Tashkent on oneworld
 

I need to go to Tashkent. Does anyone know of a oneworld route as I am keen to secure the Avios and TPs? I understand that S7 operates from OVB but am having trouble finding an itinerary and fare. Am aware of visa issues transiting Russia.

Many thanks in advance!

Difficult. If you're coming from LON, SU and TK are the best options. S7 flies Sundays from OVB, as you say, but that would obviously require two changes.

How about BA to Almaty in Kazakhstan and then Air Astana for the 90 min flight to Tashkent? No Avios or TPs with Air Astana, but it's one of the better airlines in Central Asia. With BA to Almaty you would get 140 TPs each way on a 767 with one of the older versions of CW. Don't expect much of a lounge experience at ALA however. I'm not sure if you would need a Kazakh visa if in transit and do not enter the country.

Was a BMed route but that ended about a decade ago.

I'd second the suggestion of routing via ALA and was very impressed with Air Astana J class on the short hop to TAS. Other routing might be into DEL and connect on Uzbekistan Airways.

Do leave plenty of time to get your visa. Hands down the most painful and incompetent experience I have had. I was sent away at least twice as "the visa wasn't ready" depsite it being well past the date they had given me and met several other people who had to change flights due to the embassy incompetence.

Do not take photos on the metro!

I see availability on some sundays. For example:
13JUL14 S7 3297 OVB-TAS dep 0900 arr 1010
20JUL14 S7 3298 TAS-OVB dep 1130 arr 1635
£383 in economy. £669 in business.

I had no problem with my visa. Went in person to the embassy in Holland Park. They didn't accept payment there, so had to pay at a Barclays (I think) branch. I walked to Kensington High Street, paid the money in, posted one copy of the receipt to the embassy and they posted me the passports with visas within a week. The Tajik embassy was a different story - they lost our passports.

Baggage reclaim and immigration at TAS was quite an experience. Tip: you have to fill in the customs form in duplicate, so they can give you one to keep for departure. If you protest, as I did, they will let you leave without a copy, which will create trouble later :D.

Second tip: if you are flying out J, there is a completely separate check-in area which is not signed. Go to the far right hand side of the terminal and there is a VIP entrance. We queued for 90 mins in the main terminal to be told we could not check in there and had to go to the VIP terminal :mad:

Agree re. photos in the metro. They are really hot on it and there are reports of cameras being smashed, but I managed to get a few shots off.

Thanks for the advice everybody. How difficult do you think it would be to get a double transit (i.e. inbound and outbound) visa for Kazakhstan?

Wonder why that is. Could the system be part of the country's "civil defence" infrastructure?

I always love the "lounge experience" in ALA :D
You get a voucher which you have to spend at the "bar"...however the voucher does not allow you to get coffee + croissant + water...just two items :D :D

This thread has now been moved into its new home, the oneworld forum.

Prospero
Moderator: BA forum

Uzbekistan is a police state - they are everywhere and their job seems to be to make everyone's life difficult. Shame photography is prohibited, as the metro is very interesting architecturally, but if it's not specifically permitted, then enforcing a prohibition gives the police something to do.

TAS airport is chaos with inadequate signage (and that's being nice). Follow someone who knows where they are going. Don't get caught up in Customs lines where they go through all Uzbek citizen's luggage - foreigners should be waved through the chaos with a growling smile and non interest.

On leaving TAS, absolutely 100% ensure your declaration of cash (in all currencies) shows you have less than you brought in. If you declare you have more (eg USD) than you arrived with, expect huge problems (ie you won't be ley out). They are most unlikely to actually check / count your cash. Note that USD cash was available from an ATM in one of the 5* hotels (can't remember which one).

In the end I decided to buy a ticket on Uzbekistan Airways. They fly direct so no transit hassles. Thanks for the advice though. :)

I am pleased to report that the flights on Uzbekistan Airways were excellent! :)

Photos please! :)