TRIP REPORT: Air Serbia, Amsterdam - Tirana via Belgrade
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After a coffee and a small snack, I proceeded to the gate. It was located all the way at the end of the D pier so it can be quite a hike if you are not prepared! Upon my arrival, boarding was ready to commence, and I proceeded to queue in the priority lane. I was the first to board the aircraft and immediately found my seat, 1A. I was greeted by a very friendly purser and a young steward who would be taking care of me for the rest of my flight.
I recently flew Air Serbia from Amsterdam to Belgrade, connecting onward to Tirana, Albania.
I purchased a very reasonable economy class ticket last minute (discount economy - hand luggage only) but opted to bid for an upgrade to business class on the outbound segment. I submitted a bid (the minimum amount) of $75 USD roughly 4 days before departure, and my offer was accepted within 24 hours. I found that to be a very reasonable price, especially since I had always wanted to try out Air Serbia's business class. Do note, the bid upgrade does not entitle you to an additional baggage allowance. Nevertheless, it seems Air Serbia is pretty liberal with what they allow you to bring on board (officially 8 kg of hand luggage plus a small personal item), and as I was only traveling for 2 nights, I had no need to take a checked bag anyway.
Additionally, the bid was only for one segment. The segment from BEG-TIA was not offered for an upgrade as it was operated on a ATR-72 aircraft, an all economy class aircraft. With the upgrade, you are now allowed to choose your seat online in business class. Otherwise with the basic economy fare, a seat is automatically assigned to you at check-in, and you must pay if you would like to change it (even to an aisle or middle seat) during online check-in.
I was able to check-in for my flight online 36 hours prior to departure, thus being able to proceed directly to the security checkpoint at Schiphol with my mobile boarding pass. As I was traveling in business class, I was also granted access to the priority security lane, saving a great deal of time as Schiphol can be quite hectic in the mornings due to all of the Transatlantic departures. After roughly 20 minutes to get through security and passport control, I proceeded directly to the lounge that Air Serbia utilises at Schiphol, Aspire Lounge 41. This lounge can get quite crowded as it is open to all non-SkyTeam business class travelers plus Priority Pass card holders. However, Priority Pass card holders were not being accepted this particular morning, only business class travelers, and I was able to gain access. The lounge is nothing over the top, and again, can be quite congested, but I found the food/drink offerings to be sufficient. Additionally, there is a nice view over the D & E aprons.
After a coffee and a small snack, I proceeded to the gate. It was located all the way at the end of the D pier so it can be quite a hike if you are not prepared! Upon my arrival, boarding was ready to commence, and I proceeded to queue in the priority lane. I was the first to board the aircraft and immediately found my seat, 1A. I was greeted by a very friendly purser and a young steward who would be taking care of me for the rest of my flight.
Boarding took roughly 25 minutes, and the cabin crew was very helpful in assisting passengers in placing their hand luggage into the overhead bins as the flight was quite full this morning. Business class consisted of 3 rows with the middle seat blocked and was about 75% full this morning. The legroom was sufficient and with the middle seat blocked (and no one in 1C), it made for a comfortable flight.
After boarding was completed, the young steward came around to distribute menus and ask us for our choice of meal and drink for the 2.25 hour flight to Belgrade. I opted for the sunny side up eggs with bacon along with a glass of orange juice and some rakia to mix with it (it was Saturday after all!). Luckily, we had a quick taxi and were off to Belgrade.
About 15 minutes after takeoff, the flight crew began their service to business class passengers. The service was quite personalized, and their were no carts used during the entire flight; each meal and beverage was served directly to the passengers by the young steward and purser. I found this a nice touch as many airlines, even KLM, use their carts for the business class service on short haul routes.
The food was quite delicious. The eggs were cooked nicely, the bacon was not greasy, and the fruit was fresh. The orange juice and rakia proved to be a nice combination as well. After finishing my meal, I asked for a coffee and sparkling water which was promptly served to me.
I found the aircraft to be in overall good condition; it was incredibly clean and did not really seem to show its age minus a few small details. The lavatory was clean and tidy with a few additional items that I assume were not present in the aft ones. There was no WiFi available on this aircraft.
The flight progressed quickly and before I knew it, we had begun our decent into Belgrade. After landing, we had a quick taxi and pulled up next to the Air Serbia A330 bound for JFK. Within 5 minutes, I was in the terminal and off to the Air Serbia Premium Lounge.
Overall, I was very impressed with Air Serbia and its business class. The bid upgrade was incredibly reasonable (especially since the ticket was so cheap), and I found the amenities offered (priority security & boarding, lounge access, and catering) to be quite generous. The crew was incredibly friendly, professional, and efficient, constantly smiling and coming around to see if passengers needed anything. The only downsides, I would say, are that the bid upgrade does not entitle you to additional baggage (checked or hand) nor additional mileage; you earn the initial booking class mileage. I would definitely try Air Serbia again in the future, especially in business class.
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