Noticed the Aeroflot fares were a couple of hundred $$$ cheaper to Moscow & St.Petersburg than the other airlines. Is there a reason for this? (like in death trap?????????)

I wouldn't worry. The "flot" part of the airline name means that if you come down in water the plane won't sink.

Harzer

I know that Aeroflot is considered really bad, but I know a CEO who travels to Russia a lot. He now only flys Business or First Class on Aeroflot and says they are the most pampered and deluxe flights he's taken on any airline. He especially loves the top notch caviar and free flowing vodka.
But behind the curtain, it's anybody's guess what's happening in "steerage".

I have flown a number of times on Aeroflot from Seattle to Moscow with Aeroflot. Good aircraft 767s and 777, service fine, nothing special. Much cheaper than any other airline. Only airine flying non-stop to Moscow from westcoast. I found that a flight to Moscow is the same cost as one to St Petersburg, so you end up getting free return to St Petersburg from Moscow. You can stay in Moscow for a while then fly to St Petersburg. Aeroflot 8-10 years ago was considered bad, it has changed, much as Russia has changed.

Is it true that smoking is allowed on Aeroflot? I heard that somewhere, but I don't know if it's true. That would be a major deterrent for me, but a selling point for some.

No smoking on all Aeroflot flights as of March last year.

Again, I concur and agree with Garfield in his comments regarding Aeroflot. The perception many people have of Russia and as well Aeroflot is out dated. Regarding transcontinental fllights SU has some of the best metal in the skies. I would not give it a second thought and although that is not the airline I've used most I know they have great service and great equipment. As well, I have flown between SVO1 and LED several times on Pulkovo Airlines and have not had problems. Usually, the flights on SU are cheaper. For what reason I do not know. Also, usually, but not always, the same ticket can be purchased cheaper if purchased in Russia than if purchased in the USA. Go figure?
Also, generally, if happen to live on the West Coast it is a shorter flight. The flight time from SEA to SVO is about the same as JFK-SVO. Anyone living on the West Coast need not waste all day traveling to JFK or somewhere else to make a Moscow connection. Delta and SU have been talking for quite some time now, but I am hearing that they are finally getting close to an agreement to bring SU in to Skyteam.

Our flight to Russia was in an American plane, but please, if at all possible avoid travelling Aeroflot within the country. Smelly, filthy, backed-up toilets every single flight. And we finally found out that the extra wheel on their planes is to help them land because they are always overloaded.

My dear CandyKay. with all due respect, there maybe a few folks here that think you are overstating things a tad. Before I say something I may regret, when were you flying within Rus. on SU.? I can attest to the conditions you describe on the train from SP to Moscow a few times. Never on an SU flight or Pulkovo flight. We all have a few Kodak moments to describe perhaps..but in my opinion you have over stated fact with fiction.

Again everyone thinks about Russia as seen in the media - 8 years out of date.

Firstmate, I admit it was quite a while ago-the Soviet Union was in charge-- but I promise there is no exaggeration here. We had 3 in-country flights and they were all the same.

I've flown Aeroflot from Beijing to Moscow and back (3 - 4 years ago), and found the seats and legroom in economy much more spacious than when I fly United, Lufthansa, or Air France. You may want to check the airplane model to see if it's the same one they use on flights to & from the US, because it was significantly better.

Candykay: It was not my intend to discount what you stated. I was not traveling in Russia many years ago. I assume what you said regarding your experience then, were in fact, accurate. My point, and I think the point that Garfield has continued to make, is that most conditions in most all things have changed dramatically in Russia during recent years. Although your experiences in Russia( your flying expericenes) some time ago were not especially enjoyable, I think you would find things have vastly changed regarding air travel and service in Russia.