve?
DeleteP.S Why is his 'real name' so important? I notice that whenever someone dislikes him they highlight his 'real name'. Maybe he doesn't like his name, maybe he wants to appeal to a wider audience. Why is it so important?
DeleteBecause there are people who are interested to know that he isn't Australian as he pretends, he is dishonest.
DeleteAnyway if you don't like it just skip it
We got free drinks and some snacks on the flight plus there was curtain etc
Delete@15.52 I guess the same way you can skip his reports.
Delete@15:52 he is half Czech
DeleteFrom wiki:
DeleteThere are conflicting accounts of Cahill's early life. According to a Die Welt interview in 2008, Aljoscha Wendholt was born in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.[2] He moved to Saxony when he was six years old,[2] and grew up in the village of Mildenau in Saxony.[5] He started travelling in 2005 with his first trip to Lithuania.[5]
In two of his own videos published in 2024, Cahill said that his mother is Czech, that they moved to Germany as refugees when he was "very young",[6] and that he remains a Czech citizen.[7]
A January 2025 interview with Cahill published by Airliners.de reported that he was born in Melbourne, Australia as Aljoscha Cahill-Wendholt, but moved to Germany at the age of 7 and legally changed his name to Josh Cahill in 2016.[8] Later that year, The Australian mentioned "Melbourne-born Josh Cahill"[9]
Quite an odd thing
Discrediting the messenger is the last remaining strategy of someone who has run out of arguments. You cannot find lies in his message so you attack him instead.
Delete@17:09 although his review of Montenegro airlines is correct. Shocking company on every level
DeleteWell, 16:56, the same could be said for taking everything at face value that a vlogger posts without critical thinking.
DeleteHow does an Air Montenegro flight attendant greet passengers: ‘Good evening, good evening, good evening, đeeeeeee siiiiii
ReplyDelete