Part 13: Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) to Irkutsk (IKT) in Aeroflot business class
SU1562 (booked as AF4616)- Boeing 737-800 - Seat 3F
STD 01:05am - STA 11:45am (flight time 5h40m)
It was a mad scrum to board the flight on the freezing tarmac of some faraway corner of Sheremetyevo Airport. I was about the 30th or so person to board the flight, and quickly took my quiet seat on board happy that I was inside a warm aeroplane and out of the masses standing in the aisle.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800, seemed brand new - even having beautiful mood lighting. It had the same comfy business class seats as on board my previous Aeroflot flight, with the extra addition that it has TV screens in each chair. Service was again excellent on this flight, with a lovely FA introducing herself, handing out menu cards, and asking if I would like a PDB. Naturally, a glass of champagne seemed to be the right option after the boarding madness. Headphones were distributed as well on this flight. Business class was about 75% full but I was lucky again and did not have a seatmate.
The comfy business class seats on the Boeing 737-800
PDB champagne - which on domestic Russian flights is Lanson black label brut
Headphones being distributed
The menu for the flight
No pictures of the drinks list - as besides the champagne (Lanson black label instead of Ayala) it was the same as on my Paris to Moscow flight. The menu however puzzled me. With a red-eye departure this late, it seems like most passengers want to go to sleep straight away. I would rather suspect a breakfast being served before arrival. When the FA came by to write down food choices, I asked her when the meal would be served, to which she replied they would immediately start after take-off. As I wasn't hungry at all, I asked if they could keep my choice for meal and serve it about one-and-a-half hours before landing in Irkutsk. The lovely FA gladly obliged. It seemed however that almost every other passenger did eat their meal straight away - not many people went straight to sleep!
Safety briefing
737 mood lighting
Russia surely is a gigantic country!
Take-off was smooth and I immediately went to sleep once on cruising altitude. I woke up again some two hours out of Irkutsk - and boy, did the scenery look different already! There were some absolutely amazing sunrise colours over the frozen wastelands of Siberia - which looked truly spectacular from the air with its rivers, mountains and endless taiga.
As the FA spotted I was awake, she inquired if I indeed wanted to have my meal right now and asked me if I wanted to have a drink. I opted for a glass of orange juice. Before the meal was served I quickly went to the toilet to fresh up a bit. The only toilet (in business class) was kept clean throughout the flight, with FAs regularly checking it.
If I press this button, would a flight attendant come to bring me a glass of champers on the toilet?
Dawn somewhere over Siberia
Flying somewhere halfway between Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk in Western Siberia. I just love to stare at maps and fantasise about exotic destinations!
My meal was served soon afterwards. The menu also read that there would be an appetiser (beef dim sum) - but I never received this and didn't bother to inquire about it. What came instead was the starter which I ordered, the baked beef with white bean hummus, served with cream cheese with honey and mint. The FA passed by with a bread basket for me to choose some buns. The starter was quite good, a bit rich and heavy in taste - but I liked it.
Baked beef with white bean hummus, served with cream cheese with honey and mint.
For the main, I had the pastrami beef with cabbage stew in a port wine jus sauce. Again a hearty meal (and a big portion!) - but it was a great choice. The beef was very tender and not cooked to death, while the port wine sauce was great. Not your typical breakfast meal - but again kudos to Aeroflot for so far coming up with consistently good food.
Pastrami beef with cabbage stew in a port wine jus sauce
Views were again fantastic during meal service, and even though I was still tired I did not regret at all not getting any more sleep. Only now did the excitement of visiting Siberia really start to hit me.
After the meal, the FA asked me if I wanted to have coffee or tea. She did not offer the dessert which was listed on the menu, but frankly I wasn't feeling like eating ice cream right now in the first place! I took up her offer for a coffee and asked if I could have a bottle of still water as well, which was promptly delivered.
Coffee with a small chocolate
Again, I was glued to my window snapping some great shots of the Siberian winter wonderland. Boy did it seem cold out there!
About half an hour later, the FA made a round through the cabin with a tray full of glasses of some red berries juice - which was quite refreshing.
Soon after, the fasten seatbelts sign went on and the captain announced our descend into Irkutsk. Like my CDG-SVO flight, the friendly crew came buy to distribute packages of tea again and thanked us for flying Aeroflot. Views on approach to IKT were getting better by the minute - everything was covered in snow, and apart from the odd small town, road or railway line, the lands were completely empty. Just snow-covered fields and endless taiga.
At one point, I could even imagine white walkers coming out of the forest - so cold and Game of Thrones-like did the snowy landscapes look like. It reminded me again why I so much prefer a window seat above an aisle seat!
Landing in Irkutsk was on time and smooth. After a short taxi ride, we arrived at our parking spot on the tarmac. The FAs made sure that only business class passengers could go out first and held back the economy section of the plane until all of us in J had boarded the dedicated business class bus for us.
Old Soviet bus for J passengers
Our 737-800 as seen from the bus
The bus ride through IKT airport was interesting as it gave some quick peeks at old Soviet birds!
Lots. of. snow.
The bus dropped us off at the baggage reclaim hall. As I had no luggage to collect, I went straight to the arrivals hall. After withdrawing some Rubles from an ATM I quickly found a driver willing to take me to my hotel for a couple of Euros (IKT airport is only a few kilometres away from the town centre). I was super excited to finally having arrived in Siberia and ready to discover the place!
In short: Overall, it was a fantastic flight which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are not many better moments in flying than eating a great meal while watching some truly amazing scenery down below. The plane itself was good too - comfy business class seats, entertainment systems in the chair, and a brand new and clean bird overall. There are however some minor negative points worth addressing. I don't get the meal service as I would have preferred a more suitable meal before arrival. In my opinion, such a late red-eye departure is all about maximising sleep. And even though the crew was very friendly and pro-active, there were some minor inconsistencies in the service (no appetiser or desert offered). All in, it kinda confirmed my thoughts I had on my previous flight: great hard product, friendly and helpful crew which is eager to please, great food, but there are some inconsistencies the airline/staff can work on to deliver an even better product.
Next up: 2 days in freezing cold Irkutsk