Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Christian Thurneisen

5 November 2006

International flights usually arrive at SVO-2, where the immigration- procedure takes place, not really in an efficient way, so plan 1 hour to get outside! Now you have to change the terminals, ignore the taxi- drivers completely, unless you are in a terrible hurry to reach your domestic flight at SVO-1: They want to charge you ridiculous prizes, even if you are speaking Russian... So take a yellow transit-bus for some roubles or the free white one (if you are lucky and the bus is about to arrive). For searching bus and getting to SVO-1 plan half an our. Arrived at the domestic terminal SVO-1, you have to pass security first, then try to find your check-in. Don't try too long, get to the immense crowd shifting inside the doors to the counters: finally everyone will arrive at the same "desk". Plan another hour for this. SVO-2 to SVO-1 checked in = 2,5h for non SVO-experienced travellers. If you don't like to sit on the floor, go upstairs, have a look at the impressing scenery with very interesting planes and take some coffee or vodka at the bar. Concerning the check-in for the Aeroflot flight to Kamchatka: The friendly staff found a solution for ANY kind of baggage people were carrying to the counter: tents, small paddle-boats and so on. Don't worry, your baggage will come with you (don't ask me, how it gets from Western Europe to SVO-2)

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Farouk Mogheth

2 November 2006

I am afraid that the horror stories are notnig but true. Flew Bangkok - SVO- Prague and had the honour of remaining in SVO terminal 2 for 7 hours. The transit system is more than strange where you are waiting for 1 employee to process so many people, then a lady comes taking your passport and ticket..taking you to a transit window (far tooo small for the crowds) and disappearing. The airport itself is old and an embarrasement however this wasnt the main problem. The main problem is the absolutely TERRIBLE and negative approach the staff has there towards people. miserable attitude, rude and they simply couldnt care less. The so called business clas lounge wanted to charge me EUR80 per hour for a lounge that seemed rather like a forgotten attic room with no drinks or decent sofas! got barked on since they take only cash and only Rubbles... no plastic accepted. atleast 6 items were mysteriously borrowed by someone from my bags (bags waiting in transit in cargo) Quite sad since Aeroflot itself is an OK airline and flying with them was not bad however I will never use them again since I dread the thought of spending another minute in Moscow Sheremetyovo not even if I got miles on my frequent flyer. My assessment is that travelling through moscow (even for a very great price) is not a civilised manner to fly. I would rather pay a lot more to bypass this city.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Wes Rankin

5 October 2006

It's crazy to think that Terminal 1 is across the tarmac from Terminal 2, and yet you need to take a shuttle bus or marshrutka to get from one to another. Have small change handy, because my driver refused to take my 50 RUR for the 15 RUR ride. The airport is frustrating, but just realize beforehand that you cannot enter or check in until two hours before your flight. You go through security first, then you check in via a random mish-mash of lines that somehow converge at ONE desk (one agent). After that you go through customs, then more security, then if you're lucky you can sit on the floor and wait for your flight to leave. But by the time you're done waiting in line it's probably time for your flight to leave anyway, so floor-sitting is at a minimum.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Alane Enyart

26 August 2006

I flew to Moscow via Amsterdam and on to Ufa, Russia and return in July, 2006. I had no problems either way. Customs was a breeze. Ignore the Sheremetyevo horror stories. Be sure to allow enough time get from Shermetyevo 1 to Sheremetyevo 2 (for domestic flights) as it is about a 15 minutes bus ride around the airport.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Eloneid Nobre

22 August 2006

I travelled last August 12, to Tokyo and I had to change my flight in Sheremetyevo airport. It was a big nice surprise for me. My check-in at transit was almost immediate. Nothing was complicated. I have no problems. I spent a few nice hours in that Airport.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Volodya Bilotkach

11 July 2006

My advice - do not fly through this airport. The transit process is simply ridiculous - you are not checked through to your destination, so you have to wait at the transit counter in the totally disorganized crowd. From time to time they shout out the destinations of those flights ready to depart. In my case, I spent about an hour in the transit area (an hour I could have spent wasting money in the duty-free and supporting the Russian economy). Once through the transit, I was in the mix of Soviet and modern stuff - Soviet architecture and modern shops (high-end ones, of course). Had a beer at the bar - price similar to any other airport in Europe or the USA (KBP is cheaper). Summary - ridiculous transit and unimpressive interior - if you contemplate flying through this airport, give yourself at least three hours between flights.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by David Bajomi-Lazar

11 July 2006

One of the worst airports in Europe. You often have to wait up to seven hours for your connecting flights and there are very few seats. Many passengers sleep on the floor like homeless people. There are some nice and expensive shops but it's impossible to buy roubles, and it's very difficult to buy basic products. There are some restaurants but the food is not good. Staff are unfriendly, especially at passport and security control.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Koji Asada

5 July 2006

We flew into Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by to transit from Barcelona to Tokyo. It was BAD. We arrived at 7am and there was no one to take care of us. We were stuck in front of the transit area. We couldn't get in to the transit area for 2 hours. No one would help us and no one could speak English. When we wondered around we were yelled to go back to the transit gate. I was even slapped by one of the officers. No food nor no drinks for two hours. Finally after calling Japan to take care of the situation, someone came to check our passport and let us into the transit area. What a nightmare! The transit area is small and people are unfriendly. They don't know how to smile. Avoid this airport if possible.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Ian Morley

15 May 2006

I'd heard a lot of bad stories about this airport - we came in on a domestic flight - no problems although we had to wait until the Vladivostock flight baggage had been cleared before we could get ours (why I ask when they have plenty of carousels). Departed internationally - have flown from Domededova before which was an absolute nightmare - this was a dream compared to that - whisked through check in, customs, passport control. The only downside was that there are very few seats at the gate so most people had to stand. To add to the pleasure the food (although stodgy) and the staff at TGI fridays made a pleasant end to time spent in Russia.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Tim Evans

9 May 2006

I was contemplating chaos but there were only 6 people in front of me at the immigration. I was a little lucky; soon there were 50 behind me. I got through in about 15 minutes; they look closely at every passport. So have it all in order. Then the bags came through 10 minutes later. Not too bad at all. 5 days later I left. Waited in pleasant departure hall. Had a beer and chips at nice buffet and watched the flight plan display. At exactly 2 hours before flight went through customs scanner and stood behind 14 people. Within 20 minutes I was past check-in. Then a 3 minute wait at immigration.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Jade Barrett

28 April 2006

I have to say we had absolutely no problems, the airport is lovely, the queue for customs takes a bit of time but that's about it. On our way back again it was fine and there was nice places to eat or have a drink. So no complaints whatsoever!

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Tien-Lun Yao

25 March 2006

Getting out from plane to ground transportation was no problem. But to check-in is a disaster: first security to enter building, second to clear customs, third you can check-in but only for dedicated flights at dedicated counters. Lufthansa runs two Business Class counters which took a long time. A third counter only for cabin baggage pax and only on request of agent. Before you are getting to the gate, the security again. And finally the gate. LH-Business Class pax: Be sure to use first flight or to be higher than Silver only: no lounge access! And the airport is not a nice place to stay. There are a lot of stores but I had the impression it was cheaper to buy on the streets. None is interested if you buy or not and just ignoring you. One plus: If you ever wanted to see highlights of Soviet Architecture you are at the perfect place! And have a Russian dictionary with you. Not all signs are bilingual!

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Ian McClelland

30 November 2005

Flew into and out of Sheremetyevo in November 2005. Despite some refurbishing going on around the Terminal, we encountered no problems whatsoever. Took less than 30 minutes to exit the plane and clear Customs. The staff were courteous and professional, if somewhat serious. But that can happen anywhere. Our only suggestion is not to be loud or pushy, but show a little respect and patience.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Malcolm Hayes

30 October 2005

Flew into Sheremetyevo late afternoon on 24 October from Prague. Perhaps we were just lucky but the experience was nothing like the horror stories I have read elsewhere. We took just 10 mins to get through immigration (staff were fine) and within a further 10 mins we had collected our luggage and were boarding the taxi (get your hotel to arrange a pick up).

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Federico Muscogiuri

29 August 2005

SVO is a rather user-unfriendly, unpleasant, inefficient airport. While Moscow has changed dramatically Sheremetyevo seems to be caught in a 1970s soviet-era time-warp. Staff are universally unfriendly, queues are the norm, and above all I don't understand why there is no direct bus service to Moscow and people have to take a cramped, minibus to Rechnoy Vozkal metro station in order to get to town. Avoid it if you have a chance.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Bryan Clydesdale

25 August 2005

Flew into Moscow SHEREMETYEVO 2 airport from Dubai on August 3rd to transit to SHEREMETYEVO 1 to fly to St Petersburg. Make sure you complete landing card before going through passport control. Some taxi drivers but not aggressive and simply said "No thanks". A free Transit Bus is available every hour. Bus Stop is outside with other Bus Stops and is clearly labelled. No special space on bus for luggage so put our bags in the aisle. SHEREMETYEVO 1 was crowded but no real problem to get through. Make sure you listen to departure information and check gate numbers.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Dave Harper

12 August 2005

Fly into Moscow's Domomedevo airport from Brussels. It's a privatised independent airport and runs like a top. Sheremetyevo 2 is bad enough. Try transferring and flying out of Sheremetyevo1. Take the train instead. Runs on time and very pleasant.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Cat Mohan

18 May 2005

I arrived into Moscow (SVO-2) last week. The arrival at the airport wasn't exactly welcoming (guards standing at the end of the ramp solemning eyeballing the passengers as they entered the terminal) but it wasn't so bad either. We got through the immigration process fairly quickly and since we didn't check bags, I can't say I've experienced the baggage claim process coming in. Fortunately, I was with my husband and he travels to Moscow occasionally for business so he knew the process. We stayed the week in Moscow and I started to get nervous about returning home because I would have to go back through the airport alone. I found this website and read the comments here. Needless to say, I got even more nervous. Fortunately, my husband told me that when I enter the airport to look at the large board with the flight departures on it. He said it would flash from Russian to English (I was flying to JFK in NYC). I would need to wait until there are flashing green lights beside the flight to proceed to the delta desk. As it turns out, when I got to the airport, the green lights were already flashing beside my flight so I proceeded to the delta desk. My passport/ticket/bags had to be checked first and this took a long time in line because I chose the wrong line (hmmm, just like the grocery store) with a trainee. They were extremely polite to me, as was the girl who inspected my bags. Made it to the delta desk finally, no wait there, and checked one of my bags (I had more stuff, souvenirs). From there another passport check which was painfully slow. After standing in that line for about 30 minutes, it looked like someone came and told the passport people to step it up because people were going to miss their flights. The pace picked up considerably. I proceeded to my gate - there were only 2 to choose from at this point - and went through another baggage check, once again checked by a friendly Russian lady. Overall, the experience was not so bad after all but I got the impression that maybe some of the previous negative feedback may have contributed to the Russians trying to make a more streamlined process. For example, all of the checkpoints (passport, bags, tickets) were queued, very orderly. You could tell the the Russians are trying to make their airport work more efficiently and with a little more experience, they may have an easy to navigate airport.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Francesco Lulli

28 April 2005

SVO wouldn't be worse than other airports, the problem is how it is run. Enough has been written on arrival procedures, my freshest memories are about the dubious pleasures of departing from legendary Terminal 2. On an exceptionally cold April morning (-2 C°), I had to wait a good 20 minutes in line outside before I could get into the terminal; they check your bags to admit you inside the airport, and while I can understand the concern for safety I can't help finding it demented that they channel hundreds of passengers through one door, when there are other 4 that are kept locked! You then have to queue for: 1)Customs 2) Luggage screening 3) Check- in 4) Passport control 5) Luggage screening. I usually arrive at the airport 2 hours before leaving and I rarely have time for a cup of coffee or some shopping. Among the several (but not many) food outlets, The Irish Bar is reportedly the best choice, though it doesn't work around the clock, in fact it happened to be closed on a monday morning at 10 a.m the last time I was there. There is also an Indian Restaurant, but I assume you have to be at the airport 5 hours before boarding if you want to have time for a complete meal. Sheremetyevo and Aeroflot heavily advertise the Moscow Duty Free as the largest and most convenient in Europe, well it may be convenient but probably for transit passengers more than for travellers to Russia (you spend a fortune on visas, invitations, registrations: who cares if you save some bucks on vodka and cigarettes?); as to the assortment of goods, it really doesn't look any bigger than most other duty free shops, for sure not better than what you find on boats in Sweden and Finland. Be advised that the boarding area at Sheremetyevo is fenced off from the rest of the terminal, therefore once you're past the last luggage control you can't get back to where the shops are and there is absolutely nowhere to get a drink or spend your time.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by Rachael Dobbie

13 April 2005

I was well prepared to be miserable on my 12 hour wait at the airport in transit. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined, but it was not great. The airport is very dimly lit. The staff aren't overly friendly, in fact you get yelled at if you even look like you don't know what you are doing. The areas weren't clearly signposted, so I did get lost. The worst thing about the airport was that, as I was in transit, and had no visa, I was not able to leave the transit area of the airport. I had no cash on me, except $$US, which is not acceptable and not transferable inside the transit area. Apparently there are money change areas and atm's outside the transit area, but they were of no use to me, as I could not go out there. I spent 12 hours huddled in a corner of the airport, unable to buy anything or any food at all.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  David Anderman

21 March 2005

First off, there are lots of seats outside the immediate gate areas, in a pinch, you can always go upstairs. The immigration checkpoint that you run into after deplaning is depressingly slow, but is only out of control if too many planes land at once. If you are lucky, and at the front of a plane, you will sometimes find yourself through immigration in 5 minutes. I would recommend that everyone thoroughly check your visa before departing for Russia, the visa clearly indicates the dates of validity. I try to arrive at the airport no later than 2 hours before flight time, pass through Customs clutching my signed customs form (a separate form for entry and exit from Russia), get into the check in line (I have Aeroflot BONUS ELITE, so I get to use the Business or First Class checkin), pass through immigration, and this gives me a half hour or so of browsing through the Duty Free shops, buying chocolates to take home, and maybe some vodka. Once the gate is opened, there is generally lots of time to go through the cabin baggage xray process, wait 15 minutes or so, and get on the plane. I have flown out of this airport maybe 20 times, never a problem.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Steve Bennett

28 February 2005

My second trip to Sheremetyevo airport was about as enjoyable as the one I took two years ago; a truly horrible experience. After leaving the plane one enters a dimly lit receiving hall with about five or six immigration booths staffed by very young, miserable faced immigration officers. These people, kitted out in novelty pseudo-military uniforms go out of their way to make you feel as unwelcome as possible. There were several hundred people waiting in the hall on my recent trip, each pushing their way through to the handful of booths. It was evident that most of these people had never received instruction in the art of forming orderly queues. The pace through was painfully slow - perhaps one person per booth every 5 or 10 minutes. I stood in line for well over two hours, the mass of people becoming ever denser the closer one got to the front. Occasionally someone would try to force their way through from the back of the crowd, jabbering urgently and holding their hand luggage high in the air. Arguments would ensue and disgruntled Amercan voices would shout "the line starts behind me buddy". After finally getting through to a booth, the young lady behind the glass screen eyed me suspiciously, took my passport and handed it to another guy who happened to be passing. He sped off with it at full speed without saying a word. I was hanging around for another half hour whilst they resolved whatever problem it was that my passport had caused. Upon finally getting through to the baggage hall, it took me a good twenty minutes to locate my belongings from amongst the piles of luggage that randomly littered the area. I noticed that many of the bags had been forced open and then taped closed with lashings of cellotape. Mine however was intact. I collected my bags and moved into the main lobby where a half dozen enthusiastic taxi drivers surrounded me. I chose the one who looked the least like a mafia hit man and talked him down from $60 to $40 for a ride to Moscow centre. I later discovered that $30 is a reasonable price for this trip.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Ben Milner

25 February 2005

Arriving from London immigration took 5 mins and our bags were waiting for us. Handy ATM in baggage hall to get Roubles and small meeting area. Plane to Car in 20 mins. Perfect. Departure, long drive from City Centre on quite scary highways covered with ice (understand metro link currently being built though) to very imposing terminal building. Initial bag scan to get into terminal took 5 mins. Check in only took 5 mins with Aeroflot, and then 20 mins for immigration, so far so good. But then you are stuck in no mans land, between immigration and the gates which you cannot enter until the flight is called. Nowhere to sit. Shopping dire (we so regretted not getting our vodka stocks in town!) and catering just unbelievably bad. Then when called to the gate the scrum through the final bag checks is horrendous. 20 mins before flight departure we eventually pushed though with all the Russians and in-the-know business men.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Larry Pomfret

21 July 2004

I found friendly staff, reasonable shopping, not a great deal of English, and an overall good experience. I could not get into the first class lounge until 2 hours before flight time, which was a drawback, but the airport was in many ways superior to other airports of similar size that I've visited in North America.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Andrei Eremenko

13 May 2004

May I mention though that any airport is considered a public place, and people who happen to be drunk beyond a certain limit, be they local or foreign, may indeed experience problems there. As for Sheremetyevo in particular, I do agree that this airport is badly requiring immediate and radical improvements as far as all customer services are concerned, and foreign travellers may temporarily try to avoid it unless there is any other entry or transit possibility available for them in Moscow.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  JDavid Berenblit

29 February 2004

Sheremetyevo has police that constantly scan for a victim to shake down for money. I was arrested twice and screamed at in English that I was drunk in Russian (Pianee) and I know Russian and thankfully was able to assert myself and told them I was a lawyer and they let me go. (I am not a lawyer) Miserable, coarse staff, even when faced with an American who spoke above average Russian they were anything but friendly. That is not normal for Russians who appreciate foreigners who make an honest attempt to speak their native language. Overall I will never go back to Sheremetyevo because of the greedy police and extremely high prices of food and coffee which has to be seen to be believed, 4 dollars us for a coffee, 6 dollars for cigarettes (1.00 everywhere else in Russia) . I had no problems with customs or with my visa but the fact that I was arrested for having a single glass of Vodka while waiting 12 hours for my connection was impossible to believe and scary as Hell. They do not seem to realize that Americans do put money into their economy and will simply never come back if treated that way. It was scary, beyond belief and completely unnecessary.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  John Bird

26 February 2004

If you want to visit Hell on earth, Sheremetyevo Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by is the place. An incredibly rude staff with a serious attitude problem. They look at you strangely as if you're some kind of a crime suspect, and if you're lucky they won't make up some mistake in your documents which they can hardly read in the first place. The problem is that nobody understands a foreign language (English, French, or anything). If you don't speak Russian, you lose. One general security officer there claimed that my visa (written in Russian only and which I couldn't read) started on the next day following my arrival. All I know is that another officer came and nearly pushed me back behind the red line were I was forced to sit on a broken seat. I tried to speak to other general security personnel but nobody even minded answering me. After about 3 hours of sitting on that broken brown plastic chair I was already dying of thirst. I was nearly begging for water but still no answer. At 4 O'clock in the morning a general security officer came and said the following in broken English: "visa no good, good visa 250 dollar". I paid the 250 dollars and I was allowed in into the ugliest Airport that I've ever seen. Dark, old and dirty. My luggage was lost and again I was faced with the language problem. I got the luggage back after 3 days, on my way out of Russia. The duty free is ridiculously expensive. You could make a small round trip in a minibus in paris for the price of a Pizza in Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by . All in all, don't go there unless you really really have to.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Alec Lidall

22 September 2003

The hell that is Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by cannot be adequately described unless you have experienced it for yourself. Staffed by rude, unhelpful automatons, whose main objective seems to be to make your stay as uncomfortable as possible. Vastly inflated prices ($3 for a cup of half-strength Nescafe) grey concrete, dimly lit, soulless, a place that can give you nightmares for months after. If you are transferring between flights you are stuck there for as long as it takes. Some poor people I met have been living there for 3 months because their airline went bust, and they need to get the money for a flight out. Even if your flight is much cheaper with Aeroflot, changing in Moscow, don't do it - no amount of money is worth the mental torture that is Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by .

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  G Diggle

15 September 2003

Sheremetyevo is without a doubt the most horrible, slow, inefficient airport I have ever been to. When you arrive it is a scramble if you are a non-russian to find a migration card which has to be filled in. If you are a lucky one like I was and are one of the first ones to get off your flight then you can pick one up but if your one of the last you'll be waiting a while because they never have enough to cover for everyone. I must have had at least 10 people ask me where you get a migration card from. It shouldn't really be too much to ask for a big international airport to stock plenty of these in a neat pile on the wall as you queue up at immigration as these are essential documents needed for entry. No instead they just leave a few laying around for the lucky first passengers to get then make everyone else wait until somebody brings out another load. The building is a dark grey horrible building that is very poorly lit. When you leave make sure you arrive well over 2 hours before take off. Customs is before check in, so you spend time queuing for that first followed by another long slow queue for check-in, which is then followed by the slowest moving passport control queue you'll find anywhere. I was told by a russian traveller who uses the airport quite regular that it is always like this they never have enough staff on immigration. I barely made it through just in time for boarding. So if you like to browse duty free or have something to eat or drink before flying make sure you get there in plenty of time.

Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport review by  Chris Valvo

2 June 2003

When arriving be prepared to wait at passport control. 3 times out of 4 it was about two hours to get through. The agents are efficient but there were a lot of flights arriving at the same time. Once I was lucky and the flight was two hours late. Only 15 minutes to get through. When leaving Moscow, don't show up more than two hours early. You will just sit and wait. No heading to the check in counter at will. You can not go until the flight hits the main board. Then run to the counter listed. Sometimes there is a separate line for first/bus class but not always. Lines are a bit long as there are few check in counters compared to US airports, but they move and are quite tame by some standards. Once you get through check in the adventure begins - PASSPORT CONTROL.. Not a problem - just very slow and methodical. If you think passport control in is tough wait till you go home. Only 10 to 30 minutes but I was always anxious to get home. Be absolutely sure your boarding card is correct before leaving the check in counter. There is no returning to it after passport control. Aeroflot has lounges that are nice if you are in first/bus class or are a member. There are bars and food, even duty free. Best part for me was the last passport check at the gate to the plane. As an American with a nice blue passport, I was just waived by every time. The Russians were not so nicely treated. It was almost embarrassing. Overall, an experience and a half but not miserable.

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