Love in the Air: Valentine's Flights in Russia Command Sky-High Prices

A new analysis reveals that some Russians are spending extraordinary sums to be with their loved ones this Valentine's Day. According to data from mobile operator Megafon, obtained by Lenta.ru, the most expensive domestic tickets purchased through the KupiBilet service for February 14 travel surpassed 107,000 rubles. That premium price bought a journey to Irkutsk.

Other costly romantic getaways include flights to Gorno-Altaisk for over 89,000 rubles and to Sochi for approximately 57,000. In stark contrast, the most affordable destinations for the holiday were Pskov, Kazan, and Nizhny Novgorod, where the average ticket cost a modest 1,800 rubles.

The study also lists the top ten domestic destinations for short Valentine's trips. Sochi leads, followed by Kaliningrad, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Samara, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg, Makhachkala, Grozny, and Mineralnye Vody. For those looking beyond Russia's borders, the favored romantic capitals this year are Yerevan, Tbilisi, Istanbul, and Samarkand.

Despite the high costs for last-minute domestic bookings, surveys show many Russians still dream of more distant Valentine's escapes. When asked about ideal trips, exotic locales such as Sri Lanka and Madagascar topped their wish lists.