Air BulgariaAir Bulgaria is Bulgaria’s national airline carrier. The airline is a very successful company that operates flights to and from Sofia and Varna, to many top European and Middle Eastern destinations. The airline came into being in 2002 following the demise of its predecessor, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines.
A joint venture of Bulgarian owned companies eventually bought the airline and it remains the flagship airline of Bulgaria despite rumors of a foreign buyer and privatization in 2006. The winner of a national competition run by the Bulgarian government in 2002 created the original airline name and logo. The design was changed again in 2006 and remains the same today, although a Cyrillic version will soon be appearing on one side of all Air Bulgaria planes. Destinations Today, the airline operates international flights from the capital of Bulgaria and Varna to 28 major destinations in Europe and the Middle East. The airline works with many of the world’s airlines to provide connecting flights. It has codeshare rights with:
All these links allow them to access the destinations offered by these airlines, as well as offering passengers of these airlines discounted routes into Bulgaria. You can charter flights to other non-regular destinations on request, and in conjunction with its partners, Air Bulgaria reaches as many as 400 destinations in cities across the world. Customer ServiceThe airline’s mission statement is to offer passengers a quality service combined with traditional Bulgarian hospitality. The airline wants the Bulgarian people to be proud of the national airline and the company is continually striving to improve their service by investing in new airlines. The airline has also recently introduced an in-flight magazine for passengers as part of its mission to make Bulgarian airlines flights as comfortable as possible. For flights into Bulgaria, the food service has recently been upgraded to include more authentic Bulgarian dishes accompanied by regional wines for business and first class passengers. Rewards ProgramAs well as good value flights to Bulgaria, the company offers other useful services for business and holiday travel. The airline rewards regular frequent flyers with a rewards program. Once they join the reward scheme, passengers can take advantage of lots of special privileges including free rewards tickets, enhanced check-in facilities, rental car discount, upgrades from economy to business class seats, and use of the business lounge at the airport. Online PresenceThe airline has a great website which can be accessed from anywhere in the world and it is available in both English and Cyrillic. Passengers can make online bookings and access information about their existing booking. For those people who require extra assistance with their booking, trained operators are available to chat online and offer exceptional customer service. Unlike other airlines, you can reserve seats, without payment being required at the same time. Make payments over the telephone, in person at any of the Air Bulgaria offices, or at the airport before the flight departs. North American TravelFor travelers further afield, the airline offers weekly flights to cities across North America, with an average return flight cost of $850 for an out of season return from the eastern seaboard to Sofia. The airline currently has three Boeing 737s for their intercontinental flights, and has recently put in an order for seven more aircraft to expand its 16 strong fleet. This will give them an extra 700-passenger capacity each week, which the company will use to expand their flight options to Western Europe and America. To complement this, Air Bulgaria has offices in most capital cities in Europe and major cities in North America.
|