[KSHaggag]

Being a Skyteam fan and loyal customer ,I frankly started to think of Aeroflot since they joined Skyteam !..I surfed their web to discover that their Business Class fares from UK to Shanghai,Beijing ,etc via SVO are a lot cheaper than the traditional carriers we use ..the a/c type sounds encouraging as A330 ,and A320 on the LHR/SVO ,however I was put off by the fact of having to deal with a connection via SVO and deal with the airport facilities that reportedly are not among the best ,to say the least ..I did try DME airport earlier having flown on LH,LX ,etc ..it was ok ( new ) but felt things were not that smooth still …..shall I give SU a try to cement my Elite plus Skyteam membership ???

[AMcWhirter]

@ christopheL

When Jet Airways reconfigures its B777-300ERs, according to Bangalore Aviation, the seat width will be reduced from 18.5 ins to 17 ins.

If the seat width is unchanged then it means something else will have to be narrowed to compensate because the recommended configuration is 9-across. The aisles, perhaps ? Or the armrests ?

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/aeroflot-and-jet-airways-join-ten-across-club

@ KSHaggag

Moscow has a splendid location astride the main routes linking Europe with Korea, Japan and China. With the right airline and the right airport, Russia could capture more 6th freedom traffic than it does at present.

[Vertrek]

Hi LondonCity,

It is true that the aisle is narrower and there are more people, but what I am trying to say was, despite of the downsides, i didn’t feel that way, it feels like normal economy seat.

However, if I were to compare it with the best economy seating I had, which was with Garuda B737 domestic flight when I was assigned an exit row, of course I can see the big difference. But again, Southeast Asian Airlines seatings are always more generous in term of pitch and width compared to the rest of the world’s.

So, I think the 10Y seat is actually ok as long as you don’t stress about it too much and board the aircraft with a positive mind set.

It is a good news that BA and TG will keep the 9Y configuration. At least for now, but I believe in a near future, BA will change it as the demand rises.

==========

Hi Mark,

Good to hear that Aeroflot is a good airlines. Another good example of SkyTeam member.
It is good for value as Mr Senator said £1500 to Seoul! Plus their business fare give 150% FB status miles (KSHagga, maybe yes for your Elite+ miles, and if you are a FB member the excess points will now be carried over to the next year) . Shame about the lounge thou. Perhaps I’ll give them a try next year when they roll out the new “J”. =)

[KSHaggag]

My dear LondonCity and Vertrek !

Yep!…you know this role is now being played superbly well ,that of connecting EU with Japan ,Northern China and Korea swiftly and rapidly by OW member Finnair u know …until SU standards in terms of airport facilities and lounges ,etc match Helsinki s that will take a few years I believe …!…For us ,Skyteam lovers we will still give it a try for the sake of the many benefits Skyteam offers ..I appreciate tremendously the possibility and unqiue feature of carrying your extra status miles to the next year !.,.this is awesome !

[Pierre]

Hi!
I never enjoyed the airports in the CIS, as so far most of them were not matching the standards I am used to in other countries. Big steps and improvements were done by Aeroflot mainly since joining SkyTeam.
With Sotchi being scheduled, I am sure key airports will be upgraded according to the needs, and also the pride of the Russian people..(Domodedovo is almost ok, & Sheremetievo is moving fast).

[AMcWhirter]

@ PierreAntoine

If Russia were to construct world class airports and have a world class airline (Aeroflot has improved immensely but is still behind the best) then Moscow could become a major aviation hub because of its strategic location.

I remember in the days of the Soviet Union that Aeroflot used to sell very cheap tickets through bucket shops in UK/mainland Europe for flights via Moscow to much of Asia including India, SE Asia and Japan. (For political reasons Aeroflot hardly promoted the PRC and S Korea, partly because China was still closed to the West and also because of Soviet support for N Korea).

Today’s much improved Aeroflot continues to place attractive fares on the market.

In USSR days, Aeroflot was used as a tool to raise hard currency in the West. It was a popular choice amongst cash-strapped travellers because in those days fares with other European and major Asian carriers were expensive because, the pre-liberalisation days, airlines had to adhere to IATA-approved tariffs.

[CityRiskBoy]

I agree with hedgefundflyer – Forget the interior….thats not going to save your life….You need to take out life insurance before flying a Russian airline…..Besides have you seen some of the airliner trip report photos for Aeroflot and other Russian carriers…….Looks diabolical!

[Pierre]

@Londoncity
I agree when mentioning that flying to the Far East via MOW was one of the cheapest trips available. I had in mind the domestic flirts to the Far East, beyond Novossibirk down to Sakhaline Island, via Barnaul, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk and all these numerous Siberian cities.
I missed checking if the Hammer & Sickle still appear on the cutlery on board Aeroflot.

[Vertrek]

But CityRiskBOy,

their last incident and accident was in the 90s. I think they are safe now.

[christopheL]

@ CityRiskBoy

The 777 is a very safe plane. Only 8 incidents since it came into service, 2 of them involving BA aircrafts !!!
Perhaps wil it be safer to fly SU 777 than BA’s 🙂
You should reconsider your mind about former USSR airlines.
Would you have travelled with a Middle East carrier some 25 years ago ? No.
Do you now travel with middle east carriers ? Definitively YES

[Henkel.Trocken]

I must say I’m tempted to try SU. I’ve always been curious about flying with them since I made my first visit to LHR as a boy and I never have. Fares to the far east and SE Asia are really competative and I’m tempted to give them a try as they will also boost my recently acquired KLM status a bit. Their new product looks as good as others and their safety record is now as good as others. I don’t think they’ve had a near miss with a 777 on approach to one of the world’s busiest airports in recent years.

I think SkyTeam are shaping up nicely as number two to *A in terms of usefulness to me and apart from CX, there isn’t anyone in the third alliance I really need to use having discovered as the result of a really helpful post in this forum that Easyjet were so useful on shorthaul. I tried them during the week and really was pleasantly surprised.

[superchris]

Guys – you can say what you like about Russian carriers, but they fly over all of our houses 3 or 4 times a day. Dont you think the authorities would have acted if there was any evidence they were unsafe??

[Vertrek]

Concerning the 10Y Club,

Overall, AF (17,5 to 18,5) with 10Y score better than BA 9Y (17,3 to 18,1) in term of seat width. Oucchh, it must be quiet a hard slap to the BA flyers aye?
http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/airline-survey-results-revealed

So I supposed the image of 10Y as a very bad one is just in our mind and based on an “general logic” judgment in stead of “tried and tested” judgment.

LOL, Good point ChristopheL and agree with you SuperChris, in fact for the last 12 years, BA have more crash than SU, 2 incident/accident for BA and 0 for SU.
Another example of stereotyping or comment without fact. 🙂

[Henkel.Trocken]

Well spotted Vertrek.

I’m waiting to hear why although they are narrower, the BA seats are so much better than the AF ones. I’ve no doubt there will be an apologist along any moment now.

[AMcWhirter]

@ Vertrek

The figures you mention cover a variety of aircraft types for that particular airline. In other words, they do not relate solely to the B777.

Seat Expert shows a 9-across B777 of BA having a width of 18.5 ins.

http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/94/British_Airways_Boeing_777_(Four_class)/

Seat Expert shows that for a 10-across AF B777 the seat width is 17 ins

http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/406/Air_France_Boeing_777-300ER/

Aviation consultancy CAPA talks about SIA re-configuring its B777s for operation by Scoot (SIA’s budget subsidiary).

When the B777s in question were operated by SIA the 9-across seat width was 18.45 ins. When these B777s were transferred to Scoot, the layout was increased to 10-across and the seat width was reduced to 17.2 ins.

http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/sia-new-long-haul-low-cost-carrier-to-start-with-400-seat-b777s-plans-16-aircraft-fleet-within-five-58111

[Author]

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