ST PETERSBURGH AIRPORT review : 20
July 2009 : by Jim Tranthorg
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Customer Rating : 1/5 |  |
If you want to retain your sanity avoid departing from this airport. The queues started
outside the building when I was leaving yesterday. You have to go through security before you
can even check in! I had plenty of time though and stood in line for an hour inching forward
whilst people joined their friends in front of me, a real case of one step forward two steps
back. The sun was beating down through a glass roof and everyone was dripping with sweat.
People told me of having had to wait outside in the winter in the snow! When I reached the
security woman she growled something in Russian to me and refused to let me through.
Lesson 1. You are only allowed into the airport if your gate has been announced. So I went
back to the end of the queue and started again, immediately the gate for my flight was
announced. Another long session of queuing and I eventually made it through security, the rest
of the procedure was relatively easy for me but I bet they could screw things up elsewhere at
this airport if they put their minds to it.
ST PETERSBURGH AIRPORT review : 23 February 2009 : by B Vincent
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Customer Rating : 3/5 |  |
First thing to note is that there is no direct public transport from the city and if you are
thinking of doing that, allow plenty of time - you have to first get to Moskovskaya metro
station (which probably means two trains) and then find the right exit, near Macdonald's,
where you need to catch a #39 bus or mini-bus. Thankfully a kind person guided me because I
would not have found it myself. On the mini-bus you will have to pay an extra fare if you
have a bag. From the outside Pulkovo 1 looks quite imposing - there are only a couple of
doors and I saw no signage to identify where was arrivals and departures, but by fluke I
picked the right door. Inside is quite dimly lit. There are just a few check-in counters and
all the destinations are in Russian, so if you need to catch a flight here make sure you can
read your destination (or at least your flight number) in Cyrillic. My flight had only one
counter open, but it was very efficient and although the queue was long, I had my boarding
pass in just 10 minutes or so. Next, security was very diligent and I was glad of this -
everyone takes their shoes off, no exceptions. The departure lounge has an open bar area and
a few shops - beer is a little cheaper in the shops than the bar but expect to pay upwards of
100 roubles for a drink. It is a basic airport, but it did the job.
ST PETERSBURGH AIRPORT review : 31 December 2008 : by R Xemblinosky
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Customer Rating : 3/5 | |
Inbound is, as previous commenters observe, a snap -luggage, customs, and all. Outbound can be a
pain, especially for international flights, which tend to leave between 5:30 and 8:30 am. I
recommend you just hover around the gate until right before your flight is announced (two hours
before flight time). Worked for me every time. You can expect surly attendants, sparse and expensive
drinks, and nowhere to sit. The Soviet-era is somewhat of a downer too. All the same, Pulkovo is
nowhere near as expensive, snotty, or dreary as say CDG. No reason to look forward to it, but
nothing to be afraid of there either.
ST PETERSBURGH AIRPORT review : 28 December 2008 : by Y Ren
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Customer Rating : 2/5 |  |
I could not believe St Petersburg airport terminal 2 is an airport, it worse than a bus station in
some countries. you can not check in unless you pass the security and security wont open until 2
hours before your departure time. so if you arrive early, sorry you can stand outside in the snow.
business lounge is nice enough for only an hour resting. the only problem is smoking, everyone
smoking inside the lounge. before boarding, you have to go through security check again. two minutes
ago you were doing the same thing, i dont know why they have to check twice. probably people
upstairs dont trust colleagues downstairs. such a weird process and strange airport experience.
ST PETERSBURGH AIRPORT review : 10 December 2008 : by Nick Fortuna
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Customer Rating : 2/5 | |
LED Terminal 2 now holds my record for speed of disembarkation, passport control, retrieving
luggage, passing customs and getting into the car - 10 min from the moment the aircraft doors
opened. Full marks. As for departure, the rot sets in. For an early morning departure, there was
surprising amount of passenger activity. Everything is screened just to enter the check-in area. And
they do insist on sighting your ticket, whatever form it has. When I could not be bothered to dig in
my luggage for the ticket, the attendant finally let me in, figuring I wasn't at the airport at
4.30am with luggage just to loiter. Check-in was quick enough, but the airport offers absolutely
nothing once inside. Overpriced duty-free, hardly any seating, expensive and poor coffee. And to
add, a gloomy pre-Perestroika Soviet interior ambience, grumpy staff. Another security check at the
gate in a poorly lit environment that can't cope with the nr. of passengers. An embarrasing way to
leave such a stunning city.
St Petersburg Airport by C Hellberg
1 December 2008 Customer Rating : 
Milan Malpensa airport held my vote for worst airport ever. But LED has now
taken that dubious honour. The airport is a tiny shoebox, vastly
underprovisioned for security checks, passenger numbers and any suggestion of
passenger comfort is a joke. There are three security scanners for the whole
terminal (Terminal 2) and the average waiting time was 40 minutes on a Sunday
afternoon (I shudder to think about peak business times). After customs, you are
fed into a second security scanner (only one of these). In the waiting area for
your plane, there are only a few available seats, nowhere to go for food or
drink (you can look through the glass to the land-side cafeteria) or duty-free
(that is in the previous area) no power points for laptops and no Wifi. On the
plus side, the arrivals area was ok (clean, spacious and enough shops) , but is
also the only airport I've found that you need to go through a security scanner
for the arrivals area. I'll make every effort to avoid this airport and advise
anyone else to do the same.
St Petersburg Airport by Sally Fraser
31 July 2007 Customer Rating : 
Pulkova 1 and 2. Arriving at Pulkova 1 from Frankfurt by Lufthansa. Many pax
without baggage and total chaos ensued. No English speaking local or Luft. rep.
to explain procedure (ie first fill in customs declaration for your missing bag
and only afterwards they will attend to it). One tiny little office with a long
queue where they log your suitcase and give you a printout with a telephone
number on. However, this number is never answered and even if they find your
suitcase, no one bothers to let you know. On the occasion when this number is
answered, if you cannot converse in Russian, they simply put the phone down. You
have to keep going to the airport to see if your case has arrived. These people
do not speak any English and couldn't care less about your plight so if you
cannot speak Russian, do not lose your suitcase! Leaving Pulkova 2 for flight to
Moscow was a total joke. There are no signs to tell you even how to get into the
airport or where to go once inside and checking in to Aeroflot is a
free-for-all. Airport is dingy, grim, very confusing and to be avoided if at all
possible.
St Petersburg Airport by Yevheniy Kahanovych
17 July 2007 Customer Rating :
Arrived to and departed from Pulkovo 1 on domestic flight. The facility is old,
shabby and very disorganised. It especially concerns to security staff and
procedures. Non-working sliding doors, lots of steps up and down on the way of
people with luggage, no understandable signage, no escalators, outdated fleet of
buses, no airbridges, dark and tiny departure lounges... My bag arrived damaged.
Lost and found desk gave no explanation on how to claim for compensation, just
asked me to wait for about 30 minutes, because they had "shift handover", then
they told me that I shouldn't fly to Russia with expensive bags. On departures
you can only find a tiny bar airside with lots of vodka, but with no apple
juice. Two coffee machines were also working. Very poor building condition, very
poor management, very shabby facility from old soviet era. This is the only big
airport in the city, so you have no choice but to use it.
St Petersburg Airport by Hartmut Grünheid
6 September 2005 Customer Rating : n/a
As i travelled on regular base nearly 30 years to Russia, i see the development
of "Pulkovo Airport" very positive. Dont worry if you see long lines in front of
the passport control: when you'll ready there it takes only a few steps behind
them to get your baggage from the belts, take just the green way out and you
will be in Russia and in a Brandnew Receiving Hall. Small ist beautyfull in the
way that it is a airport of very short distances.
St Petersburg Airport by Eric Norton
6 September 2005
The international departures hall in use at Pulkovo-2 before 2003 was smaller
and more cramped than desirable for one of Russia's most-visited cities, but
operations were still efficient, despite the lack of space. In 2003, a brand-new
departures hall was built for the airport, which is stunningly beautiful, clean,
and efficient. Security is done before checking-in and passport control, but all
desks (even passport control!) were quick and easy to get through. Ample space
for everything, and beautiful construction inside. The arrivals hall is well
laid-out and easy to follow, even for travellers worn out from their journey -
it's impossible to make a wrong turn, even on your first visit. (Of course,
those who don't understand Russian may have more of a disadvantage.) Passport
control can be long, but manageable, because at least the line keeps moving.
Luggage pick-up is immediately beyond passport control, and from there, it's a
short journey to the exit hall, which is smaller than it should be, but still
fulfils its purpose. There are three entrances at Pulkovo-2. On the far left is
the arrivals hall where you wait for the passengers. In the center is the
entrance to the old departures hall, and on the right is the direct entrance to
the brand-new departures hall. The only major complaint I have is the road to
the airport itself - once you turn off from the main prospect, it is only a
two-lane country road that desperately needs to be expanded to deal with all the
traffic that uses it. Also, micro-bus drivers will stop only at Pulkovo-2 if
specifically asked; otherwise, they will simply drive only to the
domestic-flights Pulkovo-1 terminal instead.
St Petersburg Airport by S Jackson
9 June 2004
St Petersburg airport is quite unlike any other airport I have used. The
unfamiliarity is intimidating, but in fact it is well organised, once you get
used to the system. The system is back to front: the key lesson is that you
cannot do anything until your flight is called. You pass through passport
screening and security checks before being allowed into the departures hall, and
then go direct to the check-in desks where you will be processed immediately.
There are only 6/8 desks which means a queue - but you don't have to walk far,
and the queues are always moving. Russian border controls have a bad reputation,
so the feeling of disorientation adds to a feeling of nervousness. Add to that
the characteristically brusque and sullen staff and it all feels quite
intimidating. But don't panic. It's actually very well planned, and efficient:
just unlike anything you've done before.
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