Considering NordStar is the largest airline based in Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo airport, this review also includes detailed photos of the one.
1. NordStar Airline, flight from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk
NordStar operates daily flights between Moscow and Krasnoyarsk with flights from the capital leaving at night (flight ТИ-107, departure at 10:25 PM local time), and flights from Krasnoyarsk leaving in the morning (flight ТИ-108, departure at 8:40 AM local time).
In Moscow, the flights depart from Domodedovo.
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The flights take place on a Boeing 737-800.
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The cabin is configured with 12 business-class seats towards the front of the plane (3 rows of 4 seats), followed by a divider and economy class.
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Business-class seats (leather upholstery):
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Economy-class seats (fabric upholstery):
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I've flown on NordStar Boeings quite a few times, and all of their planes look exactly the same in terms of layout, upholstery and wear. Pretty much exactly as you see on the photos.
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The planes aren't new, but have been well cared for. The cabin was clean, although some small signs of wear and tear were still visible. My window, for example, was taped around the edges.
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At some point the plane had had an audio entertainment system. NordStar, like most "second tier" Russian airlines, doesn't consider it necessary to maintain such a system in working condition. So, there are buttons and a port for headphones, but they are not functional.
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In general, NordStar doesn't exactly strive for innovation in the field of entertainment. The "entertainment system" consists of a flight magazine and fresh newspapers (on my last flight, the only available newspaper was the Komsomolkskaya Pravda). Blankets featuring company livery are available on demand. NordStar uses a system I've never seen anywhere else: blankets are only handed out in exchange for the passengers' boarding passes. Evidently, blanket theft used to be a problem for the airline.
The flight attendants at work:
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I thought NordStar handled the catering very well. Before takeoff the passengers received hard candy in company wrappers.
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This was followed by refreshments and a snack of nuts. The choices included mineral water, lemonade, apple, tomato and orange juice, as well as white and red wine.
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And of course the main meal. The three options included meat and pasta, fish and rice, and chicken and potatoes. Also included was beetroot salad (a traditional Russian dish) and a variety of other things, which can all be seen on the photo. One of the perks of flying with this airline is that the bread is served hot (microwaved). Tastes much better this way! It's the little things...
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The flight arrives in Krasnoyarsk at 6:55 AM. The return flight isn't always on the same plane. On the photo below, you can see a different plane being readied to leave for Moscow later in the day.
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In Krasnoyarsk, check in for the flight takes place at a special counter, prominently featuring the company logo.
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And now about the Krasnoyarsk airport.
2. Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo Airport
Krasnoyarsk Yemelyanovo Airport consists of three structures, aptly named Terminal 1, 2 and 3.
Terminal 1 is designed for departing domestic flights. It's a glass and concrete building constructed in the 1980s.
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Across from it is a city bus stop.
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For international flights, they converted some sort of office building about 1600 feet (500 meters) to one side of Terminal 1, and dubbed it Terminal 2 (I don't have any photos of the interior of the building right now, but will try to post them in future reviews).
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You can get from one terminal to the other on foot, along a rather attractively landscaped walkway.
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To the right of Terminal 1 is a small baggage claim pavilion, which is officially called "Terminal 3".
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In front of it is a parking for licensed taxi cabs.
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All planes from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow and other Russian cities are serviced at Terminal 1. The interior is pretty dismal.
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The check-in counters and boarding area are located on the first floor.
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There were even a few self-service check-in machines.
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A floor below (in the basement) were storage lockers and restrooms.
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The second floor features the arrivals area, a café, a few shops and the offices of the airline companies.
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During the summer, you can go out onto a large balcony with a view of the airfield.
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Some of the shuttles used to ferry passengers to their planes.
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The most interesting thing in Yemelyanovo Airport is a fence cordoning off an area between the first and second terminals.
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The fence features pictures of the airport's expansion plans: a thoroughly modern and lovely-looking new terminal. The fence was put up last year with the promise that the new terminal would be up by 2014. It's 2014, and there's no sign of anything happening. Well, the grass inside the fence has gotten a lot taller. But the pictures sure are pretty, have a look.
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