It has been a week of tenders at Serbia’s national carrier Jat Airways. On Thursday, the airline revealed that 4 international companies have placed a bid to perform an engine overhaul of 2 Boeing B737-300 aircraft which have been grounded since the beginning of the 2009/2010 winter season. Among the four bidders are Lufthansa Technik from Germany, Badek from Israel, Snecma from France and Nex from Norway. The Serbian tender regulatory commission will choose the winner within the next 8 days and the overhaul of the engines must be completed by June 1. In a statement issued to the press, the airline said, “The addition of aircraft to our fleet will improve scheduling to the numerous destinations Jat Airways operates to”. The airline carried out its winter schedule with only 9 aircraft, despite the airline having a total of 16 in its fleet.On Monday, Jat Airways revealed that Jat Catering and Airport Catering Nikola Tesla have applied to provide meals to the airline for the next year. Jat Catering, which has provided food to the airline since its formation in the mid 1960s, went on strike on January 14, 2010. The strike came to a sudden halt in early March and a new CEO of the company was appointed. Jat Catering was separated from Jat Airways in 2005. Jat Catering is a firm favourite in the race. It has also vowed to bring back hot meals on the majority of the airline’s flights. The catering company drastically decreased its food offering after cost cutting measures were introduced by Jat Airways in 2008. Jat Catering only offers warm meals on services to Dubai. Jat Catering CEO, Bora Kovačević said to the Studio B network, “We would like to bring back our popular cakes and our triangular sandwiches on board”. Other companies also applied to supply food to Jat but were disqualified by the Serbian tender regulatory commission due to the absence of licenses which would allow them to provide airline meals. Jat has the next 27 days to pick the winner although the airline announced it would do so before the start of the 2010 summer season. The winner will immediately commence with the production of meals once it is chosen.
What are the other 7 airplanes doing for JAT, sitting in a hanger somewhere?
ReplyDeleteYes they are parked, next to the hangar...
ReplyDeleteJat does not serve hot meals on its flights to Tel Aviv so you change that. Those two flights a week are routed via Larnaca, and to Larnaca (2h10min) you get a sandwich and that's it!
So I doubt that they will serve a meal on the segment from Larnaca to TLV when the flight is 40 minutes! Plus the flights to TLV don't have more than 20 passengers, thank God that there is Larnaca to make a profit!!
Do they really need meals on the short haul flights? JAT has deaths of more than 180 mil. Eur and they are "probing" new meals!?
ReplyDeletepeople tend to forget JAT isnt a low cost airline, so when JAT sells their tickets the whole deal comes with it - check in service, baggage, meal etc. It will be intresting to see what will change in the timetable once the grounded planes are back in the air.
ReplyDelete@ Peter from Sydney
everytime im at BEG AGX's B732Adv is always parked at the end of T1 (gate A12??). As far as i know, JAT has uses the aircraft in exchange for maintaining it.
admin, any news on arriving 737-700s?
ReplyDelete"people tend to forget JAT isnt a low cost airline, so when JAT sells their tickets the whole deal comes with it - check in service, baggage, meal etc."
ReplyDeleteWhat a weird comment.
When's the last time you've flown jat?
Their flights are more expensive and snacks worse than any other airline. Why would anyone fly jat if you can get a cheaper flight with better service with any other airline going to europe
@ doot
ReplyDeletei havnt flown JAT for a while as i havnt had a need to fly. Going between Serbia and Australia i only use JAT/EK because of their excellent connections in DXB and the price is usually amongst the best (unfortunately not atm). JAT on regional Balkan routes are very expensive (ie TGD, TIV, SKP etc), very true and is why regionally i go by train or bus, but on routes, as an example, to LHR, JAT are cheaper than their competition (flying direct). To and from DXB I have been satisfied with the food on board and JAT offer more drinks on the 7 hour flight BEG-DXB than EK on their 14 hour DXB-MEL flight! I dont mind flying JAT, theyre an intresting airline to fly with...but do need to change big on their fares regionally and service on longer distance flights.
Personally, in the last year, I've flown, maybe, 6 times in and out of Serbia.
ReplyDeleteOnly one one of those flights has Jat offered an acceptable option, either in terms of price or schedule.
Swiss, Lufthansa are always cheaper and with better schedules than JAT
but, hey, I guess that makes them "interesting"
@ doot
ReplyDeleteOf course LH has better scheduling on their routes, they have more aircraft in their fleet, better management running the airline etc.
It depends where your flying from i guess. travelling regionally i dont fly at all (when i went to Vienna, going by bus was as cheap as 5.100 din, return, i went by train which was 6.400 din, by JAT it was 20.300 din, and by OS 22.100 din.) and with the high prices i dont intend to fly.
Ive always flown JAT between Serbia and Australia as theyre the best option...shortest flying time, quick connection in DXB, excellent air fare...much quicker and cheaper compared to QF/BA, QF/CX, LH/SQ, AF etc.
But hey, dont try and say flying with JAT isnt intresting, ok. where else do you have the pilot walk out of the cockpit for a smoke and a coffee in the kitchen? or the flight attendants...theyre an intresting bunch of people :)