Air Serbia customers flying from Zagreb pay less

Air Serbia customers flying from Zagreb pay less

BELGRADE -- Passengers on Air Serbia's flights departing for Moscow from Belgrade pay about EUR 100 more than those traveling to the Russian capital from Zagreb.

The public broadcaster of Serbia's Vojvodina province, RTV, reported that the Belgrade-Moscow ticket costs about RSD 40,700, while those traveling from Zagreb on a connecting flight at the Belgrade Airport pay RSD 27,330 for the trip.

The report concluded that it is cheaper for passengers who wish to fly Air Serbia to first travel from Belgrade to Zagreb and catch their Moscow flight there.

Air Serbia representatives told RTV that the pricing is influenced by whether a flight is direct or connecting, and by the time of ticket purchase - but also that the pricing policy is "a business decision."

Zagreb, they specified, is Air Serbia's new destination and the company is trying to "position itself in the market" there.

According to the same source, prices form freely and the cheaper tickets offered in Zagreb represent "a sales incentive," that the company hopes will "attract and keep" new customers.

In December, Air Serbia restored the air route between Belgrade and Zagreb after more than two decades. The move is meant to provide the company with a new destination and the Croatian market with a new carrier offering flights from Belgrade toward other locations worldwide.

The media in Croatia reported in November that the country's air transport authorities were "trying to prevent" passengers from flying Air Serbia from Zagreb via Belgrade to other destinations.