- First of all, congratulations on such a venerable date. No joke - one of the oldest companies in the world!
- Probably, it would be wrong to call this Aeroflot holiday exclusively ours. Absolutely everyone celebrated this date, including the Ukraine International Airlines that also came out of that old Aeroflot.
- Is today's Aeroflot a far cry from the past one?
- Under Soviet rule, as you know, Aeroflot was the only air carrier in the USSR. In 1985, for example, we were recognized as the largest air transport company in the world! The volume of traffic then was simply cosmic by today's standards - 113 million people and 3 million tons of cargo. Our new history so far spans only ten years. In 1992, the company Aeroflot - Russian International Airlines was created, and two years ago it was renamed Russian Airlines. Thus, we received the status of Russia's national carrier and all the obligations that entail. And we are doing well. Even when after the notorious September 11 many airlines failed, left the market, and passengers began to fear flying on some routes, Aeroflot ended 2002 with excellent results. We carried almost 6 million passengers, and net revenue turned out to be very, very good.
- We've heard that Aeroflot is full of new plans.
- Absolutely right. For 2003 we have planned a lot of interesting transformations. First of all, this concerns our aircraft fleet. It currently numbers more than 110 aircraft, and these aircraft are very diverse - from old Tupolev models - 134, 154 - to the Boeing 777. Within three years we are to receive 18 Airbus-319/320 aircraft on lease. The task is to reduce the excessively large variety of the fleet to three or four types that could perform all necessary flights. This is simpler and more economical to maintain.
- Will the fleet renewal affect Ukrainian flights?
- Not for now, most likely. Although in the future, aircraft replacement is also planned in Ukraine. By the way, a Boeing 737 was already used on the route, but it turned out to be unprofitable. It flies for an hour and fifteen to twenty minutes - it doesn't even have time to reach cruising speed before it's time to land.
- And now what flies on this route...
- Tu-134 and Tu-154. At the same time, I definitely want to bring to the attention of Ukrainian passengers that we have radically redesigned the cabin of the Tu-154. If you fly on this aircraft today, a Boeing will not seem any better to you, quite the contrary. The seat pitch is excellent, you can sit comfortably. The cabin is leather, business and economy classes are luxuriously finished.
- What other pleasant surprises await Aeroflot passengers?
- This year in our company has been officially declared the year of a global change in attitude towards the passenger. First of all, we are talking about on-board service. We already have 'showcase' routes - Rome - Moscow - Tokyo and Frankfurt - Moscow - Tokyo, where the service is not only not inferior, but even surpasses the offerings of many reputable companies. For example, it is unlikely that anyone will have complaints about the quality of the food offered to passengers. The special restaurant menu includes Muslim, kosher, dietary, diabetic, several vegetarian options, and children's meals. Food is also provided for infants. To get the desired menu, you need to inform the operator at least 36 hours before departure.
- Once again, I would like to ask about the Kiev flights...
- Naturally, it also has the most direct bearing on them. Although it is clear that the main efforts still have to be directed towards economically more profitable routes. But everything will be there, including borscht with dumplings!
- What flights, besides the Kiev ones, does Aeroflot operate within Ukraine?
- Russian Aeroflot began flying to Kiev on April 1, 1994. So this is another anniversary. Soon after the Kiev one, we opened our offices in Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk. It is from these cities that we fly to Moscow today.
- Only to Moscow? And, for example, to St. Petersburg?
- Exclusively to Moscow. Under the intergovernmental agreement, we are not entitled to operate any other flights. We cannot, say, fly from here directly to New York or even to Novosibirsk. Although, of course, we would very much like to. Simply because the Department of Civil Aviation of Ukraine will not allow us to do so. After all, by doing so we would undermine the interests of local carriers.
- Which Moscow airport do Kiev residents arrive at?
- Sheremetyevo-1.
- Do your discount fares apply to all routes?
- Yes. In particular, under the pensioner fare for flights to Europe (except for Scandinavia and the UK), discounts are provided for persons who have reached the age of 60. Also, on some routes, discounts apply for young people under 25. A spouse fare is applied when flying to some countries. In this case, one of the spouses is given a 50% discount on the ticket price. There are routes where a 50% discount on the economy class fare is provided for an accompanying spouse and children aged from 2 to 25 years.
- Does Aeroflot have a special bonus program?
- Certainly. Our discount system for attracting regular passengers has been in operation for more than two years. In principle, it differs little from similar programs of European carriers. The closest analogue is the Air France scheme. Accumulated points for frequent flights give the right to upgrade the class of service, to increase the volume of free carry-on baggage and checked luggage. At the same time, accrual depends on the destination. Say, we have 16 distance zones in total. Flights from Kyiv belong to the first zone and can bring you from 20 to 40 thousand points. Dnipropetrovsk is already the third zone - from 30 to 60 thousand. And Simferopol is the most profitable - from 35 to 70 thousand points. More than 50 thousand people have already taken part in this program in Ukraine. As is customary, we have special "gold" and "silver" cards for regular customers. In general, the program has taken root and, judging by everything, has very good prospects.
- Aeroflot recently signed a code-sharing agreement with Air France. There are similar agreements with other countries. What about Ukraine?
- Yes, our relations with Air France are very warm right now. The agreement you mentioned concerns flights to three destinations in France. That is, a passenger can fly to them on both a French and a Russian flight. But such an agreement is signed when it is equally beneficial to both sides. There is no such agreement with Ukraine yet, primarily because our gain in this case is, so to speak, not obvious. The fact is that by signing a code-share, we are thereby giving the partner all our flights that operate from Moscow around the world. And what do we get in return? Today this is less profitable for us than for our Ukrainian colleagues.
- Is Aeroflot part of any international alliance?
- We are just preparing to join. Air France, American Delta, Air Mexico and a South Korean company will participate in it. This alliance will have a single ticket, which is very convenient for passengers. One of the alliance's requirements is that we must have our own airport. And today Aeroflot has already been allocated territory for the future Sheremetyevo-3. As soon as our company has its own airport, the problems that Sheremetyevo-1 and Sheremetyevo-2 currently have with baggage transfer and other things will disappear. The entire service system will change fundamentally.
- Has Aeroflot taken any additional measures to combat terrorism?
- Aeroflot is the only airline in the world that maintains a dog kennel. It costs a considerable amount of money. The dogs check literally everything when boarding - from passengers to their luggage and carry-on bags. And, naturally, after the events of September 11, all airlines introduced very strict screening. The Americans have generally tightened everything to the limit: there are flights where passengers are even forced to take off their shoes... Previously, our security service had about twenty people, but now it is up to a thousand, probably. Everything is being done to the maximum. Much attention is paid to control during document processing. All our employees undergo a week-long training in Moscow, where they are told about what fake passports exist, how to detect them, and so on.
- There is a lot of talk now about migration cards that foreigners entering Russia must fill out. Do passengers on your flights get the opportunity to fill out such a card?
- On every flight of our airline from Ukraine, passengers are given migration documents immediately upon boarding. Before takeoff, flight attendants make an appropriate announcement and provide cards as needed. So in flight, people can fill in everything they need. The duration of the flight from Kyiv to Moscow is quite enough for this, and we do not have the shortage of cards that is often talked about.
- Does Aeroflot have a network of agents in Ukraine?
- Of course. Today there are more than 50 passenger and about ten cargo agents. Almost all large travel agencies distribute our tickets, and they also have about twenty branches each throughout Ukraine. So an Aeroflot ticket can now be found even in any district center of Ukraine. What we sell at the Kyiv representative office is an insignificant part of sales through our agents. Those who wish, however, can also book a ticket via the Internet.