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From Russia with (more) loveNew award helps Aeroflot leave shaky image behind
 Aeroflot's once chilly image is beginning to thaw. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSBUSINESS TRAVELLER
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(CNN) -- With a reputation for being frostier than a Siberian winter, Aeroflot's But determined efforts by the Russian company to shed its shaky image and emerge as a world-class carrier now appear to be paying dividends -- this month earning the airline a prestigious award. Independent aviation industry watchdog Skytrax handed Aeroflot the prize for "onboard service improvement excellence" in its 2006 airline quality awards, a prominent air industry accolades. The result is a marked turnaround from the dark days following the break up of the Soviet Union, when the majority government-owned carrier struggled to adapt on the open market. A 2001 airline survey by the Zagat popular-vote guide ranked Aeroflot lowest of the low, scoring well beneath other operators. With a creaking collection of Tupolevs and Ilyushins -- still bearing the Soviet hammer and sickle -- a cabin crew often described as scowling and indifferent and a chaotic hub in Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, the airline had little riding in its favor. This was compounded by several fatal air crashes, the most notorious of which saw 75 people killed in Siberia in 1994 after a pilot allowed his 15-year-old son to take the controls of a passenger jet. Those days are gone. Aeroflot's 90-strong fleet now includes new Airbus and Boeing planes liveried in smart navy blue and silver. Cramped seating has been upgraded, meals improved and, refreshingly, staff taught to smile. "In the past few years, Aeroflot has invested heavily in the improvement of product and service across its international routes, and has now in many areas reached and surpassed the quality standards offered by many of its competitor airlines throughout Europe," Skytrax said in an statement following the awards. Mixed bag"Shaking off a time-old image of poor service or product is never an easy task, but Aeroflot Russian International Airlines has now achieved onboard service standards that we see as most worthy for this excellence award." Passenger accounts of travel on Aeroflot, though generally positive, remain something of a mixed bag. "All the horror stories about bad service on Aeroflot are true and don't believe anyone who tells you differently," passenger Alec Lidall wrote on the Skytrax Web site. "I was made to feel like an unwelcome visitor, getting in the way of the cabin crew, who seem to have forgotten how to smile." Others were more encouraging. "I have flown three times with Aeroflot to Moscow and enjoyed each flight," writes I. R. Massheder. "Flight crew were very helpful and good was good. I also flew internal as well and was again treated with kindness and respect. Airplanes were clean and I cannot find fault." Aeroflot's award achievement was one of only two nods by Skytrax to airlines outside Asia and the Middle East -- regions have consistently dominated the market in recent years. German budget carrier Air Berlin, which received an award for "low-cost airline service excellence", was the only other European operator to take an accolade. Thai Airways scooped the prize for "cabin staff service excellence", Gulf Air for "onboard catering excellence" and Cathay Pacific for "airport lounge service excellence." There was no showing for North America's troubled airlines which are struggling to catch up with their global rivals, according to Skytrax. "The financial woes affecting much of the industry remains hardest felt across North America and we are only now starting to see some of their major airlines addressing the need for substantial product and service upgrading to enable them to compete more effectively on a world platform," it said. To view the full list of award winners, visit the Skytrax 
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in-flight service has never been a major draw for business travelers already spooked by the thought of stepping aboard ageing Soviet aircraft.
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