Any experiences with Aeroflot

[Dalton]

I am going to St. Pete for the holiday's and I found an exceptional price with Aeroflot from Seattle and I can't pass it up. I have never flown with Aeroflot before and I have heard some rather bad stories about Russian Airplanes.

Anyone have experience with Aeroflot.

Thanks Dalton

[JohnG]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

I flew Aeroflot to Russia last May. I found their service to be exceptional and the planes are new Boeing 767's. My fiancee flew here last week with her daughter on Aeroflot. Again, nothing but praise. I highly recommend Aeroflot, and you can't beat the price!

[Rags]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Last trip (on that same flight) I was four and a half hours late getting into SVO. Unfortunately that was the exact amount of time that I had to make my connection to Kyiv. A wasted night in Moscow, not too bad. But then they (Aeroflot) told me my transit visa was going to still be good for the next days flight (even though I knew better).

Next day, I was held up at passport control and since the Consulate was closed by the time my flight left I spent another night in Moscow.

Two wasted days away from my fiancee (who spent three days in Borispol waiting for me to show bless her). All due to the incompetence and late flights.

If you choose to roll the dice, I would make sure that I had a nice long (+5 hours) layover at SVO and tell whomever you have picking you up to wait and you will call when you get into town.

Happy Trails, but for me, Quoteth the Raven: "NEVERMORE!!!"

[Dalton]

... in response to You'll be SOOORRY!, posted by Rags on Nov 28, 2001

v

[Dalton]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

j.

[WmGo]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Several times. Always good. Never a problem. Had a pilot  break torque a takeoff in Moscow one time. It was pretty cool. I looked like it was necessary due to the shortness of the particular runway, but I am not sure about this.

[BrianC]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Dalton,

CALL ME!  I want to talk with you.

800-326-5181

Still lurking,
BrianC

[chuck12]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Dalton, just to cya, the day before you return, you might just want to call aeroflot and make sure your seat is still intact. I purchased a confirmed round-trip ticket in sept (bad timing on my part), but anyway, my return ticket (seat) had been cancelled. My travel agent said no way, as this ticked was confirmed, and though aeroflot had me on their computer, my seat was cancelled.

The story I got was because it was booked from U.S. the ticket number was different and they inadvertantly overlooked it? My agent was able to rebook me for the original flight but it was a real pain because I still wasn't sure if I would be flying out on schedule or not. If your staying at a hotel, they should have a business center and the gal can make your call and interpret for you if necessary. Good luck.
chuck

[davet]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Hi,
I took the Aeroflot flight from Seattle to Moscow in August.  The service was good, the food was fine (we're talking airline food), the plane was clean.
1. Their flights do seem to run late.  Plan for it.
2. The baggage on both ends took 45-1 hour to unload.  The customs guy in Seattle said it was because they only had limited personel unloading.  Plan for it.
3. Like most airplanes, the seating is cramped.  The good thing was that the flights were only 60% full so you could spread out a bit.
4. Smoking is in the back of the plane but I did not detect any smoking odor elsewhere.
5. Babies are in the first row of ecomony -- they have special cribs that fold down after take off.  On a long flight, the babies are going to get active and cry.  You may want to change your seat to one further back.
6. Aeroflot uses their better equipment for international flights as the FAA has certain requirements.  Some of the seats were worn and things like that but I also experienced the same on a recent Delta flight.
7. Allow a full 2 hour check in SVO coming back.  They are not very fast.
Good luck and have fun.  Don't worry about the flight.  Keep me posted as I will be using the same flight come January or February.

Dave

[SteveM]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Dalton,

Some people have had bad experiences, but ours have been fine, except for the usual flight delays (2-3 hours each time this year).  We do warn people who are meeting us that we could be running late and to check before coming to the airport.

The last few rows are a smoking section, so it is best to try to get a seat assigned farther forward if at all possible.

Food is pretty good most of the time, although the menu doesn't change much from month to month.

Some flights are a mix of American and Russian, and you will hear some English.  My first flight there last April was almost entirely Russian, and certainly helped me understand that I was traveling to another world.

Now, understanding a bit more Russian and having two Russian family members, it doesn't seem at all strange any more.

Steve M.

[jj]

... in response to Any experiences with Aeroflot, posted by Dalton on Nov 28, 2001

Whilst I can not speak from personal experiance I have heard some good and some very bad stories,,,  I think it depends on the plane (How old it is, type etc).  Not sure but was the plane that crashed recently in Russia an Areoflot plane???

[BubbaGump]

... in response to Some good some bad, posted by jj on Nov 28, 2001

If the Ukrainian army shoots the plane down whilst on military exercises, that shouldn't count against the airline because they aren't equipped to evade missles.  On the other hand, if the pilot is teaching his 10 year old son how to fly commercial airliners and the kid pushes the wrong control not once but twice, causing the plane to crash, then that counts against them in my opinion.

[LP]

... in response to Some good some bad, posted by jj on Nov 28, 2001

"Whilst I can not speak from personal experiance I have heard some good and some very bad stories"

lol!! Man! Stop it jj, please stop! Your killin me! lol..Ya need to print that out and put it on your bathroom mirror so you can see it every single day, then maybe it'll dawn on you...

Dalton, my experience with Aeroflop has been OK. Then again, I'm not your typical pax. The milk run outta Seattle is as mentioned. It's usually late arriving/departing, smoking is the last few rows, the crews are AF's best and the equipment are stripped downed "Boing" 777s. (Man, does that bring back some memories. Some say: "If it ain't Boing, I ain't going." Some say thats the sound they make when they hit the ground.)

The food is ahhh....OK, but subpar to US carriers.(Like thats saying much.) As someone who has to eat airline food often I would say none of it is fit for human consumption. (lol..In the cockpit we have to each eat different meals, in case they poison us.) The crews speak English well enough so it's not a problem.

Every service on AF is a little below what you're used to with the major American carriers, but you'll get there safe, you won't starve and *maybe* you'll arrive on time, but I doubt it. Like most things Russian, Aeroflot
doesn't have all the glitter but it's fully functional. The ships are the best rubles can buy and the crews are very senior and experienced because these trips are coveted. (lol.. No one wants to crew those TU 154s in Siberia.)

It isn't all that bad and 10 hours later you'll be in Moscow. I wish the public would sometimes try to remember just how neat that really is, instead of whining about the smallest things.

Have a nice trip.

[micha1]

... in response to Aeroflop, posted by LP on Nov 28, 2001

yes you are right, LP,  a little below what we are use to in the west.  But some airline,  in North America, would
not win any award, anywhere.  The crew on the ground realy makes an airline go, as far as safety is concerned.
The quality of the blue collars is what is all about.  I would like to make an image here,  hoping my use of english
will permit me.   They say never to buy a car, in North America, that was built on a monday or friday,  perhaps
no one should fly on a plane that had maintenance done on those days.   (my pinch of salt).

[LP]

... in response to Re: Aeroflop, posted by micha1 on Nov 28, 2001

...Some US carriers are pretty bad and some international carriers are truly first class. Some companies have truly great food while others serve up what seems to be monkey meat, fish heads, shrew fondue, and what I call "Grilled Otter in Hot Fudge Sauce". (lol..I won't mention a certain Texas based company famous it's "meal" service.)

I completely agree that the folks behind the scenes deserve much credit. While the public most often see us, it's the ground people who do all the work. (lol..Yes, the maintenance guys do a great job but give the crew a little credit for getting you there.)

Many blame the airlines for the current mess but it's far more complex than that. The US operates the best ATC system in the world but it's still fairly antiquated compared to modern technology. Fortunately, thats changing. Another problem is the public expects a first class experience for third class fares. This requires more utilization of the airplanes (they don't make any money sitting on the ground) and that requires more runways. Sadly, no one wants an airport in their backyard, so the available runway space is limited. It's kinda funny that the root of the problem with air delays is mostly a ground issue.

It's not enough airplanes. After 9-11 the US government bailed the airlines out and didn't specify how they should spend the money so many just pissed it away. (Frankly, this tendency for the government to do this is puzzling, but thats just my viewpoint.) United, for example, used most of it's share to buy small business jets for it's fractional operation.

Airlines are not an easy business to run. Staggeringly expensive, low margins, erratic fuel prices, cranky pilots, and the friendly folks at the Federal "Airline" Administration can be simply impossible to fathom at times. Few Americans really understand just how poorly this agency is run and how much they add to the cost of your ticket. (I'm not talking all bad here, it's true upper FAA management has whats known as "Tombstone Mentality" in that they usually do little about a problem until folks die, while the troops in the field are mostly good people.) Anyway, it's a complex equation which the traveling public never gets to see in total.

All in all, it isn't so bad. You're seven miles up, eating steak (lol..well, what looks *something* like steak) and drinking a beer while traveling 85% the speed of sound. Outside that thin little window is an enviornment lethal to humans, it's minus 55 degrees and the partial pressure of O2 would put you to sleep for good in 10 seconds. Inside, you're warm and happily chatting with that cutie you lucked out sitting next to. You're lucky, the distance you'll comfortably travel in a few hours took months of hardship not so long ago. Sure, it's science, but it works like magic.

Few things have made our world smaller than air travel yet it's become so routine that most people don't consider it the special experience it was only a few decades ago. (9-11 has changed that even more and thats really a shame. The airplanes weren't at fault and the people "driving" them sure as he11 weren't pilots.)

Next time you fly, try to remember how difficult this all would be without it. How formidable these distances really are and how shrinking them has effected so many lives for the better, including your's.

lol...So quit whining, we're all doing the best we can.