A Decent Flight with Utair

I recently had the chance to fly with Utair on a Sochi to Moscow flight in February 2025. The departure time was super convenient - 15:10, and we were scheduled to arrive at Vnukovo Airport by 19:00.

The flight itself was pretty smooth, with takeoff and landing handled smoothly by the pilot. The crew was friendly and attentive, and the service was great.

One of the things that stood out to me was the convenience of the departure time - daytime, and the price was pretty reasonable, considering other airlines on the same date - 4800 rubles and some change for a one-way ticket (I was flying with a guy).

We booked a no-checked-baggage tariff. And here are the prices for extra baggage:

Arrival at the airport was a breeze - you can immediately get on the metro and get to wherever you need to go quickly and affordably. The entrance and exit from the plane were through a jetway, which was a big plus for me - I hate it when they use buses, and you have to wait for all the passengers to board before you can get on.

Online check-in was free, which was a nice surprise - unlike with Pobeda, where you have to pay for seat selection. My seat was assigned automatically, and we booked two tickets at once - we got seats right next to each other (in row 22, to be specific).

The plane was a Boeing 737, and the seats were pretty comfortable - not too hard, and there was plenty of legroom (we're both average height).

The cabin and bathrooms were spotless - a big thumbs up for the cleanliness. You'll find liquid soap, paper, and hot water available, and the flight attendants are on top of things, quietly checking in on passengers.

During the flight, you can connect to the in-flight entertainment system via a QR code (once the plane reaches cruising altitude). However, the system has some quirks - more on that in the cons section. There's also a decent magazine to flip through.

One thing I noticed was that the captain didn't provide a second announcement in English - not a big deal, but it caught my attention for some reason.

The flight was a bit delayed, but that was due to the chaos at the airport in Adler, not the airline's fault. We took off about 15 minutes late, but still managed to make up for it and arrive about 18:45, which was earlier than expected.

The convenience of the departure time - daytime, and the price was pretty reasonable.The friendly and attentive crew, and the great service.The comfortable seats with plenty of legroom.The spotless cabin and bathrooms.The free online check-in.

You can't choose your seat online without paying extra - thanks for automatically seating me next to my travel buddy, though.Most other services come with an extra fee, except for the complimentary water on board.The in-flight entertainment system, which supposedly has Wi-Fi access, is actually just a paid service. I was surprised to find out that there's no free library of movies or TV shows - you have to pay for everything, including a 300-ruble fee to access their online cinema, Premier.Even classic Jackie Chan movies are off-limits unless you're willing to pay.For comparison, even the budget airline Pobeda has a free selection of movies and TV shows in its in-flight entertainment system. Not so here - everything costs money.The quiz game, for instance, where you can test your knowledge in different areas. It's free, but only for three categories: history, geography, and sports - each with 12 questions. The rest are paid, and let's be honest, it's a bit ridiculous to charge around 15 rubles per category!Overall, I'd give Utair 4.6 out of 5 stars for this flight.