Tariffs and conditions. Classes of service on airplanes, classes of air tickets What does economy mean?

Travelers who fly more or less frequently with the largest Russian airline are able to instantly decrypt the ticket data without spending much effort. For them, the booking data, time and date of departure, comfort class and its cost are in specially designated columns, the location of which is well known.

People who rarely use the services of air carriers are usually lost in a large number of numbers, not understanding where the information about a particular flight and its price is indicated. In fact, the task has a fairly simple solution, you only need to spend a little time once, having studied the flight rules for one or another class and correlating the information received with the ticket data.

Popular Aeroflot destinations

You can buy a plane ticket in various ways: buy a paper version at the ticket office, book and pay on the official website of the air carrier or through search engines optimized for selecting the right flights of all airlines. In any case, you should first study the terms of the fare, which outlines the actions that the passenger and the air carrier are entitled to take.

The rules of any airline always describe in detail the procedures for purchasing, booking, checking in for a flight, boarding a plane, exchanging and returning tickets of all comfort classes. The information is recommended for review, since most customers purchase budget options for air tickets. The disadvantage of such flights lies in the significantly narrowed range of opportunities provided to the passenger, so the low price of the flight does not always justify itself - in an unforeseen situation, you can simply lose all the money paid to the airline.

At the same time, it is not necessary to buy seats exclusively in business class, but if possible, it is better to ignore the cheapest plane tickets. Aeroflot Airlines has the following tariff scale:

1. Subdivision of classes of the "economy" group:

• promo;
• budget;
• optimum;
• status.

2. Business class is divided into:

• optimum;
• status.

All classes have an individual designation with letters. Among them, there are several categories that are in demand more than others.

The most budgetary fare that exists at Aeroflot Airlines is suitable, for example,. The cost of air tickets is as low and affordable as possible, however, the passenger cannot choose almost any conditions other than the destination. Even the dates of departure and return are selected from those proposed by the air carrier. As a rule, such flights are scheduled for the least profitable days and months. The date of the return flight is necessarily fixed, usually falling on Sundays.

The fare applies to international flights. Flights within Russia have slightly different conditions. In the city of arrival, the passenger can only stay for a month. Aeroflot Airlines has long ago introduced a cumulative system of bonus miles. Having flown a certain number of hundreds of miles, the client has the right to demand the provision of a free flight or a significant reduction in the price of the ticket. The website lists flights and bonus miles that are different for each class. The "economy promo" group allows you to charge 25% of the total path length.

Flights at this rate are operated only direct, it is impossible to buy a flight with transfers to explore other cities and countries. The option of changing the comfort class to a higher one does not work here either - the client will not be able to pay for the service with miles or real money. You can return the ticket, but subject to the following conditions:

• Cancellation of a flight 24 hours or more in advance will result in a fine of 25 euros.
• It is possible to return a plane ticket less than 24 hours in advance only with payment of a commission in the amount of 25% of full price air ticket and the same service fee of 25 euros.
• It is not possible to return the ticket immediately before departure.
• For domestic flights, it is possible to change several flight criteria by paying a fine of 2,000 to 4,000 rubles. Changing the conditions of an international flight will cost the client approximately 100 euros. Air tickets for babies under two years old with points of arrival located in other countries will cost only 10% of the full fare. Older children fly at full price. If a flight with a child aged 0-2 takes place within the Russian Federation, then the child is entitled to a free flight. For a child under 12 years old, you will have to buy a ticket for a flight, but for 75% of the price.

The largest number of tickets for Aeroflot airliners is sold at this rate. The high demand is explained by the optimal ratio of price and the range of services offered. With a relatively low cost of the flight, the service package is more extended compared to the most budget fare. The number of return departures is also fixed, and the choice of dates is small, but the passenger is not limited to a month of stay in the country or city - the return date can be delayed by six months.

Accumulating miles with such a tariff will also be much faster, because the increase percentage will be 150%. The flight can be carried out with connections in other settlements, no matter if they are in Russia or abroad. The comfort class can be changed to a higher one, for example, by accruing miles, however, you must first clarify the conditions for a particular flight, as they vary. Flight cancellation conditions are quite mild:

• When renting a ticket for a day or more, the passenger will pay a service fee of 25 euros for foreign flights and 900 rubles for domestic flights.
• If less than 24 hours are left before departure, only a quarter of the ticket price will be deducted without a service charge.
• After check-in is completed and boarding is announced, it is not possible to return the ticket.
• Ticket exchange for flights will require a surcharge of 50 euros, a fine of 100 euros applies only to flights to the United States of America. Benefits and travel conditions for children aged 0-2 years are similar to the previous considered tariff with one caveat: a child who is 2 years old flying without adult escorts is not eligible for discounts, and the flight will cost the same as for adults.

The most expensive of all Aeroflot airline fares, which is preferred by wealthy citizens whose income allows them to spend decent amounts on air tickets. Of course, the package of services provided for VIP passengers includes all possible conditions, including an indefinite date for the return flight. The percentage of bonus miles goes up to 200.

Stay in the city of arrival is allowed for up to 12 months, and you can get there directly or in transit with any transfer options. When a flight is canceled, the full cost of the ticket is refunded without fines and fees, including the change during check-in or boarding the aircraft. You can also freely change the ticket for a more suitable date and time.

A child under 2 years old when flying abroad is provided with an air ticket for 10% of the total cost and is entitled to a free flight within Russia. After 2 years, accompanying adults have the right to buy a plane ticket for a child for half the price.

It should be noted that the economy class flight of the “status” category has almost complete coincidence in the above points. The passenger can choose the date of return himself, already being at the point of arrival, where he has the right to spend 12 months. Bonus miles will be charged at the rate of 200% of the amount done in the flight.

Return and exchange of tickets is also free of charge up to the cancellation of the flight before landing. The difference will be in the comfort of the seat and a narrower choice of the menu offered in flight.

Aeroflot: 90 years on the rise

On November 1, 2016, Aeroflot launched new tariffs, the main distinguishing feature of which is that now all three groups are “Budget”, “Optimum” and “Maximum” (until 01/29/2019 it was called Premium)- will always be available, while earlier, as cheap fares disappeared from the sale of tickets, only expensive ones remained, in which the passenger paid for services he did not need. Roughly speaking, if you want to suddenly fly from Moscow to St. Petersburg on Friday evening - please, 20 thousand rubles for the "Maximum" fare. Yes, the fare is fully refundable and you can take two suitcases even if you don't need it. Now you can still fly to St. Petersburg at the last moment for 20 thousand rubles, but ... at the Budget tariff, without overpaying for services you do not need. "Optimum" in the same direction at the last moment will cost 21,000 rubles, and "Maximum" - 22,500 rubles.

That is, there was no price reduction in this case, and if you buy a ticket at the last moment, it will still be expensive, and even more expensive than before; saving due to the lack of overpayment for unnecessary services will not really work.

It is quite another thing to buy in advance return rates. If now, for example, the cheapest "Maximum" costs 15,000 rubles one way, then from November 1 it will cost only 4,000 rubles. This will make tariffs with additional services included much more affordable. Moreover, a life hack appears: you can collect return tickets for any dates six months in advance, and then calmly return them before departure (but not after departure, as before), if your plans have changed.

It is worth noting that the cheapest "Maximum" now costs even less than the cheapest "Optimum" used to cost - on the example of MOW-LED it is 4000 rubles instead of 5000, and, for example, in New York now "Optimum" costs from 360 euros for a round-trip ticket, and the new "Maximum" will cost 290. This is important when it comes to the upgrade for miles - it used to be possible from "Optimum" and "Maximum", now only from "Maximum", and it's done because "Optimum" has become much cheaper, and "Maximum" too - that is, the entrance threshold for a mile upgrade will decrease. But there is one caveat: this is good only for those who consciously buy “Maximum” for their money, so that later they can upgrade to “Comfort” or “Business” for miles - this is much more profitable than buying the corresponding tickets in the first place. However, now, of course, mainly "Budget" will be taken for travel at public expense, since it will always be available and will always be cheaper than "Optimum" and "Maximum". So an increase in class will become a privilege for those who travel at their own expense.

You can study the tariffs and prices in more detail in the attached tables. The numbers indicate prices in rubles for domestic flights and in euros for international flights, excluding taxes and fees. The letter R after the number means a round-trip fare, the absence of a letter means a one-way fare. The next columns are the fare code (you see it, for example, in the itinerary receipt) and the booking class. In the old fares, tickets are sold in order (in ascending order), in the new fares, three options will be open at once: first N/N+/N++, then E/E+/E++ and so on up to Y/Y+/Y++. In our example, it can be seen that the difference between “Budget” and “Optimum” in one direction is 1000 rubles, between “Optimum” and “Maximum” - 1500 on domestic flights, and on international flights - 35 and 60 euros, respectively. On round-trip tickets, the difference is twice as much.

Old tariffs Moscow-St. Petersburg (MOW-LED):

New tariffs Moscow-St. Petersburg (MOW-LED):

Old rates Moscow-New York (MOW-NYC):

New Moscow-New York (MOW-NYC) fares:

Within one class of air tickets (business or economy) there is a division according to the type of fare. At the same time, passengers of the same class, regardless of the type of fare, receive exactly the same set of services and can take any seat in the economy class cabin. So what do those Y, B, M, H, Q, K, L, U, T on the ticket mean?

Strictly speaking, economy class fares differ in the terms of return and exchange of the ticket, the size of the discount for children, and the validity of the ticket. The conditions for applying the fare determine the amount of the penalty for returning the ticket, the specifics of calculations when changing different sections of the route, the possibility of making changes to the route, for example, changing the name of the passenger or the date of departure.

Fares are indicated on the tickets by letter codes. But the designation system and fare conditions differ depending on the airline.

In general, three main tariff groups can be distinguished:

In addition, some tariffs may have additional restrictions. Such as, for example, the ability to choose a seat in the cabin at check-in. And lastly, for different tariffs different amounts of bonus miles are awarded.

The conditions on board will be the same regardless of the chosen fare, and the difference in price may differ by 7 times. So the conclusion is simple: if you are sure that your plans will not change, take the cheapest tariff.

Request

The general rules are printed on the outside of the ticket. On the inside - specific flight data.

1 Passenger's name (NAME OF PASSENGER). It is indicated only in Latin transcription (as in the passport). The surname is followed (through a slash - a slash "/") the first letter of the name or the full name and, possibly, the treatment (MR - Mr., MRS - Miss, MSS - Mrs.). According to international standards, up to 3 errors are allowed in the name that do not distort the sound.

2 Stopover (X/O). If at this point there is a stop along the route for more than 24 hours ("stopover"), then this field is empty or "O". If this point is a transit point, then opposite this point is "X".

3 Flight route (FROM/TO). Specifies the point of departure for this flight coupon (in English spelling). Below is the arrival point. If there are several airports in a given city, the name is followed by a three-letter airport code.
List of airport codes for all countries download on AS-travel website.

The word VOID (English space, empty space) in the form can be filled with empty fields and lines.

4 Carrier (CARRIER). The two-letter code of the carrier airline in the IATA system (International Air Carriers Association)
List of airline codes download on AS-travel website. Attention! Large file size!

5 Flight number (FLIGHT)

6 Booking class (CLASS). Latin letter encoding the class of seats on the plane:
F , P , A - first class
J , C , D , I , Z - business class
W , S , Y , B , H , K , L , M , N , Q , T , V , X - economy class
R - "supersonic" class

7 departure date (DATE)

8 Departure time (TIME). Always indicated the local time departure point.

9 Booking status (STATUS). Usually the air ticket is issued with a confirmed status - "OK". For some fares it is possible to issue tickets with the status "RQ" (seat request at check-in). The ticket for infants (under 2 years old) flying without a seat indicates the status "NS".

10 Fare type (FARE BASIS). Alphanumeric designation of the tariff for this coupon.

11 Endorsement/Restrictions (ENDORSEMENTS/RESTRICTIONS). Various restrictions on carriage on this ticket are indicated, as well as the possibility of "transfer" ( endorsement) passenger to another carrier.
For example, if the column indicates " SU / KL ONLY", then this means that this ticket is valid on flights of Aeroflot (SU) and KLM (KL) and, if the fare conditions allow changes on the ticket, then even on an already issued ticket, You can "transfer" from one company to another. If the fare for which the ticket is issued allows any changes, then this possibility should be reflected in this column. For example, "RES CHG USD50" or "ONE INBOUND REB FREE" means: " CHANGING YOUR BOOKING WITH A PENALTY OF USD 50" or " ONE BACK DATE CHANGE FOR FREE". Usually, for the most preferential ("hard") tariffs, the following template is common: " XX ONLY/NON REF/NO CHG/NO REROUT" - "TICKET IS VALID ON THE CARRIER ONLY xx / TICKET NON-REFUNDABLE/CHANGES OF DATES ON THE TICKET IS IMPOSSIBLE/CHANGING THE ROUTE IS FORBIDDEN". In this column, service information can also be displayed.

12 Additional ticket (CONJUNCTION TICKETS). If the ticket itinerary includes more flights than the number of flight coupons in the form, then such an air ticket is issued on several forms and the number of the additional ticket is indicated in this field. It should be borne in mind that these several forms represent one ticket, and even if you have completely flown the route on one of them, in no case should you throw it away until the end of the entire trip.

13 Origin/Destination (ORIGIN/DESTINATION). A three-letter designation of the point of departure and through a slash - a slash "/" - the point of arrival along the entire route.

14 Issued in exchange for (ISSUED IN EXCHANGE FOR). If the ticket was issued in exchange for another, then the number of the original ticket is entered in this column.

15 Rate (FARE). Tariff in the currency of the beginning of transportation.
For example, if the ticket was issued on the route London - Moscow, then the fare will be indicated in pounds (GBP). Soft currency countries have tariffs published in US dollars.

16 Fare equivalent paid (EQUIV/FARE PD). Fare equivalent in the currency of the point of issue (if the currency of the point of issue differs from the currency of the point of departure).

17 Total (TOTAL). The total cost of the ticket (fare plus airport taxes) in the currency of the point of issue of the ticket.

18 Tariff calculation (FARE CALCULATION). Detailed fare calculation for the entire ticket. The calculation consists of three-letter city codes, two-character carrier codes, and tariff components in Neutral Units of Account (NUC). The combined tax (airport taxes) is also deciphered here.

19 Payment form (FORM OF PAYMENT). The form in which the ticket was paid. The most common: CASH - cash, INVOICE or INV - non-cash payment, CC - credit card.