Hi guys, this trip report goes back by a few years when, between Dec 2010 and Mar 2013, I made 5 biz trips from Singapore to Kiev, Ukraine.

Since Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) is not one of those airlines frequently reported here, I thought you may be interested in a snapshot on their Business Class service along with a snapshot on Kiev-Boryspil airport.

Kiev has always been on the trip agenda as the last stop on a multi-city trip to Europe, and flown as a side trip from Milan-Linate via Rome-Fiumicino, always flying with Alitalia on the 5 ways to Kiev.

Then on the way back from Kiev I flew with Alitalia twice to Rome-FCO and with Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) for 3 return segments, twice non-stop to Milan-Malpensa and once non-stop back to Rome-Fiumicino.

Then it was always onward to Paris-CDG and connecting back to Singapore-Changi with Air France.

So let’s start with just a glimpse on the Alitalia Airbus 320 that used to fly between Rome-Fiumiicino and Kiev-Boryspil (now Alitalia has discontinued operating this route).

The Business Class cabin was the classic one used on all short-haul routes, in a 3-3 layout with the middle seat blocked in order to provide a flexible 2-2 layout, hence nothing fancy:





And a brief selection on the Alitalia Business Class in-flight dining on the short 3-hour flight (tray presentation differed according to each flight):



















And now onward with Ukrainian Airlines, portraying flights taken respectively on 29 Dec 2010, 2 Jul 2011 and 12 Dec 2011.

flight: PS 305
route: Kiev-Boryspil to Rome-Fiumicino
aircraft: B737-500
seat 2A
class: Business Class
cabin load: 2/12
schedule: dep. Kiev-Boryspil at 7:30am - arr. Rome-Fiumicino at 9:20pm am (2h 50')
flown on: 29 Dec 2010
connecting same day to: Paris-CDG and onward to Singapore-Changi

The flight was operated by a B737-300 featuring a total of 135 seats including 12 Business Class seats in a 3-3 layout along 3 rows but with the middle seat being blocked to provide more space with the feeling of a 2-2 layout.

The old terminal upon entrance (the other 2 flights I'm reporting here will depart from the new Terminal F)




Quick check-in at the dedicated Panorama Premium, how Ukraine International Airlines call their Business Class


A festive airport with Christmas decorations:


Straight to the Club lounge for a quick coffee considering it was around 6am:






And a quick look outside on the snowy tarmac




Boarding time and transfer by bus to the remote parking in freezing winter weather:













Old fashioned standard for short-haul Business Class, with the mid-seat blocked:


Once reaching my 2A seat the F/A comes along offering a welcome orange juice and a selection of papers which are customised printed as you can see from the format of the International Herald Tribune


Tarmac activity as seen from the window:






And taking off at sunrise:




Breakfast is being served starting with a selection of drinks, and I opt for a tomato juice along with a Sauvignon blanc (the day will be long as after this flight there will be a connection to Paris-CDG and the night flight back to Singapore-Changi)




And after the drinks here it comes the breakfast tray featuring a complete hot breakfast with omelette, sausage, cold cuts and cheese












And coffee with a croissant to conclude the service


And with more daylight a look at the cabin:


















Really a pleasant and smooth flight and time to land at Rome-Fiumicino where we park at a remote area and are being transferred by bus to the terminal




Next to my 2nd flight experience with Ukraine International Airlines:

flight: PS 311
route: Kiev-Boryspil to Milan-Malpensa
aircraft: B737-500
seat 3A
class: Business Class
cabin load: 5/12
schedule: dep. Kiev-Boryspil at 10:40am - arr. Milan-Malpensa at 12:30pm am (2h 50')
flown on: 2 Jul 2011
connecting same day to: Paris-CDG from Milan-Linate, and onward to Singapore-Changi

I reached the new Terminal F almost close to loosing my flight as it was some 45 minutes prior to departure


Hence quick check-in at the Panorama Premium counter, queue at the passport control and just less than 10 minutes prior to boarding so I remained by the gate and took just a couple of pics in a rainy morning.














Boarding to Milan by walking directly from the gate












Reaching my 3A seat the F/A serves the classic welcome orange juice


Cabin crew checking 2 UM young passengers upon boarding:


The classic New Zealand Sauvignon blanc served right after taking off:


and the lunch tray is presented:










Then at a certain moment the second officer came out of the cockpit and seated right next to me in 3C, then he said hi and took a nap








Just time for a quick coffee and we landed at Milan-Malpensa airport, parking at a remote area, for a bus transfer to the terminal












Next to my 3rd flight experience with Ukraine International Airlines: still winter time but without snow and with a great blue sky perfect for enjoying the airport and taking pics.

flight: PS 311
route: Kiev-Boryspil to Milan-Malpensa
aircraft: B737-500
seat 1F
class: Business Class
cabin load: 3/16
schedule: dep. Kiev-Boryspil at 10:40am - arr. Milan-Malpensa at 12:30pm am (2h 50')
flown on: 12 Dec 2011
connecting same day to: Rome-Fiumicino and onward to Paris-CDG and Singapore-Changi

The flight was operated by a B737-500 featuring a total of 112 seats including 12 Business Class seats in a 3-3 layout along 3 rows but with the middle seat being blocked to provide more space with the feeling of a 2-2 layout.

Departing from the new Terminal F


The same festive mood as the year before on the way to the lounge






And with such a great blue sky I thought of spending the time before boarding in spotting from the lounge and around the airport:
























Boarding time for the Milan flight by walking straight to the aircraft and settling in my 1F seat




Welcome orange juice on board


from the seat window:






Taking off


Meal service will be lunch and not breakfast, as this flight departed at 10:40am vs the earlier 7:30am departure of the Rome flight as pictured above, and it starts with the same beverage selection, which again is tomato juice and the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc


And here we get the lunch tray consisting of a salmon dish with rice


















And landing at Milan-Malpensa on a foggy day


Taxi ride from Milan-Malpensa to Milan-Linate airport and check-in time at Linate for the connecting Air France flights to Paris-CDG and Singapore-Changi


Well this concludes the Trip Report on my experience with Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), a positive experience I'd say, given the almost 3-hour flights, with an always smiling cabin crew, and the airport facilities at Kiev-Boryspil airport.

And these are the weblinks to view my previous Trip Reports:

Air France, La Premiere Designer Suite, CGK-SIN (by ExpatFlyer Aug 18 2015 in Trip Reports)

Air France, New Business Class, SIN-CDG (by ExpatFlyer Jun 30 2015 in Trip Reports)

Hawaiian, First, HNL-OAK + Delta, First, SFO-LAX (update) (by ExpatFlyer Jul 18 2015 in Trip Reports)

Garuda, Business Class, MEL-DPS-CGK (by ExpatFlyer Aug 21 2015 in Trip Reports)

Dallas With Delta, FLL-ATL-DAL & DFW-ATL-FLL (by ExpatFlyer Jul 18 2015 in Trip Reports)

Air Asia, Office Commuting Between SIN-KUL-SIN (by ExpatFlyer Jul 27 2015 in Trip Reports)

That's all folks, and until the next trip report I wish you all the best.

[Edited 2015-09-05 21:53:35]

Hi ExpatFlyer, nice multi-flight TR. Nice to hear that you had a nice experience with Ukraine Int'l. I realize you flew them a few years ago but do you remember how the food tasted?

Thanks for sharing  
-Ytraveller

What a mouth-watering trip report.

The variety and presentation of the meals is impressive. Very colourful too.

Thanks for including the different aircraft types, both passenger and freighter, with liveries not often featured in the forum.

Regards, Weary

Hey expatflyer  

Great TR  
Looks like the AZ meal has has been changed. Did the new AZ meal taste better then the old ones?

Was AZ's meal or Ukraine int's meal better?

Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the interesting unusual TR.

UIA's meals look wayyyy better than AZ. AZ food looks like junk.

I am also curious about the taste.

Nice TR...

Quoting ExpatFlyer (Thread starter): Then at a certain moment the second officer came out of the cockpit and seated right next to me in 3C, then he said hi and took a nap

Hi, are you sure? Did he returned for landing into the cockpit? Maybe it was an additional trainee? However, not very professional...

The picture of the pilot exhausted with his book open is hilarious but scary.

As someone said may have been a trainee.

Quoting lychemsa (Reply 6): The picture of the pilot exhausted with his book open is hilarious but scary. As someone said may have been a trainee.

Quoting debonair (Reply 5): Maybe it was an additional trainee? However, not very professional...

Hi, well even if he was a trainee that's not professional

Quoting SQueeze (Reply 4): UIA's meals look wayyyy better than AZ. AZ food looks like junk.

Quoting Lesfalls (Reply 3): Was AZ's meal or Ukraine int's meal better?

Quoting Ytraveller (Reply 1): The variety and presentation of the meals is impressive

Quoting Ytraveller (Reply 1): do you remember how the food tasted?

Tks for posting your comments.

The AZ in-flight dining was the standard on european routes, and looks quite basic or average.

The PS in-flight dining looks more attentive but still average.

All those trays do not provide any support for taste but cater just for a mere point of differentiation.

Then from C-class passenger expectations to C-class product delivery we get all the weak points.

I don't think it's unprofessional for the pilot to come back and take a nap. On a small plane, there is not much room, and if he's flying the return leg it makes sense.

I'm not sure i'd bother buying a Business Class fair if that's what you are being given. It's interesting to see flying in Ukraine.

Pretty good looking chow in Ukraine's Business/First! Much better than anything you would see stateside!

Hey EF, Thank you for the multi-flights report.

UIA seems to offer standart European business class service, which doesn't look bad at all. With thier low prices, they look like a good option to move around Europe.

Thx for shearing, Jonathan

Quoting EL-AL (Reply 12): Hey EF, Thank you for the multi-flights report. UIA seems to offer standart European business class service, which doesn't look bad at all. With thier low prices, they look like a good option to move around Europe. Thx for shearing, Jonathan

Hi Jonathan, thank you and much appreciated.

And after reading your comment I found on the UIA website that they now offer a very cheap pay at the airport upgrade to C-class at US$150 for flights from Tel Aviv to 5 cities in Ukraine: Kiev, Odessa, Lvov, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov, and at US$150 for a variety of flights from Kiev to say London, Paris, Dubai, Almaty, etc., and at US$100 for flight from Kiev to Milan, Rome.

All the best.

Quoting ExpatFlyer (Reply 13): And after reading your comment I found on the UIA website that they now offer a very cheap pay at the airport upgrade to C-class at US$150 for flights from Tel Aviv to 5 cities in Ukraine: Kiev, Odessa, Lvov, Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov, and at US$150 for a variety of flights from Kiev to say London, Paris, Dubai, Almaty, etc., and at US$100 for flight from Kiev to Milan, Rome.

UIA also offer great JCL prices on flights from Israel to New York - you can find sometimes business class fare of ~1500 USD, a price which is more or less the price of direct flight to NYC with UA or DL in coach.