Flight number SU 107, took place on November 10, 2012. Departure time was 3:45 PM, flight duration 12 hours 20 minutes. The flight was a codeshare with DL 6717 operated by Delta Airlines.
According to the official website of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it is the sixth busiest airport in the world, and the third busiest in the US.
Aeroflot flights depart from the remote international terminal B (Tom Bradley International Terminal), named after the 38th mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, who was the first and so far only African American to be mayor of Los Angeles.
Terminal B serves several major world airlines in addition to Aeroflot:
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Also Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Swiss, and others. Delta Airlines flights, on the other hand, normally depart form terminal 5.
Tom Bradley International Terminal, like the rest of LAX, is a pretty unremarkable building:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Aside from a few memorable architectural elements:
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Entrance to Terminal B:
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Inside the terminal:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
The Aeroflot counters are in section A of the terminal:
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The departure schedule tells you which counters exactly—flight SU 107 used counters A53-A62:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Check-in for the flight began 4 hours before departure time:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
We will be departing from gate 101:
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The security checkpoint leading to all the gates is located in the left wing of the terminal:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
After getting through security and into the waiting area, I checked the gate again:
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On the way to gate 101:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
This plane drew my attention involuntarily, what a beauty!
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Here's gate 101. I'm guessing we will have to lean up against the support pillar Harry Potter-style. Wouldn't that be exciting?
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But no, on second this counter across from the sign looks more like the real thing:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Our plane, an Airbus A330-200, named E. Svetlanova, at the gate:
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Boarding:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
The plane was divided into two classes.
Business:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
And economy:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
The plane looked well-kempt, modern and comfortable.
Every seat was equipped with a personal in-flight entertainment system:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Once everyone was on board, it showed us the pre-flight safety video:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Before takeoff the screen switched to a feed from a camera located on the nose of the plane:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
We took off about half an hour behind schedule:
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About 40 minutes after takeoff drinks were distributed, and soon after that a meal: a choice between meat or fish, a salad and dessert:
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I was hungry, so unfortunately the salad was gone by the time I remembered about taking a few pictures. However, it had consisted of potato with mayonnaise, bits of beef and a couple of olives.
A random picture of the setting sun:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
The seat pocket contained:
The November issue of the official flight magazine:
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Safety card:
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Duty-free catalog:
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A magazine to accompany the entertainment system:
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Its list of "latest movies" really stretched the definition of the word "latest":
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The restrooms were in very decent shape:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
A view out the window:
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About 6 hours after takeoff, we were offered cereal bars:
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Passing over Norway (around the municipality of Tromsø):
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About two and a half hours before landing, we had breakfast (although it felt more like lunch or dinner, considering the 12 hour time difference between Moscow and LA):
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
The view a half-hour before landing:
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A look back at the place after landing:
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To get to passport control, we had to follow the signs for "Exit. Baggage claim":
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Passport control:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Terminal D, which is very new, is quite a sight to behold:
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After getting through passport control:
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An escalator leads down to the baggage claim:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
My baggage was on belt 5:
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https://www.airlines-inform.ru/license/
Overall impressions from this flight were positive. As I've seen time and again Aeroflot can be quite competitive on long-distance flights, but only on condition that you're lucky enough to get on one of the newer Airbuses. The older Boeing 767s and other planes offer an inferior flight experience in my opinion. I think a big factor in this is the modern personal entertainment system on the Airbus. But either way, I feel a tangible difference.
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