Jat flirts with A319s
The CEO of Jat Airways, Srdjan Radovanović, has told Radio Television Vojvodina that two new aircraft will be in the airline’s fleet by January 2011, after the Government approved a 51.5 million Euro loan. The airline is now waiting for the loan to be approved by the Serbian Parliament. Discussion regarding the loan might be somewhat fast tracked by the Parliament and passed within the next month.In early November, Jat’s management board will decide whether the airline will lease two Airbus A319s or two Boeing B737-700s. Although the Serbian carrier had already decided to go for the American plane manufacturer, the management board explains that, “Due to the current state of the market, it would be smart for us to keep all of our options open and widen our aircraft search to all next generation aircraft types”, Jat Media Centre reports. The final decision will be made in November.
with the new aircrafts, let them also introduce a new livery....the old one looks disgusting....
ReplyDeleteand in January they'll say that new planes will come in may, and so on and on
ReplyDeleteNikola is spot on, we've heard these stories before. Why are they even considering the Airbus'? Having such a small fleet already wouldn't having the one aircraft class be easier for maintenance, crew operations etc?
ReplyDeleteBefore to dream about new aircrafts, the company's staff should be payed steady on time and not at the 20th of the coming month ... almost a month to late!
ReplyDeleteIf I were them I wouldn't give any further comment about new planes because this is starting to be ridiculous and frivolous... what a joke!
ReplyDeleteJust imagine how much time they'll need to pick a plane(s) for NA route(s)...-if they ever start them...
Well said, JU500. This 'will they, won't they' saga is becoming a joke.
ReplyDeleteTalk about a smokescreen for inaction! Perhaps this time next year we'll still be reading about the "2 new aircraft to arrive shortly on lease"...
^
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention, traffic figures for ZAG released today, 213,917 pax for month of September (an incredible 10% increase on 2009). The figures also show fewer landings: either OUs cabin load factor has increased from its terribly low mark (~60%), or all airlines are flying larger planes...
Who cares if they get 319s or 737's as long as something arrives.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand it wasn't JU's fault it took this long but the governments! So maybe direct your anger to them.
The reason they are "considering" the airbus is because the EU is forcing them to. Airbus is seen as a European product which is why you see majority of European airlines purchasing their craft. I am glad that they will choose Airbus over Boeing because it has overall better quality than the Boeing 737. However, what the fuck are they gonna do with just 2 planes? I assumed that a big overhaul was being planned by the way the media covered this story. 2 planes is something but not nearly enough. They need to replace at least 6 planes more.
ReplyDeleteJust for the record, many sources have confirmed that JAT Airways will most likely commence flights to USA in 2012...so congratulations to JAT.
http://www.isria.com/pages/16_October_2010_95.php
http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/nou_s_routeforserbia_sjatairwaysbefore2012-media-151351/
@ SerbianSausage
ReplyDeleteThat kind of makes sense. I also like the Airbus more and hope they convert all their aircraft into Airbus planes, but right now, anything new is a blessing. I also would like to know why not more planes invested in JAT, why only 2. The rest of the fleet is barely holding up and while 2 planes is a good thing...it's not nearly enough. Wasn't there supposed to be a deal for 8 planes signed in Belgrade at the end of the year when Sarkozy comes?
Also, I just read this article...JAT is flying to America finally!
http://www.balkans.com/open-news.php?uniquenumber=75284
it's all open. who knows if JAT'll survive until 2012. as for why only 2 Airbues? you need to star from somthing. to train the crew, get them to know the plane (after all, there might be somthing out of that Airbus deal from '98)
ReplyDeleteCalm down - Chicago is just a dream - nothing more, and makes some nice noises in the media while the airline is barely alive. The *only* way they can even be alive in 2012 is with a new owner (other than the SRB gov't)
ReplyDeleteAs for the employees not getting paid - F*ck you - 90% of you don't even deserve to be unloading suitcase from airfraft. Get a job selling peanuts or popcorn on Terajze.
The takeover of JAT by a financially strong and global airline would be likely the best choice for a good privatization.
ReplyDeleteNo flow cash, no credits, old aircrafts, weak support from the government due to bank warranties.
Lease or wet-lease some Airbus 319?
I feel thi choice will be continuously postponed as the financial framework looks very bad.
Please, forget Chicago, New York or other U.S. cities within a short term, just a dream...nothing else
I have to say that reviving the long-haul operations will actually benefit the airline and give it a large cash inflow. Looking at all the countries who would like cheaper and easier access to USA a large number of them would definitely use JAT as a method to get to North America. The entire Balkan region surely would, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Slovakia, and others that rely solely on Russia or expensive Western European airlines. This could actually revive JAT in a very positive way. Not to mention that many people in USA would also travel with JAT if it has good conditions, so in a way, restarting flights to USA is not just a dream it might be a way out of where JAT is now. And besides, if JAT isn't privatized by 2012, then it will be bankrupt, so there really is no choice. It's regional air network should be much better and if flights to USA commence, then they will surely commence flights to Croatian cost as well. And one of the Anonymous was correct, Sarkozy is coming to Belgrade to make sure that JAT purchases the rest of the Airbus A319 aircraft.
ReplyDeleteAilines are moving to Airbus all over the world because it’s a more affordable aircraft to operate than the 737 and has a much lower turn around time because it takes baggage containers and does not have to be loaded by hand like the 737. I like the 737 but the Airbus makes more money.
ReplyDeletePurchasing 2 737 or A319s is not going to have much of an influence in terms of securing a good discount so I don't think Jat at this time is in a good position to negotiate on price.
The only factor in this is if Jat can get the 51 million. If so, then we should see some new aircraft in the fleet soon, if not then we will continue this saga likes of which we have seen so far.
It's not up to Jat anymore but the Serbian gov and who knows if they will vote to back the loan
You just have to love how hear the word mouse is inflated into the word elephant lmao.
ReplyDeleteI think that 2 B737NG's will come into the fleet to compliment the current fleet for 10 B733's and to make maintenance easier for them as Jat Tehnika are not equiped to service Airbus aircraft. Further more, i dont think JAT crew are trained for the aircraft and would think a wet lease would cost more.
1. @ Q400
The aircraft will be leased, not pruchased. And it was never up to JAT for anything in the first place.
2. @ SerbianSausage
JAT doesnt fly to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Belarus or Slovakia, so how would they benefit from any JAT route?
@Anonymous - "Terajze" peanut seller
ReplyDeleteAny generalisation necesserely leads to false conclusions. 90% of workforce of any one company is a lot. How do you expect someone to work if you don't pay the wages? Or pay the wages with 3 weeks delay? Can you imagine that there are good ordinary people working for Jat? People giving their best for the company to survive these hard times...
What happened to the belgrade- chicago profitable study?
ReplyDelete@ JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteEither JAT or another carrier from those countries would start operations to Belgrade almost immediately. I mean the proximity of Belgrade to those countries is enough to start operations and the cheap tickets would attract majority of people from those countries. So in a way, by starting long-haul operations to USA, JAT will strengthen its regional market as well due to high demand for Belgrade. This is really almost inevitable.
AND THE NEW AIRCRAFT WLL COME............THERE COMMING.............JUST A FEW MORE MOUTHS..........
ReplyDeleteMy point when will they come they were supported to be here now but i bet you in January JAT will say the airplanes are coming in March!
People, when will you understand that it wasn't because of Jat that the planes were delayed but because of the Serbian government that didn't give the guarantee for the longest time.
ReplyDelete@ SerbianSausage
ReplyDeleteHow much seating capacity do you think JAT will have for the flights? lol Theyre not gonna lease an A380.
I guess the B762 will be leased for the N. American operations, meaning roughly 210 seats. If say 10 passengers transfered from all those countries you mentioned, thats 60 pax already. 10 passengers are not going to make 125 seater 737 or 319 flights profitable for flying, and i dont think even Kazakhstan is in range for the 737 or 319 to fly ALA-BEG direct.
As for the new aircraft, a B737 from AeroMexico was ready to come to BEG when the old CEO was running things but Radovanovic cancelled the order when he stepped in as CEO.
yeah, i remember that story. stupid douche bag. i wonder who put him in charge. he has nothing to do neither with aviation nor economy. and if i remember correctly there were 2 planes, right?
ReplyDelete@Nikola
ReplyDeleteYes, two Boeings 737-700.
Wasn't that the guy who said that allowing low cost carriers into Serbia was bad and then when he stepped down and started working in the aviation directorate pushed for more low cost flights? ;)
It is Mr. Starcevic. Ex CEO of JAT, today director of Serbian CAD.
ReplyDeleteBtw, at the web page of the Serbian Parliament you can see that Parliament`s approval on JAT` loan is on the agenda among 36 other parliamentary decisions.
So, it is not on JAT. JAT still has to wait for that move, and currently they can just perform studies, analyses...
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteI am sure that either JAT, Wizz Air, or some other airline from those countries would start flights to Belgrade. These are poorer European countries that can barely afford to go through Germany, England, Italy, etc. With JAT, a new door will be open...you will see. And as far as the passengers are concerned, the request for direct flights came solely from Americans who travel to the Balkans. This includes Bosnians, Montenegrins, Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, and Moldavians. So I am pretty sure that there will be at least a 70% full plane. If not, the company that takes control of JAT will have to solve its problems or people could just go with Emirates lol.
@ SerbianSausage
ReplyDeleteAs I said, 10 passengers are not going to make a flight with 120 seats profitable. There is no demand from Belgrade to these respetive countries, and i dont see Wizz Air flying Belgrade to Kazakhstan lol. Besides, the CIS countries are well connected via SVO, DME, KBP, FRA, CDG, MUC, CDG, VIE, WAW, RIX etc. And if there was a demand, Uzbekistan Airways would of kept their flights to BEG.
And the request isnt from Americans, its from JAT and the Serbian consulant in Chicago who believe there is a demand to justify the flights, which has lead to the study which is underway.
btw, a full flight of low fare paying economy class passengers doesnt make the flight profitable.
@ Nikola & Anonymous
2 were planned, the first was said to be AeroMexico's B737 registered N855AM, MSN 33792 and delivered to AeroMexico in late September 2004.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/AeroMexico/Boeing-737-752/1328889/&sid=cb87078a5d023ad4ac6bda899d7d7061
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteThere will surely be more than 10 passengers per nation I am sure of that. And what JAT has going for them is that they have cheap flights. Much cheaper than Russia, Germany, Italy, or UK. And a much cheaper flight with good service will attract plenty of people believe me. Especially with the current global economy, JAT will definitely fill up at least 70% of the plane. My guess is that it will try to get an Airbus A330 or Boeing 767 like you said.
And let me assure you that the request is from the Balkan diaspora that lives in America. This isn't another JAT/Serbian government scheme to attract attention. I am one of those requesting that JAT start services asap. I recently talked to one of my friends who is a die-hard Croat and he even stated that he doesn't care what kind of company gets him to Croatia, as long as it's cheap and has adequate service. I am really sure that if long-haul operations commence, not only will the planes be full, but it will allow Serbs and those near Serbia easier, quicker, and cheaper access to USA.
And I would also like to point out 3 things. You are absolutely correct that the CIS countries have excellent connections. I am just hypothesizing that in case there is a cheap route from Belgrade to NYC/Chicago, there may be carriers that would like to start operations to Belgrade due to high demand. No one can really predict that yet, only time will tell. But I am sure that Bulgaria, Moldova, and Belarus would start services almost immediately after.
The next thing I wanted to point out is that this will allow JAT to attract tourists from USA who wish to visit Croatia. That by itself brings money to both Croatia and Serbia resulting in a win-win scenario.
And along with that JAT, with this kind of service, will surely strengthen its regional network
The third thing I wanted to point out is that JAT will be (hopefully) privatized by 2012. That means it will have ordered new planes, and commenced an overhaul on its system, as well as upgrade service quality. So it is still early to speculate, but I am confident that with long0haul operations, only good things can come out of it.
@ Serbian Sausage
ReplyDeleteMSQ probably have better connections via WAW, SVO and KBP, and SU always have good fares. Besides, 1 B767 will only allow probably only a 4 p/w to ORD where as other airlines fly daily, if not double daily. I will write in big letters because i think you skiped the part where i said that CHEAP ECONOMY CLASS FARES DOES NOT EQUAL PROFIT.
I think SOF and OTP are the 2 most important connections JAT should secure at BEG. A codeshare agreement with either or both RO and FB could help.
I wonder where JAT will even get the finance the N. American operations. They will be unprofitable for a good first 6 months.
When you say JAT and cheap airfares in the same sentence, im guessing your not in Serbia or in the region? And as for your Croatian friend, maybe he is ok with Serbs to your face. I wonder what his parents think ;)
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would just like to say that it is a pleasure chatting with you ;) As regards to the CHEAP AND JAT IN THE SAME SENTENCE, cheap tickets can become profitable. JAT is not looking for a mega-huge profit on these routes. Maybe I should have been clearer...JAT is looking to establish the cheapest routes to USA. It needs to have some kind of margin that will attract people to use it instead of big names. It may not be so profitable, but at this point JAT is looking to gain profit wherever it can, no matter how small it is. And don't forget that by the time these flights start, JAT should be privatized, so that is a big unknown factor here. Depending on how and who privatizes the airline, that will affect the ticket cost and onboard service.
Unfortunately I do not know the airport abbreviations but I'm guessing that SOF is Sofia Airport, and I have no idea what OTP is (sorry). If JAT starts international flights, Croatian airports and Sofia will be the most important to attract.
The financing will surely come from the company that privatizes JAT. The government might be able to support the flights for the first few months, but it cannot do that forever. The company that takes over will deal with the finances for sure.
And I am not living in Serbia. I live close to NYC. But I travel to Serbia every year and stay there for 2 months. So I am well acquainted with many situations in Serbia. Maybe not as good as you, but I have a pretty good idea of what's going on there. And I can tell you this, JAT has a good chance with these long-haul flights, it really does. Once the airline is privatized, I am sure that the company will begin to reform itself and slowly get back to its "glory days" it once had. As for my Croatian friend, his godfather is Serbian (chosen by his mother who is a passionate Croat as well) and his parents welcome me as if I am their own. My parents do the same. I will say this again and again, to move forward, one must cooperate. Never forget the past, but don't let it cloud our judgment all the time. Shit happens all the time dude. Serbs wreck Croat cars, Croats wreck Serbian cars. But I think that the societies in both countries are moving forward slowly. Eventually, we will be able to shake hands and talk like we once did, but we have to stop having this attitude that they are evil and such. Save that for the Albanians that are trying to take away Kosovo. And don't forget SSSS, Samo Sloga Srbina Spasava ;)
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would just like to say that it is a pleasure chatting with you ;) As regards to the CHEAP AND JAT IN THE SAME SENTENCE, cheap tickets can become profitable. JAT is not looking for a mega-huge profit on these routes. Maybe I should have been clearer...JAT is looking to establish the cheapest routes to USA. It needs to have some kind of margin that will attract people to use it instead of big names. It may not be so profitable, but at this point JAT is looking to gain profit wherever it can, no matter how small it is. And don't forget that by the time these flights start, JAT should be privatized, so that is a big unknown factor here. Depending on how and who privatizes the airline, that will affect the ticket cost and onboard service.
Unfortunately I do not know the airport abbreviations but I'm guessing that SOF is Sofia Airport, and I have no idea what OTP is (sorry). If JAT starts international flights, Croatian airports and Sofia will be the most important to attract.
The financing will surely come from the company that privatizes JAT. The government might be able to support the flights for the first few months, but it cannot do that forever. The company that takes over will deal with the finances for sure.
And I am not living in Serbia. I live close to NYC. But I travel to Serbia every year and stay there for 2 months. So I am well acquainted with many situations in Serbia. Maybe not as good as you, but I have a pretty good idea of what's going on there. As for my Croatian friend, his godfather is Serbian (chosen by his mother who is a passionate Croat as well) and his parents welcome me as if I am their own. My parents do the same. I will say this again and again, to move forward, one must cooperate. Never forget the past, but don't let it cloud our judgment all the time. Shit happens all the time dude. Eventually, we will be able to shake hands and talk like we once did, but we have to stop having this attitude that they are evil and such. Save that for the Albanians that are trying to take away Kosovo. And don't forget SSSS, Samo Sloga Srbina Spasava ;)
@ SerbianSausage
ReplyDeleteJAT dont sell cheap tickets, and when they do its because they have some competition on the route. As i mentioned before, last year a return trip to Vienna amounted around 22.000 dinars (25.000 dinars with Austrian) where as now, since Niki has come in, you can get tickets between 10.000 and 20.000 dinars, which again is ridiculous but still better than before. To continue, for one to pay 13.000 dinars for a 30 minute flight to Podgorica is not cheap, considering a train trip to Bar costs 2.000 dinars and bus 2.800!
JAT needs to attract profit. It needs as much profit as it can get. It still carried debts from its "glory days", its aircraft was twice grounded at foreign airports (last aircraft was YU-ANJ which held at IST). JAT has problems starting Croatian destinations due to unpaid debts which run into the millions of Euros ex Rijeka where the books were burnt during the war. Those N. American flights will be unprofitable for a good 6 months, as always with new routes which is among the reasons why JAT only keep for example 1 p/w to Malta and Tripoli as it would cost them more to cancel the route. JAT has problems financing newer aircraft, paying maintenance for its current fleet and securing catering onboard, so how do you expect it to pay millions to restart a couple weekly services to Croatian airports, which would need additional aircraft in the fleet to start such routes might i add, and secure intercontinental flights? Again, cheap tickets help filling seats but dont bring profit. JAT needs to secure itself business pax and cargo which will help bring the flights to profitability.
Privatising the company isnt the sollution. All this government does is sell off what ever it can. Even Ethiopia has a more modern airline than Serbia! I dont think TK will buy into JAT and to be honest i wouldnt want it too. Let them first look after B&H Airlines.
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteJAT will offer cheap tickets no matter how profitable or not. This is because there is other competition via the transit routes in Western Europe. JAT will have no choice because there is nothing else it can rely on. And yes, I agree that business passengers and cargo are extremely important for JAT on those long-haul routes but I think the Serbian diaspora will certainly help by bringing back all the goods from Serbia like Kajmak etc. ;)
Although there are some discrepancies between JAT and Croatian airports, I may believe that an "agree to disagree" compromise will be held if JAT plans to transform Belgrade into a North American feeder airport for Croatia. Both Croatian airports and JAT could gain a huge amount from these flights.
And I must disagree with your view on privatization. A privatized airline company means a company that has more abilities and freedoms to operate and change accordingly. Turkish Airlines is a well-established and prominent airline company. It hasn't been able to do much with B&H because I mean it's B&H lol. They have one of the worst networks in the region. JAT has a good network and Belgrade is a fast-growng and money-making airport which has a huge amount of potential which I believe TA sees.
@ Serbian Sausage
ReplyDeleteIts the same situation here today with the EuroMed routes JAT have. You can go direct with JAT which is generally pricy, you can go via another airline (LX, LH, OS, MA, LO, AF...) which might be a little bit better but its generally the same. What makes these flights special? If anything, JAT would be pricier as JAT would be making losses on the route, unlike LH, AF and KLM who are well establish players in the N. American market.
And what is there to agree or disagree about? You dont pay your fees for using the airport than dont use the facilities. JAT owes Croatian airports millions of Euros so what makes you think they will provide services for JAT aircraft at respective Croatian airports?
If TK couldnt do anything with B&H then why did they take a stake into the airline? If TK did take into JAT it would be for its slots it has at many airports, would probably send JAT to some random airports and use JAT slots at airports like LHR. On top of that, i think JAT still has slots at N. American airports, and once TK takes JAT it will be bye bye N. America for JAT. JAT's flights to Dubai competes with TK's via IST so that would go too. The Turks have had their 500 years in Serbia, its now somebody elses turn :p lol
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteI do not think that JAT is more expensive than Lufthansa, Austrian, KLM, etc. It just wouldn't make sense for it to be like that. And JAT needs to make profit on North American routes but with extremely attractive prices. There is no other choice.
Croatia also owes JAT a shitload of money, so each owes the other money. Each side claims they don't owe anything so I'm sure that they will politicize it and create a solution like they did when Kosovo was in the question, "agree to disagree". Maybe Josipovic and Tadic will form a formidable relationship with each other and solve this accordingly lol. But joking aside, both can profit from JAT's American flights. Croatia and JAT could codeshare on the routes (and they most likely will if anything happens between the two).
As for the Turks...I don't know what they have in mind. But as far as I can see, there really is no other choice. Maybe Aeroflot would be a better investor but they claimed to have shown interest and did nothing. Turkish is growing considerably and so far I have to say that they are the best choice. If what you say is true about the slots and such, then I may have to reconsider. But JAT needs to be privatized, there is no other way the airline can survive in government hands only.
@ Serbian Sausage
ReplyDeleteWhat you got to remember, many people these days are members to frequent flyer programs. Croatia is well covered under the Miles & More program, something OU and LH, OS, LX all share. JAT doesnt offer its passengers a frequent flyer program, just a free flight after 5 return trips of 10 one way journeys in a single year (or known as Let vishe). People who are members to frequent flyer programs would more likely stay with that airline where they recieve bonuses, priority check in, lounge access, priority possitioning on waiting lists, extra baggage allowance...
Oh and there is a choice, JAT could not start the route at all. I mean, it will cost JAT big to start these flights and those flights dont go profitable from day 1. Money better spent on fleet renewal.
And what debt do Croatians have in Serbia?
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteI agree that people will likely go with airlines through their Miles and More programs, but I still think JAT has a chance. I for one have a frequent flyer with Continental (which recently joined Star Alliance) allowing me to get more miles on routes to Belgrade from Newark. But if JAT started flights to NYC, I would not hesitate to buy tickets for JAT, no matter how much I saved through the frequent flyer. There are so many people who have this mentality, that you would not believe. This may be a deterrent for others in the region to not fly with JAT, but I think that if that is the case, JAT would then join an alliance.
I also read on an online newspaper, that Croatian airports illegally took away JAT's slots at the airports, that there were debts not paid to JAT by some of the airports, and when Croatia declared independence, it erased all of the debts to JAT and took all of JAT's property in Croatia. Now I don't know how much of money that amounts to, but it is definitely close to what JAT "owes" to Croatian airports.
@ Serbian Sausage
ReplyDeleteThat may attract low yielding tourist pax to travel with JAT to Serbia, but again low yielding pax do not bring profit. I think JAT should, since its leaning towards SkyTeam, should adopt the FlyingBlue frequent flyer program. At the moment the talk is just the POSIBILITY of ORD, so i dont know why your making this into something huge.
Good for you to say you would buy JAT tickets, but reality is, when coming to Serbia from the US, you most probably come with AF or LH, rather than fly an airline working with JAT which gives you an arrival into BEG with JAT.
And the topic is new aircraft for JAT in january and you bring every news article here off topic and make comment irrelevant to the news article!
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteFor your first paragraph: I thought they gave up on alks with SkyTeam? Good for JAT, and if they do enter the alliance of course they should use their frequent flyer program. But I'm really positively sure that it can attract a lot of people from the region...but only time will tell. And you don't consider JAT flying to the USA huge? I don't know about you but I consider that to be pretty important. And ideas may just be ideas, but the fact of the matter is the gov passed the new air transport law just for that reason, and JAT representatives are engaging actively with O'Hare and JFK airport officials so an idea that is actively being pursued is one of importance...huge importance.
For your second paragraph:I've talked to so many people about this. around 80% of the people said the same thing as me, doesn't matter which airline they use now, if JAT flies, they'll go with JAT. 15% said that they will fly with JAT if they have good service.
For your third paragraph: :)
I gotta say, the Sausage and JATBEGMEL should be honorary members...what a show. I find myself reading this blog every hour ever since the two of you showed up...KEEP IT UP!!!!
ReplyDelete@ Serbian Sausage
ReplyDeleteI dont think the N. American flights are huge. Im just wondering with what are they going to do the flights with. I mean they can bearly secure a loan, they still have debts dating from the SFRY days, i dont even think they payed off complete the B733's they have, the fleet maybe in the air but is not efficient, leasing a widebody is more costs, starting the flights is another cost, marketing and advertising the flights is again another cost...when they bring in some newer B737's or something from the A320 family then we will see. And the law was passed because it needed to be passed not for the possibility of starting N. American flights. JAT drastically needs to improve on its regional network, their Dubai flights at the moment has horrible connections if any in the region.
@ Anonymous
hahaha :)
@JATBEGMEL
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree and say that the N.American flights are huge and a really big deal. This is not jerking around with some local connections but a true long flight across the ocean. I see this as a really big deal for JAT and a symbolic one for Serbia.
Don't forget though that these flights WILL NOT operate if they are still in government hands. JAT must be privatized if any of these long-haul flights and fleet upgrades are to be seen. So the costs won't really matter because the parent company will have to take care of that.
And as for its regional network, I'm not the expert but from what I know, JAT is not the best but certainly not the worst in the region. I think flights between Serbia and Croatia are really missing and in terms of destinations to Europe, I think JAT has a solid place. Maybe it could do better on its N.African routes such as Tripoli, Tunis, and Dubai.
@Anonymous
;)