About a week and a half ago Air Serbia launches its new New York JFK – Belgrade non-stop with an Airbus A330 they’ve named for Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla.

For those of you with Citi ThankYou Rewards, you can transfer points to Etihad Guest and redeem them for travel on Air Serbia. New York JFK – Belgrade costs 44,970 miles each way in economy or 64,082 miles in business class. Upgrade awards are available as well.

The Air Serbia Airbus A330 has a lie flat business class. So I was thrilled to be able to give away 2 business class roundtrip tickets to a reader.

The new 4511 mile, 8 hour 50 minute flight is an opportunity for readers to visit Serbia, which is still off the beaten path for many in the US. And it’s a great place to connect to Eastern Europe and the Mideast.

Service is 5 times weekly, with flight schedules varying by day of week.

Air Serbia’s Business Class — What I’m Giving Away!

Air Serbia’s long haul business class offers fully flat seating. Seats are in a herringbone configuration similar to Virgin Atlantic’s business class.

Air Serbia’s Lounge at New York JFK

Air Serbia operates out of New York JFK Terminal 4. That’s the same terminal as Etihad, and Air Serbia premium passengers have access to Etihad’s new lounge which is certainly one of the better airport lounges in the United States.

Etihad doesn’t contract their lounge out to any other airlines. So Air Serbia passengers are the first flyers not on Etihad to be able to access this lounge which I wrote about back in March.

The lounge features both a hot and cold buffet, sit down dining from a great menu, and a very nice bar. There are fantastic tarmac views all alongside as well. Arrive early, have a drink and a meal, and you’ll be well-prepared to sleep onboard.

Things to Do in Serbia

I have never been to Serbia, and I admit I’m a bit jealous of the reader that wins the tickets because there’s no better way to go than non-stop in a good business class (and free). I’ve never taken a comped trip of this sort, I always pass them along to readers.

Since I don’t have suggestions of what to do while you’re there, I figured what better advice to get than from Air Serbia itself. So I asked for some suggestions. Here’s what they offered:

• Ada Ciganlija: Known colloquially as “Belgrade’s Sea” the white pebbled beach is actually a lake made by the Sava River, enjoyed by thousands in the summer who swim and flock to the many surrounding cafes.

• Belgrade Fortress: One of the world’s oldest strongholds, its location between the Sava and Danube made it a cultural dispute for ages. While invaded more than 100 times, it is currently the largest free attraction of the city.

• Grab a Rajika: As one of the largest plum exporters in the world, Belgrade is known for its national drink, a fruit brandy known as the Rakija. Take in the thriving nightlife the city is famous for with a sip (or glass).

• Saint Petka’s Chapel: Situated outside the Kalemegdan fortress, this is one of the smallest and most beautiful churches in the city, originally built in 1867. Several legends surround this chapel, many claiming the spring that runs beneath it contains healing powers.

• Knez Mihailova: Nestled between Terazije Square and Kalemegdan, this promenade is the central meeting point and epicenter of the city for most Belgradians. It is considered one of the most beautiful and historic pedestrian streets in all of Eastern Europe.

Ric Garrido (of Loyalty Traveler) notes that “the city is known for dance clubs and all-night party boats on the Danube in summer. It is considered one of the hot up and coming nightlife spots of Europe for travelers. And very inexpensive by US standards.”

Air Serbia as a Great Connecting Option

Serving more than 40 destinations, Air Serbia is a great way to get to places like:

• Athens and Thessaloniki
  
• Beirut and Tel Aviv as well as Istanbul and Abu Dhabi
  
• Bucharest, Sofia, Warsaw and Prague
  
• Kiev, Ukraine and multiple destinations in Russia
  
• Cyprus and Malta
  
• Dubrovnik, Pula, Split, and Zagreb in Croatia

Copyright: boscorelli / 123RF Stock Photo

Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport terminal 2 allows 30 minute domestic connections — and an online Air Serbia-Air Serbia international connection is permitted with just 45 minutes. It’s an easier connection to make than Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle, or London Heathrow for sure.

The Winner of 2 Business Class Tickets

Readers entered in the contest post.

I drew a winner at random with the help of random.org.

The winner is Bret who is looking forward to the food and nightlife.

Bret has quite a trip to look forward to! And I’m looking forward to trying their product, service, and easy connectivity myself.