Aeroflot Throwing the Cards as Real Global Airline Player

Russia´s Aeroflot Airlines, eager to join the Delta Air Lines-headed SkyTeam alliance next year, is revamping service standards, equipment and most importantly its surly and unsafe Soviet-era image in the U.S.

According to a report in Travel Weekly, top Aeroflot officials recently flew to New York and Los Angeles to introduce a flurry of developments, including the debut of a frequent-flyer service center for U.S. residents, redesigned crew uniforms and aircraft livery and the introduction of the carrier´s latest premium-class in-flight service on flights to and from California.

"We´re becoming a real global airline player, and we feel our proven standards for service and quality are quite high," said Yevgeny Bachurin, Aeroflot´s commercial director in Moscow. "By investing in the improvement of service to ... change the minds of those who are still skeptical about Russia´s largest airline, Aeroflot is going to take a leading position," he added.

The revamped business- and first-class services, first introduced on New York flights in December 2002 and to be rolled out systemwide by the end of 2005, include a la carte dining from new "fusion" menus and crews retrained in a "Care" customer-service training program. Mew interiors will also debut on long-haul aircraft by January 1.