Good morning and welcome to my trip report! It's been a while since I wrote one so I decided to share with you my last week's experience onboard Air Serbia's SOF-BEG flight. The flight itself is short (on average 50-something minutes) so I decided to take more pictures than usual.
I took the metro from the Serdika station to the airport. The ride takes roughly 40 minutes and it costs just €0.80. Inside the metro is clean and what I especially liked is that there is internet and phone coverage at all times.
The airport metro station is also quite nice and is located just a few steps from the terminal building.
SOF terminal 2 from the outside. Personally I always thought it looked better on the outside than it did on the inside.
Check-in area. I remember the last two times I flew from Sofia, we couldn't proceed before to the departures area without the check-in agent validating our travel documents. As a precautionary measure I headed first to the check-in desk since last year they sent me back. I got there some 02 hours and 05 minutes before take off and to my surprise I was already 7th in line. There was no one there and the screens were dark but the airport's departure board informed us which desks will be servicing JU passengers. At 01.50 before take off, two rather rude agents showed up and started the check-in process.
While standing in line I was looking at my fellow passengers. First in line were six Norwegians who were connecting to OSL. I also noticed passengers were heading to MXP, ARN, BUD etc. Traveling with us were 4 Bulgaria Air cabin crew. All in all, today's flight was 100% full. Roughly 15 passengers were O&D while the rest were transfers.
I think Air Serbia should grow a pair and actually start placing similar ads across various airports. In Sofia there was no sign of JU anywhere. Not a single ad, not a single poster... nothing. Not even that thing to measure your hand luggage. They should really do something about marketing. This is something their commercial director needs to think about especially if they want to reduce seasonality.
Since last year they fixed their airport a little bit. I think it has to do with Bulgarian airports entering the Schengen zone. Overall this is much better than before and their duty free shop is incomparably better compared to what they had in the past. I was also surprised by their prices which were not inflated at all.
SOF departures area offers great views of the tarmac. Pictured above is a LO E75 which was sitting like this for at least 45 minutes. All passengers were boarded, airbridge was moved and the pushback was waiting. The flight to WAW was delayed by at least an hour due to ATC restrictions.
Gate area at SOF. At the end of this corridor you have a small non-Schengen area which you access after clearing the passport control.
Lufthansa's A320 suffered the same fate as LO's E75. It also waited like this for an hour due to ATC restrictions.
Here's our ride for today arriving from BEG some ten minutes ahead of schedule.
Despite our ATR arriving ahead of schedule, it seems like our flight was going to be delayed due to poor ground services. I noticed that the bus that was supposed to take arriving passengers was late (same happened to us) which delayed the whole deplaning process. Also, seems like it took them a long time to unload arriving luggage and then to load departing ones.
On top of that, boarding started some 15 minutes before take off and we were all packed in this bus with no a/c and with all doors wide open. As you can imagine this was a hellish experience. On the other hand, our bus in Belgrade had the a/c running the whole time so it made the whole wait bearable.
After a short bus ride we reached our plane at 16.05, so the same time when we were supposed to be taking off. It might be just me but boarding your passengers 40 minutes after your small ATR landed seems like a mismanagement issue.
I took my seat in a rather hot ATR. Even though the cabin seemed to be in good shape my seat wasn't. The seatback could not be put in a full upright position as it kept on reclining. I was about to find out that my traytable was also broken. That said, the crew on today's flight were absolutely lovely, very charming and pleasant to the passengers. Their uniforms were very nice and they both looked very presentable. Good job JU.
We were one heavy ATR taking off on a hot summer day. Our climb was slow and we were gathering speed and altitude for least 7 minutes before we made a left turn and headed towards north-west Bulgaria.
As you can see my traytable was somewhat broken so everything kept on sliding off. I informed the crew and they said they will let maintenance know once we were in Belgrade.
There wasn't much to see below as once we approach Serbia everything below became hazy.
Since we were arriving during the afternoon rushhour we flew north of Belgrade all the way to Indjija where we made a sharp turn and took our turn to land.
We landed safely at 16.22 so just two minutes behind schedule. If SOF ground services did a better job we could have arrived ten minutes before planned arrival time. I usually track SOF flights on FR24 and I noticed that their flight always has a long turnaround time. I don't know if JU has someone who is in charge of this but he/she should have noticed this. When you have a plane full of transfers, those extra 10 minutes mean a lot.
Now this a stupidity of epic proportion and Vinci should have found a better solution. We were taken to this entrance where we had to climb some 30 steps to reach departures area. There we were met by an airport employee who shouted transfers and showed passengers to the door which took them straight to the departures area. We few turned left and took the escalators up. Even though this climb should not be a problem for younger passengers, I can imgaine what it would look like for older ones who are carrying their handluggage. On top of that the stairs are narrow, ugly with dirty walls.
Overall, Air Serbia offers a decent and basic service on their regional flights. Their Atrs are extremely comfortable, the onboard product is suitable for such short regional hops and their crew seem to have improved in recent months. One thing I noticed is that their operations on the ground leave a lot to be desired. Not only was the turnaround in SOF chaotic and generally mismanaged, our departure from BEG had problems as well.
We were the third to land (after an A320 from IST and an ATR from SJJ) so by the time we reached the passport control there was no one waiting. After SOF at least 15 planes landed including the A332 from Chicago as well as two A321 by Lufthansa. I can only imagine what the passport control looked like 10 minutes after we were gone. Luckily they were getting ready for them as they were preparing to open another three passport booths next to the 3 or 4 that were already open and processing arriving passengers.
BEG-SOF was roughly 80% full and there was only one gate agent in charge of boarding. It took forever as very few passengers had their passports checked. Someone called her to ask why it was taking so long. She replied that she is working alone and that no one bothered to do their job (as in check their travel documents). About a month ago I flew on JU's BEG-TGD flight (also operated by the Atr) and before boarding started they would call out passengers by their names to contact them so that they could clear them before boarding started. I guess with the poor girl working alone that was not an option.
This is just one of many examples that need to be fixed when it comes to JU ground operations. Many of these things are unacceptable as they tend to charge their passengers a premium. For example, my flight to Sofia cost me 38.700 RSD which is roughly €360 (with hand luggage). When you pay so much for a flight one expects a much smoother travel experience - both onboard and at the airport.
I hope Air Serbia will keep on expanding their Atr fleet and with it their regional network. Even though there is nothing special that sets them apart from their competition, they are far from being a bad carrier.
Thank you for coming along with me on this journey and I hope you enjoyed reading the report as much as I enjoyed writing it for you!
Regards,
Nemjee
Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com
Good trip report
ReplyDeleteThanks for the report! Appreciate you taking the time to write it.
ReplyDeleteNice report. Still don't get what is the problem when you arrived with ATR at BEG to go straight to passport control on the ground, that was possible before VANCI. Also, there were escalators between A1 and C1 to the passport control. Now in reality T1 doesn't have any connection to the ground floor and you have to go to the middle of the T2 and than go back. Put of sense
ReplyDeleteThank you. In December 2023 I arrived on the evening flight from TGD and we were taken straight to the passport control. It was so much easier than this system. Maybe they change depending on how many transfers they have on a certain flight? Though knowing BEG guys I think I am giving them too much credit.
DeleteOverall this should not be a long-term solution as it's not practical. The other day KL E90, OS A320 and LH A320 all parked on the remote stand and were disembarked at this improvised gate. Must have been fun for the passengers.
At the time OSS or one stop security was probably not implemented for TGD. You see above A3R entrance, it says OS, which means that transfer passengers need to be funneled to transit area without screening, so they were asking to separate these PAX. They need to find better way when it comes to separation of these transfers manually . And yes my parents who are 80 and struggle climbing the stairs, don't find it fun to clim this. They ned to add escalators asap.
DeleteCan escalators fit there?
DeleteI am flying twice a month from Ljubljana to Belgrade. We are always going to the stairs at A3R, never straight to the passport control.
DeleteI don't know what they can do to fix this issue with remote stands. Maybe they can build an arrivals arrea undereneath A1and A2 gates and to close the road that goes there. Transfer passengers can take the escalators up while locals head straight to the passport control.
DeleteIn retrospect, maybe closing that staircase wasn't the best idea. Passengers who require extra screening can use existing bus gate by C10.
You are absolutely right Nemjee. The arrival is always a nightmare when arriving with ATR. Vinci just didn't install escalators to the first floor. I always have to carry my luggage up 30 stairs. There is an elevator but there is a procedure to get in. Namely you have to request full assistance from JU to use it. Had that experience a month ago when I kindly asked for someone to let.my 80 year old.father use the elevator. The nice guy from JU call center had to arrange the whole assistance in both departure and Belgrade and for.my father to use an elevator as there was no other option.
DeleteGreat report, good job!
ReplyDeleteA couple of weeks ago, I also had the same experience in BEG with climbing that stairs to reach arrival area. We landed from BUD and I thought that bus will stop in front of passport control, hell I was wrong. It’s not passenger friendly, at least they could install escalators or elevators.
Boarding and de boarding ATR sometimes can be really annoying, but overall it’s an amazing aircraft.
Thank you. I also love the Atr and I think they are a true cashcow for JU. There are so many markets like BUD or SOF that can be operated quite efficiently. That said, I think SOF on Sundays can be operated by something larger, maybe that Bulgaria Air E90! :D
DeleteAt least like that it will be connected to an airbridge so you won't suffer a heatstroke when you enter the plane as is the case with JU's Atr. I really don't understand why they didn't request a generator to keep the air cool inside.
As for this gate, I fear it's here to stay and we need to get used to it. That said, they might put some aircondition to keep the air cool. In summer at 16.30 it can get pretty hot in there.
Another stupidity is that the escalators from arrivals down to departures level and passport control are located above C3, instead of being somehwere in the middle of the terminal
DeleteI guess that was the only part of the terminal where they had some extra room without taking away some free space in the departures area. If they put the escalators in the middle then it would go straight through the Tesla Square.
DeleteInteresting report. JU is more advertised on the radio and internally amongst travel agents in both SOF and VAR, this is the reason why you did not see any JU ads. Good news is that SOF just signed a contract a couple of days ago with Australian SSP Group to bring Burger King, Starbucks, Asian cuisine and other brands, so it should look much better and well, regarding the agents this is nothing new for the Balkans really....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.airportsinternational.com/article/ssp-bring-big-names-sofia
Thank you. Do you know where they will be located inside the terminal? It didn't seem like there was that much space? Maybe right after security control?
DeleteYes, inside T2 because T1 is a $hith0le from the prewar era and very very old terminal. There will be modifications. You can check the FB page for more details:
Deletehttps://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=817274760517942&set=pcb.817277757184309
Welcome to Sofia and there is Srpska skara in so many places :D
Ah yes, it's where the old duty free shop used to be, right after the old passport control. It's a good and central location. I'll be flying there again in January so I look forward to seeing it.
DeleteI think they had some skara at maimunarika up in the forest but it was too hot to go all the way there. :D
Thanks for the report! Appreciated
ReplyDeleteGreat report, thanks
ReplyDeleteGood report. This route is on my list-to-do. BTW have you explored Sofia?
ReplyDeleteYou should fly KRK-BEG-SOF and make a trip report! Always enjoyed reading yours.
DeleteNot exactly same route, but SKG-BEG-KRK is planned for this November. So stay tunned. 😉
DeleteThank you. It was my third time in Sofia so I was quite familiar with the city. I am happy I got to see the Soviet liberation monument as it is currently being dismantled (due to pressure from Ukraine). Overall I like it there especially if you like going out at night.
DeleteIs night life better or just different then in Belgrade?
DeleteDifferent I'd say. First difference is that their pubs don't have a curfew, ours have to close at (I think 01.00 or 02.00). Theirs just have to stop playing music and people have to move inside. It's similar to Belgrade just a slightly different version.
DeleteNemjee, thank you very much for very interesting and detailed trip report! :) Hope, people at our airport and at Air Serbia will read it an make some conclusions.
ReplyDeleteDid you like Sofia? :)
You are welcome! I generally like Sofia. It was very hot when I was there but unlike Belgrade there next to no humidity.
DeleteOnce we were in Belgrade it felt as they were boiling us alive. Humidity really makes a difference ... but then again so does having a river run through your city. :) I might hate humidity but I love having both Sava and Danube.
Yes, I wouldn't change our rivers for anything else in the world :)
DeleteEspecially now when they moved almost all boats that were next to the Brankov Bridge. Unlike most European cities, Sofia doesn't have a castle in downtown similar to Kalemegdan for example. I guess it has to do with it not being their historic capital city.
Delete360e mother of God, what a ripoff!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Since they want to charge a premium then they have to make sure passengers feel like there is value for money. Onboard experience was fine but everything else definitely wasn't.
DeleteGround operations might have improved compared to last year but they are still bad, especially in Sofia. I noticed the same problems in LCA when I fly. It seems like it's a systemic issue at JU so it makes me wonder if they even have a person who is in charge of all this. If they do ... then they need to be fired.
It's one thing what they say and a whole different what they do. Same with Marek and his statements regarding their loyalty and corporate programs.
Great report Nemjee. Many of those issues you mention should be a relatively easy fix for both JU and BEG. For a major transfer airline in the Balkans JU needs to correct these issues.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Indeed, I think they didn't think it through when they were expanding the terminal during covid. That was the perfect time to build a new passport control with decent access. Like this it's turning into a bit of a Frankenstein's monster.
DeleteThat said, the new commercial area after security control looks really, really nice.
Today same happened. BEG-SOF landed at 15.16 and SOF-BEG took off 16.22. So they need 01 hours and 8 minutes for ATR? Crazy.
DeleteЕvery time I write and point out at mishaps related to JU operational issues and to the poor look of their cabins I get stormed by negative comments. I don't bother writing about anymore but it is sad that the airline is doing nothing to fix these issues. Lots of people I talk to expressed no desire to fly with JU again and that is not good.
DeleteI have to be honest, their ATRs are in a pretty good overall shape. It's the A319s that could be refreshed on the inside, some of them are falling apart. It's a shame as the JU cabin is rather pleasant looking.
DeleteIn my opinion there was a time when their crew was horrendous. The last few flights that was not the case. Either they hired new, better ones or they improved their working conditions.
Jesus! Would never pay this much for flight. Back in days when AirSerbia was flying to Waw, oneway ticket to Beg was 320eurs. I took one to Sof via Beg with Asl and it was 120euros. I didnt had checkin lugage.
ReplyDeleteDear Nemjee, thank you for your trip report. It really looks very professional! Please feel yourself invited in Sofia again and contact us in advance! You can see our contacts in JU website. We will be happy to discuss many issues in the airline business. Greetings from JU GSA in Bulgaria!
ReplyDeleteWow, impressive that you contacted Nemjee.
DeleteAre you being sarcastic? I think it's cool.
Deleteno sarcasm intended. If that post is from JU GSA in Bulgaria, then wow.
DeleteThank you Vladislav, will do. I should be in Sofia just after New Year so I will gladly contact you.
DeleteSofia's infrastructure is years if not decades ahead of Belgrade. They're similar sized cities but the metro, the wide boulevards and airport with 2 separate terminals which is run much better than BEG make a huge difference.
ReplyDeletePutnici iz EU idu na A3R, putnici van EU idu odmah na pasosku, takva procedura je nametnuta od strane policije. Pozz
ReplyDeleteХвала на појашњењу али опет, Ванси је тај који је морао то боље да осмисли. Ово решење није практично на дуге стазе.
Delete