Requesting information about Siberia

[BillyB]

No matter what you decide to do, if at all possible use the same airline company start to finish.

In this case Link may not have that luxury unless it's Aeroflot that has flights out of US and all over Russia. The biggest worry Link needs to think about is transfering to another airport to catch his connecting flight. Also he needs to make sure he applies for the visa with the correct day he's landing. The time zone spread is big. He may land in Novosibirsk on one day but actually entering Russian the day before in Moscow. That happened to me. Visa company I used issued the visa for the day I land in Novosibirsk. I was stuck in Moscow and couldn't leave the airport. Some Aeroflot security workers were trying to help me if I paid them a $100 bribe but unfortunately the right people weren't working the gates to get me through so I had to buy a new ticket for the next flight to Novosibirsk.

Passport "Communist" control personnel are rude  and so were Aeroflot security.  At the time in 2004, some of the metal detector gates were easy to bypass with nobody watching. The day I flew home out of Moscow coming from Novosibirsk, two planes flying out of Moscow blew up in flight due to terrorists.

[I/O]

Billy: I got caught the same way with the visa thing (My own fault for not checking properly) recently, but fortunately I was going in through OVB (Novosibirsk) and managed to BS my way through. Actually getting on the plane from Beijing was a bigger problem but that was resolved also without parting with money. The point you raise is a good one. Attention to detail is paramount.

FWIW, flying to Novosibirsk can now be done from three airports in Moscow pretty much every day IIRC. S-7 flies out of DME, Aeroflot Nord flies out of SVO 1 and Utair flies out of VKO, therefore it pretty much doesn't matter which he goes in through. Generally speaking, I've found the partner airlines use the same airport but it is almost always a dearer way to do it. It depends entirely on what connection times you can marry together and regardless if it is the same airport, if the connection is less than 3 hours, I won't book the flight unless there is an alternative (albeit another company another airport) later the same day which is something of a "Plan B" if it goes crapside. Thus far I have never needed the fall back position but no doubt the day will come. 

Below is one that flashed up for our Mexican Mate which might help give some ideas. It's in $Au and the exchange rate is about $1Au - $.83 USD. The connections are crap but I'm sure a bit of searching would improve on this.

[GQBlues]

Passport "Communist" control personnel are rude  and so were Aeroflot security.

You think they're rude? They're nothing compared to Aeroflot's Airport Customer Care/Service. They are experts in engaging you in a 20 minute conversation without ever raising their heads up from their desk to look at you. That's is, if they don't first get involved in a conversation with another person in the counter first. It's more important to finish that conversation than deal with their customers.

My happy horror story happened during the same period yours did which also involved Moscow - Novo and lovely Aeroflot. It was days after the Beslan incident so security was tight. My flight was LAX-Frankfurt-Moscow-Novo RT - two airlines: Lufthansa (LAX-Frankfurt) Aeroflot (Frankfurt-Moscow-Novo). Got on the plane around 0630 Novo. The Tupelo left towards the strip, stopped for about 10 minutes, then slowly lumbered back to the tarmac were we first started from. We sat there for about an hour and 35 minutes. They made about 3 announcements in Russian and for some reason they stopped announcing it in English so I had no idea what was going on. Then all of the sudden about 4 uniformed men rushed in, grabbed a person and accosted him out of the plane. I can see flashing lights outside but never heard any siren. To this day I still don't know what happened.

Make the story short, we landed roughly two hours late (I was supposed to have a 3 hour layover). By the time I got to SVO1, I had less than an hour to make my connecting flight. Transferred to the other terminal in 15 minutes but only to face another hurdle. Because of high security, the crowd outside the terminal was about 100 people deep. I was in Russia so that 100 people deep doesn't mean I was the 100th person in line. It means there must've been roughly a million Russians cutting and tripping over each other trying to get through security first. Every person for themself.  

Missed my connecting flight to Germany. Aeroflot tells me it wasn't their fault I missed my flight because the plane from Novo still arived before my connecting flight was scheduled to leave. Technically I suppose they were right. They finally relented and told me that they'll be happy to fly me to Germany except the next scheduled flight to Frankfurt wasn't leaving until 22:30 that night. Then went over to Lufthansa's counter and they tell me they're not responsible if I missed my flight to LAX, but, under the circumstances they'll be happy to put me on a stand-by flight leaving on Wednesday afternoon (this was Monday) though I would still need to get my way to Germany somehow. Back to Aeroflot. I can have a flight to Germany first thing Wednesday morning if I wish but they will not be giving me anymore favor beyond that. I was on my own and started doing the math (foreigner's scale)- taxi to and fro SVO, hotel for 2 nights, food, etc....

An hour and a half later I was on board Air France bound for CDG then unto to LAX. For the bargain price of $1,200.00. $950.00 actually if you deducted the $250.00 I did saved for bargain hunting in the first place.

[BillyB]

You think they're rude? They're nothing compared to Aeroflot's Airport Customer Care/Service. They are experts in engaging you in a 20 minute conversation without ever raising their heads up from their desk to look at you.

Aeroflots airport security told me to stand in one location while they go look for a way to help me. There were no seats in the area. I stood for hours before they told me the proper people aren't working the gates. They have a way to make people feel uncomfortable so it motivates you to bribe them for better service. I won't use Aeroflop again. I don't think it's company policy for their employees to be rude but it shows a lack of control by their management to enforce their policies. I hope their mechanics doesn't have that same F U attitude when working on the airplanes.

[TwoBitBandit]

My happy horror story...

Yeah, this sounds a lot like my experiences traveling in the FSU.

It ain't for sissies!

[BC]

They have a way to make people feel uncomfortable so it motivates you to bribe them for better service. I won't use Aeroflop again.

Well, if 'better service' is to open the ticket counter after the flight closed and we arrived late it was well worth a crisp 20.. my wife made the 'arrangement'.

Goes both ways I guess.  

I'd never have had a chance at a western counter.. well did once but needed no money.. was very, very late (overslept).. "Sorry plane has left".. told them I was going to Moscow to get married (which was true) and if I missed the plane I'd be in a world of trouble..  Luckily it was one of those planes that has stairs built into the plane.. after a radio call to the Alitalia pilot I guess he rolled them out again and opened the door.  Even gave me the first seat in the plane.. 1A guess the stewardess didn't want me taking even more time getting to 34C, especially with my disheveled, unwashed, unshaven appearance.

Guess that was one of those 'defining moments in life'.. maybe why I'm even here today.. LOL

[Link]

Thank you all, but specially thanks to you I/O for the image showing a possible route. Actually I tend to avoid connection flights in the US although I can enter there legally, I prefer to select direct flights when going to Canada and Europe. So a possible route will be : Mexico City - Frankfurt - Moscow - Barnaul  or Mexico City - Frankfurt - Moscow - Novosibirsk.  I wonder if there are flights from Novosibirsk to Barnaul? I need to do a little research

[I/O]

http://ibe.s7.ru/S7/webqtrip.html?_flowExecutionKey=_c1431E037-968A-DDD8-7794-BDFAE0A04066_k0409D513-58C8-1029-BE59-BDDB69A0DA9A

Think the train would be a better option for OVB BAX.....................

[Link]

http://ibe.s7.ru/S7/webqtrip.html?_flowExecutionKey=_c1431E037-968A-DDD8-7794-BDFAE0A04066_k0409D513-58C8-1029-BE59-BDDB69A0DA9A

Think the train would be a better option for OVB BAX.....................

Thank you very much again I/O, I appreciated it.

[Silver Birch]

Hi Link

http://www.s7.ru/en/index.html

you can fly S7 from N'sibirsk to B'nl


Go to Siberia in the Autumn ( Fall) and enjoy the forest colours...