Travelling amid a pandemic from Belgrade to Toronto
TRIP REPORT | INDEX
Flight: Air Serbia JU 370, Belgrade- Zurich
Aircraft: Boeing 319
Date: 16 June 2020
The flight was the day after Austria decided to ban all flights from the EX-YU outside of the EU and the EU removing Serbia/Montenegro from the list of nationals allowed into the Schengen areas, due to a sharp increase of coronavirus cases in both in the last two weeks.
Usually a 7:20 am flight at Belgrade Airport is full of passengers waiting in line. This time the halls were almost empty and you could walk right up to the check in counters. The Air Serbia check-in staff were in high spirits and professional, and gave a lot of information on the new safety rules for travelling under Covid restrictions.
The ongoing construction works were noticeable all over the airport, with the play structure unfortunately being closed off, but then again, I don’t see how my kids would play wearing masks. Despite the low number of passengers, the airport staff were extremely attentive and helpful. Going through security and passport control was easier and faster than ever.
One thing I realized when going through security at the departure gate is that Belgrade Airport is one of the most convenient airports for transfer passengers, as they don’t need to go through customs or long lines of security when they arrive, only at the gate.
The load factor of the flight was approximately 20-25 people with passengers spread out for social distancing. It looks like the Schengen restrictions, coupled with Covid19 concerns, has made a huge impact on the number of people that are flying. The usual small bottle of water was given out, and nothing else.
The situation in Zurich was the same, mostly empty airport, short line ups but over there most of the shops were closed. It was interesting to notice that almost half of the passengers on our flight from Belgrade were also transferring to the Air Canada flight for Toronto, which served cold sandwiches for an 8 hour flight. Luckily, we picked up some food at Hleb & Kifle at Belgrade Airport and had that to snack on the flight, to the envy of the people sitting next to us.
The 4+ hour layover in Zurich was painfully boring. Looking forward to the day that there are JU direct flights from BEG to YYZ. Maybe summers for a start and then gradual year-round? Layovers are one of the main obstacles for people coming from Canada to Serbia, beyond the extra cost, lost time and hassle at EU airports.
Lessons learned; pack some snacks with you for the flights, if you don’t want just water bring some Cedevita powder. Air Canada does not give out blankets or pillows and the flight can get very cold, so bring a sweater. Your chances of being able to have an entire row to yourself is high, so you feel like you are travelling in first class 😉
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