Rossiya Airlines

✅ Trip Verified | Gatwick to St Petersburg. I was slightly apprehensive about travelling with Rossiya Airlines but need not have been! This was full flight from Gatwick to St. Petersburg on an A319. The plane had seen better days but was clean. When I checked in I asked for an aisle seat and was denied one. Boarding was very quick and I soon found myself in a rather uncomfortable seat for the just over 30 min flight. The cabin crew were very nice people and efficient. The service included a complimentary sandwich and drink which was appreciated. I plan to visit Russia again in August and will gladly use this airline. The friendly staff won me over. Disembarkation was via a bus transfer to the main terminal.

✅ Trip Verified | VKO-AER. Overall, pleasantly surprised by the product. Online check-in via Aeroflot’s website was quick and efficient. Vnukovo airport is clean, spacious and comfortable with lots of Rossiya’s check-in counters and assistance desks. The aircraft was new and clean, although legroom was a bit tight, seats themselves were very comfortable. Cabin crew were quick, efficient and friendly. Free food included a nice sandwich, tea / coffee, juices and Coke. You could also purchase a nice craft beer with snacks. Overall, a very pleasant experience for a middle, discount-sector airline.

✅ Trip Verified | From Prague to Saint Petersburg and back, new aircraft Airbus A319, comfortable seats with a nice legroom space, cabin crew were polite, friendly and helpful. Rossiya Airlines is really good and I can say that they are much better than many other European Airlines.

✅ Trip Verified | Simferopol to Moscow Vnukovo. As I understood, this flight is executed on a wide-body aircraft in summer, this time it was Boeing 777-300. The flight itself was good, the aircraft was rather old but very well-maintained, seat width and pitch are really big, cabin crew was awesome: very polite, professional and understanding. Departure and arrival on time, the boarding process started an hour prior to departure - so the passengers had to sit in the plane for an extra hour. The queues for check-in were rather long, I prefer they to open more check-in counters. IFE is present but not working, but their journal is really interesting - I spend almost the whole flight reading it. Food includes a cup of water/tea/coffee and a sandwich, I considered it quite tasty this time. All in all, a nice flight but I have to decrease my rating because it was heavily overpriced.

✅ Trip Verified | I flew Rossiya on a business trip Moscow to St.Petersburg return. First leg of the trip was OK, but the second one was terrible. First, they changed the seat, from 6D to 22D, unannounced. I first found out about it at boarding there a girl clerk (not smiling) bluntly crossed with a pen seat number printed out on a boarding pass and wrote down a new one at the rear of the plane. To my complaint she barked out; plane change, when I insisted, big aviation safety guy, who was loitering at the boarding desk apparently doing nothing but entertaining the girl, started to threaten me that he would put me off the the flight if I don't accept the seat change. Great experience for those who long for good old USSR style service! Otherwise strongly not recommended!

✅ Trip Verified | This A319 business class operated in a 3x3 configuration, with 3 Biz Class rows, middle seat empty, ala typical Euro Biz configuration. Initially a disappointment as was expecting 2 rows of 2x2 (per Seat Guru) with more spacious seats, but seat 1F had plenty of room and the bulkhead had a cut-out for additional foot-space which was unexpected/appreciated. Food edible (if mediorce) but more than made up for by very attentive service from flight crew. My flight attendant worked tirelessly throughout the short 3hr flight, she was kind, friendly, attentive and my glass was never-ever empty. Altogether a really enjoyable flight and Take-Off/Landing bang on time. Having been nervous about flying an Aeroflot off-shoot have to say this was one of the most enjoyable short-haul flights I've had in a long while. Rossiya recommended.

✅ Trip Verified | Moscow to Vladivostok. Flight codeshared with Aeroflot. What can I say: Rossiya is cheaper but not worse. No IFE (personal screens existed but didn't work) - is the only major problem. But the cabin is more comfortable than in Aeroflot's 773s - its 3x3x3 seats while Aeroflot is using 3x4x3. So the seats are wider, the pitch is big enough so I'm quite a tall person (190 cm) felt comfortable. Food ok but the onions they provided for breakfast were more suitable for dinner. Overall would recommend Rossiya.

✅ Trip Verified | Friendly airline and friendly price tag. From Moscow (Vnukovo) to Prague. This has been already my third experience with Rossiya (previous flights to/from Barcelona). Normally, I prefer Aeroflot and in some cases used CSA or TravelService. Rossiya is fairly OK - easy online booking and check in, swift drop off at Vnukovo airport. No queue. Standard ticket incl. 20 kg baggage, 5 kg cabin baggage and seat selection (unless you wish to pay 500 Rub for extra leg room in front). Plane was new and clean. Leather seats comfortable and with sufficient legroom. We were served complimentary sandwich and cold/hot drinks. In fact, Aeroflot would not offer much more, CSA and TravelService are no frills. Staff were friendly, helpful and efficient. Flight was on time. Based on my experience, I would rate Rossiya well above TravelService or CSA and close to Aeroflot economy (its mother company). However, Rossiya is a clear winner in terms of value for money. Overall a pleasant experience.

✅ Verified Review | Simferopol to Moscow Vnukovo. Was very surprised when saw aircraft type Boeing 747-400 while booking, and actually it was - which happens rather rarely for a 2h flight! Booking and online registration were done via Aeroflot interface and were quick and efficient. Ground staff were a bit annoyed but not rude. Simferopol airport doesn't have a possibility to serve wide-body aircraft near the terminal building, so we had to get to the plane by bus and it took a long time. The aircraft was a bit tired but nevertheless convenient, also I have no complaints for the cabin staff. Food (including a cup of water/tea/coffee and a sandwich) didn't look appetizing. The cabin is equipped by an ancient IFE system but it's not working for now. Came to Moscow in time, no delays. I managed to book this ticket rather cheaply (90$ OW, with baggage) so this is a decent service level for such a price. OK for short flights, but I consider that travelling this airline on long-haul routes may be bothersome.

✅ Verified Review | Moscow to Petropavlovsk. Needing to go to Kamchatka for work, I decided to pay for business class, as I didn't fancy the 8-hour flight from Moscow in economy. Nominally part of Aeroflot, Rossiya Airlines is nevertheless far from an equal to its mother company, and I was disappointed when I realised that the flight was operated by RA, as I have come to esteem Aeroflot on longhaul routes in both business and economy. Online check in was easy, and baggage drop was handled at Berlin Tegel by UTAir, who flew me the first leg. On arrival at Moscow's Vnukovo airport, I went to the pretty decent Rossiya Airlines lounge where I used the wireless, had a coffee and ate some fruit before going to board. Business class passengers (both of us) had a small shuttle to the plane, which allowed us at least to skip the crowded main bus. The plane itself was freshly painted with a gorgeous mural of an Amur Leopard's face plastered over the nose, which looked amazing. Inside, however, the cabin was quite aged, but the welcome was warm (one stewardess spoke English well) and I was glad that the business cabin was empty. The stewardess informed me that the entire plane's entertainment system was not working, as if she was letting me know that one of the meal options was unavailable: she seemed totally unbothered by this, and while of course I was prepared with my laptop and a bunch of series, this seemed really poor and I would have been furious had I be flying west and wasn't intending to sleep. A meal was served promptly after take off (salmon, rice and vegetables, salad and a dessert) that was of the standard you'd expect on a medium quality European airline's economy section, and then I went to sleep. The business seats recline fairly well, to around 80% and were fairly comfortable, meaning I got at least 6 hours of shut eye, which was the main point of flying business. A meaty breakfast and undrinkable coffee were served over the volcanoes of Kamchatka the following morning, before touching down in Petropavlovsk. Definitely an underwhelming experience, next time I will try to ensure I fly with Aeroflot proper rather than one of its subsidiaries, but overall I got what I paid for.