I found this on AfricanHuntingInfo.com this morning. Thought it would be of interest when booking with your travel agent next time your on the way over to the RSA. Bob

AHI received the following letter regarding the transportation of hunting rifles on Nationwide Airlines (A South African Carrier). We include the correspondence from both parties.


I recently flew to Port Elizabeth with my hunting rifle. On my return, Nationwide Airlines refused to board me because they have recently instituted a policy that they do not carry hunting rifles. They were extremely unhelpful about my predicament and simply told me to find another airline to fly my rifle and me back to Johannesburg. This turned out to be a very expensive exercise.

When I contacted Nationwide the next day to try and get a refund on my ticket they were equally unhelpful regarding their policy and did not seem to care about the impact that it could have on the hunting and game farming fraternity to whom they were clearly antagonistic.

They have a poster up in there offices in PE saying: “It’s a personal choice – we do not carry firearmsâ€.

I have since issued a directive in my organization banning the use of Nationwide by my executives. This directive will stay in place until they change their policy. After all – it’s a personal choice!

I hope that other hunters and game farmers will join me in choosing another airline until Nationwide change their policy in this regard. There must be 40 or 50 thousand hunters and game farmers in the country and we represent significant buying power.

Maybe we need to start using this buying power to support our cause and get Nationwide to change their policy by not using them until they do!

Hugh Randall


Nationwide Airlines response


We have also taken note of Mr. Hugh Randall’s letter, and wish to comment as follows.

Mr. Randall has contacted Nationwide Airlines on two occasions to voice his disapproval of our policy on the carriage of firearms. On both occasions he was informed of our reasons for refusing the carriage of firearms on board our aircraft. He was also assured that we are not antagonistic towards the hunting fraternity, but that the airline reserves the right to change policies if and when circumstances dictate otherwise.

I wish to mention that prior to July 2004 Nationwide Airlines accepted firearms and ammunition for transportation. However, with the implementation of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Storage, transport and carrying of firearms and ammunition) strong conditions were put in place for the conveyance of firearms and ammunition. Since we received very few request for the conveyance of firearms, and as the conditions for the conveyance of firearms specified in the Firearms Control Act 2000 was very clear and precise, it was no longer viable for the airline to provide this service to passengers. Over and above the aforementioned, the carriage of firearms on board our flights also posed a safety and security risk.

Mr. Randall was also advised that the only domestic airline providing this service to passengers is South African Airways. SAA have contracted Grey Security, a private security company to handle all firearms and ammunition on their behalf. Upon contacting British Airways (Comair), Kulula and 1Time, it was established that none of these carriers make provision for the carriage of firearms or ammunition. As is the case with Nationwide Airlines, this information is also clearly specified on these carriers’ respective websites, or can be obtained telephonically from them.

I trust the above clarifies our position in this instance, and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance to you in this regard.

Kind regards.

Jannie Claassen
Manager, Customer Care
Nationwide Airlines (Pty.) Ltd.

Mr Hugh Randall's response

1) Yes, I have contacted Claassens twice - on both occasions he has promised that someone would get back to me and on both occasions this has not occurred.
2) I have looked at their website twice and found nothing regarding firearms - if its there it not very obvious.
3) There was nothing on the ticket
4) I have travelled to/from PE in previously with Nationwide with my rifles so I was taken by surprise when I tried to board in PE.
5) I was treated with a level of disdain bordering on contempt in PE - I was told "It's not our problem how you get back to Jhb"
6) As a result of Nationwide making this decision without informing its passengers I had to pay double to return to Jhb.
7) Nationwide's attitude is simply "tough".
8) I flew down to PE with BA - when they saw my rifle case they told me they had a temporary problem transporting rifles but would put me on a SAA flight. They were very apologetic about the delay and let me use their lounge until the SAA flight left an hour later. I phoned them to compliment them on the service especially the young supervisor at JIA - they told me that they would be carrying firearms once they had a problem sorted out.
Their whole attitude was very different to the "stuff you" attitude I was subjected to by Nationwide especially in PE. I was definitely given the impression that they disapproved of hunting.
9) I also reject the statement regarding "it being a safety and security risk" Claassens knows as well as I do that the rifles are transported in the secure baggage section which is not accessible during flight!!
10) Finally Claassens contradicts himself. He says that it is too difficult for them to comply with the FCA but then he says that SAA use Grey to handle the firearms - there is a simple solution. Use Grey.

My travel agent is still trying to get Nationwide to refund the ticket - I expect that that will be like pulling teeth if my treatment was anything to go by. Therefore I will continue to ensure that the hunting and game farming community are made aware of Nationwide's disdain.

I therefore stand by all my statements - this is not the last of this!

Yours sincerely

Hugh

Hugh Randall - B Com (Rhodes)
Managing Director - MDS Holdings (Pty) Ltd

FWIW

SAA have a permit to carry firearms but Nationwide don't. I'm not entirely up to date with Kalula but until recently they had a permit to carry rifles & shotguns but not handguns......

From my experience, Nationwide have always been bloody arrogant in their approach to their customers.

Well it is easy, boycot them. SA Breweries made sounds of supporting a gun free RSA. I sropped buying their products and I will keep on doing so. It is about time we stand up for our rights. Why must we support bussiness that do not support us.

I couldn't agree more - you're dead right. I now force myself to drink whisky instead of beer.......ah the sacrifices we have to make!!!!

The fact that very few of their customers check firearms on their flights in the past may have been due to their "customer service" attitude.

If this new policy is correct, it needs to be spread around the internet as far as possible.

If they receive a few thousand polite emails from around the world directed to their Managing Director maybe their "policy" might be changed.

Boycott is the standard word.

I have always found the opposite attitude in the airlines I have used. Any smart airline realises hunters or shooters checking in firearms within the rules, often represent a higher buying more affluent market segment than many others. I fly a couple times a year, usually long haul flights with firearms on sporting holidays. Many guys would do far more than this.

Shakari,
I still drink beer, Windhoek and Heineken, it is in anyway better brewed.

Nitrox
With their attitude I don't think a letter to the MD will serve the purpose. Just advise everybody to boycott them, maybe they will get the message.

I dont wish to be flippant /// BUT Nationwide brought out this policy some many months ago now, proberbly well over 6 months plus. We personally first encountered the problem when one of my clients wanted to use then from JNB to LIV ///

WE now use BA/Coamair or SAA for this route.

Cheers, Peter