Pobeda Airlines, a self-described "low-cost" airline, plans to launch daily flights from Moscow to Saratov in a month. Flights will begin on August 20, the same day as the opening of Saratov's new airport, according to Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Moreover, Pobeda Airlines clearly wants to be part of the airport's grand opening: the first flight is scheduled from Moscow at 6:00 AM, arriving in Saratov at 8:30 AM. The return flight departs at 9:00 AM, arriving in Moscow at 9:30 AM. This schedule is not repeated on other days. As a reminder, this airline previously scheduled a special additional flight to be the first to arrive at the new Rostov-on-Don airport on its opening day.
During the first month of flights, the schedule will be different on each of the seven days of the week. This is due to the fact that Pobeda had to integrate Saratov flights into the already established summer schedule. Departures from Moscow (Vnukovo Airport) are scheduled on various days at 8:10, 10:15, 10:45, 12:10, 16:30, 17:00, 18:25; from Saratov - at 11:10, 13:15, 13:45, 15:10, 19:30, 20:00, 21:25. The schedule will become relatively stable from September 15 - departures from Moscow, as a rule, will be at 16:15 (on Sundays - at 8:05), from Saratov - at 19:20 (on Sundays - at 11:10). In October the schedule changes once again: at 18:45 from Moscow, at 21:45 from Saratov.
The route will use a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a single-class configuration and 189 seats. One-way fares for August and September start at 3,100 rubles, excluding baggage fees, seat selection, and other fees. For October, fares start at 2,200 rubles.
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.
The cost of carrying small checked baggage on Pobeda has recently increased, although it remains relatively affordable — 777 rubles for 10 kilograms of checked baggage when purchased in advance and 1,000 rubles when paid for at the airport. Baggage of 20 kilograms on this line costs 1,499 rubles (at the airport — 3,000 rubles).
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 of fixing the ticket price for 48 hours. However, this is a paid service - 499 rubles will be added to the final price for each flight segment of each passenger. It is worth using only if there is a high probability of a significant increase in the ticket price in the next two days.
Source: travel.ru