Air Serbia Flight Delay Compensation Information

How much compensation are you entitled to for your delay?

Depending on the length of your journey and the duration of the flight delay you experienced, the amount of compensation you are owed is determined as follows:

When can you apply for compensation from Air Serbia?

If your arrival to or from any European airport was delayed by more than three hours or your flight cancellation resulted in a delay longer than three hours, or you were denied boarding, you can apply to claim your compensation. And we suggest doing it with SkyRefund. It’s quick and easy.

Air Serbia flight cancellations and delays

Just like any other airline, Air Serbia is not free of flight delays and cancellations. Nevertheless, when compared to busier airlines its on-time arrival rate is higher than average. In the event of long delays, cancellations and denied boarding, Air Serbia informs its passengers as to whom they should address any claims regarding passenger rights.

However, if your Air Serbia flight has been delayed or cancelled, you can skip contacting Air Serbia and directly see if you are eligible for compensation by using our compensation calculator. This easy-to-use tool will tell you if you could claim compensation for your flight.

Compensation claims can be submitted directly from the SkyRefund homepage if you know that your flight has been severely delayed, cancelled or you have suffered denied boarding.

Submit your claim!

The only instance when you would not be entitled to compensation from Air Serbia would be when your delay caused by extraordinary circumstances.

Extraordinary circumstances include:

• Security risks
• Acts of terrorism
• Political or civil unrest
• Extreme weather conditions
• Strikes unrelated to the airline (airport staff or union strikes)
• Hidden manufacturing defects

If your flight delay was caused by the following…

• Bad weather that affected a previous flight
• Technical problems preventing the aircraft from taking off
• Denied boarding caused by overbooking

…then you are entitled to compensation under EU law as these do not fall under extraordinary circumstances

How to claim compensation from Air Serbia?

Overall, there are three ways in which you could claim compensation for your flight delay or compensation from a European airline.

1. Do it yourself.

   You could decide to go for it on your own. In this case it would be best to be very familiar with EU Regulation 261 and your passenger rights according to both EU law and your domestic legislation. In order to successfully claim compensation for your delayed or cancelled Air Serbia flight, you should equip yourself with a lot of patience as the process requires a significant amount of paperwork and sustained communication with the airline.

   Also, it’s good to understand that when claiming on their own, travelers often miss out on the advice and expertise that a professional claim company can offer when they do it on the passenger’s behalf. This is why passengers who claim alone have a significantly lower chance of winning. Unfortunately, many of them go through the stressful procedure without being able to claim their refund.

2. Hire a lawyer.

   Your second option is to hire a lawyer to assist you in claiming your flight compensation from Air Serbia. The lawyer will be able to provide you with professional legal advice and experience. Nevertheless, asking a lawyer to help you out would still make the procedure tiresome. There will be meetings you will need to attend, phone calls to hold, paperwork to be filled out.

   Perhaps the biggest downside to hiring a lawyer is that you would have to pay them for their services regardless of whether they successfully defended your right to a refund from Air Serbia or not.

3. Use a claim company – the easiest and smoothest way of getting compensation from Air Serbia.

   Asking a claim agency to take all of the required steps to guarantee that you receive your compensation is in many ways the best available option.

   They will use their experience and knowledge to make sure that your claim to compensation from Air Serbia is taken care of effectively. Meanwhile, many of them have a no-win, no-fee policy.

SkyRefund will help you receive your due compensation from Air Serbia or any other European airline. In fact, we will take care of any administrative and legal steps that need to be taken so that you can receive your compensation. In the meantime you could lay back and relax. And we only get paid (35% of the compensation amount) if you get paid.

Claim Compensation

What to do when your Air Serbia flight is delayed or cancelled?

Cancelled Air Serbia flight? The airline is required to either provide you with an alternate flight as soon as possible or give you a full refund of your ticket. We recommend that you check the status of your flight as soon as you arrive at the airport in order to have the best chance or reacting in case your flight is cancelled or delayed. If a disruption arises, make sure you contact the Air Serbia customer service.

During your stay at the airport ask the airline to provide you with food and drinks for the duration of your wait. Even if your cancellation or delay was due to extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather, you still have the right to a meal or refreshments.

If you decide to make use of your right to food and drinks, remember to hold on to every receipt for your purchases.

In the event of lost or damaged baggage or some other irregularity related to your personal belongings during your Air Serbia flight, you should report it immediately upon landing and contact the local Baggage Delivery/Lost and Found section on the host airport. A good precaution before your trip abroad would be to get travel insurance that covers lost luggage, medical expenses, trip cancellation, accidents and other air travel mishaps.

Why people choose Air Serbia over other airline carriers?

Air Serbia is preferred by passengers seeking professional and friendly travel experience during their Economy/Business class travel to and from Belgrade. The airline is also favoured for its convenient connections, easy online check-in and extra baggage allowance. The priority baggage, premium lounge, and traveling-with-pets policy are some of the main points of high customer ratings. In addition, the Economy service on European flights and the politeness of the Air Serbia crew are among the highest rated features in the carrier’s service.

Air Serbia Ancillary services

In addition to its standard service, Air Serbia provides a variety of ancillary services and bundles to passengers seeking premium benefits and a more efficient airport experience. Some of the benefits include advance seat reservation, excess baggage, priority baggage tagging, lounges, priority check-in, traveling with pets and more.

The most popular Air Serbia destinations

Some of the most popular Air Serbia destinations for air passengers residing in Serbia are New York, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Croatia and Turkey. From its hub at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Air Serbian passengers often fly to Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, Athens, Rome, Venice, Vienna, London, Zagreb, and Sofia.

Air Serbia serves the following global destinations:

Air Serbia Fleet

As of 2018, Air Serbia boasts a modern, cost-efficient fleet including narrow-body Airbus aircraft. The flights between Belgrade and New York are serviced by Airbus A330, with additional A319 and two A320s serving other major destinations.

Air Serbia’s fleet is comprised of 20 planes, including Boeing 737-300s, Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200, ATR 72-200 and ATR 72-500. The airline’s charter flight service, Aviolet, operates a single Boeing B737-300.

Serbia’s flag carrier has the following aircraft in its fleet:

• Airbus A 330 – 1
• Airbus A 320 – 1
• Airbus A 319 – 8
• Boeing 737-300 – 4
• ATR 72-500 – 3
• ATR 72-200 – 3

Air Serbia Crews

Many of the positive reviews on Air Serbia focus on the helpfulness is the helpfulness and friendliness of the crews. The crew service in the Economy and Business Classes is highly rated by Air Serbia travellers, who leave positive feedback about the politeness of the crew and the “smooth landings” delivered by the Air Serbia pilots.

Air Serbia Travel Classes

Air Serbia prides itself on its “Serbian hospitality” and the overall comfort it provides to its passengers. The carrier offers two travel classes – Economy and Business. Each class is adapted to the length of the flight.

Their Economy class features a variety of specialties for different routes. It offers various on-board menus, snacks, drinks, fresh meals, desserts and more. Wi-Fly service and in-flight entertainment such as film screenings and TV programmes are available during long haul flights between Belgrade and New York.

Business Class offers a range of premium perks features exclusive guest lounges, special menus (A la carte / Dine Anytime) increased luggage allowance and standard on-board menus available free of charge. The in-flight entertainment between Belgrade and New York offers premium menus, all day dining, aperitifs and a wide selection of movies, TV shows, audio CDs, video games, newspapers and Air Serbia’s Wi-Fly.

Entry regulations

It is highly recommended that you prepare the necessary documents before your Air Serbia flight, as entry regulations may apply. Passengers are advised to carry valid passports, visas or other permits required by the particular country of entry.

TIP: Before flying to a foreign country with Air Serbia, be sure to see the entry conditions and regulations of the country you are travelling to. You can use the official websites of the respective authorities.

Air Serbia luggage allowance and fees

Air Serbia passengers travelling in Economy Class, are allowed to bring one piece of checked in baggage weighing 23 kg. The maximum dimensions are 158 cm in length, width and height. In Business class, Air Serbia passengers are allowed to bring 2 pieces of luggage each weighing a maximum 23 kg. The maximum size is 158 cm. All carry-on luggage must fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of the passenger:

Please note that baggage fees are set for Excess baggage, according to the specific route and destination.

Air Serbia Check in

Air Serbia provides an online check-in option for its flights from Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Belgrade, Beirut, Bucharest, Dusseldorf, Istanbul, London and Prague. Customers are required to check-in up to 36 hours before their flight departure. The online check-in closes one hour before departure. For passengers traveling with checked baggage, the standard requirement is that they arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure time.

• JFK

Air Serbia uses Terminal 4 at JFK Airport, but sometimes the terminal can change, so if you plan on traveling to New York with the airline, it is highly recommended that you check your departure terminal.

Transport to Nikola Tesla Airport

Air Serbia’s hub at Nikola Tesla Airport is situated 18 km west from Belgrade. Passengers can reach the airport by car, bus, taxi, rent a car, or dedicated transport from Belgrade.

There are 20 car rental agencies available at Nikola Tesla Airport as well as a variety of taxi associations serving the terminals.

In addition to rent-a-car services, there are three bus lines covering routes from the airport to Zeleni venac Square at the city centre. The approximate time it takes to get from the airport to Belgrade by bus is about 30-40 minutes.

Outdoor car parking lots are located close to the terminal building, operating 24 hours non-stop and offering easy-to-reach parking places.

Air Serbia in recent news

Air France

According to a 2018 announcement, Air Serbia is to encounter more competition in serving Serbian passengers, as Air France is to return to Belgrade after years of absence. A total of 21 Air France flights are expected to cover air routes between Belgrade and Paris on a weekly basis, starting March 2019. The return of Air France to Serbia means that Serbian air passengers will have more options as to which airline to choose out of thousands of destinations that will be offered by Air France.

AtlasGlobal

The Serbian flag carrier recently established a codeshare partnership with Turkey's AtlasGlobal. The Turkish “KK” designator code is now added to Air Serbia’s flights between the capital Belgrade and Sarajevo, Prague, Vienna and Tivat. Air Serbia also maintains codes on AtlasGlobal’s flights between Belgrade and Istanbul. Passengers of the two carriers are most likely to be able to accrue miles on codeshare flights provided by Air Serbia and AtlasGlobal.

Etihad

Moreover, according to another recent announcement Etihad is not expected to renew its management contract with the airline, although it plans to retain its 49% stake in the Serbian flag carrier. It was also announced in late 2018 that Etihad’s executives are set to leave Air Serbia. Duncan Naysmith, Etihad’s executive and Air Serbia’s interim CEO, is expected to retain his management position until December 31, 2018.

Air Serbia to retire Boeing fleet by 2020

According to unofficial reports, Air Serbia is to retire its three Boeing 737-300 classic jets by 2020. The B737s were one of the most popular Boeing aircraft during the 80s and remained in production until 1999. During this period Boeing received over 1,000 production orders. To this date the B737 is the oldest Boeing still in operation on the continent.

Air Serbia's Officer for Relations with Government Bodies & Organisations, Branislav Malović, described the B737 currently operated by the airline as the first aircraft of its class to carry passengers in Europe. All three B737s in Air Serbia’s fleet are now over three decades old. However, most of them have not been utilized fully as they remained grounded for a long period during the 1990s.

History of Air Serbia

Air Serbia was founded in 1927 under the name “Aeroput” which in 1947 became known as JAT Airways. In 2013 the name officially changed to “Air Serbia”, becoming Republic of Serbia’s largest airline. Air Serbia’s first service was between Belgrade (BEG), the airline’s main hub, and Abu Dhabi (AUH). Today Air Serbia operates from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (formerly known as Belgrade Airport), from where it flies to over 42 destinations in 29 countries.

The company’s majority shareholder is the Serbian government with 51% ownership, with Etihad Airways a close second with 49%. In addition to Etihad Airways, Air Serbia also has codeshare agreements with 13 other airlines, including Aegean Airlines, EI AI, KLM, airBaltic and Air China. Among Air Serbia’s subsidiaries are the new charter brand Aviolet, Air Serbia Ground Services (ASGS), and Air Serbia Catering (ASC).

 Air Serbia Airlines Rankings

The large majority of Air Serbia positive reviews originate from passengers who found the seats “very comfortable”, the food “decent” and the economy class cabin crew “polite and friendly”. Other satisfied travellers rate Air Serbia’s prices cheaper in comparison to Lufthansa. Air Serbia’s offering free drinks and food to the Business class passengers during the short haul international flights is another big reason for positive feedback.

In addition, travellers find the NYC to Belgrade flight very convenient -- especially for Serbians living in the United States who want to fly directly to their home country.

Points of criticism, negative customer reviews and direct compensation requests originate from reports about Air Serbia flight delays, missing luggage and unexpected charging for extra bags. Some negative reviews express discontent with the automated customer service processing missing luggage reports and the overall poor response rate regarding lost suitcases and other personal belongings.

 Luggage and Fare Information

Economy White class air travellers are allowed to bring a single piece of luggage with them onboard. With Economy Blue and Red, you could also check-in a bag that weighs up to 23 kg. All Economy travellers, however, are allowed to bring two bags up to 23 kg to their US flights.

Business class passengers can bring up two carry-on bags to the cabin as well as check-in 2 bags that weigh no more than 32 kg on all flights.