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Who would've thought....Uzbekistan on track to be Skyteam Associate

Who would've thought....Uzbekistan on track to be Skyteam Associate

Old Feb 24, 2008, 10:05 pm
  #1  
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Who would've thought....Uzbekistan on track to be Skyteam Associate

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/080225/16/4euc0.html

Reports from Asia on Monday Morning (25FEB08).

SEOUL, Feb 25 Asia Pulse - South Korea's biggest carrier Korean Air Lines Co. (KSE:003490) said Monday it has signed a preliminary deal with Uzbekistan Airways for the expansion of bilateral exchanges and cooperation.

Korean Air signed a letter of intent with the state airline of Uzbekistan to build an international logistics center at Navoi Airport in the Central Asian country and expand air passenger and cargo traffic between the two countries, the South Korean carrier said in a statement.

Korean Air also will help Uzbekistan Airways get an associate membership in SkyTeam, an alliance of 14 international airlines which was formed in June 2000 with four initial members - Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Aeromexico and Air France, the company said.

The two companies agreed to launch a task force as soon as possible in a bid to carry out the projects, Korean Air added.
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Old Feb 24, 2008, 11:00 pm
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OMG! Flying on Uzbekistan was one of the worst flights I've ever taken. Period. There were no seat assignments at all -- not even for First/Economy -- so when it was time to board it was a frickin' free for all with people throwing bags and literally fighting for the frist class seats. Imagine playing musical chairs at a juvenile detention facility.

Then everyone chain smoked the whole flight. I think the plane was a Ilyushin with a seat pitch that seemed to be about 15" total.

Now that I've ranted, I'll admit that the flight was over a decade ago and I'm sure (hope!) a lot has changed...

peace,
~Ben~
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 3:34 am
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That sounds fun (not necessarily in a good way). I guess at least you can fly Aeroflot to most of their destinations...
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 3:36 am
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Originally Posted by seoulmanjr
OMG! Flying on Uzbekistan was one of the worst flights I've ever taken. Period. There were no seat assignments at all -- not even for First/Economy -- so when it was time to board it was a frickin' free for all with people throwing bags and literally fighting for the frist class seats. Imagine playing musical chairs at a juvenile detention facility.

Then everyone chain smoked the whole flight. I think the plane was a Ilyushin with a seat pitch that seemed to be about 15" total.

Now that I've ranted, I'll admit that the flight was over a decade ago and I'm sure (hope!) a lot has changed...

peace,
~Ben~
I'd give them a try just for the sense of adventure.
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 3:48 am
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Interesting... never even considered connecting in Tashkent before...

Check this out... anyone need a good used IL86??

http://www.uzairways.com/news.aspx?c...51&pid=0&cls=1
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 12:11 pm
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Well, they are considered head and shoulders above the rest of the aviation in the 'stans and still I am somehow underwhelmed. This is not going to fill any significant holes in the ST network. TAS-RIX-JFK anyone? Lots of second-tier Russian cities direct to TAS and some second-tier Uzbek cities? TAS, I hear, is a zoo - the airport, not the city.

(Sorry to have opened another thread on this. Don't know how I missed this one)
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 1:04 pm
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Originally Posted by apoivre
Well, they are considered head and shoulders above the rest of the aviation in the 'stans and still I am somehow underwhelmed. This is not going to fill any significant holes in the ST network. TAS-RIX-JFK anyone? Lots of second-tier Russian cities direct to TAS and some second-tier Uzbek cities? TAS, I hear, is a zoo - the airport, not the city.

(Sorry to have opened another thread on this. Don't know how I missed this one)
I agree. I normally am quite open minded (and often pleasantly surprised) when it comes to the CIS aviation, however Uzbekistan Airways in SkyTeam does not thrill me one bit. I will refrain from saying how horrible they are beacsue I have never flown them (and we see too many comments here about how horrible SU is from people that either flown them in 1993 or never flown them at all), but I am underwhelmed. How is that beneficial to ST with their network being rather unexciting?
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 2:01 pm
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Originally Posted by apoivre
Well, they are considered head and shoulders above the rest of the aviation in the 'stans and still I am somehow underwhelmed. This is not going to fill any significant holes in the ST network. TAS-RIX-JFK anyone? Lots of second-tier Russian cities direct to TAS and some second-tier Uzbek cities? TAS, I hear, is a zoo - the airport, not the city.

(Sorry to have opened another thread on this. Don't know how I missed this one)
Exactly. Makes little sense, and good luck getting a visa to Uzbekistan. Uzbek air is not for the faint of heart. Well, at least they don't show up on the EU's list of banned airlines.
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 2:31 pm
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Why would SkyTeam want an airline in the alliance where most travellers would need a transit visa just to change flights at their main hub?

Requirements for a Uzbek Transit Visa for US Citizens:

- Completed Visa Application form
- Passport (not a photocopy)
- One (1) color passport photo
- Visa and air-ticket to the country of destination
- Visa Fee - US $25.00 (three months, double entry, up to 72 hours stay for each entry)

Requirements for other folks:

http://www.uzbekistan.org/consular/visa/fee/

Talk about a PITA...

peace,
~Ben~
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 3:21 pm
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Originally Posted by seoulmanjr
Why would SkyTeam want an airline in the alliance where most travellers would need a transit visa just to change flights at their main hub?

Requirements for a Uzbek Transit Visa for US Citizens:

- Completed Visa Application form
- Passport (not a photocopy)
- One (1) color passport photo
- Visa and air-ticket to the country of destination
- Visa Fee - US $25.00 (three months, double entry, up to 72 hours stay for each entry)

Requirements for other folks:

http://www.uzbekistan.org/consular/visa/fee/

Talk about a PITA...

peace,
~Ben~
This is crazy. Just plain crazy. I guess it could be good for Korean Air, with that sizeable Korean population in Uzbekistan.
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 4:27 pm
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Originally Posted by seoulmanjr
Why would SkyTeam want an airline in the alliance where most travellers would need a transit visa just to change flights at their main hub?

Requirements for a Uzbek Transit Visa for US Citizens:

- Completed Visa Application form
- Passport (not a photocopy)
- One (1) color passport photo
- Visa and air-ticket to the country of destination
- Visa Fee - US $25.00 (three months, double entry, up to 72 hours stay for each entry)
That's what you need if you want to leave the sterile area at TAS.
Otherwise you're fine

Code:
National U.S.A. (US) /Transit UZBEKISTAN (UZ) 

Visa not required provided:
- continuing within 24 hours to a third country; and
- holding confirmed onward ticket; and
- all documents required for next destination; and
- not leaving the transit area.

No hotel accommodation available at Tashkent airport.

Non-compliance with the transit regulations will result in deportation by same airline on first available flight.

Last edited by apoivre; Feb 25, 2008 at 4:38 pm
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 5:24 pm
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Not as bad as flying whatever I flew from Bishkek to Osh. It was an old Soviet plane with bench seats. Everyone was smoking, talking on their cells.

Uzbek air had some decent planes.

Getting into and out of Uzbek is horrible. We crossed the border three times and it took a minimum of 90 minutes each time.

Actually, Uzbekistan is a great place to visit. It has great Islamic architecture. During the European dark ages, Central Asia was a place of great learning.
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Old Feb 25, 2008, 5:36 pm
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Originally Posted by manneca
Not as bad as flying whatever I flew from Bishkek to Osh. It was an old Soviet plane with bench seats. Everyone was smoking, talking on their cells.

Uzbek air had some decent planes.

Getting into and out of Uzbek is horrible. We crossed the border three times and it took a minimum of 90 minutes each time.

Actually, Uzbekistan is a great place to visit. It has great Islamic architecture. During the European dark ages, Central Asia was a place of great learning.
Unfortunately, today it is a place of no learning. Thank you, Mr. Karimov.

IMO, Uzbek Air does have the nicest planes after Air Astana for Central Asia.
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Old Feb 26, 2008, 7:31 pm
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Originally Posted by seoulmanjr
Why would SkyTeam want an airline in the alliance where most travellers would need a transit visa just to change flights at their main hub?
This may be one of the things they need to sort out before they're even admitted as an associate, along with service levels etc.

It's probably a smart move on Skyteam's part. With all the new oil wealth flowing into the region, they lock in a significant chunk of the growth in that travel market.
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Old Mar 3, 2008, 5:26 pm
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Originally Posted by dvs7310
Interesting... never even considered connecting in Tashkent before...

Check this out... anyone need a good used IL86??

http://www.uzairways.com/news.aspx?c...51&pid=0&cls=1
They sold the An-2, unfortunately....
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