Moscow Domodedovo Airport

✅ Verified Review | Moscow Domodedovo Airport is a stress. The cars don’t park at the door if is 7 AM (my case) well is fully packed, you need to navigate to get a trolley but you can find one, then up with the bags. Security control all bags and you, you will lose your trolley in the first check point, then after put all in the floor and get another trolley. Then you are ready to check in, that part is normally easy, they serve well the clients. Passport control and additional security also works perfectly, passport control are sharper people and the security crews are focus on the work. Inside the shops are not that great and not that friendly in particular the ones with Alcohol (I don’t know why to be honest). The airport is a little dirty, clearly they can do much better. Information is English on the TVs and the airport functions in a reasonable way.

✅ Verified Review | Airport staff are incredibly rude. Staff at the customs are the worst I've experienced, almost throwing documents to you, angrily looking at you without saying anything and no reaction to you saying hello. Food is overpriced. Waitress suggested to add tomatoes on our dish without mentioning extra charge, and the bill came 95rub more for 4 small cherry tomatoes added, complete ripoff. It's chaotic and doesn't have enough seats in the waiting areas. this airport is an entire disappointment!

✅ Verified Review | Arriving at this airport is like stepping back in time, it's a bit chaotic to say the least. Car, taxi, bus stop off points just a shambles. But quite fast through the first scanner. Gate was actually posted for our airline so we joined another chaotic queue. Signage good. More English announcements than expected. But then 3 security check outs one after others one took ages while checks done. No reaction from guard but that was expected too. Sue. got through quick on NZ passport. So just on 2 hours from arrival to through the gates in much better time than expected and to be honest so much better than some. Our domestic flights in Russia were worse. But few seats once through so that was a nuisance. Toliets ok hardly any seats at Gate 1, we had to wander to other gates to sit while waiting. No plugs to charge devices, And Wi-Fi cant access at all. Can't really work out why they don't make it easier as then tourists might spend in Duty free, but the process is exhausting So we did not spend, lots of building work going on, they need to fine tune their systems and make more tourist friendly. Loved Russia but can't see us returning, getting Visas very challenging.

✅ Verified Review | Infrastructure and attitude are very outdated at Moscow Domodedovo. Very rude staff. Yelling at passengers. Swearing at passengers very loudly. Security person was swearing at passenger in Russian which he does not understand. Not enough places to seat. No wi-fi access. Not enough washrooms. Check-in personnel does not know how to use check-in software. Use Sheremetyevo.

✅ Verified Review | Moscow Domodedovo Airport is the worst I have ever been to. Service was just dreadful. I had to stand (as there weren't any places to sit) in a freezing hall near to gate 19. They obligate us to take off our shoes and there wasn't anything to wear on our feet so we had to enter security barefoot. I wanted to find someone to talk about the problems or ask about shoes and all staff refused to help me. Their irreverent attitude to the passengers is not at all good.

Moscow Domodedovo is an old airport that needs to be rebuilt. Terminals feel cramped, lack of decent places to eat and there is no free wi-fi. Well, there is but you have to provide a Russian number. The +7 is hard coded in to the form. After that, you then have to SMS from that number to a short code. Frustrating. Moscow Sheremetyevo is better and that is saying something. I'd pay extra to fly to vko again. Bring back Transaero!

Moscow Domodedovo seems to be improving since my last visit in October last year. British Airways check in was hassle free. Being a smoker, the Russian police were good enough to let me leave what little hand luggage I had beside the entrance security to save the security check over and over. A few nice coffee shops and eateries before security, but a tad pricey. International departure area has a lot of touristy shops which are overpriced, so if getting souvenirs do so before you get to Airport.

On my first arrival at Moscow DME, the most international of Moscow airports, I was uneasy, but after many transit it can be negotiated easily, now arrival is easy to me. You don't need even to fill in an immigration form, the immigration officer does it. Luggage retrieval is quite fast and they even put 'fagile' labelled luggage aside. Now there is English signage. Custom is easy (worst is at Narita). Transportation if by taxi can be arranged inside terminal (better than outside where you will be approached by unlicensed drivers and doubtful if licensed cars use the meter correctly). The airport express train is good though it takes an hour (it is very far), but taking a taxi at the terminal may be a problem, though a metro station is not far if you know how to use it!. DME is one of three Moscow airports of very large size and can look intimidating, but it is not if you learn your way through it. Be warned that taxi can be expensive due to constant traffic jam, On one occasion I took a taxi it took more than 2 hours and I nearly missed the flight! Contrary to what you may be led to think, it is a good airport.

Having arrived on a S7 domestic flight from Irkutsk, we left the domestic concourse and proceeded to the international one. Have to say, very few signs (like Sheremetyevo) but luckily there are people to ask for directions. Since our baggage was checked through, we went to immigration. Although the queue was extremely short (only one person in front), it took us nearly 20 minutes to get through as it seemed that the woman in front didn't have her papers sorted and a young stern officer being very suspicious of us because we were going to Georgia. She kept checking everything, asking why we were going there etc. Finally we got through to the departure lounge but we had a 5 hour layover. In this section, there seemed to be very few restaurants (and the few that there were were extremely expensive). WiFi seems to be available but in reality it doesn't work! We decided to pay £30 each to go to the S7 Business Class Lounge - have to say it was a wonderful experience as very few people, good catering facilities, great WiFi and the ability to unwind. 5 hours later, our flight to Tbilisi was called and we departed. Overall, a good experience, if you use the Business lounge.

Check-in with Lufthansa dreadfully slow with people pushing in. Passport check and security to the gate took an hour because staff were working at glacial pace. There are no real departure lounges just shops and a few seats if you are lucky. Toilets were reeking ashtrays as the cubicles were full of smokers and the air filled with choking haze. Hallways and departure lounges packed with useless cleaners and functionaries a team from a bank had set up a sales point outside gate three further restricting access to the gate. Food ridiculously overpriced such as 450 rubles for a cup of tea. A miserable place and soured my whole experience of Russia.