The story today of Georgia’s flagship airline began back in 1993. The modern and safe carrier is a fully private company and consists of eight airliners, one of which serves the government.
History
The beginning of the 90s of the last century was the departure point for Airzena. The first flights were charter and operated to China, India, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Only one regular - to Vienna. Despite the political and economic feuds of this period, thanks to the right strategy, the company survived and even gained some recognition. By the early 2000s, Airzena was already a national carrier.
Around the same time, the company’s management is modernizing the fleet, for this it leases two ships from the German company Hapag-Lloyd.
In 2004, it was decided to rename Airzena into Georgian Airways. But the old name of the airline is still in use, it is an unofficial brand name.
Our days
Today, the Georgian Airlines private airline has modern aircraft - BOEING 737 and CRJ aircraft. The main base is Tbilisi International Airport. The main activity of the company is reliable and safe transportation of passengers and goods. High priority is customer service and safety. This axiom of Georgian Airlines is confirmed by its membership in the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The entry was preceded by an audit, which was to verify the compliance of the airline's technical base with IOSA safety standards. Since then, there have been three such certifications, and all have passed successfully.
Fleet
Georgian Airways air fleet consists of medium-haul liners CRJ, EMBRAER and BOEING 737. Among them:
- BOEING 737-500, the capacity of which is 116 people (12 seats are allocated for business class).
- BOEING - 737-700 NG, takes on board 132 passengers (12 seats reserved for business class).
- EMBRAER 190, with a capacity of 97 people (business class - 9 seats)
- CRJ 100, designed for 50 passengers (6 business class seats).
- CRJ 200, the number of seats is identical to the previous liner.
Flight staff
This is the pride of the company. Each flight participant, whether it is a pilot or flight attendant, is highly qualified and has solid experience. Pilots undergo theoretical and practical training, and every six months they practice special flight simulators that simulate Boeing and CRJ liners, for which they go to UAB Cam & Cons training centers (Lithuania), ICARE Training Center (France) and Pan American Flight Academy (USA) )
Pilots of Georgian Airlines have certificates of the second and third categories, which allows them to land the aircraft in adverse weather conditions.
Flight attendants are selected through a series of rigorous tests, in accordance with international standards and internal company requirements. Stewards are trained at the Georgian Aviation University with further training in specialized centers in Germany and the Czech Republic. Among the studied disciplines can be distinguished "Emergency procedures and evacuation", "Flight safety", "Passenger service", "First aid" and "Aviation accident prevention".
The average age of the crews is 35-45 years.
Georgian Airlines flights
Today, the airline operates in the following directions: Georgia - Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi. Also, flights are made to the capitals of Russia, Israel, France, the Netherlands and Austria. There are regular flights to these cities.
But the company with 16 leading airlines has code-sharing agreements, which allows to make the movement of passengers around the world as accessible as possible.
Facilities and service
The cabin of Airzena aircraft is divided into two classes - economy and business. The latter gives pleasure from the provided individual service and flight comfort (even DVD players with headphones are provided). Each passenger is guaranteed privacy, a varied menu and personal space. If on board there is no way to break away from work, then the stewards will create all the conditions for work.
Before take-off, business-class guests are treated to “welcome” fruit juices or mineral water. The menu reflects the national flavor: freshly prepared vegetable salads, a cheese plate (only Georgian varieties), juicy khachapuri, homemade cakes, Georgian bread and aged wines. All this, judging by the reviews of Georgian Airlines, is amazingly fresh and tasty.
If necessary, flight attendants offer pillows and cozy rugs.
Economy class on Georgian Airlines aircraft pleases passengers with comfortable ergonomic chairs, which are comfortable to sit in, and an increased legroom. The menu varies depending on the duration of the flight. But it certainly offers hot and cold dishes, drinks (tea, coffee and water), as well as desserts.
Privileges
For children, the carrier has provided discounts. Something like:
- A passenger up to two years old inclusive makes a flight costing 10% of the basic fare, a second child of the same age flies on a children's ticket;
- Travelers from two to twelve years old fly with a discount of 25 to 50% (it depends on the class of the chosen place).
Unaccompanied minors
This is a service for accompanying minors. The fare for the flight is not set for them for children, but standard. But the service itself is free for children from 5 to 11 years old, for passengers from 12 to 16 years old - 30 euros.
Special conditions
Ladies in position can use the services of the carrier only up to 32 weeks of pregnancy and this is subject to a positive conclusion from the attending physician.
Pets are allowed in the cabin if they are no more than 4 months old (or their weight does not exceed 6 kg). For cells and vectors for animals, there are also certain overall norms (no more than 55 * 35 * 20 cm). All pets that are not suitable for these conditions fly in the luggage compartment. But in any case, Georgian Airlines will charge a certain fee for their flight. Only guide dogs are an exception (the owner must have an accompanying document).
Passengers who require a wheelchair due to illness have the right to carry it on board free of charge.
Interesting options
Today the company offers its customers four new tariffs: FLEXIBLE, STANDARD, LIGHT and BUSINESS. Each has a specific set of services. For convenience of using this option, a comparative table has been published on the official website of Air Georgia.
There was also a “My Account”. Checking in it makes it possible to save data about each passenger, which can significantly reduce the time for booking or buying a ticket. All order details are available here online, and therefore, they can be changed or deleted.
The interface of the “My Account” tab is multilingual. Georgian, Russian and English are available. Moreover, the choice is saved.
Today you can pay for a flight with Georgian Airlines in Russian rubles or euros. Soon, the Georgian lari will also appear on this list. Refunds are also available.
Developed and convenient mobile application.
Luggage
Like any carrier, Airzena has certain standards for free baggage allowance. It depends on the chosen class of flight and its duration. But on average, this is one place weighing no more than 5 kg.
For tourists of economy class, hand luggage weighing no more than 8 kg is allowed for transportation (one seat in the sum of three dimensions - 115 cm). Business class passengers are entitled to carry-on baggage of 12 kg.
In the cargo compartment of the aircraft there are places for luggage of passengers:
- Economy class - no more than 23 kg (158 cm). For long-haul flights (Kiev, St. Petersburg and Moscow) - no more than 25 kg.
- Business class - not more than 23 kg (the sum of three measurements - 158 cm)
- Children (up to two years) - 10 kg (no more than 155 cm). Passengers from 2-12 years old have the same baggage allowance as adults.
One baby stroller is transported free of charge.
The weight of carry-on baggage is not cumulative.
Baggage over a certain limit is paid extra. For example, up to 32 kg by flight to Europe - 50 EUR, to Israel, Russia, Ukraine - 35 EUR / 40 USD, to Batumi or Yerevan - 25 euro.
The flight of a cat or dog in the cabin will cost 50 EUR / 55 USD. To transport an animal up to 32 kg in the luggage compartment costs 120 EUR / 120 USD.
Ski equipment in the direction of Vienna, Kiev, St. Petersburg, Moscow is transported free of charge. The set (special clothing, helmet, goggles, a pair of skis, poles or snowboards, etc.) with a total weight not exceeding 23 kg per tourist is in addition to the free baggage allowance.
Finally
The company is constantly evolving from its first days. Therefore, various innovations no longer surprise anyone. One of them, quite quickly gaining popularity - E-ticket. This is the so-called electronic ticket, that is, a paperless form of a regular travel document. This service has many advantages, but I especially want to highlight the following:
- An electronic ticket cannot be forgotten.
- You can buy it in any city on the planet (and not just at the place of departure).
- Friends or relatives of the future passenger can make a purchase.
And, most importantly, E-ticket is a significant time saver.