TRIP REPORT: Air Serbia, Belgrade - Shanghai

TRIP REPORT

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fly on Air Serbia’s inaugural flight from Belgrade to Shanghai.

I purchased a one-way ticket in late October, as I would be continuing my journey from Shanghai on another itinerary. The fare was slightly lower compared to that of the inaugural Guangzhou service in late September. At the time of booking, I also selected my seat, and due to the layout, it was visible the aircraft operating the flight would be YU-ARB (Nikola Tesla). I chose row three as the odd numbered rows have a bit more privacy since the seat itself is closer to the window rather than the isle. I flew on YU-ARB before, but it has been several years.

At Belgrade Airport, dedicated check-in counters for the Shanghai flight opened 4 hours prior to the departure time, which was at 00:40. However, there are of course Air Serbia counters for all flights open nonstop. The airport wasn’t too busy at the time. I got my boarding pass and went through passport control and security quickly.

A ceremony marking the launch of the flight was held around two and a half hours before departure at gates C5/6 where our aircraft was waiting. Following the ceremony, the gate area filled up and it was obvious the flight would be full. There were a mix of Chinese and Serbian passengers, as well as a big group of Serbian exchange students heading to China. While economy was full, there were four vacant seats in the 21-seat business class. Although there were some officials onboard, I think the majority were paying customers.

Boarding began half an hour prior to departure. Business class passengers had a dedicated air bridge. At the door of the aircraft, we were greeted by the crew.

There was a menu, water bottle, thick blanket and pillow on the seat. Promotional videos about Serbia were playing on the IFE screens during boarding and a welcome message was displayed afterwards during taxi in Serbian (Cyrillic and Latin), English and Chinese.

During my previous flight to Guangzhou, I was less than impressed with the state of the aircraft (YU-ARC) that was operating the flight, but YU-ARB is a significantly better experience. The lie-flat seat is comfortable, and all IFE screens were working with a good choice of movies and TV shows. It makes a difference on a long flight. The service to Shanghai took just under 11 hours.

After taking my seat, a cabin crew member came and introduced herself. She addressed each passenger by their last name. The crew also came by with amenity kits, headphones, and PJs which also include slippers. A welcome drink was also offered, a choice between prosecco, orange juice and water.

The crew were very pleasant, and I must say hardworking throughout the flight. The cabin crew member that was working in the aisle I was at was extremely polite and checked up numerous times if passengers needed anything.

We started our taxi on time and the pilot gave his introductory message. He informed us we would have to undergo de-icing, which would push our departure a bit later than planned. We de-iced at the de-icing platform. At the same time, an ATR was next to us also being de-iced. I should note that all announcements on board were also made in Chinese as all of Air Serbia’s China flights have a Chinese speaking crew ambassador, which also assists in communication between the cabin crew and Chinese passengers.

We had a nice view of downtown Belgrade upon departure. As soon as we took off, the crew came around to take our meal orders. The menu to Shanghai was actually the same as the one on the night flight to Guangzhou a few months earlier. The menu, which was in Serbian, English and Chinese read as follows. You can also see the meal choices for the return flight. The crew took drink orders, while for things like water asked if passengers would like ice and lemon along with it.

After take off the crew served drinks and a large ramequin of warm mixed nuts. Shortly after, the meal service started. A notable difference compared to my previous Guangzhou flight was that everything was placed individually by the crew on the table. It wasn’t all served on a single tray. Similar to my previous meal choices, I selected the gyoza for the first meal and the spring rolls for the second, both of which I’m sharing below. The meal service is on demand so you can choose when you want to eat. I had the first meal right after departure and the second around an hour and a half before arrival. Apart from the main dishes, the meals also included warm bread, olive oil with balsamic vinegar and butter. Overall, the taste of the meal was good but presentation of the actual dishes should really be improved. Also, more choice for starters and desserts would be expected for an 11 hour flight.

The IFE was quite good with touchscreens, although there is a remote too. There were Hollywood, Serbian and Chinese movies, as well as TV shows. I think the selection was relatively decent. It is not the selection you get on Emirates, Turkish or Qatar but there is more than enough choice and variety for a flight of this duration.

Following the meal service, the crew member asked if I wanted my seat made up for sleeping, which includes them putting a mattress over the seat. The seat reclines fully flat and has a lot of storage space both where the table is, on the side near your legs, as well as under the TV screen.

I fell asleep shortly after the meal service and woke up around six hours later. I had a comfortable sleep and by the time I woke up it was already dark again outside.

The bathroom was kept in good order and was clean. Prior to landing we were given a certificate to commemorate the inaugural flight, an orasnica walnut cookie, as well as entry cards for China.

We landed around ten minutes ahead of schedule and there was a water cannon salute as we taxied to the gate.

Overall, I found this experience with Air Serbia to be pleasant and much more enjoyable than on the YU-ARC registered plane. The flight went by quite quickly as I slept through most of it.

Upon arrival in Shanghai there was a bit of a queue at passport control as only a couple of booths were open. By the time I passed through passport control my bag was already on the carousel.

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