Where is it?
The Air Serbia Premium Lounge is located airside in the international transit hall, after passport control. Security control always takes place at the gate in Belgrade so passengers in transit can head straight to the lounge upon arrival. For the same reason all lounge guests need to allow sufficient time for security control after the visit.
The lounge is located in concourse A, close to gate A10. If you start your journey in Belgrade, pass through passport control and through the shopping area. Make a right turn and follow the corridor towards the high-numbered A-gates. You will find the entrance to the lounge on the right hand side. The entrance is impossible to miss.
How do I get in?
The lounge is used by Air Serbia for their business class passengers as well as Silver, Gold and Platinum members in the Etihad Guest program, which is also the frequent flyer program of Air Serbia.
The lounge is also available to premium passengers (business class/top-tier frequent flyers) flying on partner airlines in the Etihad Group, including Alitalia, Air Berlin and Etihad Airways.
What’s it like?
The lounge opened in September 2015 and for the first time Air Serbia has its own lounge at the airport. In the past Air Serbia passengers were directed to the only other lounge at the airport, the third-party lounge Business Club.
The lounge measures 398 sqm with seating for 80 guests. It is not extremely large but adequate for a smaller hub of a smaller airline, and if you avoid the peak hours, when there are many departures, it can be virtually empty.
One of the main stakeholders in Air Serbia is Etihad Airways holding a 49% stake in Air Serbia, and their influences on Air Serbia are visible in many parts of the airline operations, including in the new lounge in Belgrade. And that is definitely not a bad thing. The lounge design is very elegant and although the design and colour scheme differ from the Etihad Lounges many other elements are the same. If you have visited a few Etihad lounges you will notice some similarities.
Upon arrival, after registration, someone at the reception will usually offer a brief introduction to the lounge and the facilities and if you have larger pieces of hand luggage these can be stored at the reception.
After the reception area the lounge is basically divided into two parts with the dining area, the buffet area and the bar to the right, and the major seating area to the left. Right behind the reception area, in the corridor, are the other lounge facilities, including the restrooms.
In the main seating area of the lounge there are armchairs in brown, grey, dark blue and wine red.
There is also an adjacent TV room with blue armchairs, but it was roped off during the visit for some reason.
Food and drinks
The dining area takes up a large part of the lounge and offers restaurant-style à la carte dining as well as a buffet.
The dining area is very stylish with a nice table setting. There is an a la carte menu with various hot dishes made-to-order and there are several waiters working in the restaurant, also serving drinks from the bar.
The buffet area offers hot and cold dishes as well as snacks and desserts for self service. The selection of food obviously varies depending on the time of the day.
There is also a manned bar offering different wines, beer, spirits and cocktails, soft drinks and freshly-brewed barista-style coffee. Juices, water and soft drinks are available for self service from a fridge in the buffet. All other drinks need to be ordered at the bar.
The wines in the lounge come from local Serbian producers like Radovanović and DiBonis wineries. The coffee is provided by Kafeterija, which is a cafe chain in Belgrade.
Facilities
Other facilities in the lounge include restrooms, showers and a multi-faith prayer area.
Free wireless internet is available, there is a small business centre and there is a selection of local and international newspapers.
The staff at the reception desk can provide some assistance such as check-in and rebookings when travelling on Air Serbia.
Final impression
The Air Serbia Premium Lounge in Belgrade is a lovely little lounge. Nice interior, friendly staff and especially the dining area is a real highlight with both full a la carte dining and a self-service buffet. There is even a manned bar. Definitely well above average for a European airport lounge for shorthaul business class passengers.
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