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Air Serbia has officially launched ELEVATE, its new standalone loyalty program. This marks the end of its long-running partnership with Etihad Guest and ushers in a new era for the Serbian flag carrier’s frequent flyer strategy. The new program is designed to reward passengers not only for flights, but also for ancillary purchases such as baggage, seat selection, lounge access, and priority services. Membership is free and available to all travelers through Air Serbia’s website with mobile app enrollment expected soon.
The launch brings to a close Air Serbia’s relationship with Etihad Guest, which began in 2013 when Etihad Airways became a strategic investor in the airline. Existing members who have earned miles or status through Etihad Guest on Air Serbia flights have until September 16th to transfer their status and miles to ELEVATE.
ELEVATE features four membership levels: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Blue serves as the entry-level tier and comes with a unique benefit: membership never expires. Passengers can qualify for higher status levels through a combination of Tier Points or flight segments:
- Bronze: 5,000 Tier Points or 12 flight segments
- Silver: 10,000 Tier Points or 24 flight segments
- Gold: 15,000 Tier Points or 36 flight segments
Points are earned based on the base fare of Air Serbia-operated flights excluding taxes and fees. At launch, only flights marketed and operated by Air Serbia are eligible, meaning codeshare and interline flights are excluded for now. Members earn between four and eight points per 100 Serbian dinars spent (depending on their status level).
Additional bonuses are available for premium cabin travel, Economy Comfort, Freedom fares, and bookings made directly through Air Serbia channels.
One of the more distinctive features of ELEVATE is its inclusion of ancillary purchases in the earning structure. Passengers can earn points when purchasing services such as checked baggage, preferred seating, sports equipment transport, lounge access, and priority airport services. Points can then be redeemed for flights, upgrades, and ancillary products, with no blackout dates. Award availability mirrors the airline’s cash inventory, a customer-friendly approach that avoids the restrictions common in many loyalty programs.
However, there is one notable drawback: online redemptions are not yet available. For now, members must redeem points through Air Serbia’s contact center or retail offices. The airline says online redemption capabilities are being developed but has not announced a launch date.
The program’s most attractive benefits begin at the Silver tier. Silver members receive complimentary lounge access at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG), a free checked bag, complimentary standard seat selection, and Tier Points rollover, which allows unused qualifying points to carry forward into the next membership year. Gold status adds fast-track security access at Belgrade, enhanced seat selection privileges, and expanded lounge access across the network where available. Bronze members receive priority check-in, priority baggage handling, and promotional priority boarding benefits.
While ELEVATE introduces several modern features and a straightforward earning structure, its biggest limitation at launch is the absence of airline partners. Under Etihad Guest, Air Serbia passengers had access to nearly 30 partner airlines for earning and redeeming miles. ELEVATE currently offers benefits exclusively on Air Serbia-operated flights. That significantly reduces flexibility for travelers who frequently fly beyond Air Serbia’s network. Still, the program includes several positive features, including no blackout dates, rewards for ancillary purchases, and the ability for Silver members to roll over unused Tier Points.
Jiří Marek, CEO of Air Serbia, said:
Launching the loyalty program is an important step, and a completely new chapter in relations with our passengers. We created the program with the goal of meeting their actual needs and offering them additional value. Given the complexity of the program and its integration across all of our systems, all features will become visible and available to future members within the next few days. But, this is just the beginning – we will continue to develop and improve ELEVATE together with our partners and other airlines, with a vision of transforming it into a wider platform that goes beyond than just air travel. Our goal remains clear: to be the first and natural choice for passengers, both in the region and throughout our network of destinations and beyond.”
Anthony’s Take: For travelers who regularly fly Air Serbia, particularly through Belgrade, ELEVATE offers a reasonable foundation and an opportunity to earn meaningful benefits. For everyone else, the program’s long-term value will likely depend on how quickly Air Serbia expands its partner network and delivers promised features such as online award bookings.
(Image Credits: Air Serbia.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
