Dear readers,
How do you get a negative image like with Aeroflot, of course from the past with the old aircraft and delays. Now for the first time flown with Aeroflot via internet, booked four weeks in advance and managed to get two tickets for € 475.00 pp. This after first obtaining some information here and there, because it turns out that they are just a KLM sky partner, so that the aircraft was half KLM and half Aeroflot occupied.
From Amsterdam to Moscow we had a delay of 20 minutes due to the bad weather in Moscow, but this saved us waiting at the airport there. Two hours to do. Great flight landing alone in a snow storm is new to us, but the computers in the aircraft are so advanced that it is more the idea than the danger that there could be.
There is a somewhat gloomy atmosphere at the airport in Moscow, but after a few laps past the duty-free it was boarding again. Another 25 minute delay due to snow and frost in Moscow. Before we took to the air, the plane was treated with a special fluid to prevent ice build-up.
The plane is of the same type as China Airlines and EVA Air flies along, only more recently built, I think. Then a great flight with better meals than the above companies, only there is no alcohol on board, this as a precaution.
For next time if the price and transfer time are acceptable definitely worth it.
Submitted by Jan
I have been booking tickets for my own customers with Aeroflot for years and, as mentioned, they work together with KLM. The flight from Amsterdam to Moscow vice versa is with a KLM flight. Last week I privately booked a ticket for my daughter during the school holidays for €640, in short, an excellent company and a very competitive price. Can I advertise? lextravel.nl and thailandgolf.nl (both sites need to be updated)
Idd negativity from the past, but Russia is not a banana republic or something and there is a lot of money. Aeroflot has also reaped the benefits of this. Modern fleet and excellent connections with good transfer times. Nothing (anymore) wrong with that…
Went with Ukraine Air in May 2015. Nothing to complain about either. Well for € 420 return.
Dear Jan,
I understand your choice if you have to pay attention to finances. I find the comparison with companies such as China and Eva a bit strange. I have to say that I have never flown with Aeroflot myself (will never consider doing so), but from all the stories/reviews and objective reports Aeroflot's service is in no way compared to eg China and Eva and/or other Asian airline.
You may also need to keep the moral aspect in mind. A country with Aeroflot as its state company that does not take our standards and values very seriously (Ukraine / Syria) and that is still held 100% responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in the summer of 2014 poses a certain risk. This is also due to the fact that Malaysian Airlines will no longer fly from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur from this month.
I'm hesitant to fly with Aeroflot, but now I'm hearing favorable news, and will consider flying with them sometime.
Only I hear that no alcohol is served because of the Russians, who abuse it.
Is it allowed to drink your own purchased alcoholic drink on board?
computing
No, that is expressly forbidden, but a hip flask works wonders.
Is flying without alcohol a problem? At least that's how it seems.
The photo above is of an Airbus A330, flying with a 2-4-2 setting.
These seats are 18 inches wide instead of the 777 inch KLM Boeing 17 seats.
Well, that makes a difference of 2.4 cm and that is a lot for a sitting of 12 hours.
Eva Air and Air China fly the Boeing 777 with 3-3-3 setting and also 18 inch seats.
KLM used to fly the Boeing 777 with 3-3-3 but has converted them all to 3-4-3
The reactions on Facebook and Seatguru are not sad about it.
So just book with a 3-3-3 airline for the same or cheaper price, I like this best.
No more Aeroflot for me. Departure 1 hour late. According to the gate, transfer in Moscow was no longer possible while the plane was still there. Waiting from 15.00 p.m. to midnight. Had nothing to eat. Angry staff. No answers to questions. Bad hotel 00.00 pers. On 3 pers. Bed. To do or not to do. Otherwise, sit in the hall. Next day 2x very bad food.
Never again Aeroflot for me.
Good to know, this makes the threshold slightly lower to fly with Aeroflot of Ukraine.
Dear Jan,
Funny how people do the same thing and yet experience it completely differently. OK the price was low with me too, but that's almost always the case. You can always get a ticket between 450 and 550.
The staff was very friendly, nothing to complain about. I thought the food was terrible (had ordered a vegetarian meal). The device seemed a bit older to me. The seats are not all very comfortable (they asked me to move twice, so I have some experience).
In my third seat, the video system did not work. Asking ten times, because they just ignored me, the result came. I wouldn't have any audio visual distractions on this flight.
And the fact that there is no alcohol is not correct, because it is indeed there in the business class.
No, give me Turkish airlines for about the same price. Just booked with Qatar for also under five hundred euros. M curious.
@Rob,
how can you tell that the service on board of these flights is not good when you have never used it yourself?? Nonsense.
You refer to objective assessments? Do objective assessments even exist?
I myself flew this route with them, on board very good service, nothing wrong with that. The layover in Moscow is less.
fyi. I have more than 1.000.000 service miles with KLM, platinum for live, so I really know what I'm talking about.
Dear Jan, with all due respect, we only fly with EVA Air with its modern fleet, because it is the best airline for us in all areas, especially safety on board with 4 x armed marshallers and the food and service is excellent. They also do not fly over war zones. Aeroflot or KLM really can't match that.
Dear Walter and Ria, with all due respect, but it is very cheap to judge other airlines if you only fly with Eva, which is a good airline by the way.
1) Those marshallers won't stop a missile.
2) Tastes differ. I cook better, depends on what you are used to at home.
3) Which war zone does Aeroflot or KLM fly over? This is very important for all readers.
I also flew with Aeroflot for 2 years and this was no fun.
10 hours in a chair while your screen is broken and you therefore have nothing to watch
If you want to read a book, the reading light on the ceiling is also broken
It was not possible to change seats because the flight was fully booked.
Service was only so and so.
Food, yes it was edible but not very tasty.
Alcohol, not available so just eat with a coke.
Airport in Moscow is not really pleasant now, you cannot pay with us$ or euro, only with credit card.
If I have to choose Aeroflot at 475 euros or Etihad at 494 euros (booked last week) then I made my choice very quickly.
Jan thanks for your flight report. It is always good to read how an airline flies us Thailand travelers back and forth. Fortunately, there is a lot to choose from on the Bangkok route. It is also true that we always remember bad experiences better than the good ones. I fly with several companies and most of the time it all goes well. Of course I have preferences because of legroom, seat width, device, friendliness and that is what matters to me over price. I travel alone and that is of course a different story than flying to Thailand with 4 people or more. 4 times 100 euros or more is of course an amount that increases considerably. Safety, maintenance procedures and flying skills of the pilots is something that I am less able to judge myself as a customer. I don't normally imagine much about airplane food in the economy. Then it always works out. I always bring something to snack on. What is a plus or perhaps more necessary is that no alcohol is served at the 'Rus'. I was a little favored that you were on a half-drunk plane with all those nasty Russians.