When it comes to airline experiences, there are two main regrets I have. One of them is not being able to fly the Concorde. Given that I was 13 when the supersonic plane was retired, I can’t really hold that against myself too much.
The other regret is not having flown Transaero’s Imperial Class, which is perhaps the most ridiculous looking first class cabin that I’ve ever seen.
Not that the product is actually that cutting edge, but the finishes are just…
With the Russian Ruble falling faster than Ryan Lochte’s sponsorship opportunities, there were some great Transaero fares available at the time, including between New York and Moscow.
I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity, though unfortunately late last year Transaero ceased operations, with just a few days notice, as the airline couldn’t pay their bills anymore. Many of Transaero’s planes are parked in a few different places, and I even saw some parked on the tarmac at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport before my recent Singapore Airlines flight from Moscow to Houston.
Well, there may still be an opportunity to fly Transaero’s first class product… sort of.
Due to the situation in Russia at the moment we’ve seen the merger of several airlines, which has caused the formation of Rossiya. Per reader Anthony, Rossiya is inheriting part of Transaero’s fleet, including their 747 and select 777 aircraft.
For these 777 flights, the planes still has first class, though Rossiya is selling those seats as business class, since long term they won’t have a first class. Rather they plan on reconfiguring these planes, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.
According to routesonline.com back in April, these 777s are being operated on the following routes:
eff 30APR16 Moscow Vnukovo – Simferopol 6 weekly
eff 10MAY16 Moscow Vnukovo – Adler/Sochi 1 daily, until 30JUL16
eff 01JUN16 Moscow Vnukovo – Khabarovsk 1 daily (4 weekly from 02AUG16)
eff 01JUN16 Moscow Vnukovo – Vladivostok 4 weekly (3 weekly from 01AUG16)
As tempted as I am, I might have to give this one a pass. I just don’t have enough faith in them not swapping planes, and also don’t have enough faith in them letting me keep the first class seat, even if I’m able to assign it.
Instead I’ll be waiting for Russia’s big comeback, at which time we’ll hope that Transaero does in fact follow through with their A380 order. In that case I’ll see you guys onboard the Los Angeles to Moscow flight at the jacuzzi caviar bar. 😉
Just FYI - Rossiya is not new airline but rather was formed after the fall of SU as Pulkovo (based in St. Petersburg), than got renamed to Rossiya and then was transfered to Aeroflot. I believe Aeroflot uses brand to fly out of other Moscow airports but Sheremetyevo
@SC The concorde is always at Heathrow - it's a display.
I was fortunate enough to fly it on a round trip with my father between LHR and JFK. One of the greatest aviation achievements in my life. I remember seeing two of these birds, since they had a second Concorde on standby in case there were any glitches with the scheduled bird. This made for some spectacular photographs from the lounge where everyone salivated as they waited - especially for a 12 year old with dreams of being an aviation engineer.
@Lucky. I'm sorry you missed it. I was collecting BA miles for a concord flight when the AF accident happened and BA announced that they would be retiring the Concorde. I paid an appalling sum of money (over $6K one way) for a LHR-JFK trip. Since it was after they'd announced the end of the flights it was a madhouse. Completely packed plane full of people just like me who wanted to fly before it...
@Lucky. I'm sorry you missed it. I was collecting BA miles for a concord flight when the AF accident happened and BA announced that they would be retiring the Concorde. I paid an appalling sum of money (over $6K one way) for a LHR-JFK trip. Since it was after they'd announced the end of the flights it was a madhouse. Completely packed plane full of people just like me who wanted to fly before it retired. Was it worth $6K? Probably not. Do I have any regrets? Absolutely not. So glad to have had the experience. And Supersonic will be back one of these days Lucky and you'll get your chance. It is amazing. Next best thing to going to space!
I had the opportunity to fly BA 004 from JFK to LHR. Seated two rows behind Rupert Murdock ....I have a wonderful picture of his bald spot from behind. At that time passengers were permitted to visit the flight deck while underway...gone are those days....the cockpit resembled a bomber with the flight engineer on the right facing a great number of gauges and switches. I could 'see' the heat radiating from the nose as if...
I had the opportunity to fly BA 004 from JFK to LHR. Seated two rows behind Rupert Murdock ....I have a wonderful picture of his bald spot from behind. At that time passengers were permitted to visit the flight deck while underway...gone are those days....the cockpit resembled a bomber with the flight engineer on the right facing a great number of gauges and switches. I could 'see' the heat radiating from the nose as if updating water rivulets, wavering past the forward Windows.
Upon standing, one could feel the force of speed at 1,500 MPH as shown on the bulkhead monitor.
Lastly, while looking up at the black void thought the tiny Windows, I remarked, "how nice to have heated the fuselage walls for my comfort"...
It actually, I learned upon inquiry, was the friction of passing thru the air at such a high rate of speed, that 'warmed' the fuselage....
It was and still is, a memorable lifetime 'bucket list' achievement...
@lady Carnavon von villy:
What an awesome use of language!!
Surprising anyone who partook of the "party favors" offered there didn't have multiple heart attacks.
I just didn't have the money to fly the Concorde when it was still flying. However, I've done the next best thing.
The Concorde used to have a flight between London and Barbados. Sitting on the beach and watching this beautiful bird fly the approach to Grantley Adams International was always something I looked forward to.
When Concorde stopped flying, one of the last remaining planes was brought to Barbados and parked there, as a...
I just didn't have the money to fly the Concorde when it was still flying. However, I've done the next best thing.
The Concorde used to have a flight between London and Barbados. Sitting on the beach and watching this beautiful bird fly the approach to Grantley Adams International was always something I looked forward to.
When Concorde stopped flying, one of the last remaining planes was brought to Barbados and parked there, as a sort of museum. The "Concorde Experience" at BGI is open to the public, and you get a tour of the plane, the flight deck, and can even walk around and kick the tires. BA comes in periodically to clean and check on the aircraft.
Definitely worth the money for an avgeek. http://www.barbadosconcorde.com/
I was a couple of years younger than you when they stopped flying the Concorde but I still vividly remember watching the last flight on the news. Journalists waited outside the airport for landing so as to record the (final) sonic boom.
A month or so ago I was taxiing at LHR and noticed a Concorde with BA livery parked on the tarmac. I still have no idea what it was doing there but I spent the first half hour of the flight privately freaking out in my seat.
You can keep the first class seat when you are assigned it had one for the flight from Vladivostok very good seat soft product could do with some work though!
Not having flown the Concorde is a regret of mine too. I was 17 and had the opportunity to take British Airways JFK - LHR one way at a 90% discount . Also , a science class at my high school took a field trip to JFK and were allowed to walk through the Concorde.
@lucky. Your only 26 years old?
Hi Lucky. Great blog - thanks! Some brief input from a currently Russian based aviation geek: Rossiya is in fact not a newly founded company but in fact a subsidiary of Aeroflot that has been around since 1992 when communism collapsed. It's a St Petersburg based company and in fact the company also responsible for transportation of government officials. / Carl
Transaero's planes were registered in Ireland with EI-xxx registrations. Their maintenance base was also in Ireland. That's how they managed to fly to the US, since the only Russian airline authorized to fly to the US is Aeroflot. Technically, therefore, Transaero was subject to EU (reputable) safety standards when it operated.