Transaero, the maverick airline that introduced Western standards to the post-Soviet skies, has won one of the grand prizes of Russian domestic aviation: a license to fly the Moscow-St.Petersburg route.
After a sharp competition presided over by the Department of Air Transport, Transaero gained permission to take on Pulkovo Airlines, the only other company with a license to fly the route.
Flights begin June 1, and Transaero is gearing up for a war in the skies.
"It's a fight for the passenger," said Leonid Kligerman, director of public relations for Transaero. "Now there are two carriers and the passenger gets the right to choose."
"If the passenger doesn't like something on Pulkovo, they can fly with Transaero. If they don't like something about Transaero, they can fly Pulkovo," Kligerman said. "Only the passenger wins. And that's how it should be."
Pulkovo, based at the airport of the same name in St. Petersburg, is not about to fold its wings in the face of their new rival.
"We're not afraid of competition," said Nikolai Kolesov, the firm's deputy general director. "We're going to work alongside Transaero and try to offer a service no worse than theirs."
Pulkovo has held the Moscow-St. Petersburg route since the Aeroflot days, when it was simply known as the Leningrad division of the giant Soviet carrier. Pulkovo is one of the hundreds of "baby-flots" created after Aeroflot collapsed into its component parts, and it retained the route.
When Transaero was founded four years ago, it brought a new level of service to what remained of Soviet aviation. Its growing fleet comprises mostly Boeing 737s and 757s, rather than Russian Ilyushins and Tupolevs, and it was the first airline to offer the kind of in-flight service and amenities typical of Western carriers.
Transaero uses its Western-style service as a stick to bash its competitors. Few, if any, Russian airlines lavish their passengers with food, drinks newspapers and magazines, Kligerman said, and certainly no one does it for free, like Transaero.
"The passengers have already learned where it's best," he said. "All of the airlines charge for all that."
Not so, said Pulkovo's Kolesov. Last year, the company initiated Comfort Class in its forward cabins to cater to the business flyer. The service has recently been renamed Business Class, the same as Transaero's premium service.More importantly, Pulkovo has re-fitted its business cabins to include the wider seats customary for that section. Pulkovo's former Comfort Class had the same three-across seating as the rest of the plane, but kept the middle seat empty.
With the refitting, Pulkovo's passengers now get the same treatment as Transaero's -- meals, drinks and reading material, all on the house. Economy passengers also get cool drinks and cookies, Kolesov said.
"Our business class is no worse than Transaero's now," he said.
The comfort war is only part of an overall strategy that will include competitive pricing as well, Kligerman said. Both airlines offer a two-tiered pricing system -- one for citizens of the CIS and another for foreign travelers.
Transaero's round trip fee between Moscow and St. Petersburg for foreign passengers is $350 for business class and $170 for economy class. CIS citizens will pay $190 for business class and $135 for an economy seat, also round trip.
Pulkovo round-trip fares, for non-CIS citizens will pay $230 for business class and $178 for economy class. CIS passengers will pay $100 for business class and $64 for economy class.
Kligerman also announced that his company was leasing an additional seven aircraft -- two Boeing 757s and five Boeing 737s, bringing its fleet to a total of 15, only one of which is a Russian made aircraft. The fleet, Kligerman said, is growing to meet Transaero's increasing passenger load. Last year, Transaero carried 537,000 passengers; this year the number is expected to exceed 1 million.
After a sharp competition presided over by the Department of Air Transport, Transaero gained permission to take on Pulkovo Airlines, the only other company with a license to fly the route.
Flights begin June 1, and Transaero is gearing up for a war in the skies.
"It's a fight for the passenger," said Leonid Kligerman, director of public relations for Transaero. "Now there are two carriers and the passenger gets the right to choose."
"If the passenger doesn't like something on Pulkovo, they can fly with Transaero. If they don't like something about Transaero, they can fly Pulkovo," Kligerman said. "Only the passenger wins. And that's how it should be."
Pulkovo, based at the airport of the same name in St. Petersburg, is not about to fold its wings in the face of their new rival.
"We're not afraid of competition," said Nikolai Kolesov, the firm's deputy general director. "We're going to work alongside Transaero and try to offer a service no worse than theirs."
Pulkovo has held the Moscow-St. Petersburg route since the Aeroflot days, when it was simply known as the Leningrad division of the giant Soviet carrier. Pulkovo is one of the hundreds of "baby-flots" created after Aeroflot collapsed into its component parts, and it retained the route.
When Transaero was founded four years ago, it brought a new level of service to what remained of Soviet aviation. Its growing fleet comprises mostly Boeing 737s and 757s, rather than Russian Ilyushins and Tupolevs, and it was the first airline to offer the kind of in-flight service and amenities typical of Western carriers.
Transaero uses its Western-style service as a stick to bash its competitors. Few, if any, Russian airlines lavish their passengers with food, drinks newspapers and magazines, Kligerman said, and certainly no one does it for free, like Transaero.
"The passengers have already learned where it's best," he said. "All of the airlines charge for all that."
Not so, said Pulkovo's Kolesov. Last year, the company initiated Comfort Class in its forward cabins to cater to the business flyer. The service has recently been renamed Business Class, the same as Transaero's premium service.More importantly, Pulkovo has re-fitted its business cabins to include the wider seats customary for that section. Pulkovo's former Comfort Class had the same three-across seating as the rest of the plane, but kept the middle seat empty.
With the refitting, Pulkovo's passengers now get the same treatment as Transaero's -- meals, drinks and reading material, all on the house. Economy passengers also get cool drinks and cookies, Kolesov said.
"Our business class is no worse than Transaero's now," he said.
The comfort war is only part of an overall strategy that will include competitive pricing as well, Kligerman said. Both airlines offer a two-tiered pricing system -- one for citizens of the CIS and another for foreign travelers.
Transaero's round trip fee between Moscow and St. Petersburg for foreign passengers is $350 for business class and $170 for economy class. CIS citizens will pay $190 for business class and $135 for an economy seat, also round trip.
Pulkovo round-trip fares, for non-CIS citizens will pay $230 for business class and $178 for economy class. CIS passengers will pay $100 for business class and $64 for economy class.
Kligerman also announced that his company was leasing an additional seven aircraft -- two Boeing 757s and five Boeing 737s, bringing its fleet to a total of 15, only one of which is a Russian made aircraft. The fleet, Kligerman said, is growing to meet Transaero's increasing passenger load. Last year, Transaero carried 537,000 passengers; this year the number is expected to exceed 1 million.