Review: Air Serbia Premium Lounge, Belgrade Airport
This review details my experience in the Air Serbia Premium Lounge, a business lounge at Belgrade Airport.
Air Serbia business lounge
After a dreadful overnight bus journey from Sarajevo, I had arrived in the Serbian capital of Belgrade in the wee hours of morning.
I really couldn’t wait to get to the airport and to visit Air Serbia’s business lounge.
As I didn’t manage to get any sleep on the bus, I was extremely exhausted and certainly could use a shower and some R&R in the lounge to recuperate before my flight to Bucharest.
However, I decided to have a little walk first through Belgrade to stretch my legs after the long bus journey.
Knowing Belgrade quite well from previous visits, I walked from the bus station to Zeleni Venac, the main transport interchange in the city centre and the place where the airport bus departs.
Belgrade Airport
Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport (IATA Code: BEG) is currently being renovated and expanded.
As you arrive you will probably see a lot of ongoing construction works outside of the main terminal.
However, inside it was a much calmer affair.
Having already checked in online, I headed straight through passport control, which took just a few minutes.
The airside concourse is an odd mixture between modern parts and areas which seemingly haven’t been renovated since the time when Tito was still ruling over Yugoslavia.
I headed straight to the Air Serbia Premium Lounge, which is well signposted throughout the airport premises.
Air Serbia Premium Lounge entrance requirements
The Air Serbia Premium Lounge is freely accessible for business class passengers and frequent flyer elites of Air Serbia, Etihad, Qatar Airways, FlyDubai, Turkish Airlines and Luxair.
However, the Air Serbia Premium Lounge can also be accessed by Priority Pass, LoungeKey and Lounge Pass members.
It is also possible to pay for entry in order to use the lounge regardless of the airline you fly with.
Air Serbia economy class passengers pay 18 euro (for a 1-hour lounge pass) or 35 euro (for a 3-hour lounge pass) to access the business lounge, while passengers on any other airline pay 25 euro (1-hour lounge pass) or 45 euro (3-hour lounge pass).
You can add access to the lounge when you book your ticket on the Air Serbia website, although you can also simply pay on the spot at the reception desk.
Inside the Air Serbia Premium lounge
The Air Serbia Premium Lounge in Belgrade has a modern decor with whitewashed walls and gleaming tile floor mixed with bits of red and grey carpet.
A wall in the middle of the lounge divides the space in two areas, with one side being a kind of relaxation area which is dominated by comfortable leather chairs, while the other side of the wall being more intended for drinking and dining.
At that side of the lounge, you can find several dining tables, which also make a great space to get work done on your laptop.
There is also a sort of conference room in the lounge which you can presumably use for business meetings.
Most of the seats in the lounge have access to a power socket and the WiFi internet connection was strong and fast.
When I arrived in the lounge around 9.30am it was almost completely deserted as there were perhaps only 3 or 4 other passengers spread around the space.
Even in the following two to three hours the lounge would remain rather empty, which certainly made for quiet and relaxed atmosphere.
Air Serbia Premium lounge dining
What sets the Air Serbia Premium Lounge apart is the fact that it has a manned bar and offers à la carte dining.
If you are hungry you can either grab a snack from the buffet counter or order a meal from the complimentary food menu.
The breakfast menu featured omelettes, grilled sandwiches and pastries, while the more extensive lunch menu listed dishes such as mushroom risotto, pasta, burger with chips, mućkalica (Serbian meat stew) well as several salads.
Another strong point of the Air Serbia Premium Lounge is the manned bar, where you can order complimentary drinks such as coffee and tea, sodas, juice, beer, wine as well as strong alcohol.
The barista-made coffee in the lounge is of superb quality as you may expect in the Balkans (coffee culture is strong in countries like Serbia).
Of course, I tried out some of the food and drinks during my stay in the lounge – stay tuned for that!
The service in the dining area of the lounge was great as the lounge attendants frequently passed by to take away empty plates or to ask whether you want another drink.
Showers
My first order of business in the lounge was to inquire for a shower as I was desperately in need of one after a horrible overnight bus journey.
Fortunately, the sole men’s shower room was unoccupied so I could make use of it straight away.
The shower room was sizeable, clean and well-equipped, although the provided amenity kit basically consisted out a toothbrush only.
My lounge experience
Feeling much better after the shower, I headed to the dining area of the lounge to sample some of the food.
Before my meal I ordered some water and a cappuccino to come back to senses.
As I was getting hungry, I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with some chips on the side from the breakfast menu, which was certainly tasty.
I decided to try some of the local Serbian wines too and ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with my food.
The Air Serbia Premium lounge features wines from Aleksić Winery and they are surprisingly excellent.
After finishing my glass of Sauvignon Blanc I decided to do a little bit of wine tasting and also tried their Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Nostalgija blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Vranac).
I always like it when airline lounges highlight the culinary delights of their country and the Air Serbia Premium Lounge certainly does well on this front.
The time inside the lounge went by all too fast and before I realised it I already had to walk to the gate to catch my Air Serbia flight.
Conclusion
With a complimentary bar and à la carte dining, the Air Serbia Premium Lounge at Belgrade Airport is certainly worth a visit.
The food and beverages at the lounge are great quality and service is excellent.
Moreover, the lounge is a comfortable, quiet and serene place to wait for your flight.
What also sets the Air Serbia Premium Lounge apart is the fact that you don’t have to fly in business class to visit it, as the lounge can also be accessed with Priority Pass and other lounge membership cards.
It’s also possible to pay for access at the lounge reception – and I certainly didn’t regret doing so as I thought it was money well-spent.
