The so-called low-cost airline Pobeda plans to launch flights from St. Petersburg to London this fall. For some reason, ticket sales are currently only open for one-way flights, according to a Travel.ru correspondent.
Flights are scheduled to operate four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays starting October 12. Departure from St. Petersburg is at 10:30 AM, arriving in London (Stansted Airport) at 11:55 AM. Return departure is at 12:30 PM, arriving in St. Petersburg at 5:40 PM. The minimum one-way ticket price is currently 3,192 rubles, excluding baggage, carry-on baggage, seat selection, and other fees.
It's possible that tickets for 509 rubles will be available for a very short time on select dates when sales fully open on its website. Sales are currently only open until October 27, and the winter schedule may vary slightly. The route will be operated on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a single-class configuration and 189 seats. Pobeda has also opened ticket sales for flights from Moscow to Helsinki and Palermo.
Thus, starting in October, direct flights will be available from St. Petersburg to three London airports (while Moscow only offers direct flights to one). As a reminder, British Airways flies daily to Heathrow, the UK's largest airport, Rossiya Airlines flies to Gatwick, the next largest, and Pobeda Airlines flies to Stansted, the main airport for budget airlines.
Stansted is located in the outer suburbs of London, and traveling there from the city requires significant time and money. A train ticket (approximately 50 minutes) costs £17 (€19). Bus travel takes one and a half to two times longer and costs between £5 and £15 (€6 and €17), depending on how far in advance you book. These costs should be taken into account when planning your trip and choosing a carrier. However, Stansted may be more convenient than other London airports for travel to the east of England.
Passengers planning to fly with Pobeda should be aware of a number of specific features of this airline, exercise extreme caution and attentiveness, and be prepared for various complications and surprises both when booking a ticket and during the flight itself. As a reminder, Pobeda only allows free carry-on baggage with the unusual dimensions of 36 x 30 x 27 centimeters. Furthermore, the company, under false pretenses, refuses to allow passengers to carry items that are absolutely free according to Federal Aviation Regulations, including briefcases, handbags, and outerwear. The carrier has already lost the case in the first instance court, but continues to appeal the rules in subsequent courts, simultaneously continuing to ignore the law and passengers' rights.
At the same time, although small checked baggage is no longer free, it is still cheap. Pobeda has introduced a new fee for 10 kilograms of checked baggage, which is 499 rubles (1,000 rubles when paid at the airport). Baggage of 20 kilograms still costs 1,499 rubles (3,000 at the airport). It is worth remembering that 2% must be added to all online fees and Pobeda tariffs.
There is no onboard food service, regardless of the flight duration, and attempts to bring your own food in a separate bag may result in a 2,000-ruble check-in fee (unless it fits into Pobeda's baggage checker along with the rest of your carry-on baggage). When purchasing a ticket on the Pobeda website at the minimum "Standard" fare, the company includes paid insurance by default. To opt out, you must uncheck the relevant options at the bottom of the additional services selection page.
There are also problems with returning or changing a ticket in the event of flight disruptions or schedule changes - Pobeda hides the toll-free call center for forced changes and refunds. There are also problems with boarding a flight - Pobeda can herd passengers into the apron bus even before the plane itself appears at the airport. Seat selection is paid, and to encourage the purchase of this service, Pobeda can deliberately seat passengers flying together at opposite ends of the cabin and prohibit them from changing seats. The year before last, this led to a loud scandal: Pobeda turned in a family with a baby to the police for an attempt by the parents to reunite on the plane - after the airline itself deliberately seated them in different rows in an attempt to earn an extra 149 rubles from each of the passengers for changing seats.
Source: travel.ru
