Review: Air Serbia Business Class A330 (BEG-JFK)

Looks like you were watching the Blue Man Group when reclined.

I’m sorry but that “Spanish Pie” must be amongst the worst looking inflight meals I’ve ever seen… the peas (or whatever they are) look like mould.

I’m flying this exact route and class with my wife in early September; will be curious if this review matches what we experience as well. For what it’s worth, we flew the same route in business in 2018 and they didn’t have pajamas then (did have amenity kits though). I’ve read in other forums that the JFK-BEG route is better catered and has pajamas on request given it’s an overnight.

Just flew this product on July 21, 2022 and this review largely mirrors my experience.

A few differences though:

1) I pre-ordered a special meal, so I did not have any issue of them running out.

2) After the meal service I went to the front (business class) lavatory, and I asked the flight attendant if they have any pajamas, she asked me medium or large. She explained pajamas are available on request only. I asked about amenity kits, and was told they don’t have any, on request or not.

3) I found the lack of Air Nozzles frustrating as the cabin was kept quite warm for the flight.

4) The content was a joke! Very few English titles and very limited TV as you had experienced.

5) Cabin crew was really good!

Exactly! I had the same thought when that picture popped up on my screen...

When I fly back to the US from Belgrade (few times a year) the choice for me is simple: 1) Pay 2k for a RT business class ticket with JU. Comfortable seats and bring my own entertainment. Or 2) Pay 3.5k and up to fly LH, TK or Swiss. Paying an additional 1.5k for better catering and amenities is not worth it, most of the time.

Lucky - I flew this route but in the other direction in late June and had a better experience. Crew proactively offered turndown with mattress pad, pjs and amenity kits. Catering & IFE were subpar as you noted but crew was lovely. I know consistency is a huge part when you're not sure what to expect when flying a product. You're welcome to check out my review here: https://www.satayaway.blog/in-flight-entertainment/review-air-serbia-business-class-a330-200-new-york-jfk-to-belgrade

Mmm, yummy mold omelette.

I’m pretty sure the flight from JFK is better catered and has the standard amenities and pjs, etc. since it is a night flight.

Yes I do think the flight from JFK is better equipped.

I'm fine not getting pajamas, but not getting an amenity kit on this route is silly. I could be OK with it if they let you know in advance so you bring your own mask, lotions and potions, etc. I guess the moral of the story is always have a spare mask in your carry on.

I was looking forward to trying them after your first review a while back. But now? I’ll pass, thank you. Nothing about your experience is even remotely enticing.

If I want mediocre service, food, and entertainment I’ll just fly TAP.

Thanks for the review, with airlines choosing off the shelf seating the only thing that is really differentiating them is the ground and onboard soft products and subtle changes too the hard product. This lack of “out of the box game changing” seats makes onboard reviews repetitive, even the YouTube bloggers are having to diversify their content to trains and focusing more on soft products and customer services/experience. I think we had the best of times over the last 20 years.

Oh no! I flew business with them back in May and had a lovely experience with abundance of food and drinks and an amazing lounge with a la carte dining, so lovely that I decided to book with them for my next trip as well. Very disappointed to see that they’ve implemented cost cutting measures that significantly affects their product.

At the end of the day, this review is kind of what is to be expected for a smaller carrier like this with a limited market. The fact that they fly BEG - JFK probably has more to do with national prestige than with making money. And their competition across the Atlantic is not "much" better. No major European carrier is leaps and bounds better. Their seats are the exact same as Austrian and a few others, like Swiss. This services a limited route network to Serbia and its neighbors. Even Air France flies to BEG only seasonally.

Trying to dine on demand reminds me of the Cheese Shop sketch from Monty Python
https://youtu.be/Hz1JWzyvv8A

Dining on Demand reminds me of the cheese shop sketch from Monty Python

Just FYI- I flew this same flight a few days after you and definitely received an amenity kit... Not sure why they didn't have it on your flight.

Also, I agree the entertainment selection is pretty weak, but I highly recommend watching some of those Serbian movies!

And all the rakia available is a great aspect!

Great review! I think the hard product is an improvement over the old herringbone configuration, but the soft product definitely looks like a downgrade. Looking at the seats, do you think they may have come from Finnair? Their A330s used a similar seating arrangement and at least one of them has already been reconfigured with the new business class.

Just got off this exact flight in business and did not have this experience at all. Everything on the menu was available and the espresso machine was working. I was actually pretty happy with the flight.

I flew recently (july 2022) with AirSerbia Business class. My experience is that this is economy comfort rather than anything business. Food is highly limited, no cosmetics or pijamas so very dissapointing! Will do some other company on my way to the US.

They didn't learn your name on a ten hour flight? The horror. I've got news for you, no one cares man. Pajamas on flight? Lol, man are you really digging for something to complain about. I wouldn't want to wear those if you paid me, on any flight. Only real legit claim is the nasty looking omelet. Overall pretty ho-hum article.

Travelguy38,
You entered through the wrong door again. You're supposed to enter the door marked 'arsewholes', not the one marked for normal, balanced, mature individuals who come to this site to read the reviews and not complain like some diva with dementia.

or don't live afraid. Biden voter.

Unfortunately it seems business award availability for Air Serbia seems to have dried up. Nothing for months on the JFK route on either Aeroplan or Etihad. Any insight?

Forgot to update this - the flight was pretty meh. No catering as the company servicing it was on strike, so we all got duty free sandwiches instead. Liquor was good. Service was nice. Half the IFEs didn't work. Daytime flight though, so no major complaints for 70k Aeroplan points.

I just flew Chicago-Belgrade round trip on business with Air Serbia.
Pros:Very affordable price,good food, young and friendly attendants(most of them worked for Etihad and Emirates), great flight.
Cons: Beds are bit narrow, variaty of food is to be desired.
Overall, it is worth every penny.

Any reviews on seat config. in business JFK BEG in 2025?

Have flown it multiple times. The hard product is OK, with seats on the more uncomfortable, but slightly larger size, compared to similar product. IFE is absolute garbage, with mostly Serbian movies from 1990s and 1-3 Hollywood movies, and those are not new. Soft product, food is OK, but nothing to write home about - probably between economy and premium for other airlines. Wines are an exception to this, they are mostly or all Serbian, but decent. The service is hit and miss - lot of employees for Air Serbia get employed through "connections", so have definitely had multiple instances where service was aggressively rude and subpar, even compared to economy on other transatlantic flights. So, it all depends, but they are largely more pleasant to non-Serbian speaking clientele, which is difficult to explain, unless you are Serbian. So, cheaper, but not as good. Also, if you are laying over, the airport is not easy to get around, and very disorganized, in general. So, if you final destination is BEG, an option; if you are laying over, make sure you have at least 3 hours.