Thanks to the partnership between Air Canada and Air Serbia, I was able to redeem Aeroplan points for a flight from Belgrade to New York last week. I will have a full review soon, but first I want to tell you how bad Air Serbia's business class has become, which is sad.
Air Serbia is the national carrier of Serbia. The airline had a rebirth in 2013). The government of Serbia and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways formed a joint venture to start an airline. This was part of larger scale cooperation.
Air Serbia was managed by the airline for a period of five years. Air Serbia started operating a long haul route between Belgrade and New York as a result of acquiring a former Jet Airways A330.
One of the perks of being involved in an airline is that you get to invest in the soft product. Air Serbia had a menu in the lounge, as well as a great onboard product, with cappuccinos, mattress pads, pajamas, dine on demand, etc.
In order to get a sense of what this used to be like, I have reviewed the Air Serbia Lounge Belgrade and the A330 business class.
The airline has been decreasing its stake in Air Serbia, and now only owns 18% of the company, with the Serbian government owning the rest.
Air Serbia still only has a single A330, but it is a different model than what the airline originally had. Air Serbia received a former Aeroflot A330. It is the same type of plane that Air Serbia initially flew.
Air Serbia's soft product has gone from exceptional to below average due to the change in seats.
The soft product was always a treat when I flew Air Serbia business class on the New York route. It wasn't this time. It wasn't horrible, but it was death by a thousand cuts.
The Air Serbia premium lounge is located in Belgrade. The lounge used to have a carte dining back in the day. The lounge is open to Priority Pass members and has a decent selection of food and drinks.
Do you think Air Serbia would take the sign from the airport out of respect? The concept no longer exists as three of the airlines went through bankruptcies and have new owners.
The new business class cabin at Air Serbia is great. It is a standard configuration on many airlines. The crew was nice.
Based on the experience I had on my flight, it is all downhill from there.
The meal service is something we need to discuss. The flight left from Belgrade at 8 AM and arrived in New York at 12 PM. Breakfast and a second meal are included in Air Serbia's dine on demand menu.
The breakfast wasn't bad. I changed my drink order because everyone was served nuts before breakfast.
A greek yogurt with walnuts and strawberry sauce was the breakfast entree.
The main course was the Spanish pie with potatoes and vegetables, grilled tomatoes, and grilled mushrooms.
There was a dessert plate.
The pre-arrival meal was not as good as the breakfast. I ate like everyone else before landing. I attempted to eat.
Four things on the dine on demand menu were not breakfast.
“Could I have the Greek salad with grilled chicken?”“We are out, I’m sorry.”“Okay, then the ravioli with cheese and spinach and cream sauce?”“I’m so sorry, we don’t have any of those left either.”“Umm, okay, then I guess I’ll take a cheese plate?”“We’re out of those. Would you like the sweet omelet?”“Is there another option?”“We have some fruit plates left from breakfast.”
“Okay, I’ll take the omelet then.”
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