Originally Posted by apoivre
Next time you want to sound like an old Russia/CIS hand, substitute Yakovlev for Ilyushin (as in "it will be superior to Tupolev or Ilyushin, etc"). SU doesn't fly a single scheduled route on a Yakovlev plane if my copy of their timetable is anything to go by.
I don't get your irony my friend.
I never said SU currently flies Yakovlevs. They used to. I used this particular name to say that what they do now is far superior to the horror of the past.
Out of interest: Yak-40 are still used by some babyflots, I flew one most recently in December 2003 from KHV to VVO (operated by Vladavia) and it was a sheer horror, not least because it was minus 30 outside and the thing was not heated prior to boarding. Even An-24 Antonov is much better.
Originally Posted by apoivre
SU mostly operates Airbus and Boeing aircraft on their European routes (with an odd Fokker thrown in for good measure on the morning run to VIE) and most people flying out of Moscow prefer their coach to that of their Western competitors for better amenities. Being based at MOW I still try not to fly SU (their ff programme is a joke). But let's be fair - apart from their serious image issues their are a) not worse than your average European airline on European routes b) the only half-decent option on intra-Russia/CIS routes c)no match to top quality Asian carriers on Asian routes
I agree completely: APART FROM IMAGE ISSUES, they are not inferior to average European airline quality.