Trip Report
Sunday 20 September 2026
JU599 Tenerife South - Belgrade
BCS3 (Airbus A220-300) (YL-CSD)
STD:10:00 ATD: 10:12
STA: 16:00 ATA: 16:13
Load factor: 50%
After five wonderful days on the island of Tenerife, it was time to journey up to Belgrade. I had timed my trip to the island, in part, due to Air Serbia’s new routing. Living in the UK, flights to Tenerife are abundant and extremely cheap, but getting to the island from Belgrade had long been expensive, so I welcomed the opportunity to be able to link the two.
Tenerife is an island with various parts. Personally, I wouldn’t set foot in the southern resorts which cater to mass tourism, although they do provide a very affordable holiday. They are not, however, my cup of tea.
Leaving the wonderful Kora Nivaria Beach hotel in Abades at 7am, it was just a short drive of about twenty minutes to Tenerife South Airport. Leaving the car at the Sixt off-site office was fast, and after a short bus ride, we were at the terminal.
Tenerife Airport is very large, but at 8am in the morning, it was essentially empty. There are lots of food options in the large, airy check-in area.
This flight was the second one Air Serbia had operated back to Belgrade, and the first using the A220 operated by Air Baltic. Previously, I had tried to reserve seats for me and my travelling companion because I wanted to sit on the left-hand side of the aircraft, where it is a two-seat configuration. Having booked one seat, for some reason the website kept refusing to book the second, so eventually I gave up and just guessed we could move on the day.
Indeed, that was to be the case, as I would estimate the passenger load to be slightly under 50%. Given that this was the second flight, I wasn’t too surprised. My friend had flown in on the initial flight (which they observed had one or two no-shows on the day) and noticed several of the same faces flying back.
The check-in lady was extremely polite, and I asked if I could check in my trolley, to which she said, "Of course." This saved me from manoeuvring it through the airport.
After check-in, we proceeded to security, which took under five minutes. By 08:30, we had entered the large and quite pleasant duty-free area, where there is a large selection of wine and gifts. I can imagine that when the morning rush occurs, or when the 11am–12pm departures to Northern Europe take place, things would be slower; however, it was all quite pleasant.
A few minutes later, we passed through passport control into the non-Schengen area, which again was extremely fast. There were no other flights until 11am, when a flight to the UK was due to depart, which made everything very smooth and empty.
There are several coffee shops by the C Gates serving food and drinks. At 09:30, boarding was called and people started to line up. It was apparent that it would be a bus boarding.
The passenger profile was a mixture of Serbian and Russian. I also saw several Croatian passport holders and a small group of Romanian speakers.
After a short bus transit, the beautiful airBaltic A220 came into view, and it was time to board.
My friend and I waited until almost the very end in order to change seats on board. As I entered, I noticed four people in business class. I have flown Air Serbia in business before and certainly don’t think it is worth it, but each to their own. The upgrade offers sent a day or two before were astronomical. Given that half the aircraft was empty, my friend and I decided to go to the back, which gave us an almost private jet feel.
The airBaltic A220 was spotless and fresh. It is truly a wonderful aircraft and by far the most comfortable out there.
A friendly Latvian male crew member and a Serbian female crew member greeted us on arrival. One further Latvian female crew member was aboard. All were very polite and professional throughout.
At 09:55, the engines were started and the captain announced a flight time of five hours. Taxiing to the runway was fast, and at 10:12, we were airborne.
Sitting on the left-hand side gives stunning views of Tenerife and Mount Teide. Most operations in Tenerife follow the same path, so book that side if visiting (both for landings and departures).
After 15 minutes, the aircraft overflew Gran Canaria, offering wonderful views of Las Palmas. Later in the flight, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were visible from the right-hand side of the aircraft (I moved over to the right and stretched out across the three seats).
One of the great things about the airBaltic A220 is the free Wi-Fi, which makes the flight pass really quickly. Indeed, I would say there is no better way to spend five hours on a European flight than on an A220.
The cabin crew quickly started the service, which consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich and a small piece of cake. The sandwich wasn’t anything special, and we had brought plenty of nice food from Mercadona to eat on board, which I highly recommend doing. The customary bottle of water was also given. The sandwich was perfectly fine, and given that I paid just €128 for a five-hour flight, I think it was more than enough. Later in the flight, they came around with Plazma biscuits.
Other than that, the flight was totally uneventful, featuring wonderful views of the Moroccan coast, Formentera, Sardinia, Italy, and Dalmatia. It was certainly a nice way to spend the morning. The airBaltic aircraft has a small moving map, which is a lovely touch.
Once we crossed Split, our time on board was coming to an end. Out of the window, the plains of Vojvodina were visible, looking yellow and parched in the late summer heat. At 16:15, we touched down smoothly and, after a quick taxi, parked at the terminal.
Belgrade Airport was extremely crowded, as flights from Shanghai, Turkey, and Russia had landed just before us. That being said, the e-gates were extremely fast, and within a few minutes, we were in the luggage area. The hall was packed, but we managed to get ahead of the massive queue of people being checked by customs from the China flight. This meant that the time from landing to exit was only about 15 minutes, which I really can’t fault. For comparison, entering Tenerife had been horrid, with a long wait in a poorly air-conditioned space.
Conclusion: A totally solid flight. I can’t fault the ground experience at either end, and the service on board was completely acceptable. The fact that it is operated on an A220 is a massive bonus, and it is absolutely the right aircraft for this routing.
I’m confident that Serbia will get more flights to the Canary Islands in the future, as it’s a very easy destination to visit, with prices for food and drinks that Serbia and many other European countries could only dream of. I would urge visitors to get off the beaten track a bit and avoid the mass tourism hotspots.
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Lovely report, thank you
ReplyDeleteGreat report and I agree with you, BEG doesn't get enough credit for how efficient it is, both when flying in and out. It's a shame JU doesn't serve a hot meal on such a long flight.
ReplyDeleteArrivals are everything, just not efficient, especially if you are exiting at gates A6-A10
Delete@12:24. Do a non-Schengen bus arrival into Tenerife then tell me if you think the walk from the A gates to passport control in Belgrade is that bad? Because getting stuck behind a TUI 787 from Manchester and a couple of full Ryanair 737s from the UK will make you regard that walk and wait for passport as a pleasant stroll.
DeleteI am also confident that W6 will start LPA in no time.
ReplyDeleteDoubt it.
DeleteI dont think we can be 'confident' of that. There is no evidence at all. It would, however, be great if they did. Gran Canaria is also a lovely island.
DeleteOne of the best moves by JU was deploying A220 to Tenerife. Such a long flight, but great aircraft!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice aircraft to fly.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great trip report. The A220 is a great aircraft and hopefully we see it in JU livery soon.
ReplyDeleteAs for the business class comment, unfortunately I have to agree with you on that one. I had 5-6 business class flights with them this year and they made some cuts to their premium product.
They no longer offer a pre-departure drink and a wet wipe and they don't offer priority at the airport (security and passport control).
A few days ago I flew MXP-BEG on the E95 in business class and at the airport they told me JU no longer pays for priority.
Other than that the E95 is a fantastic bird and very comfortable to fly on... let's hope they start blocking the seat next to you in business. We were four people and two were sitting next to each other, it didn't look very comfortable.
Not paying for priority for J passengers is a joke.
DeleteVlad
Delete+100
What a shame for such a poor offering in business, imagine paying 2000e for a one way to Moscow and getting such a product.
DeleteI guess they are not focused on premium passengers but rather those in economy which is fine
DeleteBesides the excellent trip report from BG, I'm glad Nemjee is back on the blog.
DeleteI wrote the report. Thanks guys for the nice feedback. JU were offering upgrades for about 320euros if i remember. Personally I would pay that considering one could buy a nice big sushi box from the supermarket for 10euros and few wines on board. Business class luch for under 20euro.
DeleteBut overall the journey was super nice. Having interent makes all the difference on a route this length.
@Nemjee
DeleteWe received your complaint. When upgrading from economy through a last-minute offer, such as you did, the priority is not offered as complimentary service.
Hehe nice try but all tickets were bought as business. They were not upgrades nor did I submit any complaint. Stop trolling.
Delete@Nemjee: Flew two weeks ago BEG-BRU and got pre-departure drink and wet wipe.
DeleteGreat report, thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteSince you seem to be experienced Tenerife visitor, can you give us some suggestions where to stay? Kora Nivaria looks cool, but it seems it has full apartments rather than just rooms.
ReplyDeleteKora Nivaria has apartments which means you can self-cater. Personally I like that style of holiday because I don't want to eat hotel food vey much. Its super modern and clean and I liked being slighting 'away from it' but still only 40minutes from Santa Cruz and about 45minutes to Tiede.
DeleteI like the town of Garachico on the northern coast. Its pretty and very authentic. Although less sunny than the south, staying here would also be a nice idea. El Caletón natural pools are great fun and the town has a laid back charm that is qutie magical.
Driving to watch the sunrise over clouds on Tiede is also a highlight of any visit.