In recent years, many airlines have appeared in Russia, which were previously subsidiaries of the main air carrier, Aeroflot. In the first decade of the 2000s, most of them became independent companies, actively developing and mastering new directions.
Such carriers include Saratov Airlines. Reviews about the company can be easily found on the Internet, because it is very popular among residents of Saratov and nearby cities. Due to the fact that “Saravia” performs domestic and international transportation, in the high season of vacations several tens of thousands of passengers resort to its services. Today we will tell you in detail about Saratov Airlines. Feedback from employees and passengers who have used the services of this airline will become the basis for our article.
History of the airline
Many believe that Saravia is a new airline, created in the wake of changes in the country in the zero years. However, in fact, “Saratov Airlines” (we will provide passenger reviews a bit later) has existed since the thirties of the last century. Then it was created taking into account the agricultural needs of the region. All agricultural aviation of the Saratov region was supposed to work on the basis of this company. In the ten years since the company’s appearance, its small aircraft single-handedly serviced numerous fields and lands intended for plowing.
Airline during the war years
The war has significantly changed the profile of the company. Saratov Airlines, reviews of which are now numerous on the Internet, in the forties only began to develop passenger transportation by air. The first flights were carried out in difficult conditions, but the pilots quickly managed to debug this type of transportation. However, a larger percentage of flights of this company were associated with the delivery of goods. This area has become the main activity of Saratov Airlines in the war years, which in peacetime significantly increased the rating of the organization itself and expanded its capabilities.
A new round in the development of "Saravia"
In the early nineties, the state-owned small airline was transformed into Saratov Airlines. More than half of the shares belonged to Aeroflot, so its new brainchild was perceived as a subsidiary.
Basically, the company carried out regular domestic and charter international flights. This allowed her to stay afloat, but the development of the enterprise was inhibited all the time. On this issue, the management of Saratov Airlines had constant disagreements with Aeroflot, so seventeen years after its formation, the joint-stock company changed its owners.
Company in the twenty-first century: new horizons
At the moment, Saratov Airlines is receiving quite positive reviews. Of course, it can’t do without some share of negativity, however, separation from Aeroflot brought the company a lot of advantages.
Six years ago, a controlling stake was redeemed by private individuals, and the joint-stock company entered a completely new stage of development.
Serious changes have taken place in the management team of the company, as well as among ordinary employees. All this very well affected the image of Saratov Airlines, which are now developing steadily.
Company today and tomorrow
According to the latest data, the company is actively exploring new directions and routes. For example, three years ago, Saravia aircraft flew to thirteen Russian cities. But this year this figure has increased to thirty.
In the summer season, private and charter routes to the most popular tourist destinations are added to regular flights. Residents of Saratov have the opportunity to travel from their hometown to Turkey, Egypt, Spain and many other countries. This allows the company to increase its passenger flow by twenty to thirty percent every year. The company's management is confident that in the coming years the number of passengers will reach a record figure of one million people. At the moment, Saratov Airlines provides data on a little more than five hundred thousand passengers served by this carrier.
The airline is based at the Saratov-Tsentralny airport, located twenty kilometers from the city. Most of the carrier’s aircraft are serviced here.
Representative offices in Russian cities and abroad
The main office of the airline is in Saratov. It is located on Zhukovsky Street, at number twenty-five. Here you can get the necessary information about flights and directions, as well as purchase tickets. The air carrier also has its own official website on the Internet, which contains relevant information needed by passengers.
In Russia, Saratov Airlines has offices in four cities:
In addition, the airline’s offices are open abroad. Tickets for Saravia flights can be purchased in the following cities and countries:
- Greece - Heraklion and Thessaloniki;
- Italy - Rimini;
- Spain, Barcelona;
- Czech Republic, Prague;
- Armenia - Yerevan.
In the immediate plans of the company to open several more representative offices in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Saravia employees about their work in the company
Usually, the reviews of its employees testify most to the success of the company. After all, they can reveal in their comments what is hidden from the eyes of ordinary passengers. Therefore, we decided to analyze the feedback of employees of Saratov Airlines so that it would be easier for you to make your own opinion about this company.
Interestingly, employees speak very well of the company as an employer. There is practically no staff turnover, because everyone holds on to their place and tries to take advantage of the opportunity for self-realization.
Saravia management carefully selects employees through multi-stage interviews and testing. Everyone necessarily takes advanced training courses at the expense of the company and only then gets to work. This approach has a positive effect not only on the employees themselves, but also on the service, which is always praised in the reviews of passengers of the Saratov Airlines.
Company fleet
The only significant drawback of this airline, which passengers note in almost all reviews, is the outdated fleet. The average age of Saravia aircraft is seventeen; this is a serious obstacle to the further development of the company.
Currently, the airline operates eleven aircraft, eight airliners are mothballed and stored. The fleet consists of the following models:
- An-148 (Saratov Airlines reviews on flights completed on these aircraft receive mostly negative reviews);
- Yak-42;
- Embraer E-195.
Each of the aircraft can be described in more detail.
An-148 airliners: a brief description
Saravia leases these aircraft from its larger counterpart, Rossiya Airlines. Previously, five aircraft were used on domestic flights, now only four. Another aircraft is located at the airport for storage, the company management is not going to put it on the route yet.
The airliner of this model has eighty-three seats, so most often it is used for flights over short distances. Since the planes are far from new, passengers often complain of an unpleasant smell in the cabin, uncomfortable seats and narrow aisles. However, in turn, in many reviews, the skill of the pilots, the unobtrusive service of the stewardesses and the delicious food on board are highlighted. Interestingly, most passengers find it difficult to derive an average rating of their flight on the An-148, because the airliner itself leaves much to be desired, but the service receives only high scores.
Flights to the Yak-42
Flights on airliners model Yak-42 "Saratov Airlines" reviews are very diverse. And this is not surprising, because a few years ago these models were the most used by this airline. There were twelve aircraft on the routes. Currently, only five aircraft are actively used, the rest are mothballed.
On average, there are one hundred and twenty seats in an airplane, which makes it very convenient for flying at any distance. But many passengers note that the airliner is quite narrow, it always shakes strongly in flight, and in the cabin it is very noisy due to the roar of engines. But all the inconveniences are trying to brighten up the cute and smiling stewardesses, who fulfill any requests in fact with the speed of lightning. Also, passenger reviews of the Yak-42 "Saratov Airlines" often contain information about the pilots who skillfully control the aircraft, trying to make take-off and landing the most comfortable.
Brazilian aircraft Embraer E-195
Today, the company has only two of these comfortable airliners; they are on lease. But everyone who had the pleasure of flying on them left rave reviews.
One hundred and fourteen passenger seats are arranged so that wide passages are formed. This greatly facilitates long flights abroad.
Almost all of the company's customers in the comments spoke in favor of expanding the fleet with precisely these models, because these airliners are really new, which is very rare for modern passenger air traffic.
Saratov Airlines: negative passenger reviews and positive comments
Perhaps after reading our article you still doubt whether it is worth planning your vacation with this airline. Therefore, based on an analysis of reviews, we are ready to present you the pros and cons of Saratov Airlines. From the positive comments, we can conclude that:
- the company employs highly qualified specialists;
- new aircraft are surprisingly comfortable;
- the airline boasts no disasters;
- on board very tasty food.
Of the minuses, passengers most often highlight the following facts:
- Outdated fleet
- frequent flight delays ;
- high ticket prices in some areas;
- rudeness on board.
From everything written in our article, you can draw a conclusion about the reliability of this company and the prospects for its flights with airliners. We hope you find this material helpful.