The Definitive Guide to Aeroflot U.S. Routes [Plane Types & Seat Options]

Note: As a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Aeroflot is currently experiencing many restrictions on airspace and may temporarily suspend flights.

Aeroflot is Russia’s state-owned national airline, and one of the oldest airlines in the world. Although Russia is not a super popular destination, it’s still on many travelers’ bucket lists for niche tourism or business reasons.

Flying to Russia can be a difficult task. From the visa requirements to planning a trip with multiple connections, there are a few areas of potential headache.

Honestly, Aeroflot doesn’t operate a cutting-edge business or economy class product — overall, their fleet is old (and their style is more old-fashioned than most other airlines). However, they do offer nonstop flights to Moscow, which can be beneficial if you want to minimize the amount of positioning and transiting you need to do.

In this guide, you’ll get an insider’s look on Aeroflot’s U.S. route network.

Seat Options by Aircraft Type

Although Aeroflot is the flag carrier of Russia, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at their route network.

Though Aeroflot used to operate 777-300ERs on some of their flights, they have since rolled back to the smaller A330 aircraft. Check out our table below for the (admittedly) small network of nonstop flights you can take between Russia and the United States:

Best Points to Earn to Fly Aeroflot

Aeroflot is one of 19 SkyTeam alliance airlines — they’re actually one of the newer members, which you might not expect considering how established Aeroflot is.

To fly Aeroflot on an award ticket, you will want to earn points and miles such as Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles, Delta SkyMiles, or Korean Air SKYPASS miles.

Most of the time, using Korean Air SKYPASS is the cheapest, but miles are difficult to come by, since they only have 1 transfer partner: Marriott Bonvoy. Here are all your other options:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards is a transfer partner with Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
• American Express transfer partners include Delta SkyMiles and Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
• Citi ThankYou Rewards is a transfer partner with Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
• Capital One Miles is a transfer partner with Air France/KLM Flying Blue.
• Marriott Bonvoy is a transfer partner with Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Delta SkyMiles, and Korean Air SKYPASS.

In this case, the best method of booking Aeroflot is through Air France/KLM Flying Blue due to the easy process, competitive redemption rates, and plentiful transfer partners.

Alternatively, you can earn and redeem Aeroflot Bonus Miles directly.

Aeroflot First Class Options

Unfortunately, Aeroflot does not operate a long-haul first class cabin on their flights to/from the United States.

Aeroflot Business Class Options

Aeroflot will be offering a new business class product with reverse herringbone seats and direct aisle access with a greatly improved plane: the A350. They will fly from New York starting March 29, 2020 and Miami starting June 2, 2020 to Moscow (SVO). 

Aeroflot’s business class is not industry-leading, but it offers a comfortable ride across the Atlantic. You can expect lots of legroom, angled-flat seats (if on the A330) and fully lie-flat seats (if on the 777-300ER), decent meals, and a restful slumber on your nonstop flight to Russia.

Current, Aeroflot only operates the A330 family ad 777-300ER variants of aircraft on flights to the United States. They operate the 777-300ER on two out of the three New York City routes. Moscow and the United States don’t exactly make for the busiest route network, which is the main reason the A330 is par for the course.

Our business class ranking is as follows:

1. 777-300ER
2. A330-200
3. A330-300

Aeroflot 777-300ER Business Class

Aeroflot operates the 777-300ER to/from America on only one route: between New York City (JFK) and Moscow (SVO). These seats are 22 inches in width, fully lie-flat, and in a 2-2-2 configuration. While not the best set-up in the world, the 57 inches in seat pitch and nearly 77 inches in bed length make for a great lie-flat experience.

Keep in mind that Aeroflot’s 777-300ER is the only one that offers lie-flat seats at the time of writing, so that’s a huge plus. In fact, this is the main reason we have the 777-300ER as our champion.

The seat map is as follows:

The best seats would be further at the back of the cabin, due to the fact that the lavatories and main galleys are located at the front of the section. There is still a galley located in the very back, though it’s a single galley.

Furthermore, couples traveling together who want direct-aisle access should opt for the middle seats. Specifically, 4D/4G are best, as they are as far as possible without incurring additional noise from the rear galley.

You can find the 777-300ER operated on this route:

• New York City (JFK) – Moscow (SVO) on SU 101/103
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Moscow (SVO)

Aeroflot A330-200 Business Class

Aeroflot’s A330-200 contains 34 angled-flat business class seats with a maximum of 166 degrees of recline. The seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration and measure 26.7″ wide with a pitch of 60″ and estimated bed length of around 78″ total.

The seat map looks as follows:

As you can see, there are lavatories located at the front, port side as well as at the back, starboard side of this business class, which is split up into 2 separate mini-cabins. The best seats are located at 5D and 5G.

Since these seats are angled-flat, your footrest will not be located in a footwell, meaning your legroom is limited only by any obstructions in front of you. With 5D and 5G there’s nothing in front, so we choose these for the best legroom. If 5D and 5G are taken, you can also choose 6A and 6C for the most privacy.

You can find the A330-200 flown on these routes between the United States and Russia:

• Miami (MIA) – Moscow (SVO)

Aeroflot A330-300 Business Class

Our second business class product from Aeroflot is the A330-300, which is simply the newer aircraft in the A330 family compared to the A330-200.

Business class on the A330-300 lags behind the A330-200 simply due to smaller seats and a lack of preferential seating options.

On the A330-300, you’ll find 28 business class angled-flat seats in a 2-2-2 configuration. Each of the seats is 26″ wide, 60.2″ in pitch, and 76.5″ in bed length. This makes the business class seats on the A330-300 nearly 1″ narrower and 1.5″ shorter than those on the A330-200.

Additionally, the business class seats are all together in 1 section as shown below:

The best business class seats will be located toward the back of this business class cabin, particularly in rows 4 or 5. Because the business class lavatories are located at the front port side of the aircraft, passengers will be walking forward to access them.

Travelers should position themselves as far from foot traffic as possible — meaning optimal seating is at the back in rows 4 or 5.

You’ll find the Aeroflot A330-300 flown on these routes between the United States and Russia (twice daily service):

• New York City (JFK) – Moscow (SVO) on SU 123
• Washington D.C. (IAD) – Moscow (SVO)

Aeroflot Premium Economy Class Options

There’s only one option for premium economy with Aeroflot, and that’s on the 777-300ER.

Aeroflot 777-300ER Premium Economy Class

Each of the seats are 20 inches wide and 38 inches in pitch. This means that they are slightly wider than average, which is a plus. On the 777-300ER, the configuration is 2-4-2, with 6 total rows being offered.

Thus, the total number of seats is 48 as shown here:

Couples will want to choose the seats on the side of the plane, due to the fact that you’ll have an entire row to yourself. If you want to minimize the noise and disturbances you’ll experience, you’ll want to pick a seat towards the back of premium economy.

You’ll want to avoid row 16, due to the fact that there’s limited recline from the bulkhead in the economy section. As a result, our best seat choices go to row 15.

You can find the 777-300ER operated on these routes:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – Moscow (SVO)
• New York City (JFK) – Moscow (SVO) on SU 101/103

Aeroflot Economy Class Options

In the case of Aeroflot’s economy class options, there isn’t much separating the 2 products. We’ll be splitting hairs here, but we’ll make several suggestions for preferential economy class seats.

Considering these flights can range anywhere from 10-12 hours, it’s crucial to pick out the best seats to make your inflight experience as pleasurable as possible.

Our ranking is as follows:

1. 777-300ER
2. A330-200
3. A330-300

Aeroflot 777-300ER Economy Class

Aeroflot’s 777-300ER wins for one simple reason: number of preferential seats. You’ll see that even though the economy section has a ton of seats (324, to be exact), there are a lot of exit row or bulkhead seats for extra legroom:

All in all, the best seats for solo travelers are definitely 18C or 18H, due to the fact that there’s no seat in front. Couples traveling together can choose 17D/E/F/G, 24B/C, and 24F/J. Be sure to avoid the window seats at exit rows due to the fact that the exit door will be protruding into your leg space.

An extra fee is required to reserve these exit row seats, but it may be worthwhile if you need the legroom.

You can find the 777-300ER operated on these routes:

• New York City (JFK) – Moscow (SVO) on SU 101/103
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Moscow (SVO)

Aeroflot A330-200 Economy Class

Economy class on the A330-200 consists of 207 seats arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration as shown below:

The most important aspect of an economy class seat is its size. With an 18″ width and 31″ pitch, these seats are wider but closer together than average.

In an economy cabin, the best seats are always going to be the exit row seats. Note that row 11 is not an exit row seat — it’s a bulkhead seat with a wall section in front, which will restrict your leg movement. The best seats are in row 24: seats 24C and 24H are going to be the best choices here, since they are situated in the exit row without the same door protrusion as 24A and 24K.

Unfortunately, there are 4 lavatories located right in front of row 24, which may be troublesome.

You will be able to find this exact economy class seat plan on the following nonstop route between the United States and Russia:

• Miami (MIA) – Moscow (SVO)

Aeroflot A330-300 Economy Class

Our last economy cabin on Aeroflot to/from the United States is the A330-300. This aircraft has a larger economy section, with 268 seats compared to 207 on the A330-200. The seats are the same width as the A330-200, but the pitch can vary from 30″-32″.

With a similar 2-4-2 arrangement, the seat map looks like this:

As you can see, this economy class cabin contains many more seats. The most preferential seats are located at 30C, 30H, and row 29 due to the exit row. This will provide additional legroom, though the proximity to the lavatories may be bothersome to some travelers.

If you’re a solo traveler, we’d recommend snatching 30C or 30H. If you’re traveling with a companion, you might be best served reserving 2 seats next to each other in row 29.

Find this exact A330-300 economy section layout on these routes:

• New York City (JFK) – Moscow (SVO) on SU 123
• Washington D.C. (IAD) – Moscow (SVO)

Final Thoughts

Aeroflot is an airline that has flown under the radar for most travelers. If you’re contemplating traveling to Russia, it may be worth considering flying Aeroflot nonstop from one of the 3 cities listed in the route chart.

Overall, Aeroflot doesn’t have very many business class products to choose from, though there are a couple preferential seats in both business and economy class. Now, you’ll have all the information you need to plan your flights to Russia on Aeroflot.