TRIP REPORT: Air Serbia, Belgrade - Larnaca and back

TRIP REPORT

Written by Siniša

Belgrade to Larnaca

Flight JU 482 on Tuesday, October 8 operated by Fly2sky for Air Serbia A320 LZ-FSB

Scheduled departure time: 13:20 Actual 13:43

Clear sky over Belgrade

Reasons for taking a quick business trip to Cyprus came up on short notice, and the ticket was purchased just a day before the flight. The regular round-trip fare for my selected dates on the Air Serbia website was slightly over 600 euros. However, thanks to a corporate agreement with the airline, I enjoyed certain benefits related to the ticket price within the same booking class

While planning the trip, I noticed that both flights were scheduled to operate on wet-leased planes, which is why I chose not to book business class. I will share more on this point, along with some observations, at the end of the review. I must say that, despite flying this route a few times recently, I have never had the chance to fly on Air Serbia’s own aircraft. These are usually deployed on the midnight flights out of Belgrade, which are not convenient for work-related travel. Although tickets for these flights are usually cheaper, other trip costs, such as car rentals and hotels, tend to be higher, as car rental agencies charge additional fees for pickup and delivery outside regular operating hours.

I drove to Nikola Tesla Airport and left my car at the remote P11 parking lot, which costs 500 dinars per day. This is still a reasonable price despite two increases since April. Shuttle buses run regularly, and it takes only a few minutes to reach the terminal. I had checked in online earlier and saved my boarding pass to Google Wallet. Unfortunately, Google Wallet doesn’t display the Priority Pass in text form, so I had to show the PDF receipt instead to the employees at the priority lane, as they didn’t have a QR code reader either.

With the priority lane, the passport and security checks were a breeze. I parked the car at 12:21 and was already at Tesla Square by 12:38. One positive change I noticed at the police booths for passport checks was that all the officers were smiling. Someone probably trained them to be both efficient and approachable, leaving a positive impression.

Departure board

As the signage suggests: work in progress just after passing security and duty free, and before stepping into Tesla Square

Boarding started on time, and the staff was efficient, ensuring all passengers were on board quickly. However, our plane left the gate 23 minutes behind schedule. The flight was completely full, with every seat occupied. The majority of passengers were Serbian, along with some Russians and a few other nationalities. This was a noticeable difference compared to my previous flights to and from LCA, where Russian citizens made up the majority..

Boarding at C13

A glimpse on FR24

Safety demonstration, hardly anyone cares about

Legroom :(

The legroom on the Fly2Sky A320 felt noticeably smaller compared to Air Serbia, and anyone taller than 1.80 meters might find it less than comfortable. The Bulgarian crew was friendly and polite. About 25 minutes after takeoff, complimentary service began, and the cabin crew was quick and efficient in delivering it.

Complimentary service

Soon after, the crew began the buy-on-board service, and I was surprised by how busy they were - it must have been a good sales day. The rest of the flight was uneventful. It reminded me of one of my previous flights on the same route a year ago with Germany's Leav Aviation. On that flight, I had the impression it was practically crewless; the cabin crew spent most of the flight in the front galley behind the curtain, chatting, and only came out about 30 minutes before landing to serve water and a snack.

Overflying Sofia

Birds-eye view of Larnaca Airport apron for charter and LCCs mostly

Just landed

And now a small bonus for the review:

While driving through Limassol the next day, I noticed one US aircraft carrier and a French naval ship docked at the port. I made a few rounds at the roundabout while I was preparing my phone’s camera and a moment later, I spotted a car park nearby where I was able to take pictures.

Larnaca to Belgrade

Flight JU 483 on Thursday, October 10 operated by GetJet for Air Serbia A320 LY-MAL

Scheduled departure 18:50 Gate left at 19:00

My flight back was on Thursday on a GetJet A320 plane scheduled to depart at 18:50 local time.

I drove to the car rental drop-off parking in front of the departure hall entrance at Larnaca Airport.

Entry to Larnaca Airport departures hall

Traveling with hand luggage only, I checked in online and purchased access to the express lane for 6 euros. The process was quick, and within seconds, I was in front of the Cypriot police self-service kiosks. These kiosks are used for passport scanning, face photography, and finally printing a receipt, which is handed to a police officer before they stamp the passport.

It’s worth noting that Cyprus isn’t a Schengen state, and this procedure applies to all nationalities. Needless to say, the crowds were massive both at the kiosks and at the police desks, making the express lane worth every cent. While some police or state dignitaries (read: bureaucrats) might praise this process, I found it puzzling. Since the police still stamp passports, the setup creates bottlenecks at two points: one in front of the kiosks and another in front of the police booths.

Departure board. Gate 22 for Air Serbia was announced later

Gate 22

Larnaca Airport is easy to navigate through

Our Belgrade-bound flight left the gate at 7 pm and shortly after we took off

Hey, I'm busy, don't bother me, please :)

The flight was full again, and just like on my inbound flight, the majority of passengers were Serbian. I’m already familiar with GetJet Airlines, as I’ve flown on their planes several times before. I found the legroom to be decent, unlike on Fly2Sky.

GetJet legroom

The Lithuanian crew was very friendly and polite, and complimentary service began shortly after takeoff. This time, passengers were offered a choice between meat and vegetarian sandwiches, which was a nice touch. Once again, the crew was very busy with the buy-on-board service, which had to be temporarily halted due to strong turbulence over Bulgarian airspace.

We landed at BEG a few minutes behind schedule, as the pilot opted for Runway 12, requiring a different approach direction. After landing, the taxi to Gate C8 took over 10 minutes, which was a bit unusual for BEG. Passport control was efficient, with all officers smiling again. Whoever trained them did an excellent job. Less than 20 minutes after landing, I was back at P11 to pick up my car.

About Air Serbia’s business class

As mentioned at the beginning, here are a few thoughts on the business class product. I have traveled as a business class passenger before, but lately, I feel that the product has significantly deteriorated and no longer offers good value for money.

I think it’s a shame for Air Serbia to market and sell business class on flights operated by wet-leased planes, especially at such exorbitant prices. It’s a sure way to lose passengers. The cabin interior, seat pitch, and legroom are no different from those of low-cost carriers, while many business class perks can be purchased individually at significantly lower prices. So, why pay for business class when only one perk remains? Using the front lavatory is still a business class privilege, as the cabin crew announced several times.

Air Serbia is aware of the mixed impressions passengers had about the leased planes with foreign crews, which is why each seat pocket included a flyer with a detailed explanation about the motives and partnering airlines. I find that approach legitimate. However, what I strongly object to is advertising and selling a product that falls miles short of their own standards and offers below-mediocre service. If Air Serbia intends to retain its business class product and, by extension, its customers, they will need to carefully consider how to upgrade and improve it.

Seat pocket flyers insert

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