With a delay of over half an hour, the flight to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO, flight SU 132) departed on a Boeing 767-300ER (christened: Alexander Pushkin). The Aeroflot aircraft, at 11.5 years old (first flight April 27, 2000), had already seen better days.
The interior, decorated in shades of blue, showed its age. We took our seats in row 12 (seats G & H), on slightly worn blue leather seats. The flight attendants—yes, there are male flight attendants here too—strongly resembled bouncers.
We were pleasantly surprised by the service – especially on such a short flight. First, drinks were served, followed by a cold meal. There was a roll that looked like a sponge, a salad with turkey, and a piece of cake. Apart from the coffee, everything was actually very tasty. A renowned airline like Lufthansa could certainly learn a thing or two from this.
The flight route led from Budapest over the Carpathian Mountains, Kyiv, and Minsk directly to Moscow. After 2 hours and 10 minutes, the pilot began the descent at 4:29 PM (local time).
Upon arriving at Sheremetyevo Airport, we had to go through passport control for transit passengers without visas for Russia. The checks were very lax, and so far no one has asked to see our Vietnamese visas. From our arrival terminal E, we had to walk to terminal D. I find the distances in Sheremetyevo to be very long. The Russians also seem to be a very keen shopper, judging by the number of duty-free shops here.
Contrary to my expectations, the terminal was very modern and clean. Free Wi-Fi is also available at most gates.
Are you still looking for a flight to Moscow?
Moscow's international airport is accessible year-round from many German cities. You can find cheap flights through online travel agencies such as Flugladen.de and Bravofly., ebookers.com, Expedia, lastminute.com or skyscanner.
