I scored my ticket to Barcelona for a mere $394. My godsend was the low-budget Russian airline Aeroflot, which sends out 600 inexpensive flights a day, provided they have a layover (or end up) in Moscow. Aeroflot is happy to be part of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that includes Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, and more.
I was a teensy bit nervous going through check in because online it says that Aeroflot only allows one carry on luggage at 10 kg. It’s hard to find information about whether personal items such as a purse or small backpack are also allowed, so I was a little worried about having technically two items to stow. But it all worked out and both my backpack and luggage got on the flight with zero issues. I saw a lot of others with a personal item as well as a carry on sized luggage so having two items seems to be a-okay, as long as one is a personal item.
The international aircraft plane is pretty standard. Seats are definitely not as comfortable as I would prefer, and there is zero leg room, especially if you keep your personal item underneath the chair like you’re supposed to. But this ticket was dirt cheap so I’m not complaining too much. The flight attendants offer airplane freebies such as ear buds, paper slippers, and sleeping eye masks. The eye masks are actually pretty comfy and I stuck mine in my backpack for later use.
Inflight Entertainment includes Premiere (movies that just came out), Oscars, Family-friendly movies, Comedies, and National films. You can also play games or watch TV shows, of which “Fargo” is one of the only options. Many of the National films are – no surprise – Russian movies. I watched one titled “No Borders” that followed four different story lines of people in Moscow. It featured extremely attractive actors falling in love with each other and what not. It’s worth watching if you want to see some city views within Moscow!
Food was actually pretty good on Aeroflot, considering how nasty airplane food can be. I just wish I could have eaten two trays; the portion control on airplanes is all too real. There were two options of Fish or Beef, so I went with the beef and scarfed it down in a couple bites. There was a mushroom marsala sauce atop two pieces of beef chuck, with a peas/carrot medley and white rice. The other tray items included a rather tasty salad with little baby shrimp and smoked fish on it, as well as a bread roll and a citrus orange custard cake. That cake was soooo good and I wish I had like five to eat.
After dinner we got the option to drink tea. Which probably wasn’t such a good idea because after the tea I Could Not Sleep. Plus I got cuddled by a large Mongolian woman who was knocked out next to me and took up two seats. I wanted to be the one to lay down but she beat me to it. Yay for being awake for 20 hours.
All in all, I’d say that I’m pretty satisfied with my Aeroflot experience. For the value, it was what I expected, and I’m super thrilled that my personal item got in without any hassle.
Time for a beer at Mama Pawa Lounge at the Moscow airport. Cheers!
2 Responses
Jake
How early in advance did you have to book your flight to find it at $394? Was it through the standard Kayak or Expedia type sites? Thanks.
admin
I booked in late October for a flight in mid-February, so it was about four months in advance! I like skyscanner the best. It lets you look at the cheapest flights for the whole month so if you have a lot of flexibility you can make the trip very inexpensive!