Arnur
Jul 5, 02, 10:42 am
Since JAT (JU) is rarely ever mentioned on these pages, let me post a short trip report on my flight fram Frankfurt to Belgrade (BEG) and back.
23 JUN FRA-BEG JU 351 14.50-16.40 DC9
I travel frequently to the former republics of Yugoslavia, including Serbia and Kosovo, however I had never flown JAT on this route before. Usually my business goes to LH, OS or LX, however without a saturday night, the cost on any of the 'majors' was prohibitive. JAT is the only airline offering direct flights from FRA to Serbia, operating some five times weekly. After the train ride down the Rhine valley from Bonn, check-in took place at terminal 1, sector c. Unfortunately the FRAport counter at the railway station was not staffed when we arrived, so we had to carry the luggage over to the terminal. It's a pity that FRAport offer the check-in counter at the railway station and then there is nobody to operate them during opening hours...
Check-in was painless, JAT seems to employ very little staff at the airport. We dealt only with FRAport people. They had three counters open and I saw that JAT uses the ECC lounge for their business class customers.
Being a lowly coach traveller, we went to Kaefer's for a very nice, if pricy, snack. Departure was actually from section B, a bus gate. After a quick drive we boarded today's plane, one of the few DC9s remaining in JAT's service.
The plane was about 80% full in economy, the majority of passengers clearly being from Yugoslavia. I read somewhere that JAT has interline agreements with LH for flights to the USA and therefore probably quite a few of them were connecting.
JAT served a 'meal' consisting of cold cuts and rolls, which seems to be their standard fare for shorter European sectors. I remember that I received a similar meal last year flying from BEG to ZRH on JAT. Given the scale-down of meal services in coach, it was quite impressive quantity-wise. Quality- wise, the cold cuts were ok, but the roles were extremely stale. The usual drinks were offered as well.
Arrival was some 10' early and by the time we finally cleared passport control, our luggage was waiting for us.
26 JUN BEG-FRA JU 350 12.00-14.00 B737
The flight back was very similar. Check-in at BEG airport is never problematic, since the airport - which was build to serve mid-size Yugoslavia as a hub - now only serves a handful of European flights per day.
The equipment this time was a B737-300 and service on-board was identical to the outbound sector. The flight was again early, but we lost quite some time waiting for a gate position in FRA.
In conclusion, JAT delivered ok service. The fleet seems reasonably well maintained and ground-handling is efficient. On-board service I would rate as 'so-so', but at least they are trying. English was spoken both on-board and on the ground. While my FF loyalty will certainly continue to draw my business to the 'majors', I would rather fly JAT again than the likes of Air Bosna, MAT or Albanian Airlines. In effect, I just booked a flight from BEG to Skopje for next Wednesday...
23 JUN FRA-BEG JU 351 14.50-16.40 DC9
I travel frequently to the former republics of Yugoslavia, including Serbia and Kosovo, however I had never flown JAT on this route before. Usually my business goes to LH, OS or LX, however without a saturday night, the cost on any of the 'majors' was prohibitive. JAT is the only airline offering direct flights from FRA to Serbia, operating some five times weekly. After the train ride down the Rhine valley from Bonn, check-in took place at terminal 1, sector c. Unfortunately the FRAport counter at the railway station was not staffed when we arrived, so we had to carry the luggage over to the terminal. It's a pity that FRAport offer the check-in counter at the railway station and then there is nobody to operate them during opening hours...
Check-in was painless, JAT seems to employ very little staff at the airport. We dealt only with FRAport people. They had three counters open and I saw that JAT uses the ECC lounge for their business class customers.
Being a lowly coach traveller, we went to Kaefer's for a very nice, if pricy, snack. Departure was actually from section B, a bus gate. After a quick drive we boarded today's plane, one of the few DC9s remaining in JAT's service.
The plane was about 80% full in economy, the majority of passengers clearly being from Yugoslavia. I read somewhere that JAT has interline agreements with LH for flights to the USA and therefore probably quite a few of them were connecting.
JAT served a 'meal' consisting of cold cuts and rolls, which seems to be their standard fare for shorter European sectors. I remember that I received a similar meal last year flying from BEG to ZRH on JAT. Given the scale-down of meal services in coach, it was quite impressive quantity-wise. Quality- wise, the cold cuts were ok, but the roles were extremely stale. The usual drinks were offered as well.
Arrival was some 10' early and by the time we finally cleared passport control, our luggage was waiting for us.
26 JUN BEG-FRA JU 350 12.00-14.00 B737
The flight back was very similar. Check-in at BEG airport is never problematic, since the airport - which was build to serve mid-size Yugoslavia as a hub - now only serves a handful of European flights per day.
The equipment this time was a B737-300 and service on-board was identical to the outbound sector. The flight was again early, but we lost quite some time waiting for a gate position in FRA.
In conclusion, JAT delivered ok service. The fleet seems reasonably well maintained and ground-handling is efficient. On-board service I would rate as 'so-so', but at least they are trying. English was spoken both on-board and on the ground. While my FF loyalty will certainly continue to draw my business to the 'majors', I would rather fly JAT again than the likes of Air Bosna, MAT or Albanian Airlines. In effect, I just booked a flight from BEG to Skopje for next Wednesday...