I was wondering how many cities in Russia (not former Soviet Union) now are reachable with a non stop, direct flight from SE Asia, the US or the EU on Russian or non-Russian companies. Just off the top of my head, I can think of these

SVO (all airports)
LED
OVB
PEE (I love that IATA code)
KZN
KJA
KUF
SVX
VVO
GOJ
ROV
UFA

Most of those are LH cities. I'm sure there are some in the Far East that I don't know about. We've come a long way since back when it used to just be LED and SVO. Any others???

SVO (all airports)Actually, it is:
MOW Moscow Metro RU = DME SVO VKO BKA


PEE (I love that IATA code)
Don't forget: :D

SUX Sioux City Sioux Gateway IA US [KSUX]
FAT Fresno Airterminal CA US [KFAT]
FUK Fukuoka JP [RJFF]

From NE Asia, also at least:

KHV ( Khabarovsk )
UUS ( Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island )

Actually, it is:
MOW Moscow Metro RU = DME SVO VKO BKA

Don't forget: :D

SUX Sioux City Sioux Gateway IA US [KSUX]
FAT Fresno Airterminal CA US [KFAT]
FUK Fukuoka JP [RJFF]

DOPE! I knew that. FAT is a favorite as well.

Great additions. Thanks!

From NE Asia, also at least:

KHV ( Khabarovsk )
UUS ( Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on Sakhalin Island )

I also heard from someone here in Novosibirsk yesterday that GDX (Magadan) has monthly or twice a month flights to Seattle. I know they used to but discontinued it a few years back. Seems it might be back on as well.

I also heard from someone here in Novosibirsk yesterday that GDX (Magadan) has monthly or twice a month flights to Seattle. I know they used to but discontinued it a few years back. Seems it might be back on as well.

I guess it's H5 (Mavial, a.k.a. Magadan Airlines) Flight 802. But it goes to ANC, not SEA (and is more often cancelled than not, or so I heard)

I guess it's H5 (Mavial, a.k.a. Magadan Airlines) Flight 802. But it goes to ANC, not SEA (and is more often cancelled than not, or so I heard)

It is cancelled so often that it is a de-facto charter ;)

I tried buying the ticket through the office in Moscow but every time I needed to go I was out of luck.

That flight of Mavial goes from Magadan to Anchoridge via Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy (what's the code for that place?), so I suppose you can add it to your list.

Petropavlovsk Kamchatskiy (what's the code for that place?)

IATA - PKC
ICAO - UHPP
:)

SVO (all airports)

If you meant MOW, I don't think you can get to BKA from anywhere outside of Russia/CIS. And even VKO may only be reacheable by Russian charter flights (though I could be wrong)

And even VKO may only be reacheable by Russian charter flights (though I could be wrong)This will soon change as http://www.GermanWings.com/ is about to start flying there:

[KVS Availability Tool - Amadeus: AUA/*A] (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=319244)
SXF Berlin Schoenefeld DE [EDDB]
VKO Moscow Vnukovo RU [UUWW]
MON 01 Aug 2005

Carrier Flight From Depart To Arrive A/C St Availability
--------- ------ ---- --------- ---- --------- ---- -- --------------------------------------------------
4U 1990 SXF 10:40 VKO 15:20 319 0 Y4 B4 M4 H4 Q4 V4 W4 S4 I0 G0 D0 K0 L0 T0 X0 N0 E0

This will soon change as http://www.GermanWings.com/ is about to start flying there:

In a month or so, it will (June, 20, if I'm not mistaken)

Also there are semi-regular flights to MRV from SKG on a Russian airline whose name escapes me.

There are a whole lot more. For example you can reach Petrozavodsk (halfway between St Petersburg and Murmansk) twice a week on Severstal Airlines Yak 40 from Helsinki. A scheduled operation although difficult to actually find the schedule (http://nordictravel.ru/page/airtickets.html) for it.

Good places to look at the departure boards (many on websites nowadays) for oddball Russian destinations are Larnaca, Barcelona, Istanbul, Dalaman, Tel Aviv, Dubai and Sharjah.

Good places to look at the departure boards (many on websites nowadays) for oddball Russian destinations are Larnaca, Barcelona, Istanbul, Dalaman, Tel Aviv, Dubai and Sharjah.

Summer time does skew the results a little bit. Lots of Russian companies fly all over during the summer as July and August are the de facto gotta go months. For example, from OVB right now you can fly to BKK or BCN. That is NEVER the case in November or February for sure.

Thanks for the reminder to check the departure boards. That is probably the most accurate source of information there is.

For example, from OVB right now you can fly to BKK or BCN. That is NEVER the case in November or February for sure.

Agree about BCN, but it's actually the other way round with BKK (it's a scheduld flight, by the way, not a charter). Even though S7 keeps selling tickets to BKK the whole year round, they don't operate the flight in the summer, flights only kick off in November. It's a wintertime destination, after all

Agree about BCN, but it's actually the other way round with BKK (it's a scheduld flight, by the way, not a charter). Even though S7 keeps selling tickets to BKK the whole year round, they don't operate the flight in the summer, flights only kick off in November. It's a wintertime destination, after all

Indeed, I stand corrected. Wow, you study your www.s7.aero site don't you? Apparently, I just glance at mine lightly. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Wow, you study your www.s7.aero site don't you?

No, I don't. (Isn't it www.s7.ru, BTW?) I just happen to have some friends who were sold tickets DME-OVB-BKK last summer and learned the truth the hard way. I've never considered flying S7 since...

And have you seen their new livery? :confused:

And have you seen their new livery? :confused:
It's here (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/861118/M/ ).

As with many liveries done by graphic designers rather than by aircraft engineers, it looks gee-whizz but is technically wrong. In particular the green upper part of the aircraft rather than the traditional white. White was always used because it reflects the sunlight (which aircraft at cruising altitude spend much of their time in) rather than absorbing it, and thus lessens the load on the aircraft air conditioning and/or stops things getting too hot. Significant on the Tu154 which does not have much cooling capacity in the AC system anyway

No, I don't. (Isn't it www.s7.ru, BTW?) I just happen to have some friends who were sold tickets DME-OVB-BKK last summer and learned the truth the hard way. I've never considered flying S7 since...

And have you seen their new livery? :confused:

No, I meant www.s7.aero. It works too. Actually, it is the first .aero commercial site I know of. Pretty innovative there S7.

Their livery is bad. I just don't get the color scheme or the name change. Aeroflot rebranded last year and I guess S7 thought they had too as well. It's a joke here in Novosibirsk. Lots of folks just roll their eyes.

I never fly them to MOW but always to FRA. Very nice service, never full planes, easy connection to LH and the world and I get 2 32kg bags when connecting to LH instead of 1 20kg bag when I don't. From OVB to SE Asia there is no other choice. Too bad about the BKK issue. I would be mad too.

Actually, it is the first .aero commercial site I know of.Aeroflot (http://aeroflot.aero/) was 1st :):

Domain Name: aeroflot.aero
Creation Date: 2002-04-26 09:43:42 UTC

Domain Name: s7.aero
Creation Date: 2002-12-05 13:18:14 UTC

Aeroflot (http://aeroflot.aero/) was 1st :):

Domain Name: aeroflot.aero
Creation Date: 2002-04-26 09:43:42 UTC

Domain Name: s7.aero
Creation Date: 2002-12-05 13:18:14 UTC



Yeah, yeah, yeah but can we give Aeroflot credit for this knowing that they are still an airline that won't let you buy tickets online??? I think not.

they are still an airline that won't let you buy tickets online??? I think not.
How many Russian airlines do have a web booking system ? Pulkovo don't.

Yeah, yeah, yeah but can we give Aeroflot credit for this knowing that they are still an airline that won't let you buy tickets online??? I think not.It's not really their fault -- no Russian carrier can really sell "tickets online" given the fact that eTickets are not permitted under Russian laws. "Selling" paper tickets online (like S7 does) kinda defeats the purpose...

SU switched to Sabre late in March and promised booking online would be possible by the end of the year. Apparently they've been lobbying the gov't to change regulations on etickets, too

SU switched to Sabre late in March and promised booking online would be possible by the end of the year. Apparently they've been lobbying the gov't to change regulations on etickets, too

They need to be able to eticket in order to join their alliance... the one DL is in... OW I think. I didn't know it was illegal to issues etix, why is that?

They need to be able to eticket in order to join their alliance... the one DL is in... OW I think. I didn't know it was illegal to issues etix, why is that?

Because a concept of authorities voluntarily ceding control through declaring an official piece of paper no longer mandatory is pretty much alien in Russia.

And also, imagine this: when e-ticket is introduced, all people would have is their self-printed itineraries, produced on unregulated paper, in a variety of colours, etc. This spells chaos. This is worse than democracy.

In addition, all those self-important uniformed and badged layers of inefficiency at airports would be totally confused. (For example, at some regional international airports, after Passport Control - which checks your visa and entitlement to visit the country - they have Immigration Control, which also checks your visa. It is a 'local initiative', which is even illegal under Federal Laws, but still very much operational.)

I think they might allow e-tickets if they can force people to get a Permit for Paper Ticket Exemption from a Ministry of Air Transport, stamped and validated by a notary.

But seriously, e-ticket is legal in Russia - BA uses it all the time.

I take your point, but all the e-ticket does is to allow you to turn up at the check-in desk without a piece of paper. It doesn't necessarily follow that you are paperless when you go though immigration / customes / security.

Have you tried going through DME without a proper boarding pass? BA allow you to print your own BP, but the security and immigration ladies at DME don't seem to know what this is - even after the system has been working for several months!

I take your point, but all the e-ticket does is to allow you to turn up at the check-in desk without a piece of paper. It doesn't necessarily follow that you are paperless when you go though immigration / customes / security.

Have you tried going through DME without a proper boarding pass? BA allow you to print your own BP, but the security and immigration ladies at DME don't seem to know what this is - even after the system has been working for several months!

I think we are talking here about two different things. I don't imagine Russia will allow self-printed boarding passes in my lifetime, but - at least in Moscow - e-ticket is working.

All I was trying to say that, especially in provincial Russia, every piece of paper gets stamped, initialled and validated to death, and DME accepting e-ticket is an exception rather than a rule. Don't imagine that working in KHV or UUS or VVO, as things stand.

As for self-printed boarding pass, I do not believe it is possible in Russia - but then, back to the discussion, it was never a condition for joining Sky Team which SU tries to join (e-ticket availability, I think, is one of the conditions).

They need to be able to eticket in order to join their alliance... the one DL is in... OW I think.

And that's from a DL flyer :)

I didn't know it was illegal to issues etix, why is that?

As per the Tax Code, they are not considered valid fiscal documents, whatever that means.

As per the Tax Code, they are not considered valid fiscal documents, whatever that means.

Only in Russia one needs a valid fiscal document to be a passenger on a plane ;) ^

The only "fiscal documents" that really matter in russia are green and have "In God we Trust" printed on the back.....

And that's from a DL flyer :)


Touche! And after some bad experiences with DL I've pretty much defected to *A for my travel. Not the best for travel to Russia, but my bigger concern is not being let out of the country since I am in prime age for getting drafted into the military. :td:

The only "fiscal documents" that really matter in russia are green and have "In God we Trust" printed on the back.....

Hilarious! Good point :D

Only in Russia one needs a valid fiscal document to be a passenger on a plane ;) ^

Hmmmm, no, you don't need it to be a passenger on a plane, but if it's your boss who happens to be paying, he'll need it so as not to pay 13% in taxes at the end of the year :)