Having taken the train to Kazan I fly back courtesy of Tatarstan Airlines. To my slight distress the flight is scheduled to be on a boring old Boeing 737 and not the Tupolev Tu-134 or -154 that I'd love to try. Still it turns out to be a 737-500 and I can't remember the last time I took one of those, if I actually have done. Must have, surely???
Kazan airport is quiet, clean and comfortable. And outside the Tu-134
awaits, raising my hopes, but it is not to be and I doubt I'll ever get
on one of the beasts now.
Seat-pitch in the 737 is very short indeed. The lanky guy across the aisle from me, who fortunately has a row to himself, is in the middle seat with one knee pressed against the left seat ahead of him and one against the right. But the 80min flight is fine, with free bread, fruit and water.
It's a gorgeous, clear evening with visibility stretching to the incredibly distant Russian horizon, the Volga River - more an elongated sea - passing beneath us, and the evening sun on the nose. It's a rude awakening to be back on Domodedovo's congested ramp and an even ruder one to be ordered by some jumped-up asshole on the tarmac not to photograph the 737. Here's one for your album chum!
Seat-pitch in the 737 is very short indeed. The lanky guy across the aisle from me, who fortunately has a row to himself, is in the middle seat with one knee pressed against the left seat ahead of him and one against the right. But the 80min flight is fine, with free bread, fruit and water.
It's a gorgeous, clear evening with visibility stretching to the incredibly distant Russian horizon, the Volga River - more an elongated sea - passing beneath us, and the evening sun on the nose. It's a rude awakening to be back on Domodedovo's congested ramp and an even ruder one to be ordered by some jumped-up asshole on the tarmac not to photograph the 737. Here's one for your album chum!
on August 17, 2010 3:07 PM | Reply
I booked a flight on Tatarstan Airlines from St. Petersburg to Kazan and tried to get a refund or change the date on my ticket as I had to cancel my trip due to the wildfires. Because many of the customer service representatives did not speak English, they hung up the phone on me. This occurred about six times until I finally got through to a representative who rudely forwarded me over to her manager. After speaking with manager for 10 minutes about how unprofessionally I was treated by his service representatives, he responded to me by saying that his representatives were not used to dealing with "Westerners" and speaking English, and so apologized on their behalf. I never received a full refund on the ticket. After this experience, I vow never again to fly Tatarstan Airlines.
on August 25, 2010 9:11 AM | Reply
Give them another chance. It was just a little misundrstanding and the language issue. Different culture, especially if it's a regional carrier ;)