Tupolev TU-134A-3 - Flying North with Rossiya

Unbelievable just how the picture has changed in Pulkovo. Was it only Tupolevs, Ilyushins, Yaks and only some Western airplanes in 2008, a TU-134 landing in LED would bring lots of spotters to the airport in 2016. The TU-134 was a real classic in LED and lot's of airlines served the city with this Russian thunder- machine. UT Air and Rossiya had a few based there, and also Aeroflot Nord was a regular visitor. The planes were usually parked right in front of the "Moscow Shuttle" terminal, a smaller check- in area from which the Tupolevs were only parked about 20 meters away.
Due to the close proximity to the terminal, in some cases the boarding was by walking from the terminal to the aircraft. Once aboard, at the time, the service was astonishing, wine and beer were standard, and the meals varied from hot meals to fresh "komplekt" meals. I am sure many miss these times... but that's how the world is turning and soon no one will remember how it felt to fly on a classic era aircraft, with all the service!