We are still here!


We hope this finds you well and healthy during this challenging time.

It has been very, very quiet, and South Africa's borders are still closed.
That will change. In the meantime, a little news:

Delta files for rights to begin Cape Town flights
source: Edward Russell, The Points Guy, May 20 '20 (edited)

Delta Air Lines plans to return to South Africa in October (if the borders have opened) with new joint service to Cape Town and Johannesburg, giving the carrier one of the few new-route announcements to come since the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the industry.

The Atlanta-based SkyTeam Alliance carrier aims for flights to begin with an Airbus A350-900 on Oct. 24, Delta said in a regulatory filing Thursday. The service will extend its existing nonstop between Atlanta (ATL) and Johannesburg (JNB) to a triangle that includes a stop in Cape Town (CPT) on the return leg.

Here is Delta’s proposed schedule with all times local:
• Depart Atlanta at 5:45 p.m., arrive Johannesburg at 3:45 p.m. the next day
• Depart Johannesburg at 5:15 p.m., arrive Cape Town at 7:25 p.m.
• Depart Cape Town at 9:25 p.m., arrive Atlanta at 6:45 a.m. on the next day

• Delta does not plan to carry local traffic between Johannesburg and Cape Town, it said. In addition, tickets will not go on sale until it has the relevant approvals from both the South African and U.S. governments.

• The new routing, and service to Cape Town, follows Delta’s decision to retire is fleet of Boeing 777s amid coronavirus-related fleet reductions earlier in May. The 8,439-mile nonstop Atlanta-Johannesburg route was exclusively flown with the jets.
• The carrier’s A350s are outfitted with 306 seats. The jets have 32 Delta One business class suites, 48 Premium Select premium economy seats and 226 economy seats.

• Delta’s decision to resume South Africa flying indicates it will take delivery of new A350s before October. The 13 jets already in its fleet do not have the capabilities to fly the route, with only newly-delivered A350s from Airbus able to do so, airline president Glen Hauenstein told staff during a May 20 virtual town hall that was viewed by TPG.
• The carrier’s existing A350s have a range of 7,275 miles while the baseline A350 today has a range of 9,321 miles thanks to a higher maximum takeoff weight, according to Delta and Airbus.

• If Cape Town flights do begin in October, it will not be the first time Delta served the Western Cape. The airline served the city and Johannesburg from Atlanta and New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) via Dakar (DSS) from 2008 to 2009, according to Cirium schedule data.

We take note of the African proverbs 'Patience can cook a stone' and 'When the music changes, so does the dance'.

We're patiently waiting for things to get back to 'normal' and we're ready to dance to the new music of how travel will be in the future!

You mean a lot to us. Stay well, stay healthy, keep the African Dream alive.

from the desk of
ELAINE PORTEOUS
Toll Free: 866 486 9351
aodyssey@gate.net

quote:

if the borders have opened

Therein lies the rub...

I thought that I read that South Africa was not opening until February 2021. Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

That was the last "official" announcement. But this is Africa so tomorrow is a new day.

It wasn’t officially announced that South African borders will only open in 2021. It was scenario planning that was leaked to the media based on the worst possible outcome. Given our government however, it’s prudent to assume the worst case scenario

Frankly, no country has officially opened up and I’d receiving visitors yet.

So anyone guess is as good as anyone else!

Just for laughs I Googled flights from Washington to Harare. $9000 round trip coach! I

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
Just for laughs I Googled flights from Washington to Harare. $9000 round trip coach! I

Was there any confirmed dates??

quote:

Just for laughs I Googled flights from Washington to Harare. $9000 round trip coach! I

I just looked at Qatar and Emirates out of DFW Aug 1-Aug 14. Qatar from $1523.00 and Emirates was $1823.00, both noted there was no assurance of entry into Zim.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
Just for laughs I Googled flights from Washington to Harare. $9000 round trip coach! I

Was there any confirmed dates??

I used current dates

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:

quote:

Just for laughs I Googled flights from Washington to Harare. $9000 round trip coach! I

I just looked at Qatar and Emirates out of DFW Aug 1-Aug 14. Qatar from $1523.00 and Emirates was $1823.00, both noted there was no assurance of entry into Zim.

I just looked at it again. Aug 1 to 15 Lufthansa/SAA $1,005. Seems to be getting close to normal. Nothing about entry or quarantine that I saw.

Not surprisingly, I was contacted by my travel agent yesterday that Delta had canceled my flight to South Africa at the end of July. I was given the choice to attempt to ask for a refund or just take a voucher for the future.

My agent recommended I take the voucher because her concern was that future flights may be more expensive.

Thought I'd pass it on.

LRich

You’re lucky if you get a voucher that’s flight route specific.
Air NZ issues dollar value vouchers which probably wouldn’t get you a spot in an overhead locker out to the end of the runway at the moment.