Iberia

Domedovo-Khujand return. The plane wasn't new but seemed sturdy! I don't think much English was spoken in the plane but in the airport it was fine helpful (if slow) assistance in the transit area of DME. Lots of pushing on and off the planes but seems unnecessary as there are seats for everyone. Watch out for the surprise 20 kg weight limit per passenger (INCLUDING HAND BAGGAGE) when leaving Khujand. ($5 per extra kg - maybe if you speak Russian you can talk your way out of this one.)

Domodoevo - Osh Kyrgyzstan. Online booking is great although little English spoken at their ticket desk. I would say they were great except the Kyrgyz refuse to queue and staff wouldn't or couldn't control them. Inflight one decided to change seats to the empty one next to me and piled so much baggage under and over his seat he could hardly sit down - and I was crowded as well. He then nursed a bottle of vodka he had brought on board throughout the flight and was getting rather difficult by the end.

Domodoevo - Osh Kyrgyzstan. Online booking is great although little English spoken at their ticket desk. I would say they were great except the Kyrgyz refuse to queue and staff wouldn't or couldn't control them. Inflight one decided to change seats to the empty one next to me and piled so much baggage under and over his seat he could hardly sit down - and I was crowded as well. He then nursed a bottle of vodka he had brought on board throughout the flight and was getting rather difficult by the end.

Moscow-Novosibirsk-Moscow flights by A310 (going there) and A319 (coming back). The seats in the A310 were a little cramped but the cabin was spotless and felt fresh the cabin was clearly more roomy on the A319. The food on is a lot better than Aeroflot and the flight attendants seem eager to please the passengers. The crew spoke very good English on the flight to Moscow but not as much on the flight to Novosibirsk. S7 is a jewel among its competitors. They have more western aircraft than other Russian carriers and the service is better.

Moscow-Novosibirsk-Moscow flights by A310 (going there) and A319 (coming back). The seats in the A310 were a little cramped but the cabin was spotless and felt fresh the cabin was clearly more roomy on the A319. The food on is a lot better than Aeroflot and the flight attendants seem eager to please the passengers. The crew spoke very good English on the flight to Moscow but not as much on the flight to Novosibirsk. S7 is a jewel among its competitors. They have more western aircraft than other Russian carriers and the service is better.

Moscow DME-OSS return on Tupolev TU 154M. DME-OSS left on time. Staff at the Domodedovo Airport friendly. Crew only made announcements in Russian. All magazines were in Russian. It was 5-hour flight and some snack/drink given after we took off. Staff in OSS were very unprofessional. Luggage was just thrown on the floor for passengers to pick up. Immigration was not organized. On the way back we booked the VIP lounge and nothing except tea was served there. Flight from OSS to DME was delayed due to the airline's failure to extend their contract with the ground fuel supplier. So plane flew to Bishkek's Manas FRU airport. Passengers were not allowed to leave the aircraft while it was being refuelled. It took 2 hours. Cabin was very warm staff did not speak English. Food was cold. We were delayed. Staff at DME was very slow. Luggage was delayed immigration was very slow. Time in line was about 2 hours.

Moscow DME-OSS return on Tupolev TU 154M. DME-OSS left on time. Staff at the Domodedovo Airport friendly. Crew only made announcements in Russian. All magazines were in Russian. It was 5-hour flight and some snack/drink given after we took off. Staff in OSS were very unprofessional. Luggage was just thrown on the floor for passengers to pick up. Immigration was not organized. On the way back we booked the VIP lounge and nothing except tea was served there. Flight from OSS to DME was delayed due to the airline's failure to extend their contract with the ground fuel supplier. So plane flew to Bishkek's Manas FRU airport. Passengers were not allowed to leave the aircraft while it was being refuelled. It took 2 hours. Cabin was very warm staff did not speak English. Food was cold. We were delayed. Staff at DME was very slow. Luggage was delayed immigration was very slow. Time in line was about 2 hours.

Peking - Novosibirisk return. Older A310 spotlessly clean service and food good. Have used S-7 many times and consider they stack up very well with the major carriers. I note the flight routes are beginning to expand and I wish the company success. Good no frills airline that will develop further in the coming years.

Peking - Novosibirisk return. Older A310 spotlessly clean service and food good. Have used S-7 many times and consider they stack up very well with the major carriers. I note the flight routes are beginning to expand and I wish the company success. Good no frills airline that will develop further in the coming years.

Moscow-Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude economy return. The flight was meant to be a direct DME-UUD but the airport at Ulan-Ude was closed for repairs so I flew to Irkutsk and travelled to Ulan-Ude on a specially organised bus (it took 8 hours!). Despite this setback which wasn't S7 Airlines fault and the fact I was delayed both ways due to the weather the flight was uneventful and the meal service has improved considerably since I last flew with them - and it wasn't even bad before! There was a choice of hot meal and as much free soft drink as you wished though alcoholic drinks must be paid for. There was also tea and coffee and before landing in Irkutsk a breakfast snack was served. It was much the same on the return leg. The seats were a little cramped (it was a Russian Tupolev Tu-154) and I suppose the decor was a little dated (though I liked the multi-coloured headrests) but that didn't matter much. The cabin crew were smiling and courteous a lot and announcements were given both in Russian and (very good) English. After the plance crash that happened the previous week the crew remained very competent and professional as I am sure it must have been a difficult time for them too. Although the crash in Irkutsk affected this airline it didn't put me off flying with them and it would not stop me from flying with them again in the future. They will always be my first choice when flying Trans-Siberian routes.