Before buying tickets with Air Serbia, I compared prices and flight times between Air Serbia and Wizz Air, as I had flexibility of one to two days for my trip. In the end, I chose Air Serbia because of the flight schedule to Belgrade and one other important reason - I did not want to arrive at Bergamo Airport. Every time I arrived there on a non-Schengen flight, I had to wait a minimum of three hours for passport control, whereas at Malpensa, the waiting time was just over one hour. The price difference for return tickets, including checked luggage, was not significant. I paid €195 for Air Serbia, while Wizz Air was about €30 cheaper. However, I would also have needed to buy a return train ticket between Milan and Malpensa Airport for €20 (one way €13).
Even though both the ticket purchase and the app stated that the flights would be operated by Air Serbia’s A319, in the end, both flights were operated by Bulgarian Air’s Embraer 190. Five days before each flight, Air Serbia sent me an email inviting me to bid for a business class upgrade, with a minimum bid of €150. Both flights were nearly full, as I saw only a few empty seats in economy and a fully booked business class. On this route, Air Serbia has a codeshare agreement with Etihad and ITA Airways, but I’m not sure how relevant it is anymore since ITA has left Malpensa and now operates exclusively from Linate. I also checked prices on ITA’s website, as I’m collecting points there, and the fare for this flight was over €300.
Flight details
Both flights went smoothly from take-off to landing - MPX-BEG with a delay of about 30 minutes and BEG-MPX with a delay of over an hour because we were waiting for 20 connecting passengers from a flight from Moscow, which had arrived two hours late that morning. The cabin crew were Bulgarian and did not speak Serbian, except for a basic "Good morning" in Serbian. I must admit their English was not very good either. I don’t understand why Air Serbia wouldn’t invest in a Serbian language course for them or at least ensure they can perform the safety demonstration in Serbian if they plan to maintain a long-term partnership with them.
Only on the return flight was the captain Serbian. He made three announcements - before take-off, during the flight, and before landing - which was not the case on the flight to Belgrade.
About 20 minutes after take-off, the crew served a small bottle of water and a package of Plazma biscuits (which I really missed). Note: I flew with Iberia from Madrid to Munich a few months ago, and they didn’t even provide a glass of water on a 2-hour-and-40-minute flight. Afterward, they announced in-flight sales from the magazine, and the prices seemed reasonable to me.
Although the crew was polite, I didn’t find them particularly friendly - or, better said, engaged. During both safety demonstrations, they forgot to mention that phones should be switched to airplane mode, which I found somewhat questionable.
I really love the E90 as an aircraft. The first time I flew on it was on the same route, but it was operated by Marathon Airlines. There is enough legroom (I’m 185 cm), the seats are decently comfortable, and the toilet is spacious for an aircraft of this size. Most of all, I love the huge windows that the E90 has, especially compared to the A319.
The airplane was in good shape and relatively clean - I could see that they take care of the cabin to some extent. However, I also noticed a few stains on the walls that had clearly been there for a long time, so I would say it could benefit from a deep cleaning.
Experience at Malpensa Airport
If I can choose which airport to fly from in Milan, I would always prefer Linate. It is located within the city, and with the new metro line, the maximum travel time to the airport is 20-25 minutes, depending on your starting point in the city. Unfortunately, the number of destinations from Linate is limited, but I have used it to fly to Berlin and Frankfurt a few times.
In second place comes Malpensa Airport, which is managed by the same company as Linate - SEA, a public company owned by the City of Milan, the government, the region, and some other stakeholders. They are doing an amazing job managing both airports.
Returning to my flight, I arrived at Terminal 1 two hours before departure time via the Malpensa Express train. Air Serbia had four check-in desks, one of which was dedicated to business class. Since I arrived early, there was no queue, so I completed check-in in less than 10 minutes. I proceeded directly to security, where I waited for about 20 minutes due to several flights departing to the Far East at the same time.
The airport is full of luxury fashion shops such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Armani, Hermès, and many others, all located before passport control. Two out of the three aprons are dedicated to international (non-Schengen) flights, but they are not particularly well-equipped with stores. To be more precise, there are only a few restaurants and cafés, many vending machines (with very economical prices - €1.20 for espresso, €1.80 for water, €3.50 for a panino), and three lounges.
Air Serbia uses the Montale Exclusive Lounge, which is located right after passport control. This lounge is also used by Delta, British Airways, EVA Air, Air China, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, and many others.
Passport control was quick - less than 10 minutes - with eight staffed booths and 12 automatic machines for EU, US, UK, and Canadian passports. Boarding started about 20 minutes before departure via a jet bridge and was completed quickly. Before boarding began, an agent called some passengers for a document check, which, as I noticed, was primarily directed at Russian travellers.
Arrival in Belgrade
We arrived on time, and disembarkation took place via a jet bridge at one of the last C gates. This meant I had a long walk ahead of me. It might be a good idea to add moving walkways for faster passenger flow, similar to those at Malpensa or Vienna airports.
There was no queue at passport control since our flight was the only one arriving at that time. A police officer mentioned that Tuesdays are the slowest day at Belgrade Airport. By the time I arrived at the baggage claim area, my luggage was already out.
Unfortunately, the booth for obtaining taxi coupons was not working, and I was approached by a few drivers in the arrivals area offering rides. However, I decided to take the A1 bus to Slavija Square.
I find this bus convenient, as it costs only 400 dinars (€3.50) and the ride takes just 30 minutes. However, I don’t like that it’s a minibus rather than a standard bus, and there’s no designated space for large luggage. Luckily, there were only four of us on board.
Departure from Belgrade
Since it was an early morning flight on a Monday, Belgrade Airport was quite busy. I arrived about two hours before departure and joined the line for check-in, which took around 30 minutes. After that, I went directly to passport and security control. Both processes took a little over 30 minutes - 10 passport counters were open, and all security lanes were operational.
After clearing security, I took a walk around the new duty-free shop. It’s nicely designed but nothing spectacular. Perhaps once all the bars at the plaza open, it will leave a better impression.
My gate was on the C side, and once again, after gate C5, I found the area lacking shops or bars. It would be nice to have more options instead of just a limited Kafeterija stand. Adding more vending machines and functional chairs with outlets would also be helpful, as I had difficulty finding a place to charge my phone.
Boarding started with a slight delay, and after boarding, we waited for about 20 minutes inside the plane for connecting passengers from the Moscow flight to join us.
Arrival at Malpensa
It seems that Malpensa uses a mix of boarding and disembarkation methods. I’ve never experienced disembarkation via a jet bridge there - planes usually park at remote stands, and passengers are transferred to the terminal by bus, as was the case this time. After arriving at the terminal, there was a 10-minute walk, assisted by moving walkways.
Once I reached passport control, I had to wait in line for a little over an hour. Surprisingly, only four booths were open despite several flights arriving at the same time. Still, this was far better than the three-hour wait I’ve experienced at Bergamo Airport. By the time I passed through passport control, my bags from the Belgrade flight had already been removed from the baggage carousel. This allowed me to rush and catch the train to the city.
Overall, it was a nice experience. Is there room for improvement regarding Air Serbia? Definitely. Small details, such as friendlier cabin crew, speaking Serbian, paying more attention to safety demonstrations, and - most importantly - a proper loyalty program would make a big difference. I’ve flown with them more than four times just this year.
Regarding Belgrade Airport (BEG), I must admit it is in much better shape than it was in January 2024 when I was last there - from cleaner toilets during busy hours, fewer construction zones, and more than two coffee shops and a restaurant, to a useful feature for reporting issues in toilets, which I think is a great addition.
Apart from some questionable choices in materials, areas for improvement include offering a wider variety of shops and restaurants (which already seems to be happening), increasing the frequency of the A1 bus line, and extending its schedule - the last bus currently leaves the airport at 22:00.
Regarding Malpensa Airport, I love this airport, especially its location. The only improvement I’d like to see is having more passport control booths open to reduce waiting times.
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Great and informative trip report, thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt's disappointing for me that even during the slowest seaso of the year for airlines JU has to rely on wet leases to fly it's schedule.
Thank you. Yes, but it is perfect size aircraft. In the beginning of December I flown the same route and they sent A319 and was half empty
DeleteThank you.
DeleteYes it is pity, but it is perfect size aircraft for the route. In the beginning of December I flown the same route and they sent a319 and it was half empty in both directions
Have you notice that (as seen in the photo) JU has 21 flights in the morning wave even in the slowest season of the year?
DeleteNice report. Could we see ITA launching flights from Linate to BEG?
ReplyDeleteNo. LIN is only used for EU and UK flights
DeleteUnfortunately, no. LIN is not at focus for ITA, used for domestic flights and flights to other economic centres in Europe plus London City
DeleteI have flown with Getjet on the beggining of December 2024 from BEG to CDG and the plane was miserable. It was A320 white wuthout livery.Very old seats , when you seat or stand up you listen a sound of old door scretching :D
ReplyDeleteThe toilets were very very dirty , not clean at all,no soap,very small amount of water was licking.The only good thing was the crew I think they were Lithuanian ,very nice setvice.
So I think Air serbia needs to wet lease better planes or check them before putting onto service.
Btw nice trip report thank you! :)))
The last time I was at Malpensa passport control, it took more than 2 hours, and at FCO, it took about an hour and a half. So that is a standard for Italy; Bergamo is not that bad.
ReplyDeleteI think that it depends if it is arrive on time or not. Last time in December we arrived on time and there was no one in line for passport control I finished it in less than 5 min
DeleteAlways a horrible wait for pass control at Italian airports. I waited for more then an hour at Ciampino although there was only Wizz flight from BEG that arrived. Bergamo is notorious for waiting times, many non-Schengen flights and only 2 operating booths. Naples too. Avoid if possible.
DeleteLast week I flew with Air Serbian from Vienna to Belgrade operated by Air Bulgaria E190. The flight was fully booked, there were only a few free seats. The Bulgaria Air flight attendants are very unfriendly, annoyed and some passengers rolled their eyes when they asked a question. Serbian was not spoken, and unfortunately English was also very weak. A no-go!
ReplyDelete