Pobeda Airlines, which describes itself as a "low-cost" airline, plans to begin flights from Moscow to Riga in a month. Starting July 5, it plans to fly this route twice a week on Fridays and Sundays, and starting September 16, the route will become daily (with the exception of Tuesdays in September), reports Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Departure from Moscow (Vnukovo Airport) at 6:30 PM, arriving in Riga at 8:10 PM. Return departure at 8:50 PM, arriving in Moscow at 10:30 PM. It's worth noting that Pobeda has attempted to almost exactly replicate the schedule of one of its competitor Utair's two daily flights.
The route will be operated by a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a single-class configuration and 189 seats. One-way fares for most autumn flights start at 3,299 rubles, excluding baggage, seat selection, and other fees. Fares are higher for most summer flights. As a reminder, Latvian carrier airBaltic recently introduced baggage-free fares on the Moscow-Riga route.
Passengers intending to use Pobeda services should keep in mind a number of features of this airline, exercise extreme caution and attentiveness, and be prepared for various difficulties and surprises both when booking a ticket and during the flight itself. Let us remind you that Pobeda allows you to carry either miniature carry-on baggage with strange dimensions of 36×30×27 centimeters, or a handbag or briefcase without size restrictions, free of charge.
Pobeda recently increased its small checked baggage allowance, though it remains relatively affordable: 777 rubles for 10 kilograms of checked baggage when purchased in advance and 1,000 rubles when paid at the airport. A 20-kilogram bag costs 1,499 rubles on this line (3,000 rubles at the airport). Please note that 2% must be added to all Pobeda online fees.
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 an 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. At one time, 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.
Pobeda recently introduced the option to lock in ticket prices for 48 hours. However, this service is a paid service—an additional 509 rubles will be added to the final price for each flight segment for each passenger. It should only be used if there's a high probability of a significant ticket price increase in the next two days.
Source: travel.ru