TRIP REPORT
After a long couple of weeks touring Croatia by boat and on foot, it was time to head home. I took an Uber for the short ride from the hotel to Split Airport in the morning for the short hop to Zagreb, where I would then take another flight.
The airport in Split was quite nice. Checking in and getting through security went smoothly. When it was time to board the small Dash 8 turboprop, we walked outside, handed our hand luggage to the attendant, then climbed the stairs to the plane.
The front row of economt was blocked off for business class passengers. Usually, with 3-seat rows, the middle seat is not used, but in 2x2-seat configuration such as this one, both are used. Unfortunately, this was the case here, as an off-duty pilot sat next to me in the first row. That meant, other than the bulkhead space in front of the first row, and the small boxed snack, there wasn’t any real benefit to business class. In fact, I would never have booked it normally, but it came with the international business class ticket I booked with Turkish Airlines for the onward trip.
Soon after takeoff, I was offered a drink (I had a Coke) and a small snack box which consisted of cheese and crackers, and a whole bunch of cardboard, plastic, and color-printed paper…enough to fuel the nightmares of any carbon continuous traveler…
The entire flight was about 45 minutes, so no sooner had we reached our cruising altitude for the flight, we began the descent into Zagreb. I got a good view of it out the window as we turned to make the approach.
Once we were parked near the terminal, we used the stairs again to deplane, grabbed our carry-ons, and proceeded into the terminal. Fortunately, if you follow the correct paths through the building, you can get directly to the international departure area, where you get a cursory immigration check, and then walk right into the main departure area.
That was it for this short 45-minute flight. The flight was quick and generally pleasant, uneventful other than the lack of anything that could be described as business class about it. In fairness, this is typical of European domestic flights.
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Thank you for your report. I was flying with OU from Dubrovnik to Zagreb a few days ago. Quite similar experience. I had a business class ticket, however I was forced to wait until the last minute to be able to check-in as there was overbooking on this flight. At the end, all seats in business class were full and as in your case, off duty pilot was seating next to me.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind to receive such a snack pack in economy. Last time I flew to Mostar I got a oack of Croatian crackers. I like them and I wonder if you can buy then in a shop?
ReplyDeleteThe issue is, this is what they serve in business on all flights no matter the duration.
ReplyDeleteThey serve a bigger box on flights over 1 hour but yes it's a very poor offering for business class.
DeleteI fly business on Croatia Airlines frequently from Zadar to Zagreb and Zagreb to Dubrovnik. Annoys me that the seljaci can’t wait and push through the boarding line when it’s business only boarding. Very shocking boarding service. Of the occasional seljacina walking forward to the business section asking can he sit there even though he’s an economy passenger.
ReplyDeleteseljaci??
DeleteWhat was LF?
ReplyDeleteAssuming the LF was less than 90% which should be the case on 99% of all domestic sectors, why did OU not make the first two rows business class and put that off duty pilot in row 2...
ReplyDeleteDid you go to any lounges? SPU or ZAG? Bit more details would have been nice
ReplyDeleteThere’s a small lounge at Split (albeit bigger than it used to be) often overseen by a very stern woman. It has a tiny small selection of snacks and drinks, some comfy seats and some workstations, that’s about it. It’s also on the Schengen side of the gates, so if your if destination is outside Schengen you need to factor in time for border control.
DeleteThis is like Economy on all major airlines try Emirates or Etihad Business different world!
ReplyDeleteSorry, you can't try Emirates or Etihad on Q400 😃
DeleteAss kissers are in charge of that
Delete