orbitmic

I've never had the early boarding at SVO (out of my six trips in one year) We didn't get it at PRG or BKK either. I don't remember about FRA and PEK, we did get it in NCE but the boarding was handled by AF.

woody125

They won't offer it I promise. You must ask, ok demand, it but they've let me do it when traveling with my family on two occasions and half a dozen times when alone. Flash the card and have a go at it!

volerbleu

The Skyteam website says:

The little (4) saying:
Which is a way to say: "Maybe yes, maybe no... who knows!" ;-)

KevNice

I am considering Aeroflot from europe to Hong Kong. Price is one of the best available but what also appeals to me is the very short travel time.

Not sure if the layover is a blessing or a curse, though. It is only 1 hr 25 mins. What are the chances that I miss my connection in SVO?

volerbleu

I had my first Aeroflot flight and it was really good.

The 777-300ER is great... FYI, the premium economy product seems bad, as the load factor was 0%!!! Tried the seat and I would not pay an extra dollar for that.

Business class is good, service also.

Will post a trip report with pics after the return leg.

KQ321

I've just posted an answer to a very similar question about AMS-SVO-DEL in this thread: 1:10 min stop in SVO. Again, there's only one SU flight to HKG each day, but there are a few more rebook options on other SkyTeam partners than for DEL (although if you missed the connection, I don't know whether SU would readily rebook you on a connecting flight, or make you wait 24hrs for the next direct flight...)

(And welcome to FlyerTalk, KevNice!)

All good to hear. ^

DrSavant

Are you flying business or economy? That would be a huge contributing factor to you missing or making your connection, as the time lost in deplaning could be crucial.

My SVO connections are usually long, and they involve terminal changes (btw, look into that - if you need to change terminals, you won't make it most likely). One of the reasons why I prefer DME is that it's all in the same building - I made 1 hour even connections, quite a few times.

As KQ321 pointed out, there are other Skyteam rebooking options - if you miss your flight, it's their fault, so it's up to them to fix it.

KQ321

Indeed. If you're in Y, then you at least want to be as near the front of the plane as possible. If your flight is slightly delayed, and then you're last person off and end up behind a couple of hundred other pax going through the controls, that could be problematic...

If both flights are on SU-metal then, as far as I understand, it should all be within the D/E/F complex. Although D, E and F are each described as 'terminals', it is basically the same building. Admittedly, it is quite a trek from D to F or vice versa - but as mentioned above, I have comfortably made 1h30 connections D<->F.

ChingghisKhan

NEVER, EVER again! I was stuck in Germany for 10 days because bad weather and Aeroflot couldn't fly. I didn't mind staying longer in Germany but Aeroflot didn't offer any accommodation nor compensation which they are required by law. Once we we managed to get from Frankfurt to Scheremetejevo with 6 hours delay, our connecting flight was gone. We had to wait 12 hours at the airport with no food or water, were not allowed out of a small holding area. At midnight, we were escorted to a hotel where we had to wait outside in the bus for another 2 hours because they didn't have enough rooms. So I had to talk to those Idiots and managed to get all people in the rooms by sharing arrangements. We were not allowed to leave the floor! We were IMPRISONED!!! The room service would only take cash but the only way to change money was a machine. I had to beg our KGB prison guards to escort me down to the lobby only to find the machine broken. I had to change money with the clerk at a 100% premium. Russians are [redacted] and I will never ever fly through Russia again. I never had any problems with Air China going through Beijing. In China, they will let you out of the airport for 72 hours, even if you do not have a visa!

lochniss

My experiences are not as bad as ChingghisKhan above. Here are my issues with Aeroflot:

Cons: never a dedicated priority line, food is horrible in economy, the million duty-free bags that Russians carry on, the lack of common courtesy by other passengers, always hot in the cabin

Pros: competitive fares, flight schedules (time of day) are better than competitors

431mu

Hi,

My wife and I decided to try Aeroflot on our twice yearly trip from China to Europe. As has been said, they are extremely competitive. However, from our first step onto the aircraft, A333, it was pretty obvious how they keep their prices so low. The biggest shock to us we're the seats. They have really been pared down to a minimum; narrow, flimsy and plastic coverings. The flight was 8+ hours long and very uncomfortable. The staff all seemed very thin, pale and exhausted. The food was on a par with China Southern - horrible.
My wife and I agreed that we won't be traveling with this airline again. Also, we had a 3 hour lay over at Moscow and the shop/ restaurant/ food stall staff all seemed the same as the airline staff and were very rude.
Maybe we just caught everyone on a bad day, but we won't use Aeroflot again.

luitje

I appreciate people randomly spare time on posting their positive experiences, but I believe moderators shall do a better job here, removing offensive language from a couple of posts.
I would also argue some of the complaints are not very fair. TWOV is always a tricky thing and may lead to a pretty miserable experience in case of irrops, no matter Russia or else. One would have to stay airside for the whole period of delay without a proper paperwork. You pay less for a connecting flight by taking a risk of this inconvinience. I also have difficulty believing Aeroflot delayed a flight by 10 days, cannot remember a case of flights from Germany having been cancelled for almost two weeks.
Having seen quite a few A330, I can't agree SU hard product is significantly inferior to other major airlines offering in Y. Didn't quite get the "plastic" chairs bit. Are you implying A330 was fitted with plastic chairs? Would be good to know what metal you flew, to see the pictures of that aircraft cabin.

Occupationalhazard

Why I Like Flying the 'Flot
by Occupationalhazard

First they have a good J product and are usually well under the price of J in other Skyteam Airlines flying over the pond.

Second, I use SVO as a transit hub fairly often, now, b/c once you've had the meal and watched a movie, you can get 5-6 hours of sleep (which is usually all I need, anyway). Sometimes, I don't sleep at all on JFK-AMS flights, and then I'm a zombie for my first day there.

Third, intra-Europe, the 'Flot offers a legitimate business class seat, as opposed to a 3x3 coach seat configuration with the middle seat blocked out for space. Given my rather generous dimensions, that's nice.

Fourth, they do have have Sky Priority lines for boarding, but one does have to understand the Slavic view on lines, which is this: there aren't really any lines, it's just a bunch of people hanging out. The trick is to hang out towards the front and then make your way over to the business class scrum.

O/H

sbrower

Flying with family this summer from LAX. We are in the "low" category of fares which don't allow seat reservations until 24 hours before the flight. (Saved $500/person over any other choice). If I understand their website correctly, no online check-in from USA. So, if I really care about getting decent seats (I do), is my only option to go to LAX the day before (24 hours) and reserve the seats in person?

woody125

I amen, thumb up, and second all of that. In 3 days I drop down to SU Silver after a decade as a Gold. Curious how the experience will differ as I've always had more response showing SU plastic than ANY Delta plastic/tin. Not overly worried through. Keep getting me to OVB and MSQ and more and more to KBP and I'll be a happy man.