Pobeda Airlines, which calls itself a "low-budget" airline, intends to begin flights from Tbilisi to Yekaterinburg and Perm in the fall. In addition, the company has planned at least one more Tbilisi route, Travel.ru's own correspondent reports.
Flights to Yekaterinburg will begin on October 30 and will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Departure from Tbilisi at 0.50, arrival in Yekaterinburg at 5.15. Return departure at 6.05, arrival in Tbilisi at 8.25.
The Perm line will open on October 29 and will be served on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Departure from Tbilisi at 0.50, arrival in Perm at 5.10. Return departure at 6.00, arrival in Tbilisi at 8.25.
The lowest price found for a one-way ticket on both routes is currently 3,299 rubles, excluding baggage, seat selection, etc. When sales opened, tickets were also available for 509 rubles for certain dates. The route will use a Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a single-class configuration with 189 seats.
It remains unclear where the Pobeda plane will arrive in Tbilisi by midnight and where it will fly from there in the morning. It is possible that it will be Krasnodar, flights from which to Tbilisi may begin in October.
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 free transportation of only miniature carry-on baggage with strange dimensions of 36×30×27 centimeters. In addition, the company, under a far-fetched pretext, refuses passengers to transport items that are absolutely free according to the Federal Aviation Rules, including briefcases or handbags and outerwear. The carrier has already lost the case on this matter in the court of first instance, but continues to appeal the rules in subsequent instances and at the same time continues to ignore the law and the rights of passengers.
Moreover, the company is demanding that the Ministry of Transport formalize its wishes in law, and soon passengers of all Russian airlines may lose the guarantees of free transportation of briefcases, handbags, backpacks, outerwear, as well as baby food, medicine, canes, crutches and other items necessary for medical reasons. This is the draft order of the Ministry of Transport, prepared after the appeal of Pobeda, which demanded that passengers be deprived of all these guarantees. If the draft is approved, any Russian carrier will be able to limit passengers to only 5 kilograms of hand luggage, and the permissible dimensions of such luggage will be determined by the airlines themselves (Pobeda itself already uses a tiny “calibrator” measuring 36x30x27 centimeters for this, in which it is impossible to place many ordinary small city bags, as well as some mobile electronics - for example, some laptops).
At the same time, the transportation of small checked baggage with Pobeda, although no longer free, is still cheap. Pobeda has introduced a new fee for 10 kilograms of checked baggage and it is 499 rubles (1000 rubles when paying at the airport). Baggage of 20 kilograms still costs 1499 rubles (at the airport - 3000). It is worth remembering that 2% must be added to all online fees and Pobeda tariffs.
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 2,000 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 number 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 intentionally seat passengers flying together at opposite ends of the cabin and prohibit them from changing seats. The year before last, 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 intentionally seated them in different rows in an effort to earn an extra 149 rubles from each of the passengers for changing seats.
Source: travel.ru