Ethiopian Airlines - Anxiety in Addis Abada

[Hogpatrol]

Could you please expend on 20k limit topic? What does it mean? Tks.

I'm incorrect. It's 15kg for firearms. 5kg of ammo goes free. If it's over that, there's an addition charge per kilo. Last trip, my gun case was overweight and from Joberg to Kimberly, the extra weight cost $61 and change. IIRC, trips within or to different African countries are more per kilo. The website has more info.

 

[Killo]

Could you please expend on 20k limit topic? What does it mean? Tks.

20 kilogram weight limit on luggage

 

[Philip Glass]

I had the exact opposite leaving Michigan on American Air to Chicago for Qatar to Doha.

The American woman at check in said she was checking everything all the way to Harare. I said I think I need to collect and check my firearms back into Qatar air in Chicago. She was insistent. So I think cool, less hassle.

We had a long layover since AA canceled our midday flight. So we booked the airport hotel. While chilling out I get a call asking where I was they were frantic. Unclaimed firearms.

No biggie. Plenty of time to deal with it. But undue stress.

Then on return the Qatar internal airport security called my rifle scopes firearm parts. They were going to confiscate a lot of $ worth of scopes, 4 total. It took two more levels of seniority to get it corrected. More undue stress from uninformed employees. And I had their own rules printed out repeatedly showing them their rules. No impact on them whatsoever.

Note to self check rifle scopes next trip.

Thanks for sharing your travel woes. Learning from each others experiences is a big part of why we are here on AH. I could write a book!
I've always argued that scopes must stay with the rifles. You never know when you're going to get that one idiot!

 

[Javaman]

This just in from Debbie Gracy herself. Seemingly no concerns on her part…

You do not reclaim your firearms in Addis. What does happen, is: ET airlines security will take you by bus to the basement area where baggage comes in. You will go with them and verify they are your firearms.
They will then take you to Hand luggage security and your departure gate. The process will be explained in your packet. Yes, you have time. ci
thanks
debbie

Definitely having the heads-up from the AH community helps make sure we’re prepared. Investigating cost of the private “meet and greet” to help us complete the additional security steps and expedite the process.

 

[migrabill]

Yet another reason to rent a rifle from your PH and not travel with a firearm.

 

[JimP]

Yet another reason to rent a rifle from your PH and not travel with a firearm.

Or just skip the airlines and countries that have obscure rules and laws concerning firearms in place.

While I have only flown over twice I have had zero problems bringing in and using my own rifle either time.

 

[Mountaineer]

I’ve made the trip to the dungeon 8 times. Select seats in rows 11, 12, or 13. That will get you off the plane quickly. If there isn’t someone standing there with your name on a sign go towards customs and tell the first agent with a green jacket you have a tight schedule and you need to check your firearms. Have all your paperwork (detailed in other post). I carry 10 copies of everything and a pen. They will quickly get you to the dungeon and back through security. No worries, it’s just a process.

 

[Sika98k]

Shoot, Condor Airlines (Lufthansa subsidiary) has a weekly-ish cheap flight direct from Frankfurt to Windhoek. Suggest you look into this next time.

It’s a long time since Condor flew ! Now it’s Discover, a subsidiary of Lufthansa flying Frankfurt or Munich to Windhoek daily. That flight, bringing a rifle with you, is about $2800 on a good day from Ireland or the same flight with Ethiopian is approximately $950.
I have flown both several times faultlessly previously. My bad for accepting a verbal from airline staff. The checkin staff at Dublin were great at trying to resolve the situation. We got Ethiopian to schedule our firearms on their system but unfortunately it didn’t show up on the Lufthansa system. The only option would have been to check in again in Frankfurt and there simply wasn’t enough time to do that.

 

[wildwilderness]

Oh dear, this doesn’t make particularly good reading. I’m wheels up in eighteen hours to Windhoek via Frankfurt and, you’ve guessed it, Addis Ababa. Two hours forty minutes of a layover
My previous experiences have been ok. The security/ serial number check in the recesses of baggage handling are a PITA. Never missed a flight before. There’s always a first time.

How was the transfer in Addis?