Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
48
3
MOSCOW: GETTING THERE
& GETTING AROUND
ARRIVING
By Plane
Russia's chief international carrier remains
Aeroflot, the former Soviet behemoth.
Delta is the only major U.S. airline that
flies into Russia, though all major Euro-
pean carriers serve Moscow and St. Peters-
burg. You can often find good deals
through British Airways, Air France, and
KLM. For a cheaper option, try the Eastern
European airlines, such as Poland's LOT or
Hungary's Malév, or Asian carriers such as
Air India that use Moscow as a fueling stop.
For internal flights in Russia, such as
between Moscow and St. Petersburg, the
luggage weight limit is 20 kilograms (44
lb.); sometimes carry-ons are weighed as
well. Above that weight, you'll have to pay
a fee, usually at a separate cash desk apart
from the check-in counter.
• To have two seats for yourself in a three-
seat row, try for an aisle seat in a center
section toward the back of coach. If
you're traveling with a companion,
book an aisle and a window seat. Mid-
dle seats are usually booked last, so
chances are good you'll end up with
three seats to yourselves. And in the
event that a third passenger is assigned
the middle seat, he or she will probably
be more than happy to trade for a win-
dow or an aisle.
• To sleep, avoid the last row of any sec-
tion or the row in front of an emergency
exit, as these seats are the least likely to
recline. Avoid seats near highly trafficked
toilet areas. Avoid seats in the back of
many jets—these can be narrower than
those in the rest of coach. Or reserve a
window seat so you can rest your head
and avoid being bumped in the aisle.
• Get up, walk around, and stretch every
60 to 90 minutes to keep your blood
flowing. This helps avoid
deep vein
thrombosis,
or “economy-class syn-
drome.” See the box “Avoiding 'Econ-
omy Class Syndrome,'” p. 68.
• Drink water before, during, and after
your flight to combat the lack of humid-
ity in airplane cabins. Avoid caffeine and
alcohol, which will dehydrate you.
The main port of entry for interna-
tional flights is
Sheremetevo-2 Airport
(
&
495/956-4666
or 495/578-9101; www.
sheremetyevo-airport.ru), a dingy gray ter-
minal 30km (19 miles) north of down-
town that was built for the 1980 Olympics.
The passport control lines are formidable,
as the border officers inspect every pass-
port and visa. Luggage carts are free,
though they sometimes run short in num-
ber, so grab one as soon as you see
the baggage carousel. Porters hawk their
services for exorbitant rates. A currency
3
Long-haul flights: How to
stay comfortable
• Your choice of airline and airplane will
definitely affect your legroom. Find
more details about U.S. airlines at
www.seatguru.com
. For international
airlines, the research firm Skytrax has
posted a list of average seat pitches at
www.airlinequality.com
.
• Emergency exit seats and bulkhead seats
typically have the most legroom. Emer-
gency exit seats are usually left unas-
signed until the day of a flight (to
ensure that someone able-bodied fills
the seats); it's worth checking in online
at home (if the airline offers that
option) or getting to the ticket counter
early to snag one of these spots for a
long flight. Many passengers find that
bulkhead seating offers more legroom,
but keep in mind that bulkhead seats
have no storage space on the floor in
front of you.
