Background:
This series covers a two-week vacation to Europe that will feature stops in SOF, BEG, TIV, LIS, ARN, and ATH. For background and planning, please refer back to Part 1. As a reminder, the routing for this series is:
Part 1 – IAH-IAD [UA 373, Boeing B767-300ER, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13577.html
Part 2 – IAD-MUC [UA 106, Boeing B767-400ER, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13623.html
Part 3 – MUC-SOF [LH 1702, Airbus A321, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13658.html
Part 4 – SOF-BEG [JU 123, Aérospatiale/Alenia ATR 72-500, Economy] – You are here
Part 5 – BEG-TIV [YM 201, Fokker F100, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13699.html
Part 6 – TIV-BEG [YM 202, Fokker F100, Economy] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13726.html
Part 7 – BEG-LHR [JU 380, Airbus A319, Business] – http://flight-report.com/en/report-13820.html
Part 8 – LHR-MAD [BA 522, Airbus A330-300, Business] – Coming soon
Part 9 – MAD-LIS [IB 3118, Airbus A321, Business] – Coming soon
Part 10 – LIS-LHR [BA 499, Airbus A320, Business] – Coming soon
Part 11 – LHR-ARN [BA 780, Boeing B767-300ER, Business] – Coming soon
Part 12 – ARN-BEG [JU 411, Airbus A319, Business] – Coming soon
Part 13 – BEG-ATH [JU 512, Airbus A319, Business] – Coming soon
Part 14 – ATH-IST [TK 1850, Boeing B737-900ER, Economy] – Coming soon
Part 15 – IST-ATH [TK 1843, Boeing B737-800, Economy] – Coming soon
Part 16 – ATH-FRA [A3 830, Airbus A321, Economy] – Coming soon
Part 17 – FRA-IAH [UA 47, Boeing B787-900, EconomyPlus] – Coming soon
Tourist Bonuses:
Sofia – Part 4
Kotor – Part 6
Belgrade – Part 7
Lisbon – Part 9
Sintra – Part 10
Stockholm – Part 12
Athens – Part 16
This report will cover the flight from SOF to BEG aboard JU. This route is only operated by JU, FB doesn’t touch it. JU sends an ATR 72-500 once daily so the options were very limited. When I booked the award ticket, I just arbitrarily picked a window seat at the back of the plane to avoid the wing. Train service looked particularly unreliable between these two cities so I don’t know how else you would get between them quickly/efficiently. There will be a Sofia bonus at the end of this report.
Pre-flight:
After lunch, I retrieved my bag from the hotel and took the metro to the airport. As I mentioned at the end of the last report, the metro in Sofia is clean, efficient, and cheap. I bought my ticket from a vending machine for 1лв (€0.50) and got on at Su St. Kliment Ohridski Station in downtown Sofia.
Twenty minutes later, I arrive at SOF.
SOF Terminal 2 is fairly new and modern with a nice façade.
The check-in lobby.
The JU check-in counters. They have two counters with two agents. Ground services in SOF are handled by Swissport. The agent tags my bag to BEG and hands me my boarding pass. He doesn’t mention lounge access so I enquire. He says to use the Swissport Lounge and explains how to get there after clearing security/passport control.
FIDS on the old CRT monitors.
Security was empty and passport control also had no line. However, the immigration officer leaving was not as friendly as the one entering the country. He was talking on his cell phone the entire time and never spoke a word to me. After clearing passport control, I head off to the Business Lounge 1, which is the Swissport Lounge. Business Lounge 2 was a pay lounge.
Walking to the lounge.
The entrance to the lounge, it was just an open door into the room. As you can tell, almost everyone that serves SOF uses this lounge.
The “Vitosha Lounge” is a single room. The agent scans my boarding pass and lets me in. Right next to the counter is the bar and food/drink offerings. She was watching me so I didn’t take pictures up close of the lounge offering.
I grabbed some food and took a seat.
View of the lounge from my seat, there were maybe 10 people inside, most look like they were going to be leaving on the LX flight.
The food/drink offering in the corner. It was like a convenience store, all the food was packaged snacks and drinks. There were large bulk containers of food on the ground where the agent would replenish stuff from. Not very elegant at all.
My boarding documents.
The view from the lounge. The sunny morning quickly vanished into rain clouds. Not a lot to see, but on a clear day you would get spectacular views of Vitosha (ironically the namesake of the lounge).
Questionable baggage handling at SOF observed from the lounge. Hope your bag doesn’t fall off…
Near the boarding time, I hear an airport announcement requesting me to my gate. I pack up and head out. The airport is large and feels empty.
Some spotting on the way there.
TK B739.
LH Technik hangars along with a 9U A320, LX A321, and FB Avro RJ70.
FB ERJ-190 leaving for BCN.
4U A319 (same one that I spotted on arrival missing an engine) and Bright Flight Antonov An-26B.
Down to Gate B2, which is going to be paxbus.
The paxbus waiting room.
I go up to the counter since on my way to the gate, there was a second airport announcement requesting me to my gate. The agent asks me for my passport. He looks concerned as he types, which is never good. He asks me about my middle name. My boarding pass and ticket don’t have my middle name (never really an issue in the US), but it seems Bulgaria was scared to send me to Serbia since the names don’t match. He eventually handed me back my passport and boarding pass, so I think it was okay.
LX Avro RJ100 arriving from ZRH.
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Air Serbia, JU 123
Equipment: Aérospatiale/Alenia ATR 72-500 [YU-ALV (ex-XK), delivered March 2006]
Departure: 16:05 (ATD: 16:15)
Arrival: 16:20 (ATA: 16:05)
Flight time: 0:50
Boarding started 10 minutes late, no priority boarding was done. It was just a general boarding call since this flight is Y only and will be handled by paxbus. I join the queue and my boarding pass flashes red. He asks me to step aside until he finishes. After the last passenger went through, he took my passport and again typed some more into the computer before waving me through.
Onto the paxbus as the rain starts to sprinkle.
The bus pulls up next to our plane and we step out to board through the rear.
The beautiful JU logo.
Fuselage shot.
Entering the plane, a FA welcomes me on board in Serbian and then English. The cabin entering the rear.
The seat behind mine.
Seat pitch is okay, nothing fantastic. The ATRs have a seat support that means you can’t have underseat storage for the window seats.
The cabin during boarding.
Seatback contents.
Safety card for this ATR 72.
In the Elevate magazine, they advertise their social media image, so I think JU is open to photography on board and supports the free advertisement.
JU fleet.
JU route map.
We taxi off as the last passenger boards. The FAs do the safety demonstration in Serbian and English. Turning onto the runway. The windows were scratched so most of the photos today will be a little blurry unfortunately.
I won’t be the only photographer today.
We lift up giving aerials of SOF and the city in the distance.
Farmland in the outskirts of Sofia.
Industrial center.
We make a U-turn to the northwest and clear through the clouds.
After leveling off, the FAs come through the cabin and distribute snack bags. There is no drink service, which is kind of a disappointment, but at least there is a water bottle inside the bag.
The contents of the snack bag: a water bottle, chicken sandwich, and wet towel.
The cabin mid-flight. Load was around 70%.
It was cloudy the whole way.
Shortly after the trash was collected, we were into our descent into BEG.
Crossing the Sava River.
Flying over the apartment complexes in the outskirts of town.
More housing as we cross into the farmland outside of Belgrade.
Our shadow.
We touch down ahead of schedule into BEG on a sunny afternoon.
We pull into our stand next to to our twin that arrived from Sarajevo before us.
Our paxbus arriving.
The seats deplaning.
The FAs thank me for flying as I step out and onto the bus. The bus ride back to the terminal gives some nice spotting.
JU A319s.
JU ATR 72.
LO, YM, and LH ERJ-190s.
At the terminal, there was no one in the line for “All Passports” so I was quickly through and off towards the baggage claim.
Welcome to Serbia.
The arrivals information this afternoon.
Interesting Fiat baggage claim exit.
After collecting my bag, I stop at the ATM in the baggage claim to pick up some Serbian dinar (РСД). Clearing customs, I force my way through the sketchy taxi drivers and straight to the shuttle bus to the city. You buy a ticket from the driver for 300дин (€2.40) as you board the bus. The bus takes 40 minutes to reach the center of Belgrade and you can get off at the train station.
Leaving the airport.
I’ll leave off this series here as I begin my stay in BEG. Tune into the next report for a look at YM’s service. I’ll withhold the Belgrade bonus until Part 7.
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BONUS: I spent two days in Sofia (София), which is a beautiful city with a vibrant history. One day was rainy and one day was sunny so they pictures will have mixed skies since they were taken on different days.
National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Monument to the Tsar Liberator.
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
National Theatre “Ivan Vazov”
Church of Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, which is the Russian Church.
Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which although only completed in 1912 is the most iconic site in Sofia.
Saint Sofia Church, which dates back to the 6th century.
Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria.
Streets in downtown Sofia.
Quadrat 500, which houses the National Gallery for Foreign Art.
National Art Gallery.
City Garden, a nice park in the city center.
Church of Saint George, which dates from the 4th century and is considered the oldest building in Sofia.
Nezavisimost Square, which is surrounded by Communist era government buildings known as the “Largo”.
The former Party House.
The Council of Ministers of Bulgaria.
The President’s Office.
Saint Nedelya Cathedral, which dates back to the 10th century.
Statue of Saint Sofia.
Streets in the suburbs of Sofia.
Flowers in bloom.
I stayed at the Hotel Sense Sofia, which is the new trendy hotel in the city. The rooms had nice hardwood floors and a large bathroom.
Bulgarian lev.
National Museum of Military History, which was a very interesting museum highlighting Bulgaria’s diverse history. There had a large collection of tanks and airplanes at the museum as well, which might be of interest to this community.
The cats of Bulgaria.
I really enjoyed your report. Thank you!
The views are amazing. We don't know much about Sofia or Belgrade in my country, and I fell in love with those cities after seeing these photographs. Adding Sofia and Belgrade to my list of future trips... done.
And the cats! Cats are lovely all over the world!
Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting!
We don't know much about Sofia or Belgrade in my country
- This is true for the US as well. The Balkans generally have a negative reputation given the political volatility in the region following the collapse of Yugoslavia in the late-1990s. There is still some anti-NATO sentiment in Beograd as you'll see in the upcoming bonus. I never felt unsafe in these cities (even alone at night), so as long as practice common sense and vigilance they're no different than any city in the world.
Cats are lovely all over the world!
- Sofia is supposed be famous for it's 10,000+ stray dogs, but I only came across cats when I was there.
I should have guessed that this striking title picture was from you ;)
The French have routinely several middle names which never find enough space in foreign forms (including plane tickets). I wonder if I could fly to Serbia ?
I too find JU's logo very attractive and interesting.
I like your definition of blurry images :)
That Fiat baggage claim exit is a brilliant advertising idea : it must be found in quite a number of blogs !
Thanks for this report and the bonus which brings back old remembrances !
PS : do you have the identification of the aircraft in that military museum?
I should have guessed that this striking title picture was from you ;)
- It was enough to entice you to read^^
I wonder if I could fly to Serbia ?
- You'll be happy to know that all four times I passed through Serbian immigration no one said a word to me, they simply scanned my passport and stamped it. They are on their best behavior to make friends with their EU neighbors.
I too find JU's logo very attractive and interesting.
- It's a great way for them to showcase their national pride by incorporating their flag into the paint scheme and using a modified Serbian eagle in their logo. The patriotism in these Balkan countries is always immense.
That Fiat baggage claim exit is a brilliant advertising idea : it must be found in quite a number of blogs !
- I thought it was a very clever display to highlight Beograd's economy and advertise Fiat cars. Although I must say there are more Yugos than Fiats driving around Beograd ;)
do you have the identification of the aircraft in that military museum?
- I do, I'll go back to the photos and pull the names off of the signposts and add it later today. I always take two pictures, one of the item and one of the sign ;)
Thanks for sharing this report with us.
I Really ike their livery that stands out from more familiar ones.
Good service for such a short flight . Not sure that a drink service would be possible with a full cabin on a 50 minutes flight but it depends on how many FA work the flight.
Thank you Christophe for stopping by and commenting^^
I Really ike their livery that stands out from more familiar ones.
- Having seen the old JAT logos with polka dot tails, I think it is a big improvement^^ I can't wait to see it on the new A330s they are getting for BEG-JFK service this fall^^
Good service for such a short flight . Not sure that a drink service would be possible with a full cabin on a 50 minutes flight but it depends on how many FA work the flight.
- There are 2 FAs on the ATR72s with a capacity of ~70 passengers. Since snack bags only take a couple minutes to hand out from a cart passing through the aisle, there really isn't a reason not to offer a limited drink service as well (since water is already given, just pass through with coffee/tea/juice). I have been on 30 minute flight on Dash8s that have had a drink service (but no snack). I think the snack bag is good service, but when you compare it to what TK offers on a 50-minute flight, it falls short.
Great FR and great pictures. I really liked Sofia and the cats :)
Thanks, I'm glad you like the report^^
Love the cats at the end, thank you!
Thank you for reading and commenting! Merci^^
Thanks Michael for sharing this report with nice pictures always!
I am impressed with SOF’s grand transportation which has metro connecting to the city and the fee is cheap!
The JU tail design is nice with its elegant logo. BTW it is unusual to board at the rear cabin hahaha
Considering the flight length, although no drink services provided, the snacks bag is good (at least there is a bottle water).
The FIAT baggage claim in BEG looks funny and reminds me of King's Cross Platform 9 3/4 :P
Fantastic travel bonus of Sofia and the hotel! The cats are かわいい! They convince me to visit there^^
And looking forward to your travel in Balkans!
Thank you very much for all your comments!
I am impressed with SOF’s grand transportation which has metro connecting to the city and the fee is cheap!
- Very cheap and affordable city to visit^^ And not many other foreign tourists so it is quiet and pleasant^^
The JU tail design is nice with its elegant logo.
- Beautiful Serbian eagle :)
BTW it is unusual to board at the rear cabin hahaha
- ATRs don't have front doors ;) You always board through the rear since the baggage/cargo hold is right behind the cockpit.
Considering the flight length, although no drink services provided, the snacks bag is good
- TK offers a snack box and drink service on 50-minutes flights, which is really outstanding. Most carriers only can pull of a drink service on a 50-minute flight which is average. So getting a snack bag falls between those two benchmarks and so I think it is quite good service and better than what I would expect on a flight like this.
The FIAT baggage claim in BEG looks funny and reminds me of King's Cross Platform 9 3/4 :P
- I had to look this reference up, but I can see the resemblance ;) I thought it was very clever for the bags to disappear into the trunk of the car^^
The cats are かわいい! They convince me to visit there^^
- The Japanese tourists would have days of fun just following them around taking pictures^^
Thanks for sharing !
An airport lounge is never impressive, this one makes no exception. :P
The ATRs have a seat support that means you can’t have underseat storage for the window seats. -> No flashy shoes like the ones you had in Japan ? ;)
We lift up giving aerials of SOF and the city in the distance. -> We can see the metro terminus which seems to be built just for the airport.
No drink service for such a flight length is way disappointing !
Also, forgot to ask you: Do you know what the deal is with the LH Technik hangars at SOF? Do they send planes there for maintenance? That LX A321 was sitting there for both days outside of the hangar. I'm assuming that is also why the 4U A319 was there for repairs?
Merci Clement^^
An airport lounge is never impressive, this one makes no exception. :P
- But it had Swiss in it's name so I was expecting free watches and chocolates^^ Instead I got ice-cold Zagorka and packaged snacks :(
No flashy shoes like the ones you had in Japan ? ;)
- Not that day ;) Wait for the next report^^
We can see the metro terminus which seems to be built just for the airport.
- The subway becomes a suburban line for the last couple stops, which were completed in April 2015 so it is a very recent addition making the city even more accessible. The airport is just on the edge of the city center so even a taxi would only take 10 minutes.
No drink service for such a flight length is way disappointing !
- Agreed, TK > JU. But JU > most European carriers^^
Thank you for sharing this FR with us!
Nice spotting thos from SOF!
Seat pitch looks acceptable for a flight of this length, the cabin seems to be clean.
No proper drink service but that sandwich looks much better visually than many other airline-sandwiches.
Wow, absolutely wonderful shots upon arrival at BEG!
Sofia looks beautiful from your bonus, thanks for sharing!
Beautiful shots from the museum, the Mil Mi-24 (I think it is) reminds me of the old Battlefield Bad Company 2 days. We can't forget the amazing cats as well haha.
Have a good one, see you!
Thank you for sharing this FR with us!
Nice spotting shots from SOF!
Seat pitch looks acceptable for a flight of this length, the cabin seems to be clean.
No proper drink service but that sandwich looks much better visually than many other airline-sandwiches.
Wow, absolutely wonderful shots upon arrival at BEG!
Sofia looks beautiful from your bonus, thanks for sharing!
Beautiful shots from the museum, the Mil Mi-24 (I think it is) reminds me of the old Battlefield Bad Company 2 days. We can't forget the amazing cats as well haha.
Have a good one, see you!
Thank you for sharing this FR with us!
- It must have been so good you wanted to post twice ;)
Nice spotting shots from SOF!
- There was also some US military aircraft on the tarmac, but I didn't include those photos. SOF doesn't get much exotic action, mainly LCCs and the occasional flight in from BA/LH/LX/etc. FB has code-share agreements with lots of carriers so often will operate the routes to CDG for AF, for example.
Seat pitch looks acceptable for a flight of this length, the cabin seems to be clean.
- For a shuttle flight on a turboprop, it's good enough. Yeah, the cabin should be clean. JU is only around since 2013 so all of their fleet has clean cabins, but saying that, I'm surprised at how worn out the leather seats look on the ATRs if it was newly installed when JU picked up the planes on leases when they started operations. They must have gotten secondhand seats for these planes since the A319/A320s have new seats.
No proper drink service but that sandwich looks much better visually than many other airline-sandwiches.
- It was on par with the TK sandwiches. It was better than the LH sandwich ;) This one had a tomato, lettuce, and cheese to go with chicken. I still think coffee/tea/juice should have been offered, they don't have to do a full drink service.
Wow, absolutely wonderful shots upon arrival at BEG!
- BEG is a beautiful airport to fly into, I'm 3/4 on arrivals over the city (only the flight from ARN arrived from the other direction). There is also an aviation museum next to the airport that has some old JAT planes. the only ironic part is that every arrival into BEG was sunny, but when I was actually in the city, it was always cloudy...
Beautiful shots from the museum, the Mil Mi-24 (I think it is) reminds me of the old Battlefield Bad Company 2 days.
- There was a nice collection of ~50 aircraft parked there. Not in the best of condition as you can tell from the photos, but that just gives them that battle-worn look ;) Who likes looking at shiny F-35s in a hangar?
Thanks for commenting and stopping by!
Thank you for sharing this interesting FR on an unusual carrier and the great bonus. Eastern Europe deserves more exposure. If things work out I will be visiting there this year in another around the world type of trip.
For such a short flight it is commendable to have a snack. A for effort.
Eastern Europe deserves more exposure
- Their carriers too, I was very impressed with YM as well. These countries probably have a lot fewer irregular ops as well given the young age of most of their fleets, they all seem to be moving towards ERJs based on what you see with FB and YM.
For such a short flight it is commendable to have a snack. A for effort.
- Absolutely, and it wasn't a bad sandwich either. But you know I expect coffee with my service :)
Thanks for your comments Adan
Thanks for this FR.
Good that you flew on ATR72-500 and not one of the old ATR 72-200 that JU still has.
I would indeed have expected a true beverage service, vs just a snack bag but it's still better than what you'd get on any other turbobrop flight in Europe.
Good that you flew on ATR72-500 and not one of the old ATR 72-200 that JU still has.
- Haha, I think they are all pretty old, but mine was one of the younger 10-year old ones. It was hard to tell from the seatmap during seat selection which model was operating this route.
I would indeed have expected a true beverage service, vs just a snack bag but it's still better than what you'd get on any other turbobrop flight in Europe.
- It was a decent sandwich: it had tomato, lettuce, cheese and the bread wasn't too stodgy. Having had a full drink selection in the lounge before the flight, a beverage service wasn't sorely missed.
Thank you for your continued comments KL651.
I've been reading your reports with great interest. The bonus at the end is a very good point, i loved the one on YM with the views of Kotor which is now on my places to visit list
Your accounts are very well written and thus easy to get through.
Thank you for sharing those unusual reports (the airlines and cities are indeed rare on FR) .
Thank you for your comments!
I loved the one on YM with the views of Kotor which is now on my places to visit list.
- It was well worth the trip, highly recommend going there although getting to TIV is difficult so most will land at TGD.
Your accounts are very well written and thus easy to get through.
- Thank you for the compliments!
Thank you for sharing those unusual reports (the airlines and cities are indeed rare on FR).
- I enjoy the obscure :)
A footnote to my comment:
You apparently did not go to Gabrovo, in the center of Bulgaria, which has the most famous cats in the country.
There are countless self-deprecating Gabrovo jokes about the supposed reputation for stinginess of the locals. The more famous one is that the Gabrovians cut the tails of their cats, so that the cat door would remain open less time when they come and go, and save heating.
I have saved an unused ticket of the Gabrovo House of Humor and Satire, decorated with a cat whose long tail would be cut off when the guard detached the stub.
PS : I too always take double pictures in museums like you do :)
Sorry for the delay, I updated the bonus for you to include the aircraft identifications.
You apparently did not go to Gabrovo, in the center of Bulgaria, which has the most famous cats in the country.
- My next trip to Bulgaria will start from Sofia and travel east towards the Black Sea.
cut the tails of their cats, so that the cat door would remain open less time when they come and go, and save heating.
- Very clever, I might have to try this at home ;)
What is a one month delay between friends ? ;)
Thanks for updating your report, I do appreciate your taking time for adding this information! :)
Thanks for this exotic report! The first of many, it seems!
He doesn’t mention lounge access so I enquire. He says to use the Swissport Lounge
- How are you getting lounge access with travel in Economy and no status? As far as I know Air Serbia isn't in an alliance. Or are they one of the Etihad Partners? I can't remember.
She was watching me so I didn’t take pictures up close of the lounge offering.
- You must look suspicious. Or she had the hots for you ^^ Either way, aaawkward.
Definitely not the nicest lounge, but it's still better than being out there in the terminal with the unwashed masses :-P
The beautiful JU logo.
-Yes, it is! Unusually complex and colorful--definitely not following the trend of simplifying logos.
JU fleet.
- Soon to include A330s for longhauls to be delivered in May!
There is no drink service, which is kind of a disappointment, but at least there is a water bottle inside the bag.
- interesting, but I guess it's cool to get a sandwich so that makes up for the lack of drinks a little.
Great aerials, especially the arrival shots.
Lovely bonus! Kitties and Churches..it's Catastic! LOL. Great report as usual. Thanks for sharing!
How are you getting lounge access with travel in Economy and no status? As far as I know Air Serbia isn't in an alliance. Or are they one of the Etihad Partners? I can't remember.
- JU is an EY partner airline and uses the same FFP. My EY Gold status is the same as JU Gold status and I get full benefits. This is also why I'm able to book JU award tickets very easily through EY.
You must look suspicious.
- I do ;) Who else walks around taking pictures of everything?
but it's still better than being out there in the terminal with the unwashed masses :-P
- It was better than US domestic lounges ;) As you saw in the terminal shots, a plague must have already killed of the unclean masses since there is no one inside SOF^^
Unusually complex and colorful--definitely not following the trend of simplifying logos.
- A very nice incorporation of their seal and flag into the livery.
Soon to include A330s for longhauls to be delivered in May!
- The EY empire expands again^^
but I guess it's cool to get a sandwich so that makes up for the lack of drinks a little.
- It's a trade-off, on one hand the snack + water is better than just getting a drink.
Thanks for reading Kevin!