My flight to Vienna was 12 hours. Why, you ask? Because nonstop flights in December from New York City would have cost me at least $900. I was able to cut this down to about $650 in exchange for a layover in Moscow. This meant nine hours to Russia, and then another three to fly backwards to Austria. This also meant that on the way back, while we did have the pleasure of a half empty flight, we also had the displeasure of traveling with a group of about 20 teenage girls who wouldn’t shut up or stop running up and down the aisles. Between that and all the travel time, I’m not sure if the $250 discount was worth my sanity.

Other than that, the flight was fine. I had never flown any Russian airlines before, but I read good things about Aeroflot. They definitely kept us well fed. They served two meals on the longer leg, and even on the shorter leg, they gave us a sandwich. The little care packages consisting of earplugs, chapstick, eye masks, and slippers that they hand out, and the toothbrush/toothpaste in the bathroom were a nice touch. My only complaint was that it was a bit hot and stuffy throughout the flight. I wouldn’t mind flying again but next time, I think I’ll skip the layover.