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This page is mainly for visitors wishing to purchase a flight from
the UK to Africa. If you require international flights from elsewhere
we recommend that you contact your preferred ticket broker in your
home country. Our SA office can arrange all regional and domestic
flights within Southern and East Africa.
We offer excellent rates on scheduled carriers such as South African
Airways, British Airways, Air Namibia, Air Mauritius and Air Seychelles.
Our best fares are almost always available only when you are booking
an inclusive tour so it is well worth your while to tell us about
all of your holiday plans at one time, rather than booking flights
and the rest of your holiday separately.
However, we are an IATA accredited agent so that means that we have
access to the full range of published scheduled fares too. As well
as fully flexible tickets (the most expensive) there are excursion
fares on more popular routes. These can also be very competitive but
you generally need to be prepared to make a quick decision as they
must be paid in full and ticketed at the time of booking.
There are dozens of sample holiday itineraries throughout the site.
The notes against the tour itineraries will give you typical flight
costs, subject to availability.
Please contact us if you wish
to receive a flight quote giving your date of departure and return
date and whether you wish to book Economy, Business or First Class.
Alternatively, tell us your flight requirements in a Tailor-made
request.
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Information on Flights
The direct flying time from London to Johannesburg is 11 hours, an
hour more to Cape Town and Mauritius and an hour less to Windhoek,
Harare, Lusaka, Lilongwe and The Seychelles. A range of wide-bodied
jets is used, primarily Airbus and Boeing 747s.
On scheduled economy class flights, the baggage allowance is 20kg
(BA 23kg) and hand baggage must be light and small enough to stow
under the seat in front. However, if your itinerary includes light
aircraft flights then the allowance is 10kg per person plus a reasonable
amount of photographic kit. If you are uncertain how to achieve this,
ask for our safari kit list when booking. |
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Cabin Upgrades and regional add-on flights
The typical seat pitch in economy cabins used on our routes is 31”
and the aircraft used are wide-bodied Boeing 747s and Airbus. For
greater room and comfort, we offer upgrades to ‘enhanced’
economy, business or first class cabins at reasonable rates.
‘Enhanced’ economy classes are typified by British Airways
World Traveller Plus.
This offers:
• Wider
seats with greater recline, adjustable headrest, extendable leg and
footrest, lumbar support and seatback screen
•
20% more space (38” seat pitch) in a separate cabin of 5 rows,
in a 2-4-2 configuration
• Priority
meal service
• Double
hand luggage allowance – 2 pieces up to 12kg Business class
is more comfortable than ever! You get:
• Priority
check in and 10kg extra baggage allowance
• Increased
hand luggage allowance (e.g. up to 18kg with British Airways)
• Relaxing,
dedicated airport departure lounges
• Extra
comfort and legroom – with a seat pitch of 45” up to
55”
• Arrival
lounge at Johannesburg (British Airways and South African Airways)
• Armchair
seats convert to 6 foot fully flat beds (British Airways and South
African Airways)
• Free
limousine transfers within a 65 driven mile radius of the airport
(South African Airways) or within 30 driven miles (Air Seychelles).
Special ‘add-on’ fares mean that some combinations of
destinations are very cost-effective. We also offer flights into
London Heathrow or Gatwick from many regional airports at excellent
rates. Please ask at the time of booking.
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Special Requests
If you have a special request, please give us the details when you
first contact us. The allocation of specific rooms and airline seats
is not in our direct control and so we cannot accept it as a contractual
condition. However, if you book ahead and confirm rapidly, we willingly
request seating and particular rooms. These cannot be guaranteed as
airlines reserve the right to switch aircraft with different seat
configurations and only a minority of seats on a flight can be allocated
prior to check in. |
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Amendments
Should you wish to amend the details of confirmed arrangements, we
will try to assist, subject to availability. We use special contracted
fares in our packages, whether group tours or tailor-made. These fares
have restrictions on validity and routing so, if you want to adapt
or amend, we will gladly assist, but it is likely that alternative
flight arrangements will be more expensive. An amendment fee may be
charged. It is not generally possible to change arrangements after
tickets have been issued without significant financial penalties. |
Airport Taxes
Most departure taxes, fees and charges can and must be pre-paid with
airline tickets but a few are payable direct on departure and by credit
card or with hard currency only. Currently, these include Seychelles
(US$40), Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe (all US$20), Hoedspruit
(R60 in local currency). |
Airport hotels and parking
If you need to overnight near the airport at the beginning or end
of your holiday, or park your car while you are away, we have access
to competitive rates for hotels and car parks close to Heathrow, Gatwick
and some regional airports. |
When to book
Flights and fares are loaded into the airlines’ reservations
systems about 11 months ahead; this is when you should plan for Christmas
or special events, especially if you have a seating preference. There
is everything to gain by booking early and nothing to lose; the days
of unsold seats being discounted close to travel are long gone!
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Check in
Currently the airlines are requesting that you check in two to three
hours prior to departure for inter-continental flights and at least
one hour prior to departure for domestic flights in the UK and Africa.
Your final itinerary with your documents will indicate the check in
times for your journey. Late check in may result in you being denied
boarding. |
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Reconfirmation of the return and onward flights
Some airlines require you to call the airline approximately 72 hours
prior to each onward or return flight to reconfirm your intention
to travel, check the check in and flight times. Failure to reconfirm
could mean that you arrive at the airport to find that your flight
was rescheduled and you have missed your flight, or the airline may
assume that you do not intend to travel and may cancel your flight.
It is not necessary to reconfirm the first flight from the UK, but
all onward and return flights should be reconfirmed. We will provide
a list of telephone numbers which you can use to call your airline
and reconfirm the flights while you are away. Unfortunately, the airlines
will not let us do this from the UK. However, our local representative
will also telephone for you, if you prefer, or you can ask your guide
or your hotel concierge. |
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