The young Russian airline Nordwind Airlines is considered to be part of the Pegasus-Touristik company specializing in freight and passenger transportation to anywhere in the world. The main office is located at Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow.
Today, aviation is considered the most reliable, convenient and fast way to get around. To work in this industry, you need to be not only a professional in love with the sky, but also understand the responsibility for the safety of each completed flight.
Civil Aviation of Russia began its history in 1923. And the official birthday of the Russian fleet is considered to be February 9th. Already in July, the domestic line began operating in the direction Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod. The Ministry of Civil Aviation was created in 1964, and since 2004 all responsibility has been transferred to the Federal Air Transport Agency .
Today, Russian civil aviation in its fleet totals about 3930 aircraft and 2040 helicopters. This sector of the economy of our country is considered the most dynamically developing. The quality of work complies with the declared world standards, and the route network of transportation (freight and passenger) is developing rapidly.
Rating of Russian airlines
1. The best quality of service and the minimum duration of waiting for a flight can boast the airline "Yamal". According to passenger reviews, they were also pleasantly surprised by ticket prices.
2. Honorary silver from the Russian charter airline Ifly, which carries out transportation to the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and abroad.
3. The bronze rating was taken by Kogalym Avia, which operates frequent domestic flights and less often international flights.
4. The Ural Airlines took the top four in the ranking and in terms of quality of service.
5. The largest and oldest company in Russia, Aeroflot, took 5th position. Despite the rather high status for service, 3 was obtained. The expensive cost of tickets is not compatible with constant delays or cancellations of flights without the knowledge of passengers.
6. For a mismatch in the cost and quality of services, the troika received another large airline, Transaero.
7. Siberian Airlines could compete for 6th place if it weren’t for passenger reviews of frequent delays and untimely departures.
8. The rating is completed by Uteyr company. Despite the low cost of tickets, it has one interesting problem: the frequent replacement of an aircraft. For example, you bought a ticket to business class, and as a result flew on another plane and in economy. Yes, that happens too.
We draw your attention to the fact that not all representatives of the aviation industry of our country are included in the
rating of Russian airlines , but this does not mean that it is dangerous to use their services. And remember that the plane is considered the safest mode of transport, so fly with pleasure.
Creation and development of the airline
Nordwind Airlines, reviews of which you will read a little later, is considered the most dynamically developing in the Russian aviation market. It appeared in 2008 and by the time it was founded had only 3 aircraft in its fleet. But despite this, she carried out regular charter flights to 6 resort destinations.
Five years later, the route network expanded and began to include 97 destinations in 27 points of the world. The development did not stop there, and by 2014, Nordwind Airlines began operating flights to South America, Africa, and Asia.
If in 2008 the company carried only 20 thousand passengers, then the next year this figure exceeded half a million. By 2010, the mark exceeded 1 million, and this figure only grew every year. According to official figures, by the end of 2014 the number of passengers carried reached 4.5 million.
With the active growth in passenger traffic, not only the geography of flights, but also the aircraft fleet expanded. It is hard to believe that a company with only 3 aircraft at the beginning of its journey will have 44 airliners in its fleet in 5 years, most of which are Boeing 767-300ER.
Fleet
According to representatives of the North Wind, since its foundation the company has been constantly striving to meet high standards on board its aircraft in order to ensure safety, convenience and timeliness of flights for each passenger. This bar and goal also affected the fleet of Nordwind Airlines.
Reviews of passengers about airliners are positive, as many noted the novelty and convenience of aircraft. Also, the high professional training of pilots who know how to "gently" land the vessel, without causing discomfort to passengers, was not left unattended.
This year, the airline owns Boeing 767-300ER (18 units), 737-800 (6 units), 757-200ER (8 units), 777-200ER (3 units), Airbus 320-232 (1 unit) .) and Airbus 321-200 (8 units). The expansion of the fleet does not stop, and in the near future Severny Veter plans to acquire 5 of the latest Irkut MS-21 airliners.
Flights and destinations
Currently, not only flight programs are expanding, but the number of cities is also increasing. In 2013, Pegasus-Touristik signed an agreement with Ikar Airlines and Kharkiv Airlines. But, as stated by representatives of the North Wind, these charter airlines are not their property. Agree that, in fact, it does not matter to passengers whose services they use, for them safety, comfort, the type of airliner and the high level of service are in the first place.
Since the main operator of the airliner is Pegasus-Touristik, the routes specialize in tourist destinations. It is not possible to schedule all Nordwind Airlines flights, so we focus on the most popular.
The most popular destination is the Turkish city of Antalya. No less popular in attendance were Egypt, Tunisia, Istanbul and Ankara.
The company’s planes will deliver you to Spain or the Canary Islands, Greece or Mexico, to the Emirates or Germany, and a long flight to Thailand will fly by simply.
Positive opinions of passengers
Any company, regardless of its status, should be able to listen to the discontent of passengers and try to correct mistakes as quickly as possible, and Nordwind Airlines did not bypass this fate. Reviews of tourists are sometimes so contradictory, it seems that we are talking about completely different carriers. But carefully sorting out all the grievances, a fairly large number of positive points were found:
- due must be given to safety, high professionalism of pilots and other crew members. Many passengers, comparing the carrier with others, are more inclined to Nordwind Airlines services.
- Tickets for tour operators and tourists are inexpensive. Such a dignity will be appreciated by one who wants to save a little on vacation.
- the friendliness of the staff also did not go unnoticed. According to passenger reviews, cabin crew are friendly and try to create maximum comfort during the flight not only for adults, but also for children. Inflatable toys and drawing kits are handed out to young tourists.
Although food, in the opinion of many passengers, is assessed as satisfactory, there were no sharp complaints about this. If you fly with children, then tourists with "experience" recommend taking their own food with them.
Reasons for dissatisfaction
Negative reviews were slightly more positive. The main complaint was caused by the constant rescheduling or delayed flights. According to the recall of one of the passengers, who was able to compare the level of service due to his work, as many as 3 times he flew off schedule. But it was possible to close our eyes if the duration of the delay did not vary from 2 hours to a day! Many of them got significant problems at work because they did not take up their duties on time.
Most of the dissatisfaction was caused by the inconvenience of the airliner:
- in the airbus 321 between the seats is too narrow space;
- sometimes the cabin is very cold, and there are not enough rugs;
- malfunctioning toilets.
Additional services
They consist in the transportation of special valuable baggage by special transportation. The company also accepts fragile baggage for flight, but on one condition: responsibility for the safety of packaging is removed from them.
For example, breaking or fragile items are accepted into the passenger compartment, only with prior coordination with the airline and additional screening.
Documents, money and precious jewelry cannot be checked in with your luggage, so passengers should keep them with them. The list of contents of checked baggage should not have perishable food products , valuables, tablets, keys, official documents.
Business Class
Any self-respecting company should offer services for VIP passengers. A high level of business-class service will allow passengers to enjoy every second of a flight, and exclusive treats will make the flight unforgettable.
A specially compiled menu has in its assortment cuisines of many countries of the world. When ordering a dish you like, you can be sure that the airline cook will cook it at the highest level.
An important detail is the distance between the seats (96 cm), which will allow you to forget about the narrow aisle and inconvenience during the flight.
Is there an online registration?
This question often worries many Nordwind Airlines passengers. Check-in is carried out 2 hours before departure and ends in 40 minutes. As for online registration, at the moment it is under development and is currently temporarily not implemented.
Family travel
If you decide to go on vacation with your whole family, then this information is for you. Each passenger under two years of age flies by plane without providing a separate seat. When buying a ticket, you must indicate the date of birth by presenting a document confirming the age of the baby.
If you are flying aboard an airplane in which a children's cradle is equipped, this service is provided only to children under 1 year old.
Having contacted company representatives in advance, you can order baby food. If you forget to warn the airline staff, then children under 2 years old do not receive food.
The subtleties of flight for pregnant women
Before the flight, the expectant mother and the Russian charter airline conclude an agreement. A medical certificate about the condition of the pregnant woman should be issued no earlier than a week before the flight. A woman in position is allowed to board the aircraft no later than 28 days before the date of delivery.
Conclusion
Summing up the results of Nordwind Airlines (the reviews of which were reviewed above), we can say that the airline will be an excellent solution for those who are willing to sacrifice possible discomfort for a safe and budget trip.
And for people demanding everything, we advise either to turn to the services of another carrier, or not to expect too much from the flight and service.