Flights to Moscow... How to do it inexpensively?

[journeyman]

I looked at tix into Moscow (I am starting in California) and was shocked at how much they are: About 4X what they used to be.
I was expecting an increase, but wow...

Any tips on flying into Moscow less expensively?
Through a middle eastern country? Something else?

Thanks!

[xp@]

I looked at tix into Moscow (I am starting in California) and was shocked at how much they are: About 4X what they used to be.
I was expecting an increase, but wow...

Any tips on flying into Moscow less expensively?
Through a middle eastern country? Something else?

Thanks!

Fly to Helsinki, maybe on Finnair. Then take a bus which goes directly from the airport to St. Petersburg, then take a Sapsan train to Moscow.

[Judge]

Check Turkish airlines,the trick for cheapest flights is to book a good month in advance.

[xt-tsi]

Fly to Helsinki, maybe on Finnair. Then take a bus which goes directly from the airport to St. Petersburg, then take a Sapsan train to Moscow.

Flying to Helsinki is indeed a less expensive route and there is a bus to Helsinki. Do you have a Russia visa? If you do, make sure you can enter Russia by land with one. I know it is possible with a Russian passport or residency, not sure you can do it with a tourist or business visa.

[xp@]

Flying to Helsinki is indeed a less expensive route and there is a bus to Helsinki. Do you have a Russia visa? If you do, make sure you can enter Russia by land with one. I know it is possible with a Russian passport or residency, not sure you can do it with a tourist or business visa.

There is bus service directly from the Helsinki airport to St. Petersburg. My friends used it a week ago, after flying into Helsinki. Husband has RF residency, wife has a Russian passport.

[TheInterocitor]

I looked at tix into Moscow (I am starting in California) and was shocked at how much they are: About 4X what they used to be.
I was expecting an increase, but wow...

Any tips on flying into Moscow less expensively?
Through a middle eastern country? Something else?

Thanks!

I'm curious, how much the higher airplane tix price is due to currency exchange rates, and how much to other factors?

[xt-tsi]

I'm curious, how much the higher airplane tix price is due to currency exchange rates, and how much to other factors?

This article says 777 out of 980 long range passenger aircraft in Russia are leased with about 515 leased from Western companies. As a result these aircraft can't leave the country so that cuts Russian airlines out of many of the international routes that are still open. There is also the issue of sanctions on spare parts for aircraft due to sanctions. This is causing many aircraft to be grounded. I saw this with my own eyes at Vnukovo, the airport was a big parking lot of unused aircraft and when we landed only two flights were unloading luggage, ours from Istanbul and another one from Georgia, over a two hour period.

As far as I can tell, as a result of these factors there are fewer flights, causing demand to go up, driving up prices. Flying to Turkey used to be one of the cheapest options, now ticket fares have gone way up. I might need to fly to the UK and the cheapest option is a train to St Pete and a 7-8 hour bus from St Pete to Helsinki. Add in the cost of two nights in hotels and it gets close to the cost of flying via Istanbul.

https://ru.krymr.com/a/rossiya-aviap.../31746369.html

[Alan65]

I'm curious, how much the higher airplane tix price is due to currency exchange rates, and how much to other factors?

Just out of interest I checked on Sky Scanner, there are no flights from the UK to Russia

[xt-tsi]

Just out of interest I checked on Sky Scanner, there are no flights from the UK to Russia

Yep, no flights between Russia and all 27 EU countries plus Albania, Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, the UK, and the US.

[journeyman]

Flying to Helsinki is indeed a less expensive route and there is a bus to Helsinki. Do you have a Russia visa? If you do, make sure you can enter Russia by land with one. I know it is possible with a Russian passport or residency, not sure you can do it with a tourist or business visa.

Amazingly, flying to HEL + bus + train is not much cheaper!
I have residency in RU, so that is not a problem, but YIKES! The ticket prices are ridiculous.

I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and go through Istanbul.

[xt-tsi]

Amazingly, flying to HEL + bus + train is not much cheaper!

From what I am seeing, it costs about the same to fly round trip from LA - Istanbul - LA as to fly LA - Helsinki - LA, about 1500 USD mid July, economy.

Then, an economy flight round trip Istanbul - Moscow - Istanbul will run you around another 1000 USD also mid July.

By comparison the bus and train to and from Helsinki comes to about 100 bucks. Sapsan Moscow - St Pete costs 10 k Rubles round trip and the bus from Helsinki - St Petersburg is 84 euros also round trip. Even if you spend a couple of nights in a hotel, it looks cheaper to go via Helsinki.

Looks the same if I check out going to Spain and the UK...

A consideration is the RU Finnish border. Usually passport control takes an hour, hour and a half max, making it a 7 or 8 hour bus ride from St Pete to Helsinki. But I've heard it can take many hours longer.