What you need to know when using connecting flights of Jazeera Airways.
Connecting flights are probably the only way for most tourists to get to European resorts at the moment. And Cyprus is no exception. At the invitation of the Russian Express tour operator, Profi editorial office.Travel has tested the route. Elena Komarova, Deputy General Director of the company, went on a trip.
I must say right away: like many tourists, I do not like long flights and am afraid of connecting flights. Despite thirty years of experience in tourism… I perceive such situations as a necessity and try to prepare for the flight as carefully as possible in order to minimize discomfort on the road. Jazeera Airways flights are not the only way to get to Larnaca, but they have a number of advantages, which I will tell you about now.
But first, let me remind you that the block program of the Russian Express to Cyprus starts on July 3 and runs until October 9, departures on Wednesdays and Sundays, which makes it possible to offer tours lasting from 7 to 21 days.
Schedule and baggage
Since the cost of hotels in the eurozone has significantly increased for Russian tourists in ruble terms, it is quite understandable that tourists do not want to lose, let alone days, hours of rest. The schedule of Jazeera Airways is built taking into account such wishes. The flight departs from Moscow at night, at 0:50, and arrives in Kuwait at 5:50. There is no time difference between Moscow and Kuwait. It is worth additionally paying tourists’ attention to the departure date so that they understand that it actually takes place on the night of the previous day.
At 10 a.m., the plane departs from Kuwait arrives in Larnaca and arrives there at 13:15. That is, tourists get to the hotel just in time for checking into the rooms.
On the way back, it is even more comfortable — the docking in Kuwait takes less than two hours. Departing from Cyprus at 14:00 Moscow time, you find yourself in Moscow at 23:50.
Luggage in Moscow is checked in immediately before Larnaca, and passengers receive it already in Cyprus. The baggage allowance for Jazeera Airways is 30 kg, 7 more can be taken in hand luggage. The luggage of our group flew there and back without incident. We unloaded it very quickly. A bottle of Cypriot wine from the winery traveled back with me in my suitcase, but more on that later. Packed wine and olive oil are accepted in the luggage without any problems. In Larnaca, the suitcase was tested through a special counter — there was also no delay in baggage collection.
The flight departs from the new Domodedovo terminal and returns there — so it’s worth putting an extra 10 minutes on logistics inside the airport.
Choice of places and meals
The layout on board is a monoclass consisting of three types of seats. At the beginning of the cabin (row 1-3) — Premium seats. These are wide chairs arranged in 33-inch (about 84 cm) increments.
From row 4 to 10, there are “Comfort” seats with a seat pitch of 31 inches (about 79 cm). Rows 11-12 — seats with increased legroom with a distance of 38-40 inches (96-102 cm) depending on the type of aircraft.
This is how the distance between the seats from the 4th to the 10th row looks like
From the 13th row, standard seats begin in increments of 28-30 inches (71-76 cm). When booking a tour through a tour operator, it is necessary to determine the choice of a place for a tourist no later than two days before departure, this is an additional service, the cost of which depends on the type of place. By default, there is registration for free seats.
Meals on the flight must be purchased additionally. It can be arranged in advance (40 euros for all 4 segments) or already on board. Online booking must be made no later than three days before departure.
From the menu on board
On—board service takes place in a cafe format – drinks and food can be ordered from the menu for an additional fee. There are no hot dishes in it, except noodles — sandwiches, chips, street food, etc.
From the menu on board
Only paper money is accepted for payment — I could not pay with a 2 euro coin for tea worth about 1.5. I had to give five. I received the change in Kuwaiti dinars. So before the trip, you should stock up on currency in small bills or use cards from foreign banks.
By the way, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise that a Russian-speaking flight attendant worked on the Moscow-Kuwait segment.
View when landing in Kuwait
Docking in Kuwait
Kuwaiti dinars can be spent during the docking: there is a small duty-free in the transit zone, as well as a cafe where you can have a snack or drink coffee. There is no need to look for new items from the latest collections on the shelves of this duty-free store — basically a basic set of classic perfumes, local brands, oriental sweets, chocolate, coffee, etc. Well, souvenirs — suddenly, who wants to buy a keychain with an oriental flavor as a gift?
Duty-free in the transit zone of Kuwait
For smokers, there is only one option to please themselves — a business lounge. It is worth taking care of in advance — the room itself is small and quite modest, but with a long docking it gives moments of comfort, of course.
The menu includes yoghurts, eggs, various pastries, salads.
By the way, it’s worth paying attention, you can buy alcohol on board Jazeera Airways, for example, beer. But to go with him to the transit zone — no longer. The bottle needs to be returned. They won’t give you a drink before the control either. So it’s better to be patient with the holiday of life before arriving in Cyprus.
Places to relax in the business lounge of the Kuwait Airport transit area
The waiting area is comfortable and clean, in principle, even without a business lounge, tourists will be able to spend time waiting for the next flight quite comfortably.
By the way, the second flight is postponed for some reason easier – it seems that it has just taken off and is already landing.
A common room in the boarding area of the transit area of Kuwait Airport
Arrival in Cyprus
To our surprise, we were greeted by an empty airport, although, I must say, there are many tourists on the island — not only from Great Britain and Germany, but also Poland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Armenia, and the Scandinavian countries. It seems that we were lucky to get through the window and everything went quite quickly — from baggage collection to passport control.
The return flight also took place very clearly, according to the schedule. So, colleagues, I confirm: the option for adult tourists is working and convenient.
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