MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 17
November 2009 : by David Pryer
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
Arrived at 0215h and the experience (passport, baggage collection, green channel) was
businesslike and less than 30 minutes in duration. My anxiety about waiting for a domestic
connection until 0730 were unfounded as airport is open all night with plenty of comfortable
seating, cafes etc. Was also possible to check my bag in immediately rather than wheel it
round.
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 15
September 2009 : by S Cameron
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Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
On arrival we breezed through immigration (maybe it was due to the 0030hrs arrival time and
second to the immigration gate) collected luggage and was out the door within 30 mins.
Helpful staff from Austrian checked us in and we were through immigration of the way out again
within 20 mins or so. Maybe we were lucky ?
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 31 December 2008 : by G Cleaver
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
I would rather come to this airport than Sheremetyevo. But, be prepared to go through the same
soviet-style chaos. We came off a Lufthansa flight and the first thing we had to do after getting
off the airbridge, go down three flights of stairs. Then there is the passport control. Only two
clerks serving for about 150 passengers. Plus the queue is horrendous. You start lining up and then
a whole rush of people start coming and start pushing in. Passport control isn't put in a proper
place. It's at a weird angle so the queue goes all over the place. Speaking of all over the place-
the baggage area is nearly the same. We had to wait for around 15 minutes for our baggage. The
baggage area is just a big circle and with people walking around the place, there's not enough space
to move. A big relief when we picked up our baggage but it doesn't end.
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 1 December 2008 : by C Tyrer
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Customer Rating : 4/5 | |
I flew to DME from LHR with low expectations. However, within 45 minutes of landing I had cleared
immigration, collected my baggage, changed some money and been picked up by the pre-arranged taxi.
The Immigration Officer didn't speak much English but was able to smile and say "Welcome to Moscow"
after she had finished stamping my passport. The departure was a bit problematic. The BMI check-in
staff seemed more pre-occupied in arranging the bollards for the queue to follow rather than
actually checking in the passengers. Then I was directed to the fast-track area to clear emigration,
but unfortunately this took over an hour whereas I could see the queuing time in the normal area was
only about 30 minutes ! The security was even slower. The Transaero Business Lounge is spacious with
an airside view. There was a reasonable choice of snacks although the choice of alcoholic drinks was
very limited. At the departure gate I was able to access the internet free of charge. Overall, the
experience of this airport was much better than I had expected and I would have no worries about
using it again.
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 29 August 2008 : by P Watson
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Customer Rating : 5/5 |  |
What a difference from SVO, arrived from London a friendly immigration officer. On leaving
immigration it was a nice feeling not to be stalked by taxi drivers, and the atmosphere was much
more relaxed. Flew a few days later onto Ekaterinburg, and had to wait an extra 3 hours as Ural
airlines merged our flight with another, and it is bright clean friendly airport, with plenty of
choices in shopping and activites and everything well signposted! We travelled with our 11 month
old son and my wife was delighted to discover nurseries around the airport. It is a well thought out
airport and it made our extra wait at the airport much more relaxing. Superb!
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 27 August 2008 : by Ian Oldham
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
Departed via DME August - it was a shambles. Terminal was jampacked, queued for just over 1 hour at
check-in followed by 1 hour at passport control in 25-30c heat (times and temp. not exaggerated)
plus sundry delays/checks. If we had arrived at the required 2 hours prior to departure we would
have missed our flight. Have never experienced such an awful international airport. Got the
impression that the terminal needed to be around 3-4 times bigger.
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT review : 27 August 2008 : by Yevheniy Kahanovych
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
Domodedovo is going down. I used it twice last week, and was unpleasantly surprised on both arrival
and departure. On arrival the immigration was a mess. Huge crowds of people arriving from
international flights and only one third of booths manned. No line management at all. People jumping
a queue, unhelpful and arrogant staff. On departure I've noticed a very certain lack of fresh air in
the newly opened part of the departures hall. Once at an earlier built area, an air becomes normal.
Dirty toilets, inefficient security.
Domodedovo Airport review by K Spensley
5 May 2008 Customer Rating : 
Just used DME for first time since Lufthansa switched from SVO and there is no comparison. It's
clean, bright, shiny, has nice business-class lounges. Smokers have to use those little fish-tank
rooms so the place doesn't stink. And there is an express train to Paveletsky Station for only 150
rubles. Compared to sitting in Moscow traffic for 2-3 hours from SVO for 1,500 rubles, this is
awesome. They are building Terminal 3 at Sheremetovo along with an express train to the city. Until
it's functional, when traveling to Moscow I'm happy to fly into DME.
Domodedovo Airport review by Doug Watchorn
15 April 2008 Customer Rating :
Left DME on Lufthansa who just switched from SVO. Much better airport both coming in and going out.
Cleaner, brighter and better access than SVO. No driving to switch terminals from international to
domestic just walk inside to other terminal. Used this terminal last year coming from London going
to Irkutsk, same experience but with no construction this time. Will use this airport and local
hotel from now on, I will avoid SVO if at all possible whenever I can!
Domodedovo Airport review by Oleg Hmara
29 October 2007 Customer Rating : 
I've been flying to Sakhalin through Domodedovo, and it was awful. It looks nice and clean, but if
anything happens nobody will help you. I had unexpected problems with oversized luggage. The staff was
extremely rude. While I was arguing with them, I was delayed so that I almost missed my plane. Later I
realized that they simply wanted a bribe. So if you encounter unexpected problems when everything
should be ok, it most probably means that they just want a little cash. I don't understand what's the
point in making the airport look european if they treat passengers Soviet-style.
Domodedovo Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych
21 September 2007 Customer Rating :
I used Domodedovo last week for departure to Kiev. First notice. Less and less airlines are allowed
for in-town check-in. Less and less airlies provide free rail transfer. The airport itself remains
very well organised, clean and easy to navigate through. Two serious minuses. Most of the airlines
haven't heard about line management. It causes situations like the one I was in. My flight was about
to leave in 55 minutes. Despite being checked in online i should stay in regular line because they
don't have bag drop-off desks. When having being in the line for about 20 minutes (the queue was
about 35 people), I've decided to take a look at the other side of the isle of desks, and found
there three working check-in desks with nobody lining up. Would be very helpful to have line manager
there. Immigration on departure was slow and not very polite. Departure area after security is full
of good cafes and shops, but very overpriced. Boarding was not throgh airbridge, but they bussed us
to the plane fast.
Domodedovo Airport review by Chris McQuaid
28 August 2007 Customer Rating :
I used DME several times last year on my first visit to Russia, and was very impressed. Forget the
comments about it being excellent by "Russian" standards - it compares very well with other airports.
First experience was arriving from BKK on Thai Airways - plenty of staff available at immigration, and
no hassle (all complete and through to baggage claim within five minutes of joining the queue).
Baggage took 30 minutes, then out into the concourse. It was much less crowded than Don Muang, and
much better laid out. After changing some money and escaping the taxi touts I got the express train
to Paveletsky - highly recommended, even if some grizzle about the lack of air-conditioning. Make
sure that you walk all the way to the front of the train so that you have less distance to walk when
you reach the city. Next use was arriving domestically from St Petersburg - no problems, and baggage
waiting when we got to the conveyor. Stayed overnight at Airport Hotel (noisy and overpriced for what
it provides), then back to the airport for an early flight to Kazan. Security - only 5 minutes. I
returned 10 days later - no problems again. Last time was when flying back to BKK - check-in only took
15 minutes, despite a full load including a big tour group of Thais, and easy progress through Customs
and Security. Then came the only drama I had at this airport - there is no currency exchange facility
airside! Helpful security staff sympathised with my predicament (I had lots of roubles still in my
pocket), but wouldn't let me back into the main concourse to return to the bank. The story ends with
me still having lots of roubles, as I couldn't change them anywhere else. Overall impression of this
airport was excellent - Sheremetyevo is another story!
Domodedovo Airport review by Nick Fortuna
19 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
I used Domodedovo on a couple of occasions in June. The airport train
from Paveletsky Station was badly signposted. There are four halls to
choose from - by trial and error (welcome to Russia). It is located in
Hall 3. The ticket counter to the Airport was closed because the power
went out (welcome to Russia). The 'Help' Desk wasn't able to help. Power
came back on, ticket was sold. The train is the old, rattly variety,
departing every 40 min. No airconditioning. Then again, I can only
compare with Vienna and HK. If you use the city check-in, you're on the
train for free. Airport itself was busy, being holiday and charter
season. Austrian's check-in went smoothly. Since we were Senator
members, we got to use the VIP passport control and security. A new
whole-body scanner was in use, though it broke down and we had to wait
ca. 10 minutes for it to reboot. So much for VIP service. Airport
facilities are excellent - lots of shops and a whole food court
upstairs. Sheremetyevo take note! Arrival too was a breeze. Toilets were
clean, stocked and functional, a welcome worthy of the name. Immigration
was the usual Russian mess with no clear line(s), but push your way to
the front and feign ignorance. Baggage arrived quickly enough and after
the customs gauntlet, you run the taxi mafia gauntlet (though not as bad
as Sheremetyevo. Due to the reconstruction, getting out of the arrivals
hall to the car park was badly signposted. Some inconvenience, but
temporary, hopefully. In all, a positive airport experience on a global
scale. And for Russian standards, simply outstanding!
Domodedovo Airport review by Yevheniy Kahanovych
17 July 2007 Customer Rating :
Recently arrived to and departed from Domodedovo. I was surprised how
smooth everything was. The airport is well organized - facilities clean,
toilets clean and well stocked (this is Russia!). Arrivals (I tried both
domestic and international) are clearly signposted, immigration took
less than 10 minutes. Baggage in 15 minutes. In-town check-in worked
well, direct train is a great plus to this airport. The staff were
polite. Food facilities and landside shops are good, but very
overpriced. Airside facilities could not be better. Very light and airy
halls with lots of space.
Domodedovo Airport review by Martin Braithwaite
2 December 2005 Customer Rating : n/a
Not a bad airport, and currently better than Shemeretyvo for arrival and departure. That said,
there are a lot of improvements to cut out some of the bureaucracy - and the touts that seem to
pop up everywhere around the airport. Immigration and customs service can be really slow, and
the staff are are "charming" as at SVO !
Domodedovo Airport review by David Pryer
13
May 2005
Agree with just about everything said about DME. A hassle-free experience. Don't take a taxi, best
way into town is the Airport Express train. It is a long way into Moscow but fast, clean and
inexpensive by train.
Domodedovo Airport review by Alberto Pezzotti
15
February 2005
Domodedovo is a really different airport compared to what it was just 10 years ago.
Passport control and customs are really quick if compared to Sheremetyevo 2 standards.
Once you are in the main area you can enjoy a nice, clean and safe airport.
The restaurants and bars are fine, although a bit limited in size and quality.
I arrived at DME in the early morning from Siberia and I was able to rest for a few hours at the
very convenient airport hotel.
The rooms are quite clean and they are reasonably priced.
The hotel is located 500 ms from the main terminal and is reachable with a shuttle bus that is
departing in front of the train station.
Check in facilities, both for domestic and international flights are hassle free, unlike
Sheremetyevo 2.
Domodedovo Airport review by Bill Sullivan
21 October 2004
DME is a very good airport. I have also found it easy to arrive and depart from - fast immigration
and baggage handling. The restaurants are okay, nothing great, but I like the cleanliness and modern
interior. Next time I will check out the train as suggested by some.
Domodedovo Airport review by Ajay Kamalakaran
27 July 2004
Many people don't know about the special facilities that Domodedovo offers to passengers.
A passenger flying out of Domodedovo can check in his or her baggage at the Paviletsky Railway
Station in the heart of Moscow. From there, a free electric train service takes passengers directly
to the airport. This train leaves every half an hour. A passenger can check in at the Paviletsky
Station up to 24 hours before the flight. What I usually do when I come to Russia is take a minibus from Sheremetyevo-II to the airport metro
station. The Paviletsky Station is on the same metro line. So I end up spending just 17 roubles to
change airports. A taxi ride would cost 50 or 60 dollars. Plus I get to spend the whole day in
Moscow and just go to the airport half an hour before the flight.
Domodedovo Airport review by Roger Naden
18 May 2004
I found Domodedovo a refreshing change for the better. Clean, efficient and modern. I can only say to anyone that it is complete and utter
contrast to SVO. This time I was using DME for an internal flight. I feel that in the future it
will be worth my while to pay more and use BA to fly to Moscow so that I can start my visit to
Russia without the usual onset of depression brought on by a dose of SVO.
Domodedovo Airport review by Ashley Crump
15 April 2004
Moscow Domodedovo is one of the most wonderful airports I have ever visited -
particularly when looking at the ghastly Sheremetyevo II. I am sure that many more
major airlines switch from SVO to DME just as BA and Swiss did. The staff were courteous and spoke
English, the interior was bright and wonderfully clean. I was actually delayed for two hours but
the wonderful complex more than made up for it.
Domodedovo Airport review by Paul Rex
31 March 2004
Travelled through Domodedovo in both directions this weekend. On the way in, 10 minutes from leaving
the plane (with hand baggage) to getting into my taxi! On the way back out, 20 minutes from arrival
to clearing passport control and customs. Can some of the management be transplanted to Sheremetyevo?
Domodedovo Airport review by E Lam
19 December 2003
I really appreciate the rail service to DME. DME is clean, and the service is friendly. Arriving
from London, the passport control was quick. I am just very grateful that this airport exist in
Moscow. It has really made travelling to and from Moscow a much more humane experience.
Domodedovo Airport review by Bob Epstein
3 July 2003
Just to add the comments - the airport is shiny and modern - (yes, the toilets are
clean) - but be prepared for the same old Soviet-era slowness.
I arrived at 0500 for a 0710 Swiss Intl flight. It took 1:15 just to get to the ticket
agent - and the customs and border agents were as bored, and sleepy as ever. Once past passport control, you'll
find a western-style coffee shop (which makes a decent latte), and newsstands with only
Russian publications - but they are trying, and its huge leap forward from SVO.
Domodedovo Airport review by Karl Reiman
21 June 2003
I can add to the previous comment that in DME, unlike other Moscow airport SVO, you may not worry
about suspicious Russian touts offering taxi - there is an official taxi service desk in the
arrivals with rates displayed. Train journey to the city centre is 40 mins. In addition, passport
control and airport staff is much more friendly and efficient than in SVO. Not enough non-smoking
areas though.
Domodedovo Airport review by Martin Miller
11 May 2003
Moscow's reconstructed Domodedovo Airport brings "normal" standards of airport service to Moscow at
last. Lots of natural light, clean floors and toilets, clear indicator boards, working baggage
carousels, adequate restaurants, plenty of seats (look upstairs) and a friendly business lounge.
There are not many air bridges yet (more under construction), but the buses are modern and wide.
Siberian Airways dominate, with Urals and TransAero growing; Swiss have moved there and BA join them
in July - that has to be a good move. Arriving passengers will enjoy the easy connections for Siberia and Central Asia or the convenient
train to Central Moscow. The drive (40 km) can be a bit tedious though.
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