Just got an email from Debbie at Custom Travel, and she advised me that, as has been mentioned here before, the partnership between South Africa Air and Delta, ends the end of the year, and SAA, as a new member of the Star Alliance will be a partner with United here in the U.S. This will most likely mean that Atlanta will no longer be a hub used for travel to South Africa. As of this time, no hub has been announced for after the new year, but the locations being considered are Washington Dulles, JFK, Newark or Chicago.
JFK can be a hassle for those traveling with guns, even if you are completely within the multitude of regs. It's also very busy and poorly laid out.
Chicago is too busy, and it's 800 miles farther away from Jo'burg than the other candidates.
Washington/Dulles I don't know enough about to make a judgment.
I vote for Newark. It's modern, well laid-out, I've never had any trouble traveling with firearms to or from there, and, best of all, it's only 20 minutes from where I live.
George
Posts: 14623 | Location: San Antonio, TX | Registered: 22 May 2001
I'm with you on this (it's a shame we can't vote on it). I can make Newark in under 2 hours. JFK flat out sucks. Dulles is a pain to get in and out of with guns (depending on who's on duty). Chicago-another pain in the butt airport, plus it's a 2 hour flight from Philly or Allentown, then have to backtrack another 2 hours for the flight to JHB.
Better hope it's Dulles -- none of the gun law hassles that can (and have) occured in the other locations.
Only problem at Dulles IMO is the stupid "sky lounges" -- i.e. buses on stilts from the satellite terminal to the main terminal. But there's long-term construction underway to get rid of that bad idea -- I hope we can buy the surplus buses and shoot at them with our .375s!
Posts: 1246 | Location: Northern Virginia, USA | Registered: 02 June 2001
Aren't investors nervous right now about whether or not US Air will remain solvent? I thought they filed for bankruptcy. In fact my travel agent wouldn't book my wife and I on US Air for our vacation to Europe next month fearing they might fold up.
It was also in the news several weeks ago that US Air was going to relocate their hub from Pittsburgh.
Mike, almost all of my overseas hunts start in Dullas and I have never had a problem with the local personel. I always drive down the night before stay at the Hampton Inn use their shutttle and my truck is safe in their parking lot, they charge an extra $10r $15 on the rate for the night - pretty cheap parking. I stayed there two weeks after 9/11 when the air lines were saying get to the airport 3 hrs early - that with a 6:40 AM flight, the hotel arranged a taxi that early (3:30 AM) no charge.
Posts: 5338 | Location: Bedford, Pa. USA | Registered: 23 February 2002
In a related news release, South African Air will sell all of it's Airbusses and buy a new fleet of Cessna 206's to transport even fewer people to Africa each day.
Quote: In a related news release, South African Air will sell all of it's Airbusses and buy a new fleet of Cessna 206's to transport even fewer people to Africa each day.
How about a boat? The old timers used to travel by ship to get to their safari.
I don't think it will matter much who does the flying or where they're flying from. Most of the safari types will endure whatever additional headaches come along and go anyway.
But, Atlanta sure is convenient for me.
/
Posts: 802 | Location: Alabama, USA | Registered: 26 June 2003
I could really appreciate Dullas. JetBlue flies (cheaply!) there out of Long Beach . . . about 10 minutes from my house! The airport is so small that even post 9/11 security is no sweat. The flew to Atlanta for a couple of months but found that Delta would do anything to prevent competition into that 'port. Never liked Delta, anyway . . .
Posts: 2690 | Location: Lakewood, CA. USA | Registered: 07 January 2001
Mike and All, Word in South Africa, and with my very capable DC travel agent, is that TARGET (!) date for the switch is 1 Jan 2005; and Dulles is the new hub with New York to be kept. Chicago is too busy and would require a refueling stop.
That's fine for us DC residents. I can say that the Dulles customs people have always been very good and (before 9/11) would not even redirect you to have your firearm examined if you said it was US bought and showed a piece of local paper to prove it (like the DC-required gun license).
Airline ticket counters are generally knowledgeable and wandering down to TSA with the gun case to be sure it, and the suitcase with the ammo, are locked once they have a look is a piece of cake. Problem is solely getting there early enough to brave the long lines for hand luggage and personal screening... Regards, Tim
Posts: 1323 | Location: Washington, DC | Registered: 17 March 2003
Does anyone know about taking handguns through Dulles? The airport is in Virginia which should be OK, but it is actually run by the federal government which is definitely NOT OK.
Posts: 153 | Location: Illinois | Registered: 07 July 2003
