Aeroflot business class London-Moscow-Yerevan

LONDON-MOSCOW-YEREVAN

BACKGROUND

Aeroflot flies up to seven times a day from the UK to Moscow, and from there to more than 140 destinations globally, including daily to Yerevan, Armenia.

CHECK-IN

I arrived at Heathrow T4 at 1015 for my 1150 departure on SU2571 to Moscow Sheremetyevo, a flight time of three hours 50 minutes. There was no queue at business class check-in and my bag was through-checked to my destination, Yerevan. Fast-track security was quiet and I proceeded to the Skyteam lounge (Aeroflot is an alliance member).

BOARDING

This was delayed by about 20 minutes because of the aircraft’s late arrival. Business class and Sky Priority passengers boarded first. We were offered champagne, water or juice, my jacket was hung, and a menu, wine list and cold towel were provided, along with an amenity bag, slippers, cushion and blanket.

THE SEAT

For both this flight and the one onwards to Yerevan we were on a narrow-body B737-800 with Aeroflot’s up-to-date touchscreen IFE system. The airline also has a wide-body A330 flying on one of its five daily London-Moscow departures, as well as A320 and A321 aircraft – my return from Yerevan to Moscow was operated by an A321, and Moscow-Heathrow by an A320 (read all of the reviews, plus one of the Skyteam lounge, at businesstraveller.com).

This 158-seat B737-800 was configured in two classes – business in rows one to five (A-C, D-F) and economy in rows six to 28 (A-B-C, D-E-F). I was in 1A, which wouldn’t have been my choice as you have to put your bags in the overhead locker for take-off and landing, unlike a few rows back where you can tuck them under the seat in front. In addition, in my experience, frequently you can’t fit them overhead right at the front, although this time I was lucky and it wasn’t a problem.

The blue leather seat is comfortable, with 37-38 inches of legroom and a recline of seven inches, although it feels like much more and means you can sleep comfortably in what is a sort of old-style cradle seat. A table comes out of the arm and bounces a fair bit if you try to work or eat; mine also sloped. There is a remote control for the IFE, which featured an astonishing range of entertainment for a short-haul aircraft – dozens of recent films, plus TV and music. The in-seat power took EU, UK or US plugs. You could pay for wifi, but it seemed to be about delivering content directly to devices rather than allowing surfing, so I could have watched films on my laptop or phone but not browsed the internet or got emails.

BEST SEAT

I’d go for one of the rows in the middle of the section – maybe two, three or four – and perhaps an aisle unless you like looking out of the window (I do).

The IFE featured an astonishing range of entertainment for a short-haul aircraft

FLIGHT ONE

We taxied for a while and eventually took off at 1240. Because the seat next to me was free I could have the meal set up there while I worked. Devised by Kamel Benmamar, a chef at a Novikov restaurant in Moscow, the menu included full dietary information including protein, fats, carbs and calories, and an invitation to rate each course on a scale of one to five. There was an appetiser of roasted almonds and cashews, then a choice of cold starter – a vegetable platter of pickled artichokes, tomatoes, carrot, asparagus and sherry vinegar (uninspired unfortunately), or scallops with cucumber and greens with Japanese sauce. The mains were salmon with wild rice, mushrooms, tomatoes and pumpkin sauce; tortellini with ricotta, spinach and cream sauce; or chicken with eggplant and broccoli (again, a bit disappointing). There was also a bread basket and lemon cake. The wines were

a Lanson champagne; Verdejo sauvignon blanc from Castilla-La Mancha, Spain; Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Tuscany; Mythique Languedoc, France; and Fortius Crianza, Navarra, Spain. After lunch there was Graham’s ten-year-old port, Chivas Regal 12-year-old and Hine Rare VSOP.

CONNECTION

We arrived into Moscow at around 1820, about 40 minutes late, and there was a further 20-minute delay waiting for stairs down to the bus, so some passengers missed their connections. (The minimum connection time at the airport is between 50 and 90 minutes, depending on whether you are transferring within or between terminals or on to a domestic or international flight.) To connect, you go through passport control, show your onward ticket and pass through another layer of security before descending to the main concourse, where there are shops, restaurants and the gates of Terminal D.

LOUNGE

There are several Aeroflot lounges at Sheremetyevo – I chose the Moscow one because it was closest to my gate (30). It was busy but I had no problem finding a place to relax until my flight was announced. It offered a good choice of food and drink, plus plenty of places to charge devices. (On the way back I chose the Saint Petersburg lounge, which is even better – see the website for a review.)

FLIGHT TWO

We boarded at just after 2000 for the 2050 departure to Yerevan and received the same welcome drink and amenities as on the first flight. I was in window seat 4F, which was identical to the one on the previous flight. The food was much better this time and more like previous Aeroflot flights I have been on. The cold starter was cured goose served with fruit, or prawns with a vegetable mix and sweet and sour sauce (tasty). The mains were halibut with pumpkin, asparagus, tomatoes and carrot sauce; beef steak with filini pasta, tomatoes, mushrooms and red wine sauce; or bulgur with vegetables. The dessert was vanilla ice cream with almond flakes, and the wines were the same as on London-Moscow, apart from the champagne, which was Drappier. Afterwards I watched a film and finished some work.

The Moscow lounge offered a good choice of food and drink plus plenty of places to charge devices

ARRIVAL

We landed on time at just past midnight – there is a time difference of one hour with Moscow.

VERDICT

An excellent flight with a good connection at Sheremetyevo and great service. It’s one of the few ways of getting to Yerevan, but even for destinations with more options, Aeroflot is definitely worth considering both for the quality of its service (even if the food was a bit patchy on this occasion) and its new fleet.