Who is best to use for meet and greet, forms, etc. will be spending night in Joburg. What are costs?

Optima, Air 2k, Who?

Thanks,

I connected in Jo'berg to an SAA flight to Zim last year and used Optima. Their fellow took me where I needed to go, lines were no obsticle, got me situated then made sure my duffel made it and showed me a photo on his cell phone. Got assurances my rifle case was locked up where it was supposed to be.

My rifles and duffel made it to Zim on time. Cost was $60, IIRC. Cheap insurance in my view.

JPK

I recommend Air2000 to all my clients. Don't have any experience with Optima though.

BigBBear,

We recommend and use Air 2000 ourselves. They meet you on the jetway as you deplane with your preapproved gun permit,gather your luggage, then walk you through customs etc. finally depositing you with your PH. Works pretty slick. I believe the cost is $125 for the preapproved permit and meet/greet. Personally I think it is money well spent and a small price to pay to avoid starting your safari off with a hassle.

Mark

Air 2000 for me too.

Without trying to rub anyone the wrong way....I question the value of the meet and greet. I just went through the process in SAA on my own and it was very quick and relatively painless. From the time I got off the plane it took me less than 2 HRS to be out of the airport. That includes immmigration, customs, and gun permits. I estimate the gun permit part took 20 minutes. Yes some of the guys using the service got done quicker but only by a few minutes. The new process is very quick provided you have your paperwork fill out ahead of time, have a photo copy of your passport, return tickes, and 4457 customs form. I gave them the whole packet, they verified the SN on my gun, and 10 min later I was on my way. They did not even look at my ammo. The other people in camp had the same results. $125 is not a lot to spend and in the old system it was the way to go....if things continue like they are now, I doubt these services will be needed.

ROSCOE,

I couldn't be happier for you. A no hassle entry into RSA is the way to start a safari. A two hour stint in the airport still sounds like a lot to me. I may be wrong but I'm expecting to be in and out of the airport in less than 30 minutes using Air 2000.

Regards,

Mark

Mark,
No doubt that 2 hrs is a long time....even worse after a 18hr flight from the states. Of that 2 hrs, 1.5 of it was waiting in line at immigration. That seems to be the big hold up. I also failed to mention that due to the mass construction at the airport in JNB we had to take a bus from the plane to the terminal....that was about a 20 minute process. We also had to wait quite a while for our luggage to be unloaded from the flight. I am sure the distance the plane parked from the gates caused that as well. No doubt the gun services will save you some time but had you been on my flight...you would have most likley been in the airport quite some time non the less. I have seen people post that the services will get you to the front of the line for immigration. If that is the case then it could save you quite a while. When I contaced Air 2000 about this subject I was told they meet you after immigration. That is what I personally saw in JNB as well. In any case my point is not to steer anyone away from using a service company. For the first timer no doubt is will simplify things greatly. I simply wanted to offer my experiences and another point of view.

Cheers!

Is it advisable to use a service if your not traveling with firearms? Im booked for Aug 07 for bowhunt, and wonder if Ill gain anything by using the service.

Hugh

quote:

Originally posted by Hughiam:
Is it advisable to use a service if your not traveling with firearms? Im booked for Aug 07 for bowhunt, and wonder if Ill gain anything by using the service.

Hugh

There's no reason why you should use the service if you're not bringing in firearms. Your outfitter can meet you in the arrivals hall and you'll be straight off to camp.

FYI: Anne at Air 2000 said in an e-mail today that even with construction and packed SAA flights the average time in JIA for their clients has been 40 minutes this year. If you come in on BA for instance who carries far less hunters the process could be quicker. Also as ROSCOE stated how quickly your baggage is off loaded could make quite a difference.

I'll check to make sure my info about being met on the jetway is still current.

Mark

As per Anne today Air 2000 does meet you on the jetway as you deplane if you buy the full meet/greet/gun permit package.

Mark

Having just gotten back from JoBerg I found that the line for imigration was the second longest wait, maybe 20 to 30 minutes. After 17+ hours on the damn Airbus it felt good to not be seating and with 3 in the party I could stop off in the loo. THe longest wait was in the SAP office. Maybe an hour or so. The PH had out regular luggage so that was safe. There were maybe 10 or 12 people who's paper work was handled before me but it looked like the SAP were handling the paperwork as best as possible considering they used both computer and a book.

I don't see how a meet and greet service could have sped up the process more than 10 or 15 minutes at best in my humble opinion.

As the ad says:

"Safari in Africa $10,000"

"Airfare to Africa $2500"

"Being met by a friendly face as you deplane in Africa knowing that your paperwork is in order priceless"

I used Air 2000 and it was first rate. What Mark said was correct. The real value is when there is a problem. These guys are awful about trying to extort money from you.

Don't even think about going without using one of the services.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeB:

I don't see how a meet and greet service could have sped up the process more than 10 or 15 minutes at best in my humble opinion.

The advantage of using Air2K is that they assist with having your permit pre-approved. Pre-approved permits are given preference and are processed quicker by the officials at the SAPS office so in addition to saving time being escorted through immigration, you'll also save time at the SAPS office - more than 10 or 15 minutes.

I agree with Mark.

I use AIR2000 for all of my clients. Although I was duly impressed by the courtesy and promptness of the SAPS office folks in the airport last week.

After a change in plans in TZ I headed to RSA to see some friends. I arrived with no paperwork filled out ahead of time, and only had my 4457's and passport. The SAPS folks helped get it all complete for me and my hunting buddy. They even delivered a message to me from my friends in PE who called to tell me about hotel accomodations.

I had my outfitter fax the invite letter to the SAPS office and it went very smoothly.

The major difference from previous trips was the overall attitude of the people in the office. They were very happy and pleasant. But more importantly VERY efficient.

I will still recommend AIR2000 because it speeds things up, especially for first timers.

TJR

Use one of the services! Last year our plane arrived at about the same time as two other flights from Europe. I had a 3 and a half hour wait till my connecting flight and didn't make it. No more flights available that day so hotel in J'berg and scramble to catch up with the PH to tell him what's happening. Because we missed our original connecting flight SAA cancelled us on our return which resulted in our missing our return flight to US. Yikes!!! At that point the $125 I saved cost me about a grand. As I said in the beginning, use the service!