recent experience on SU (elite benefits, SVO2, etc.)
 

I am considering flying SU from Europe to China (fastest connecting flights, full miles - vs. 0 on KLM, and good prices, klm wants 100 Euro for exit reservations even for delta gold!!). I am quite okay with SU's service and even when I did not have status always received exit rows a couple of years ago. Well downpoint was SVO2 aka hell. Anybody has an update if SVO3 will be finished in November (I only read finished in q3/09) or at least constructions done in SVO2?
Then I would love to see Moscow this time. Are those 72 hour transit visas easy to get and anyway available for transferring passengers who want to leave the terminal for a 22 hour stop-over. Is there a need to have an invitation for that or will SU take care of that? US citizens but residents of Europe, will they have to pay the European visa fee or the one stated on the russian-embassy_usa site which is 3 times as high?