Aeroflot Russian Airlines has been serving the flying public for 85 years now. They are considered as one of the top 10 airlines serving the European market. The first time I heard about this airline was in passing as my friend was planning to go to London and they have the cheapest ticket at that time.
I found out about Aeroflot through expedia.com while hunting for the cheapest ticket to Europe for our trip. I tried their website and it was cheap. However, they don’t have any option to reserve so I thought of going through their ticket agent here in Beijing. I tried calling the number listed on their website but nobody was answering. I tried sending an email and they did reply but listed our names wrong on the reservation. I replied to them informing them of the incorrect names but they did not reply back. Called.. no answer.. I was getting desperate that I contacted their Shanghai office. Luckily, they were kind enough to change the reservation.
Next encounter with the airline was when purchasing the ticket. Since we weren’t able to contact them and our reservation was valid until 6pm, we arrived at the ticket office at 445pm. It was a nightmare, they at first do not want to entertain us because they said they are already close. We persuaded them to sell us the ticket. Then, they informed us that we can only pay using cash. No credit card or debit card. We didn’t have enough cash at that time so we had to rush to the bank and back to them. While processing the ticket, they were saying “It’s not my problem that we can’t help you!” or “Don’t you know that we have families at home waiting for us!” or “We don’t receive overtime for this!”. It was customer service at its worst! In the end, we were able to get our tickets at the price we were quoted.
During the flight to Moscow, the flight crew were not smiling and one of them even had an argument with the passenger. You would have thought that a 7 hour flight would have in-flight movies but there was none. You either have to sleep or read a book that you brought. The magazines that they have are mostly in Russian so it was a bit useless. They made a mistake of serving our lunch during breakfast and breakfast during lunch. If you wish to drink Coke, then you have to purchase it for 5 euros. One thing I like, the orange juice was fantastic! It was Tropicana. I like the landing and so did the passengers as they clapped when we landed.
If our flight to Moscow was bad, it was worse to Paris. The food was cold and not to my palate. No in-flight entertainment. Bathroom needs cleaning. They served fizzy water which is the norm in Europe but not in Asia. The flight was delayed and the landing was horrible. I’m just happy that I’m in Paris!!
At Leonardo Da Vinci-Fiumicino terminal, the queue was long at the check-in counter and the ticket agent was a rookie. She told me that I can put in my carry-on the nail clipper! This caused me to go back to her and check-in my backpack. I had to wait for like 40 minutes to be served again because her computer malfunctioned and she doesn’t know what to do.
On our flight back to Moscow, service improved a lot. The flight attendants were smiling and the food served was better. I was prepared as I bought a book to read for the flight. Also, when we chose Coke to drink, they gave us a whole can without paying for it. Still.. no in-flight entertainment. It’s ok as the flight was only 3 hours.
From Moscow to Beijing, it was a bit chaotic. The food was served late and everybody was noisy that you can’t sleep. I like the flight attendants still as they’re prettier and still smiling. Dinner taste good but breakfast was too light. Just a croissant and juice. Landing was smooth that you wouldn’t even know that you’re already there.
Well.. I guess it was a mixed of good and bad. I don’t know if I would fly Aeroflot again but if I can avoid it, I will. How about you? Have you tried this airline? Maybe you can share your experience and leave a comment.
Claudine on the Go 
that’s horrible service from the ticketing office to the airline itself. why did it change on the way back?
Dunno.. but then, we would know what to expect already from them so our standards are a bit lower.
and i thought china airlines was bad….