http://www.englishdadinmoscow.com/2011/04/aeroflot-walk-of-hot-coals.html

Guess its totally worth paying extra 200 bucks and have them fly Emirates. Even though my fav. is Cathay Pacific to fly DEL or BOM from LAX, but 6~8 hour layover (each way) is the killer for the days we are looking for.

Our worst experience so far Air India!!! Flew DEL to LAX via FRA and got stuck there for 2 days (Sun/Mon) with minimum clothing/diapers and zero infant food. First had to spend like 5~6 hours in the airport before we got the transit visa (which was granted to seniors or ppl flying with kids). Then we were shuttled to the hotel where food was provided… except that 85% (or more) people did not eat anything since it was all meat.

Next day was Sunday, which means no place to go shop for anything… managed to get to train station where infant food & diapers were sold for atleast 5~10 times the regular US price. That is when we decided that we will say ‘No Thanks’ to Air India even if they offer to fly us free (because I wanna live!!!).

IL-62 from Singapore to Moscow via Bombay, Tu-154 Moscow-Leningrade return and IL-62 Moscow-London.

The service was actually pretty good although some East Germans sitting next to me on the Bombay-Moscow leg thought the stewardess must have liked me because she was so attentive … they asked if I’d flown Aeroflot before and if not, I’d understand what they meant. She kept bringing me small cans of Heineken beer, and when the little they had ran out, she offered me wine!

However, be that as it may – and it wouldn’t happen to me these days, I’m certain – Aeroflot DID make an effort on its international flights to and from the West and back in the late ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s, one of its aircraft, the long-range Tu-114, was regarded as one of the safest and most reliable passnger aircraft ever built and flown. It had lots of passenger room and even dining areas on board.

Certainly, the internal flights were more of a shuttle service and everyone just rushed on and sat wherever there was a seat. It was a one-hour flight and they served us coffee and cake, which was fine. What I did not know was that at the time, there were problems with that kind of aircaft that had not all been ironed out, although I’m told most were.

But the Moscow-London leg was an excellent flight and the IL-62 aircraft (a VC-10 lookalike) was near new. It felt no different to a British Airways or Qantas flight of the period, and the cabin crew were very polite, happy looking and as attentive as any.

I have heard that recently, given that private industry safety and maintenence standards in Russia are much higher than they were in the Soviet era, Aeroflot’s safety record is actually as good or better than that of many other reputable major airlines … so would I fly them?

Yes, and it’s a resounding yes.

I also don’t believe anyone has anything to fear flying on Russian-built aircraft. Russian aircraft engineers are among the best in the world, and adept at building very rugged aircraft. As I mentioned, most of the real problems were with human error – poor maintenence, lax safety standards, sub-standard avionics – during the Soviet era, rather than serious technical problems.