Part 17: Shymkent (CIT) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) on Aeroflot in economy
Flight SU1951 – Airbus A320 - Seat 7A – 220 EUR as part of CIT-SVO-OTP
STD 5.40am - STA 7.00am (flight time 3h20m)
Shymkent's tiny airport is located some 20-25 minutes from the city centre. The God-awful departure time meant that I only had a relatively short night of sleep – and I sat in the taxi to the airport with drowsy eyes.
Shymkent airport is your typical Soviet regional airport, by which I mean ancient and chaotic. When I arrived the check-in desks were still not operational despite it being two hours before departure. When finally some people came the madness started and people just started queuing everywhere. A separate check-in desk for business class passengers and Sky Team elites? Forget about it. I don't know why but it also took ages just to process every passenger. The fact that many brought their entire household with them surely didn't help either – although it was no difference with the passengers who just had hand luggage only. When it was finally my turn (of course I chose the wrong queue which took by far the longest) I was checked in within 30 seconds and had my boarding pass in hand.
There were two security checks and passport control in a weird maze of small corridors. The gate area of Shymkent airport isn't too much either to write home about. It reminded me mostly about the waiting area of a hospital or dentist.
Boarding is done by bus at this airport – which despite the pitch dark time of the day gave some good opportunities to spot some beauties.
As it was again a sheer madness boarding the stairs to the Airbus A320 I didn't manage to take any snaps of the plane's exterior or interior, although those who are interested in reviews of four Aeroflot sectors in business class can check
my previous trip report about a fun journey to Siberia in winter.
The breakfast choice on the flight was between pancakes and eggs, and I decided on the former. The pancakes had a perfect texture and the taste with the berry sauce was simply very good. Add a yoghurt, plenty of cold cuts, an edible croissant and a chocolate bar and you simply have a great economy meal. Well done Aeroflot. I've had much worse breakfasts in business class!
Arrival in Moscow was on time. I had to switch terminals to make my connecting flight to Bucharest – and this time it was not as easy as previous SVO transits. I waited forever in a queue only to find that when it was my turn that for whatever reason I could not make use of it and had to go to the next booth. The person manning it said I just should go in front, which angered the 50+ people queuing there, although of course I didn't really mind.
Those who have read my previous trip report on Siberia know that there is one major drawback when flying Aeroflot. I do actually think the airline has a very good product both in economy and in business class. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about any of the Moscow lounges. If you pick the right one on a good day when it's not so crowded, it's a decidedly average experience at best. This morning however, the lounges in the F terminal were an absolute shambles. They were so full that simply no seats were available and the state of the toilets was even more disgusting than in the terminal itself (and there was a queue). I just picked up a soda to drink – and went out after 10 minutes to sit instead somewhere near the boarding gate.
Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) to Bucharest (OTP) on Aeroflot in economy
Flight SU2034 – Sukhoi SuperJet 100 - Seat 12A – 220 EUR as part of CIT-SVO-OTP
STD 9.10am - STA 11.25am (flight time 3h15m)
Luckily priority boarding was strictly enforced for this flight. As I was seated near the gate already and we were boarding by jet bridge meant that I was the first to be on board (well, the first after 'parents and children and those who need assistance'). This would be my first flight on the Russian-made Sukhoi SuperJet and naturally I was quite looking forward to it and eager to snap some decent shots. Business class is two abreast in proper recliner seats, while economy is 2+3.
The plane is a regional jet much like Bombardier builds them, and Aeroflot therefore mostly uses them to lower-yield destinations in a 2 -3 hour radius from SVO, both domestic and international.
I found the economy seat comfortable and leg room to be good as well.
There are however to drawbacks to this plane. First, the way the seats are placed (or at least on the left side of the aisle). As you can see on the picture below, one of the legs of the seat in front of you sits right in the middle of your leg room. It therefore makes it first of all impossible to put a bag below the seat in front of you, and second, this is quite annoying if you want to stretch your legs a bit. The person who designed this design flaw deserves some months in the Gulag!
Second, a bit more minor, I found the windows to be fairly lowly placed. You would need to stretch your neck and lower your head to be able to look out of the window properly.
It's a perfectly fine plane, but when it comes to comfort I much, much prefer the Embraer (during some recent flights with LOT Polish Airlines through Europe I found seat comfort be similar, if not better, than on 737s or A320s in economy).
The journey down to Bucharest was otherwise perfectly enjoyable. Take off was smooth and there were some nice views out on this rainy day in Moscow.
Again breakfast was served, this time I chose the eggs. It was mediocre at best and nowhere as good as the pancakes on the previous flight.
There were some gorgeous views of a sunny Romania on arrival as the plane flew straight over the Carpathians and the Prahova Valley.
We arrived on time – and safely – and when flying a Russian-made aeroplane that is all you can ask about. Joking aside, I do like flying Aeroflot and these days I'd easily rate them among the better European airlines you can fly. I only wish they would massively overhaul their lounges (more capacity, better offers) if they truly want to compete with some other European airlines who are upping their game in this regards (Turkish, Air France etc.).
This was about the only time I was happy we were disembarking by stairs as it meant I could take a decent snap of the Sukhoi itself.
I was through passport control in no-time and when I entered the parking lot of the airport my Uber was already waiting to drive me home. I absolutely loved Uzbekistan and can highly recommend anyone to visit it. Especially now the country eased up their visa policies it is a great time to contemplate a trip to the old silk road.
Thanks again for reading along on this trip report, and hope to see you again on the next journey!