"Russia's worst (?) airport" - a little humour, or

gwillie · Post by **gwillie** » 18 Apr 2005, 19:22

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/f ... 448813.stm

William · Post by **William** » 18 Apr 2005, 19:28

Most of those reactions are typically Russian !
I experienced some similar situation some time ago ... The Estonian embassy in Belgium told us we didn't needed a visum to enter Estonia but when we arrived there in the harbour ( by ship ) we could't drive outside the harbour because the border guards, those who were still trained typically by the Russians, wouldn't let us pass because we needed a visum ! This situation happened only a few months before Estonia joined the EU. We had to take a small Catamaran to Helsinki and go to the Belgian Embassy to get Visums !!

You can't argue with those guys !

B744skipper · Post by **B744skipper** » 19 Apr 2005, 10:46

"British!" he responded raising his eyebrows. "Then you must go and drink some tea!"

In Cuba I found that the security guards where actually very nice to me, which I found very weird since I had some pro-US propaganda with me

But no, I was treated very nice, also in Latvia, so I don't have had any bad experiences with communist officials.
Well, I have one. When I was in Berlin for the ILA 2004 we sat down in a restaurant (at Berlin Schonefeld airport, former East-Berlin), only to be shouted by a woman (Must have been from the former East-Germany) because that table was reserved.

My mum told me she remembers this treatment back from the days when she had to travel between West-Berlin and West-Germany and often had dinner at "Intershops/restaurants".

MA110 · Post by **MA110** » 20 Apr 2005, 01:43

Guys!!!!!

I need that metallic shield with all the routes inside the Soviet Union with the title: Aeroflot - Soviet Airlines!!!!!!!

JohnA · Post by **JohnA** » 20 Apr 2005, 15:37

Mineralnye Vody's local authorities should write a thank-you note to the Beeb and the writer, for it is only through pressure brought by writing like this that
progress can be made.

MA110 · Post by **MA110** » 20 Apr 2005, 17:03

U know, the supply is exactly at the level of demand. It is the basic rule of economics. In present Russia the travellers - especially on intra-Russian routes - are not ready to pay extra for sth like airport services. Maybe they'll like to, if they had a bit more money. Today the "only get the pax from A to B not caring what happens on the road", situation is even more a common, than in Soviet Times. And not in the East only. Just think about low-cost's, or check this: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/790399/L/

In DME there are costumers, willing to pay for the services in landing fees - like our BBC collegue said - so there is an airport - but which is not like a western, but 100 times better if we compare it to an average European or American airport.