Flight Number JU 811
Seat 1C
Departing from Tel Aviv at 13:25
Air Serbia offers the only nonstop flight between Tel Aviv and Belgrade 3x to 4x per week with plans to resume the flight in August 2020. Until recently, they were among few European airlines offering a true business class cabin on shorthaul flights as opposed to economy seats with a blocked middle seat.
Cabin and Seat
Air Serbia’s A320 business class cabin occupies two rows at the very front of the plane with a total of 8 seats in a 2 – 2 configuration.
The business class seats are basic with additional width, legroom, and recline compared to economy class seats as well as a small table coming out from the center armrest.
Air Serbia has since removed these seats and replaced them with standard economy class seats with a blocked middle in business class. This is sad to hear, though I have not confirmed this is the case on all routes/aircraft types.
Food and Drinks
Lunch was served on this short afternoon flight; the menu read as follows:
With only two choices for the main dish, I went with the salmon which was served with spinach and mashed potatoes, Serbian mezze, raspberry cake, and a packaged roll with butter. To drink I had a glass of red wine and still water.
While the salmon was tasty, the rest of the food was economy class quality with unappealing presentation. My main dish was even served in a disposable plastic dish! From other reviews I’ve read, this seem to be unusual and Air Serbia’s presentation is usually better.
Service and Amenities
Service began with a welcome drink and a warm towel served on a tray.
Already waiting at my seat was a large pillow and blanket which were among the nicest I’ve gotten on a short flight.
Before departure menu cards were distributed, and our lunch orders were taken.
After takeoff, the crew offered Ipads to all business class passengers which came with a small selection of movies, TV shows, music, and games. The Ipad is fastened to the table making it difficult to get in and out of your seat while the Ipad is set up.
Service throughout the flight was fine, though I expected a more personal experience considering there were only 3 business class passengers on this flight.
Bottom Line
While these true business class seats certainly gave Air Serbia a competitive advantage over other premium carriers like Lufthansa and Air France, without them there is little reason to fly Air Serbia other than convenience or price. For a shorthaul flight, Air Serbia offered some nice amenities and a decent food and drink selection.
I would still gladly fly with Air Serbia again for a convenient schedule or lower price, though I wouldn’t go out of my way to fly with them over their European competitors.
