Iberia

MAD-SCL. Madrid check in and security very fast. Lounge at T4S great dinner served before boarding. Flight leaving at 00.20 so once on board slept. Seat comfortable. Crew nice. Departed on time. Breakfast very nice too. Arrival on time. Great experience.

Madrid to Malabo Equatorial Guinea. My flight was very pleasant as was the flight crew. Upon arrival at the airport in Malabo I had trouble contacting the client office that was to meet me at the airport. Iberia Public Relations supervisor offered to assist me. Like myself he was not successful. As it was near midnight he departed for the day and I remained at the airport continuing to attempt to contact my clients. The following day found me still at the airport. The Pubic Relations Supervisor returned and on finding I was still at the airport he took it upon himself to locate the office facility of the persons I had been unable to contact then took the time to transport me in his personal vehicle to that location.

This was my first time using S7. Their online ticket sale works fine you are sent e-ticket in pdf which is great for printing. At the airport check-in was ok but you got no smile from their agents. Onboard you are met by unsmiling crew who look tired. The plane was a320 in very good condition clean and with great legroom. Food was hot lunch which was nice for 1 hr flight in economy. We took off on time and landed ahead of schedule. My bag was on the belt when I was off immigration. S7 is a great choice for family travel. My ticket was a great deal. S7 is the second best airline between Kiev and Moscow. Gloomy and robotic agents and crews and strange schedule are the only minuses.

Moscow-Ekaterinburg. Had a fairly good experience with S7. Check-in and take off was on time. The plane was new and in good condition. Attendants spoke English quite well and friendly which is not usual in Russia and especially not on this route. Food cheap but plenty and convenient. Looking at the price/value ratio I recommend this airline on domestic flights in Russia.

VAR-DME-EVN. Crew friendly and professional - food ok and there was a choice. Best part was the seats that are the kind you would expect from a scheduled airline despite it being a low cost carrier.

DME-LED-DME. Good value for money. Excellent option for those making connection in Domodedovo. First leg operated by Globus (subsidiary I guess). Even though it's only 1h flight a small snack has been provided (and newspapers in Russian). Clean new planes (B738 and A319). Big delay on way back but not the airlines' fault. Would use again.

Moscow-Volgograd used check-in kiosks but still had to go to the desk to drop off baggage. A319 clean and comfortable. After take-off flight attendants came around with newspapers (only Russian) then a meal and drink service. Main flight attendant spoke perfect english. Return trip also on A319 aircraft but different interiors - looked very much like Northwest airlines so probably where the plane came from. Chicken or fish dinner served and food delicious. Flight attendants smiling and friendly. In Moscow we were lucky enough to get a gate at the terminal and had our bags within 15 minutes. S7 really does a nice job.

Beijing-Novosibirsk. The flight experience was awful. Flight time 6-05am but gates weren't open even there was no crew in check-in till like 6-00 check-in delayed no reason given no one cared it finally started at 6-15am and took another half an hour for the plane to depart. When you get onboard it feels like you've gone back to 90's. The plane is really really old. No tv no radio no nothing. I was not expecting much from this airline but it was way worse - however the food was good and there were two choices.

Domodedovo - Barnaul. Night flight in a new A320 seating better than Niki. Surprising amount of food (satisfying quality) for a 4-hour night flight. No onboard entertainment. Online booking and check in at DME went well (we had backpacks and were asked to a separate counter as the regular checkin counters can only handle suitcases). Most S7 staff speak only basic English. Flying to Russian destinations via Domodedovo is recommended because things there go much smoother than at Sheremetyevo where you have to wait a long time and take a bus to change terminals.

Moscow-Rimini return (charter economy). Outbound flight was delayed for 45 minutes but we were warned about this fact by check-in attendants who were very nice and friendly (unusual for Moscow). Boarding normally organised then the bus to our plane A310 inside was bright and clean seats were ok (I'm 192 cm tall). Soon after departure drinks were served - only juices or water. The meal service was fantastic. I must admit that the meal service took them more than 15 hour. Inflight magazine interesting. Return flight departed earlier than expected boarding swift seating was more comfy. Flight attendants were better : very helpful and delivered what you need with a smile.