Currently booking a flight for an internship abroad in Prague, and Aeroflot seems to be the cheapest and a decently convenient option. The next cheapest option seems to be Lufthansa, which is ~$500 more. Has anyone flown on Aeroflot in recent years? Is Lufthansa worth $500 more?
Had a few HS teachers and older relatives fly on Aeroflot both back in the Soviet days and the Yeltsin/early Putin era(early-mid '00s) while flying into the Soviet Union/Russia/“CIS”. Back then, Aeroflot had a bit of a sketchy reputation due to flying decades old Soviet aircraft, funding issues, management problems, etc.
In the last decade and half, Aeroflot has been undergoing a modernization of its airplane fleet with Boeing and Airbus aircraft so the sketchy reputation seems to be a thing of the past.
However, some may have an issue with the fact its still 51% owned by the Russian government.
http://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/aeroflot-russian-airlines/
I flew them from JFK->Moscow and St. Petersburg->JFK back in 1992, so don’t weigh my opinion too heavily. The planes were old and shabby, and when you sat in the seats you almost fell through to the floor. But the seats turned out to be surprisingly comfortable and the food was some of the best I’ve ever had on an airplane.
Go over to Flyertalk.com - a website chock full of frequent fliers all over the world. Under “Flyertalk Forums” go to “Miles and Points” then scroll down until you find the forum “Russian-based airlines”. There are a couple threads about Aeroflot there, one titled Experience with Aeroflot, Good, Bad, and Ugly with the most recent reply from Feb. Other threads too. If existing threads don’t answer your question, create an account (free) and ask. Remember these are frequent flyers from all over, so don’t be surprised if your answer seems rather brusque. It’s not you, it’s the nature of a lot of these people - who are typically very helpful but really busy and don’t usually take the time for internet niceties .
Ha Ha, not since 1991… flew from Nigeria to Romania. My most vivid memory of that flight was the attendent explaining “essmoking is on the right side of the aisle, and non-essmoking on the left.” Made a lot of sense! I felt quite dizzy after that flight.
FWIW–my son-in-law and his family (all immigrated to US from Russia) say to avoid Aeroflot at all costs.
I lived and worked in the FSU for 13 years and flew them many, many times. I left in 2008 but at that stage all of their international flights were on Boeing or Airbus planes. I would defintely not pay the extra $500 for Lufthansa. The planes and service were fine.
I flew them twice in 2015 to a central Asian country to visit kiddo. It was just like flying Delta, IMO. I think they are all Boeing aircraft now. I would not pay $500 more for Lufthansa.
ETA: I was wrong about all Boeing. I recall reading something along those lines in the local papers a while ago. Boeing propaganda, LOL. They have diversified into Airbus:
http://www.aeroflot.com/ru-en/flight/plane_park
Check what aircraft they list for that specific route. Avoid any Russian ones, and you will be fine.
Yes, I would pay more to fly Lufthansa. Other emerging countries including Russia purchase used planes deemed too troublesome to maintain by other major airlines. Some planes may be >40 years old. They may remodel the inside but you don’t know how strict their maintenance guidelines are. Probability is you would be fine but I have paid more to avoid being on certain airlines.
http://www.airlineratings.com/airlines-ratings.php shows Aeroflot is pretty high on safety (6 out of 7) but is lower on product quality. The only caveat would be if they fly russian equipment on the route you are on, everyone basically says stay away from carriers flying russian equipment. They have one of the youngest fleets out there and apparently it is mostly or all foreign made. My problem with Aeroflot or any carrier will be allowing smoking on board, that would be a deal breaker to me, and knowing the Russian penchant for smoking, likely they will.
Lots of old hearsay info posted here.
Being in the Boeing country here, I can say that unlike some questionable little airlines, Aeroflot is a major airline and has invested in new 777 and 737s. Even their Russian made planes are new (I would still prefer a Boeing plane). As far as winter maintenance, Icelandair has partnered with the Russians to share their expertise on keeping the Boeing fleet in good shape in harsh conditions.
No smoking was allowed when I flew in 2015. That smoking ship has sailed long time ago.
The fleet has been westernized, but do you want your maintenance done and parts sourced in Russia? I can imagine the corruption. I’d happily pay $500 more.
I flown on Aeroflot in 90th. Would not do it now. Lufthansa is a very reputable airline.
@dunboyne: If I read the safety site, Aeorflot belongs to international certifying agencies where things like that are supposedly audited. I have no way to know how strenuous those audits are, to be honest, but I would assume they have to be certified. Aeroflot for years was horrible, between russian aircraft and control systems that were out of date (talking flight control) and big problems with pilot training and the like, but it looks like they have pulled things up since those days.
I would not pay $500 more. If the flight originates in the US, it is probably a Delta codeshare. That said, check where the transfer is: if it is in Moscow, a visa might be required. That would make me pay more for Lufthansa, not the hearsay about junk planes or smoking.
I few Moldova Air, LOT, and some Romanian airline recently. This is not the nineties, folks.
Also check flight prices to Vienna and Budapest plus the train ride to Prague if you have time on the trip.
As opposed to some of the responses here on CC?!? LOL 
In all seriousness though, Flyertalk is a great website and the users are a font of knowledge.
Personally, I flew Aeroflot from LED to SVO a couple of years ago. It’s fine. The Soviet-era Tupolev aircraft are long gone and even intra-Europe the majority of the fleet is Boeing and Airbus. IMO, it’s not worth spending en extra $500 to fly Lufthansa.
Aeroflot was fine. SVO, in my personal opinion, is a craphole, so if you need to change planes there, I would pay $500 to avoid it. 
Aeroflot is on the short list of airlines my DH’s company will not let employees book.
Well, looks like the consensus is mixed haha. I will definitely check out Flyertalk and other sources for more info. Thank you all!