Pobeda Airlines, which bills itself as a "low-cost" airline, will introduce a check-in fee at foreign airports starting October 29. At the same time, free online check-in is being introduced, albeit with strict deadlines and conditions. However, even this doesn't eliminate the need for foreign passengers to visit the airport check-in counter, reports Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Passengers who fail to check in online before arriving at the airport will be required to pay a €25 check-in fee at the counter. Passengers who check in online but do not have a boarding pass will also be charged the same amount. Boarding passes can be either paper or electronic, but the deadline for issuing one free of charge is strict: from 24 to 4 hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight. The airport check-in fee is waived for children under 2 years of age and unaccompanied minors.
However, Antalya Airport only allows paper boarding passes. Therefore, passengers will need to remember to check in online the day before their flight and also print out their boarding pass (this can be done at most hotels). When departing from other international airports, an electronic boarding pass on a mobile phone is sufficient, but passengers will need to ensure their mobile phone has sufficient battery life before arriving at the airport, including for presenting the pass at security, passport control, at the boarding gate, and on the plane.
Russian citizens without checked baggage can proceed directly to security and passport control with their boarding passes. Citizens of other countries will still have to report to the check-in counter "for visa compliance." Pobeda Airlines does not specify the consequences for foreign passengers who ignore this requirement and instead report to the boarding gate—they may simply be denied boarding. It is also unclear whether the boarding pass for foreign passengers includes a requirement to report to the counter. It is also unclear whether a dedicated counter will be designated for this purpose (as Ryanair once did) or whether such passengers will have to wait in the general line with baggage check-in passengers.
This visit to the counter to check your visa (or visa-free entry) to Russia must be made before the check-in deadline for your flight. This is typically 40 minutes before departure, but in Istanbul and London it is 60 minutes. This is also the deadline for baggage drop-off, if the passenger has baggage, regardless of nationality.
Thus, the introduction of online check-in from international airports will only slightly reduce the burden on traditional airport check-in counters—only Russian citizens with no checked baggage who check in online within the allotted 20-hour window will be able to bypass them. Seats will be assigned automatically during online check-in (passengers traveling together will always be seated in different rows) unless passengers pre-purchase a seat selection fee. Seat selection on international flights starts at 199 rubles (for a window seat, it starts at 299 rubles).
At Russian airports, Pobeda Airlines has so far introduced online check-in only for flights departing from Moscow or St. Petersburg. However, it is only available to those who choose to pay for seat selection, while check-in at the airport counter is free. In other Russian cities, check-in (free) is only available at the airport.
Passengers planning to fly with Pobeda should be aware of a number of other 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 a case on this issue in the Supreme Court, but continues to file appeals while simultaneously ignoring the law and passengers' rights.
Moreover, the company is demanding that the Ministry of Transport enshrine its wishes in law. Soon, passengers of all Russian airlines may lose their guarantee of free carriage of briefcases, handbags, backpacks, outerwear, as well as baby food, medications, canes, crutches, and other medically necessary items. This is according to a draft order from the Ministry of Transport, prepared following a request from Pobeda Airlines, which demanded that passengers be stripped of all these guarantees. If approved, all Russian carriers will be able to limit passengers to 5 kilograms of carry-on baggage, with the airlines themselves being able to determine the permissible dimensions of such baggage (Pobeda Airlines already uses a tiny "calibrator" measuring 36x30x27 centimeters, which is unable to accommodate many standard small city bags, as well as some mobile electronics, such as some laptops).
Small checked baggage fees on most Pobeda flights have recently increased, though they remain relatively affordable: 449 to 999 rubles per 10 kilogram checked bag when purchased in advance and 1,000 rubles when paid at the airport. A 20-kilogram bag costs 999 to 1,999 rubles in advance (3,000 rubles at the airport). Please note that 2% must be added to all online fees and Pobeda fares.
There is no food on board regardless of the flight duration, and attempts to take your own food in a separate bag may result in a requirement to check this bag in for 3,000 rubles (if it does not fit together with the rest of your hand luggage in the Pobeda "calibrator"). When purchasing a ticket on the Pobeda website at the minimum "Standard" fare, the company by default includes paid insurance, to get rid of which you need to independently uncheck the corresponding items 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