NEWS FLASH
Low cost carrier Eurowings will introduce a new seasonal summer service between Berlin and Sarajevo. Flights will commence on June 3 and run twice per week, each Monday and Friday, until October 25. They will complement the airline's existing year-round services from Cologne and Stuttgart to Sarajevo. Previously, Eurowings' predecessor Germanwings operated flights between the German and Bosnian capital for less than a year from April 2014 until March 2015, after which the service was cancelled due to insufficient demand. Further flight details for Eurowings' new service can be found here.
Nice addition and very good schedule, too.
ReplyDeleteAlso to a primary destination and not SXF. Now this is very good for SJJ.
What makes them think this will work out this time around?
ReplyDeleteI think the flights operated from SXF by germanwings in 2014 and now it's TXL. Second most probable reason is that more Bosniaks emigrated to Germany, 5 years later. Don't you think?
DeleteYes, unfortunately emigration plays an important role here. I don't think airports matter that much, I mean... look at the shacks out of which Wizz Air flies from.
Deletethe number of Bosnians in the larger Berlin region is not significant. it was not 5 years ago and did not change that much.
DeleteBosnians recently are also travelling much more than they did 5 years ago. The economy is improving quite a bit, and so is tourism in the country.
DeleteTravelling but also travelled more, because they and anyone else could afford it more with low prices and pretty ok terms Wizz Air had, before they increased the prices and changed the baggage rule again.
DeleteLet's not forget that for over a year until the changes in TZL you could have checked in your hand luggage trolley for free as voulenteer bag drop and had no need to buy checked in baggage, if you were fine with 10-15 kg. This has changed a lot afterwards and the numbers at TZL show it too plus BNX came in and took some of the market share.
I personally but also many others i frequently met at the fligths, were flying to TZL almost once a month before as it was fun to go for family, cevapi and maybe even dentist.
But now that cost is doubled for me at bottom line, the bag is reduced and even if purchasing he little trolley and taking it along, you need to face to time very inproffessional security staff that every time has a new rule of what is allowed or not. That was so much easier with checked in handluggage.
I know someone will now would write you get what you pay for and you can now just buy checked in luggage and avoid it. But I'm here reffering to the fact that you before got much more for less and that is what spread around and people travelled much more, hereby also to sustain the routes, as beside the profit they also look at the LF.
Thanks for the comment last Anon. Definitely interesting. Is there a shuttle or bus service from other cities to TZL? I know there is a mini bus service from INI to many different cities, even Belgrade.
DeleteIsn't W6's policy now that you can take hand luggage only if you purchase priority? Otherwise they can take it down to the belly?
Any time and sorry to anyone if now going too much OT. :)
DeleteShuttle company HVALA.ba has service primarly to Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Mostar with possible stop overs at the route as well other cities if pre ordered. They operate throug P-Airbus as well that sells tickets through Wizz Air and charge a fee.
Other option is pre order taxi from the city, which will be cheaper than the taxies at the airport which want to rip you off, suceed to rip half of the pax off and are the Zivinice licensed taxi companies. Also the reason why there is yet no public transport, as the Zivinice taxi lobby doesn't allow it and I'm sure the airport management, as much they maybe want it, also benefit from it.
Thus if not renting a car or someone picking you up, it's cheaper to call a Tuzla taxi in, that usually has fixed rate city to TZL and from Tuzla to other cities, so you know how much it is and you can get a good agreement. In oposite you are priced by where you come from and where you have emigrated to and I boycut those by princips, as I have family to spend money at, not a taxi driver.
A further option is to walk the half kilometer and a bit more to Dubrave Gornje and take the bus towards Zvornik, Kalesija, Zivinice or Tuzla and connect, it works ok if not landed in the middle of the night in winter, then you share the busstop with the wolves.
More and more is emerging in Dubrave Gronje due to the airport, so you can also eat and overnight nearby if really needed. In Zivinice there are a lot of good places to eat near the station while you wait and people are nice, the local bus counter lady can keep your luggage etc. Tuzla is ok as well, depending direction you go. Was never in Zvornik though, but sure it works good for connections to Serbia as Tuzla too.
The baggage rules apply as on Wizz Air, but until they changed them and allowed the short time regular hand trolley for free, it was in Tuzla possible to check it in for free if asking nice. It was also possible prior the free hand trolley rule to check in the other small but bigger than current hand bag, the 42x32x25 cm one. It helped a lot with turn around times and travelling through security, but was just a test and tease, to get pax. used to the "luxury" that they than started charging for.
Well not me. For half a year, I have not step into Wizz Air plane as their and Ryanair not following the IATA hand luggage recommendation attitude is a joke. EU also found it breaching the rules after Italy reported them, but they don't care. Let's see what happens...
Wow thanks for the explanation. So basically you really need to be well informed otherwise reaching any city from the airport might be an (expensive) adventure. I can imagine how foreigners/tourists feel when they use the route and land.
DeleteI am sure that if Wizz Air keeps on growing in TZL eventually they will have to offer more choice or competition might even come on their own. Good thing with INI is that it's close to the city so you can take public transport.
There is even a mini-bus going from Belgrade to Tuzla Airport (011 Kombi Prevoz). :)
DeleteInteressting, didn't know about the minibus. Great! :)
DeleteBut yeah Nemjee, I meet every time foreginers and ingorant that are attacked by the yellow signed hyenas. INI is easier and a bit different setup, and you also have different airlines and competition.
TZL is as we all know one airline show, beside the charters and some fake promises and silly money laundering start ups. As mentioned several times by several users here, TZL management can't afford, probably is avoiding (maybe also due to personal interest), to risk coorperating with other airlines that are in direct competition with Wizz. And the same with the public transport. Something is fishy there and smells of protectionism all over.
A lot of local and taxpayers money is invested in infrastructure at and around the aiport, especially questionable expansion of a old concrete bunker, instead of using the vast fields for a new one floor and much cheaper, functional and disaibled friendly montage system terminal, that could have been set up in short time. Potentially in the other end north of runway 27, to avoid unecessary manouvring and flight time.
But that is another story again involving local sherif wishes, the management team and their beneficial interests, familiar relations and contacts in the local construction industry and never the less incompetence - just think about the apporach lights.
While family and friends are hired and running business at the airport, much of their staff was until the base opnened not paid but on "work experience" and "try outs". The situation is better now I hear, but I think some are still there under those terms. As used in many other industries and countries to obtain free labour for some months, while the poor employee thinks he has a future.
They are TZL and TZL is nothing without them, but unfortunatley, no one cares inclding the management and pax and at some point you stop smiling. And no, I don't work there, but as a frequent pax. see, hear and respect them!
eurowings is having a second go at ExYu it seems
ReplyDeleteAko Tuzla i Banja Luka idu na SXF onda bi ovi morali na TXL !
ReplyDeleteFly with Lufthansa group airlines and you don't need to worry about getting conned with Wizz and Ryanair's hidden charges!
ReplyDeleteI recommend to consider shuttle company www.balkantransfer.com who does door to door transfers between Sarajevo and Tuzla Airport multiple times on daily basis.
ReplyDeleteTheir call centre is really good.
On the hand of Berlin flight to Sarajevo - there is a lot of young Bosnian diaspora who lives abroad and lots of young people who see Berlin as European top destination so there is good logic behind this flight. Wizz proved it already.
I agree - Balkan Transfer is definitely best option for shuttle. Very reliable and professional company with good drivers and reasonable(cheap) price
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