It’s no secret that I’ve long wanted to fly Transaero’s Imperial Class. For those of you not familiar with Transaero, it’s the second largest airline in Russia, after Aeroflot.
Is their first class service actually good? I don’t know. But there’s no denying that the bling in their Imperial Class cabin makes Emirates first class look modest by comparison.
Transaero has published some cheap first class fares out of New York and I was hoping to book one eventually, though it looks like that will never happen.
Transaero has been in a terrible financial situation for quite a while now, and they were going to be taken over by Aeroflot. But instead the Russian government let Transaero file for bankruptcy, and decided they weren’t worth rescuing, given their billions of dollars of debt.
Instead Transaero will cease operations any day now. Most of the news regarding the shutdown is in Russian, and I’m not even sure Transaero/Aeroflot/the Russian government know what’s going on or have a plan. But here’s what I’m piecing together as of now:
- Aeroflot is paying Transaero’s fuel bill through today, October 2, 2015
- Transaero is officially issuing refunds for travel after December 15, 2015
- It seems like Aeroflot will be transporting Transaero passengers through December 15, 2015, if/when Transaero stops operating
Here’s what Transaero says on their Facebook page (using Google Translate):
Message for passengers with tickets “Transaero”
Airline “Transaero” in connection with the Government’s decision on the need for reorganization of its activities cooperates with partners to ensure the transportation of passengers with airline tickets.
Sale of tickets for flights of “Transaero” stopped.
Transportation of passengers already holding tickets “Transaero”, will be on domestic and international routes to 15 December 2015.
Passengers with tickets with dates of departure after 00.00 hours on December 15 will be able to issue refund for them in full.
Here’s what Aeroflot says on their website (also using Google Translate):
October 2, 2015, Moscow. – The clarification of the information published earlier, Aeroflot considers it necessary to state:
– The company’s management decided to extend passenger transportation ticketing with Transaero to 00:00 on December 15, 2015 on domestic and international flights;
– Passengers with tickets with departure dates after December 15 will be able to issue refund in full;
– According to preliminary data for that day will be provided with transport 95% of passengers the airline Transaero.
Detailed information on the rules of the return will be published on the website, Transaero, Aeroflot and in the media in the near future.
Bottom line
I think this bankruptcy hardly comes as a surprise, given the state of the Russian economy and how inefficiently the country’s airlines have been run for so long. Yet somehow Baltia Air Lines is still able to convince investors that they have a viable business model.
Does anyone have a ticket booked on Transaero? Have you flown the airline in the past?
I have a flight booked for January 7th, 2016,
However I have been notified it has been canceled. How do I proceed with getting my refund?
I booked 3 tickets for 16 Dec 2015. How should i apply for refund?
i meant to say the tickets i purchased are for January 6 2016
u emailed [email protected] for refund for two tickets i paid for and 3 days pass got no replay
does anyone know if the money is gone or there is a way to get it back
I was checking into a LAX hotel a few weeks ago and a Tranaero crew arrived to check in. 1 of the flight attendants wearing very tight trousers......**sigh** he had a very nice bum....
If they do not such a difficult and expensive visa situation, i am sure russian airlines will do much much better.
Everytime i look at their fares n the thought of visa issues even for transit (u can be at different airports in moscow, or say in eastern russia, there is no transit desk in transit zone), i would think twice.
Now that oil prices have tanked, they really should look at opening...
If they do not such a difficult and expensive visa situation, i am sure russian airlines will do much much better.
Everytime i look at their fares n the thought of visa issues even for transit (u can be at different airports in moscow, or say in eastern russia, there is no transit desk in transit zone), i would think twice.
Now that oil prices have tanked, they really should look at opening up their other industries.. including the tourism sector.
Silly to have great planes n great potential for expansion, but cannot harness the potential because of red tape.
Ha, we have tickets for this Sunday (JFK-TVL). Transaero isn't answering phone to reconfirm flights. Our plan is to go to the airport and if we find that our flight is cancelled, we'll regroup and simply go where our miles will take us....
Never mind. Just realized that although they're still flying, they've already stopped selling tickets.
Come on Lucky! Why have it it never happen? Book a ticket today, and fly Transaero Imperial Class this week. Your readers are counting on you. You've tried out new products on their first day of service, maybe now you'll get to try one out on it's last ;)
Transaero website is dead.....
Transaero have expanded waay to quickly and have in my opinoin overexpanded. And it isn't surprising judging by their fleet list that it is waay to varied.
Aeroflot paying their fuel bill through today is interesting. I'm assuming the Russian government is propping up Transaero through subsidies to Aeroflot. Seems like an odd arrangement.
I flew Transaero through VKO earlier this year to TLV on one of the super cheap fares they published from NYC. The planes and service were pretty standard. I was able to choose seats upon check in, and was able to select extra legroom seats (maybe some would call it E+) on most of my flights at no extra charge. The food offerings were plentiful, frequent, and above average, with full services offered from JFK-VKO...
I flew Transaero through VKO earlier this year to TLV on one of the super cheap fares they published from NYC. The planes and service were pretty standard. I was able to choose seats upon check in, and was able to select extra legroom seats (maybe some would call it E+) on most of my flights at no extra charge. The food offerings were plentiful, frequent, and above average, with full services offered from JFK-VKO and from VKO-TLV. When we landed at VKO, I was shocked at how many heavies were just sitting around, not even parked at gates. There were 747s, 767s, and 777s everywhere. The parts of VKO I was in looked very new, and were well-maintained. There was a TON of open space and seating everywhere. There was a row of shops and restaurants, as well as an elaborate fountain. What surprised me the most, though, was how dead the airport was. I had about a 3 hour layover each way, and never saw more than a few hundred people scattered throughout the massive terminal. By the looks of the planes on the ground, Transaero is the main airline at this airport, so it will be interesting to see what becomes of the obviously humongous investment that is VKO given this news.
this will be a bit of a blow to the aircraft manufacturers as well. Transaero has placed some pretty big orders over the last few years.