Best flight options on East Coast

[WAB]

Those are the flights I use every time. I’m usually flying out of JoBurg (Bots, Zim, Zambia, Moz), which requires an overnight. I use Gracy Travel and pay for the VIP meet and greet. It really speeds things up.

 

[Limcroma Safaris]

My SAA flights in July, JFK-JNB-JFK, are listed as non-stop. I believe only the flights to/from Dulles make the stop in Dakar to refuel.

This is correct, and often confusing when folks are researching flights on their own....

SAA has 2 flights to JNB. The "true non-stop" departs JFK, and is a morning departure and next morning arrival. The Dakar 1-stop flight is an evening departure and evening arrival similar to the Delta 200 flight. The one that stops in Dakar for fuel is cheaper than the non-stop out of JFK. *** Also keep in mind that if you use a travel search engine like Orbitz or Kayak to research flights, they will often mix the non-stop flight with the direct flight going out or coming back.... These search engines will also mix flight legs using multiple carriers which I personally do not recommend... Make sure you read and understand the flight itinerary before you book.

 

[billc]

I am a big fan of the jfk flight. Nice getting there in daylight hours. Thankful Lori and jenifer told me about that route and book all my ticket that way. Using that route for my 5th trip this year and have had good luck coming and going using it.

 

[JimP]

You will find that using Travel Express with Lori and Jenifer handling your flights that you can just sit back and enjoy the trip or the rest of the planning. They take all the headaches out of it.

I used them on my first trip and if I ever go back I'll use them again. Not to mention any other flights out of the US itself.

 

[cagkt3]

Another @Travel Express fan here. I just email Jennifer when I want to be there (both times I had her check a range of dates for the best flights/prices, and then made sure those dates worked for the outfitter).

 

[Philip Glass]

I’m on the coast outside Myrtle beach but family is inland about 2 hours from ATL. We will have to drop our pups with family which makes ATL easy but Dulles was about $700 compared to 1000 from ATL for dates I checked.

Africa sky guest house pops up a lot. Never knew of city lodge but I’ll check that! Thanks

If I could drive to ATL then that would be a no brainer I’d take Delta. That said I have no problem flying SAA out of Dulles if the price is right. For me I’d always take the Premium economy on Delta for the extra $400. Use a travel agent please!
I have stayed at both City Lodge and the Intercontinental at JNB and both are great.
Happy planning,
Philip

 

[Philip Glass]

Just a heads up, Delta will NOT guarantee you a specific seat, only class. I booked seven months early for a bulkhead seat behind first class so I could stretch out my legs. At check-in, they changed my seat to three rows back. I was originally going solo but two weeks before departure, my regular hunting buddy decides he's going to go with me. He got a bulkhead seat, the one that right up until a few days before was open and where we were going to sit together. That was and will be my last flight on ANY Delta plane. Next time, I took SAA out of Dulles in the middle of the week for less money. The only gotcha there is the stop in Dakar but it does arrive in Joburg, the early morning, so plenty of time to catch another flight and save the overnight in Joburg.

So weird that you couldn’t reserve your seat especially with it being premium economy???
Did a travel agent book this? If so I’d be after them.
Philip

 

[WAB]

So weird that you couldn’t reserve your seat especially with it being premium economy???
Did a travel agent book this? If so I’d be after them.
Philip

That is really bad. I'm a Diamond with Delta so they treat me pretty well. In fact, I book those bulkhead seats and the only time they've ever moved me out of them was to put me in business class. I'd be totally po'd if they moved me back out of the bulkhead row, I don't blame you for looking elsewhere!

 

[Hogpatrol]

So weird that you couldn’t reserve your seat especially with it being premium economy???
Did a travel agent book this? If so I’d be after them.
Philip

Yep, Gracy Travel and they told me in advance Delta will screw you over like that. It must have happened before. The pisser was my buddy, two weeks before departure, got the open bulkhead seat next to where I should have sat. I'm done with Delta FOREVER. I'd take a tramp steamer to Africa before I'd ever book a flight with them again. SAA is barely any better so next trip will be Qatar or Emirates, even if it takes another day to get there.

 

[Red Leg]

Yep, Gracy Travel and they told me in advance Delta will screw you over like that. It must have happened before. The pisser was my buddy, two weeks before departure, got the open bulkhead seat next to where I should have sat. I'm done with Delta FOREVER. I'd take a tramp steamer to Africa before I'd ever book a flight with them again. SAA is barely any better so next trip will be Qatar or Emirates, even if it takes another day to get there.

Emirates is a nice ride - If I have a follow-on to say Namibia or Mozambique they are my preferred route. I can either spend the night doing a bag drag to City Lodge or a guest house, or being pampered by Emirates. I prefer the later. Arrive at Beira at the same time.

Headed just to Johannesburg in two weeks and will take SAA out of Dulles (the cabin spray drill in Dakar consists of two stews walking the length of the cabin each holding the equivalent of an air freshener can. Not an issue in the slightest.)

I have used Gracy Travel for almost all our international travel (hunting or tourist) for more than a decade. They are tremendous to work with.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Emirates is a nice ride - If I have a follow-on to say Namibia or Mozambique they are my preferred route. I can either spend the night doing a bag drag to City Lodge or a guest house, or being pampered by Emirates. I prefer the later. Arrive at Beira at the same time.

Headed just to Johannesburg in two weeks and will take SAA out of Dulles (the cabin spray drill in Dakar consists of two stews walking the length of the cabin each holding the equivalent of an air freshener can. Not an issue in the slightest.)

I have used Gracy Travel for almost all our international travel (hunting or tourist) for more than a decade. They are tremendous to work with.

Red Leg, Read this and if SAA try to pull the same shit, you may want to refuse to go along with their stupidity.

SAA tried to pull a whoop-dee-doo on my return flight last month. Got to Dakar and they wanted me to switch seats. They're doing the cleaning drill while on the ground and people start boarding and a guy comes up to me and says I'm in his seat. WTF? They had either sold my seat or assigned to this guy from Dakar to Dulles. Guess what boys & girls, I AIN'T FKN MOVING and I didn't. While the cleanup crew is scampering around picking trash up, another half dozen or so passengers are being told they are switching seats, overheads are being unloaded with their bags and they're moving or trying to move down the aisles with the cleaners. What a total clusterfuck that was. I'm an easy goer but tired of suffering the incompetence that Delta and SAA serve up. Besides, Delta premium is crap compared to other airlines. Those junker LR triple sevens they use are now SIXTEEN years old, the seats are shot and the entertainment is B movies and obscure albums that sold twelve copies. All that for four hundred bucks extra. I'm done.

 

[Areaonereal]

With Delta if you are booked for a bulkhead seat in premium economy you are running about a 100 per cent chance of being bumped to another seat...unless you are gold or platinum flyer...those seats are musical chairs that when requested by a gold or platinum holder you will be removed and they will put you in a less desirable seat...four times flying with Delta and it has happened each time to me....until we called the Presidenr of Delta and his admin assistant got it back... On last year's flight it was changed 4! times, and the same dog and pony show each time to get those seats back. One excuse...the seat was requested by someone with a comfort dog....yeah right..so where is the portable fireplug for the dog on a 16 hour flight. Last year a lady was next to me in the bulkhead told me she was a platinum and wanted to have the window seat I was in but Delta denied her the move because the seat was reserved due to orders from the Top. Ha ha

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

I booked my first flight over for my first hunt. Jennifer with Travel Express arraigned every thing. Houston to Atlanta then Johberg. I got choice of bulkhead Delta Comfort and was never asked or tried to change anything on flight over. Still here so we will see about trip back in 4 more days

 

[JGRaider]

That's interesting about being bumped from Delta EC. I've done that route 5 times, booked early to get bulkhead window seat, and never have been bumped. I guess it depends on which day you catch them on.

As far as SAA, I wouldn't mind trying them out and getting to JBurg in the am. My problem is getting to JFK without having to spend the night the eve before the JB flight. My buddy told me overnighting there is a PITA with firearms.

Boy do I wish for an ATL to WH direct.

 

[Limcroma Safaris]

As far as SAA, I wouldn't mind trying them out and getting to JBurg in the am. My problem is getting to JFK without having to spend the night the eve before the JB flight. My buddy told me overnighting there is a PITA with firearms.

Yep... That's the downside to that flight.... It's great for somebody who has a place to stay near the airport, or is driving to JFK, but difficult for those who are flying in on a connecting flight from somewhere else...

 

[lil 2 sleepy]

I’m from SC. I’ve done the Dulles route .Flying out of Dulles isn’t bad. It is usually the cheapest, but you may want to look at Miami. I found a flight with LATAM that was to Buenos Aires and the then Jonathan. That flight was 8 hrs with a 4hr layover and 8hrs. Sometimes that 4 hours is good. You can grab a shower in a pay lounge. Grab some food and walk around. Flights from SC to Miami are cheap. I’ve flown LATAM a few times to Argentina and they are pretty good.

 

[JimP]

What is LATAM's firearm policy? Do they hold your rifles during that layover or do you have to retrieve them and recheck?

I'll take SAA even with a stop in Dakar. When I am flying I just want to get to my destination and be done with it. With what I saw and experienced with SAA on my flights they are the airline for me. That is even if I did have to fly out of Denver to Salt Lake and then to JFK before I boarded them. But that is what happens when you are not close to a airport that has direct flights to where you are going.

 

[lil 2 sleepy]

I'm not sure about LATAM's gun policy. I haven't flown with a gun, but I was intrigued by the option. I'm surprised more carriers don't bounce to South America then to Africa, than do.

 

[Philip Glass]

That's interesting about being bumped from Delta EC. I've done that route 5 times, booked early to get bulkhead window seat, and never have been bumped. I guess it depends on which day you catch them on.

As far as SAA, I wouldn't mind trying them out and getting to JBurg in the am. My problem is getting to JFK without having to spend the night the eve before the JB flight. My buddy told me overnighting there is a PITA with firearms.

Boy do I wish for an ATL to WH direct.

We can all dream!