Moscow Flights

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I flew to Moscow with Rossiya Airlines. And it was interesting, saying that it that way would be diplomatic. In my life in all the flying I have done around the world I have never prayed so much to return back to earth in one peace. The aircraft was an old Tupolev that was in the worst state an aircraft could be.
Hence take air travel with caution, since I would never jump on a Russian airline in a hurry again any time soon!

moscow international airport:
3 choices from there:pay hundreds of dollars to a taxi-driver to go to the city center,
or pay about 4 dollars for a regular bus to the city center(the taxi-drivers will tell you that there is no bus),
or pay maybe 50 cents or 1$ for a slow bus with many stations down to the city;
inside the airport,many aggressive taxi drivers will hustle you,telling you that there is no bus,or that it does not work today,only to take from you all the money you may have;
the subway is very nice and you can go to every part of the city;also many buses to everywhere in moscow,so
do not travel with taxis!

Most likely you will arrive at Sheremetyevo airport to NW of the city, or more precisely Terminal 2 - where international flights are handled. The new large terminal is being built across the runway. In the meantime you will have to be dealing with the overcrowded Terminal 2. It was built for the Olympics in 1980, before the country opened up and the amount of international traffic was not anticipated. Basically, there are only two luggage carousels which creates enormous crowds. If you are arriving from North America and are flexible, be aware that Delta from NYC, Delta from Atlanta, Aeroflot from US, and Aeroflot from Mongolia arrive at about the same time which creates an enormous bottleneck. The Delta from NYC arrives first which lets its passengers beat the crowds.

When you are leaving, do arrive early. EVERY piece of luggage on flights to US is searched thoroughly by hand. The airport is located quite far from the city. With no traffic it takes about an hour one way to the city center. With traffic, you will be stuck for a very long time. Do not schedule flights out on Friday, Saturday, before or on the holidays - when everyone is driving to their summer cottages.

Options by public transport are few: buses to metro Rechnoy Vokzal and overpriced taxis, both of which are subject to traffic congestion. The city is building a speed train to Saviolovskiy train station/ metro.

The restaurant is quite decent, and the stores sell genuinely fine but pricey handicrafts. There are also stores selling jewelry, cosmetics, etc. Just be aware that you purchase any cremes or liquids you will have to check them in with luggage or leave them: the airline security will not allow them on board, and the stores don't warn you. Do not change currency in the airport, except perhaps the bare minimum, due to very high commissions and bad rates. Connections to other airports (Vnukovo and Domodedovo) can be arduous, as they are both located far from the city as well.

Moscow has two main airports, Domodedovo (DME) and Sheremetyevo (SVO).

DME is a very modern airport, equal to any you will find around the world. It always seems to be busyand pickpockets are a problem. That said, security is pretty tight – everyone has their shoes x-rayed along with their jackets and hand luggage, although this really only was introduced after the Black Widows’ bombings a couple of years back. International and domestic departures both take place from the one building.

DME is located about 1 hour by car from the city. A taxi can be negotiated for around 1,000 roubles if you persevere (Russians can, I am sure, get I for much less). There is also a high speed train that takes you into the centre of Moscow for a very low fare. If you arrive on a Domodedovo flight, you can exchange your boarding pass for a free ticket. The train takes around 45 minutes.

SVO has 2 separate terminals for international and domestic. Neither seem to be connected by a shuttle bus so you need to take a taxi. It pays to haggle, especially if you can speak Russian and can also act outraged at the ridiculous prices the drivers demand.

The international terminal, SVO-2, is a bit dowdy and run-down – it seems to exist in a permanent state of twilight, as if someone has trimmed down the dimmer switch. It has lots of shopping in the departures area but it still doesn’t manage to look anything other than 30 years out of date. However, the domestic terminal at SVO-1 is actually showing signs of investment, with a vastly improved main concourse. Check-in and departures are still a little ‘Russian’ in style, however it all seems to work. SVO is a bit further out than DME and takes a little longer to get anywhere, although I have managed to get taxis to take me there from the city for around 600 roubles for some reason.

If you need to travel between DME and SVO, then it can get expensive. Expect to pay around $100 for a taxi, although the journey takes a minimum of 1 ½ hours and maybe even 2 ½ hours depending on traffic.

There is a new express train connecting the airport Vnukovo with the Kievsky train station (and thus the Metro). When leaving the international terminal turn left. Cross the road in front of the domestic terminal and turn left again in front of the parking lots. At the time of writing you had to pass a building site then to reach the entrance to the underground station. An adult oneway is 76 roubles. Keep the ticket, you might need it to leave the Kievsky station. Travel time is approx. 35 minutes. The train goes five minutes to every hour between 6:55 and 11:55, 16:55 and 20.55.

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Sheremetyevo II is the main airport of Moscow; all flights from big cities in Europe and America land here.

When arriving at this airport, you will be guided by agents to the passportcontrol. When walking to the passportcontrol, you walk along the wall of the building. You are separated by the rest of the building by high glasswalls.

It becomes more strange when you finally arrive at the passportcheck; have a look at the amazing ceiling; it's made of copper rings! Watch the pictures I made from TV.

A Moscou, 5 avions sont arriv?s en m?me temps (dont un d?Allemagne et un autre de Chine). Alors, le contr?le de police ? l?immigration a pris une heure, et j?ai eu la surprise de voir qu?ils avaient d?j? ma photo dans leur ordinateur (celle que j?ai donn? ? l?ambassade quand j?ai demand? le visa, le jeudi pr?c?dent). Je suis pass? sans histoire, puis, j?ai pens? r?cup?rer ma valise facilement... mais l?, il y avait une foule autour des tapis encombr?s, les gens jetaient les valises qui n??taient pas les leurs, et il y avait de gros tas de bagages n?importe comment. Puis le tapis s?est carr?ment bloqu?... j?ai mis 15 minutes pour trouver ma valise dans ce bordel.
Une heure et demie pour sortir de l?avion !!!

Ensuite, nous nous sommes entass?s dans un bus, au milieu des bagages des paysannes (qui d?m?nagent leur maison a chaque voyage, semble t-il ?), pour rejoindre l?autre terminal.
Nous avons attendu l?embarquement pour Novossibirsk. Dans la salle d?attente, il y avait des femmes qui, devant se rendre dans le grand Nord, attendaient leur avion depuis 3 jours, la m?t?o ?tant trop mauvaise pour permettre l?atterrissage sur place. Sto?ques, elles campaient dans l?a?roport. A l?embarquement, les formalit?s de polices sont particuli?res :
On passe valises, sacs et manteaux dans les rayons X comme partout, mais il faut aussi enlever ses chaussures, puis on a droit a une fouille au corps avec palpation ! La jeune fille ?tait agr?able, et s?est amus?e de mes grimace (j?ai oublie de lui dire echio ? encore ? a la fin). Plus loin, la palpeuse ?tait une superbe blonde, je voulais repasser...

A Moscou, 5 avions sont arrivés en même temps (dont un d’Allemagne et un autre de Chine). Alors, le contrôle de police à l’immigration a pris une heure, et j’ai eu la surprise de voir qu’ils avaient déjà ma photo dans leur ordinateur (celle que j’ai donné à l’ambassade quand j’ai demandé le visa, le jeudi précédent). Je suis passé sans histoire, puis, j’ai pensé récupérer ma valise facilement... mais là, il y avait une foule autour des tapis encombrés, les gens jetaient les valises qui n’étaient pas les leurs, et il y avait de gros tas de bagages n’importe comment. Puis le tapis s’est carrément bloqué... j’ai mis 15 minutes pour trouver ma valise dans ce bordel.
Une heure et demie pour sortir de l’avion !!!

Ensuite, nous nous sommes entassés dans un bus, au milieu des bagages des paysannes (qui déménagent leur maison a chaque voyage, semble t-il ?), pour rejoindre l’autre terminal.
Nous avons attendu l’embarquement pour Novossibirsk. Dans la salle d’attente, il y avait des femmes qui, devant se rendre dans le grand Nord, attendaient leur avion depuis 3 jours, la météo étant trop mauvaise pour permettre l’atterrissage sur place. Stoïques, elles campaient dans l’aéroport. A l’embarquement, les formalités de polices sont particulières :
On passe valises, sacs et manteaux dans les rayons X comme partout, mais il faut aussi enlever ses chaussures, puis on a droit a une fouille au corps avec palpation ! La jeune fille était agréable, et s’est amusée de mes grimace (j’ai oublie de lui dire echio – encore – a la fin). Plus loin, la palpeuse était une superbe blonde, je voulais repasser...