Bulgaria Air is the national carrier of Bulgaria. The main air transport hub of the company is the Sofia airport. The carrier operates flights mainly to cities in Western Europe, as well as to Israel and Russia.
History
Bulgaria Air was founded quite recently - in 2002. She became the successor to the then bankrupt Balkan Bulgarian Airlines. In November of the same year, in connection with the order of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the airline received the status of the national carrier of Bulgaria. The first flight was operated in early December 2002.
A public competition was organized to select the name and emblem of the new flagship airline. The authorized capital of the new carrier in 2002 was 30.160 million leva and was divided into 30.16 thousand shares. However, the government announced a privatization competition and sold 30,159 shares by October 2006. The victory was won by the union of Bulgarian airlines, the largest of which was Hemus Air. The airline paid out more than 6 million euros following the results of the competition, and also pledged to allocate more than 80 million euros fordevelopment of the enterprise in the next 5 years. To expand the geography of flights, new aircraft were purchased. In 2008 Bulgaria Air became a member of IATA.
Fleet
The company's fleet includes the following aircraft:
- Boeing 737-300 (4).
- Airbus A319-100 (3).
- Airbus A320 (3).
- British AeroSpace-146-200/300 (8).
- "Avro RJ70" (1).
- ATR-42-300 (2).
- Embraer E190 (4).
Flight geography
The carrier's domestic destinations are Sofia, Burgas and Varna. International flights to Russia of the company "Bulgaria Air" - Moscow and St. Petersburg. Flights to other CIS countries are not operated.
The company also operates international flights to the following countries:
- Austria (Vienna),
- Albania (Tirana),
- Belgium (Brussels),
- Great Britain (London, Manchester),
- Hungary (Budapest),
- Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt),
- Greece (Athens),
- Denmark (Copenhagen),
- Israel (Tel Aviv),
- Spain (Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca),
- Italy (Rome, Milan),
- Cyprus (Larnaca, Paphos),
- Lebanon (Beirut),
- Libya (Tripoli),
- Macedonia (Skopje),
- Netherlands (Amsterdam),
- Poland (Warsaw),
- Portugal (Lisbon),
- France (Paris),
- Czech Republic (Prague),
- Switzerland (Zurich).
Baggage allowance
The following baggage rules apply on the flights of the national air carrier of Bulgaria:
- one piece of baggage cannot exceed 23 kg in weight and 1.58 m in total length, width and height;
- if a piece of baggage weighs more than 23 kg or the sum of its three dimensions exceeds 1.58 m, the passenger will be charged an additional fee;
- air passengers traveling in business class are en titled to two bags;
- air passengers traveling in economy class are en titled to one piece of baggage;
- each passenger has the right to take hand luggage (or cabin luggage) on board the aircraft, the weight of which is not more than 10 kg.
These allowances vary depending on the type of airliner as well as the destination. Extra baggage allowance is available to Visa Platinum cardholders, Frequent Flyers, children under 2 and sailors.
Bulgaria Air flights, services and check-in
The check-in procedure for the company's flights is constantly being improved. To date, there are 3 ways to register:
- on the website of the air carrier,
- directly at the airport, from a company representative,
- at the self-registration kiosk.
Registration closes 40 minutes before scheduled departure time.
Bulgaria Air tickets can be purchased on the official websiteairlines or specialized transport and travel agencies and sales offices.
The quality of service in flight is no worse than that of the world's leading air carriers. In economy class, passengers are offered not only snacks and drinks, but also alcohol. Seats in business class are comfortable and comfortable. Business passengers are offered a varied menu, and they can also book private flights. In addition, souvenirs and goods necessary for the trip can be purchased on board.
Also, Bulgaria Air has its own loy alty program called FlyFB Bonus Points. According to the terms of this program, for each flight, the passenger accumulates a certain number of points, which can be further spent on certain services. These services include service at the business check-in counters, free extra baggage allowance, and up to 100% discounts on airline tickets. Everyone can become a member of this passenger reward program after the first flight. To do this, you must contact the airline office or the flight attendant during the flight. Regular customers receive gold and silver bonus cards.
Bulgaria Air: reviews of Russian passengers
The main assessment of the quality of the airline's work is the feedback from its passengers. They occur both positive and negative.
Good things for passengers are:
- punctuality,
- alcoholic drinks in economy class,
- politeness and professionalism of flight attendants,
- low cost air travel,
- cleanliness and tidiness of salons,
- convenience of booking tickets through the website,
- comfort of seats in aircraft cabins,
- new aircraft,
- low latency.
Among the negative points, passengers note:
- crews' ignorance of the Russian language,
- slow in-flight passenger service,
- no system for informing about schedule changes.
Bulgaria Air has appeared on the transportation market quite recently - in 2002. However, over the fourteen years of operation, it has already established itself as a punctual company with a high level of service quality. The fleet consists mainly of new aircraft. The route network is constantly expanding, the total number of destinations is now about 30. Not so long ago, flights began to be carried out to Russia. Russian passengers generally speak well of the company.
