[slm_tbm]

What are the size and dimensions of the bags for the in country flights in Russia? I'm trying to pack all our clothes in our carry-on's and can't seem to get this information. Thank!!

Shana

Only 5 days left till we leave!!

[chucknfw]

I have flown to Russia 4 times in the last two years and have not had any trouble with my bags. In fact, after lugging around overstuffed carry-ons on the first trip I lightened up and left the heavies checked underneath. Just make sure everything has rollers. Carry your dossier, you money and a few extra necessaries on the plane with you and check the rest.

[Military Momma]

We took carry on's for the first trip. It was great not to have to go to baggage but in Customs...that's where you pick up your bags so you don't have to bring them with you.

We checked our bags (carry on size) for the second trip and didn't have a problem. It was much easier!

Hope this helps,
Lisa

[TripleL]

I've read that the domestic (european/russian) airlines will have a weight limit of 44 pounds (20 kilos?) for the luggage. What differs is that sometimes they say they include your carry-on with your checked luggage weight. Time to break out that bathroom scale....

The cars are also smaller so you may want to stay away from the huge roller luggage. Someone had posted earlier this year that their luggage wouldn't fit in the trunk of the translator/driver's car and they were glad they brought the duct tape to strap it to the top of the car

Also, when in doubt, check with your agency. They've probably heard all the stories about luggage follies.... You might also be able to find an internet site for the airlines you are using.

[gaek]

Don't lose any sleep over this one.......We just went through it.

The allowable weights on international flights into Moscow are well posted on any of the airline websites. Where your challenge is going to be is the Russian domestic flight to your region. They have tighter weight restrictions than the international carriers. They will weigh your luggage before checking onto your regional flight and charge you for the additional weight. THEY WILL TURN YOUR LUGGAGE AWAY. This was a last minute panic for us that wasn't worth the worry. It cost us roughly $50.00 in overweight charges, but in the grand scheme of things it was not a concerned.

Just as a point of reference we had three very large suitcases and two carry ons....they were fine on the internatuinal flights but too heavy for the domestic flights.

[plgorzell]

Hello,

We were considered an international flight from Houston through to Moscow. We were able to take with us 70 lbs. on Continental.

The way we paced were bags to go to Stavropol, 22 kilo gram limit. Then we left the majority of the weight in Moscow with our agency who held them for us until we returned. Most of the items we needed, we needed in Moscow.

This seemed to work for us.

Pam

[Vicki H]

I wouldn't worry about this too much. We left some of our bags on the second trip in storage at the hotel in Moscow. We took with us what we needed to take to Stavropol. If your bags go over the weight limit the domestic airlines usually charge a little extra but not too much extra.

Vicki H

[manon]

If something does happen to your checked luggage, the only thing you may have a hard time replacing would be clothes to wear to court. It doesn't much matter what you look like otherwise. But especially if you're plus-size like I am, it's not easy to find suitable clothes on short notice, even in Moscow, much less in the region.