Effective Immediately



May 22, 2019.





Dear Travel Partner,



Please be advised that South African Airways has implemented a Firearm Handling Fee, effective immediately.



Firearms and other devices that discharge projectiles, i.e. devices capable (or appearing capable) of being used to cause serious injury by discharging a projectile, and ammunition are prohibited for carriage with the passenger or as hand baggage. These items may only be carried as checked baggage and SAA will require notification and approval in advance.



Firearm Acceptance and Issuance:

There is a limit of 5kg (11lb) of ammunition (cartridges for weapons) per person (IATA Division 1.4S; UN numbers 0012 and 0014). This is for that person’s own use only and excludes ammunition with explosive or incendiary projectiles.



The carriage of firearms or ammunition is subject to the following charge per sector:



· International tickets USD100

· Regional tickets USD60

· Domestic Tickets USD30



· The new charge is applicable for all tickets sold on or after the 15th of May 2019

· The charge is inclusive of ammunition e.g. firearm plus 5kg ammunition = $100.00 for JNBJFK

· The charge is per firearm. 1 rifle = $100 and 2 rifles = $200

· The charge is per sector e.g. JFKJNBCPT = $130

· EMD is issued per passenger, even for group bookings the EMD must be issued per passenger.

· Please note that Mango does not accept or transport any firearms on their flights.



Passengers must pay the handling fee charge applicable for each sector of travel and the fee is payable in advance or at the airport. An WEAP EMD will be issued in association with the passenger’s confirmed travel ticket for each case or bag containing a firearm or ammunition.



Notification before flight:



Passengers must contact South African Airways reservation department for assistance at 1 800 722 9675 at least one week in advance of the flight to request approval and to ensure compliance with government embargoes and restrictions for the below items. If passengers fail to notify us, they will not be able to travel with their firearms/ammunition:



· firearms of all types, such as pistols, revolvers, rifles and shotguns

· replicas and imitation firearms capable of being mistaken for real weapons

· component parts of firearms, excluding telescopic sights

· compressed air and CO2 guns, such as pistols, pellet guns, rifles and ball-bearing guns

· signal flare pistols and starter pistols.



All these items can be carried as checked baggage. Passengers will need to provide the appropriate licenses and documentation for the firearms and ammunition, e.g. export/import licenses and authorization from local and national authorities.



Passengers will need to specify:



· the quantity of firearms they wish to transport

· the type (handgun, rifle, shotgun)

· the make/model and caliber

· the quantity (in weight) and caliber of ammunition



Passengers may arrive at the airport with their firearms but the firearms must meet the terms and conditions above.



The following items are not classified as firearms or ammunition and can be packed as checked baggage without having to notify South African Airways:



· laser pistols

· bows, cross bows and arrows

· harpoon guns and spear guns

· slingshots and catapults.



Sincerely,

South African Airways
North American Sales

1200 S. Pine Island Road, Suite 650
Plantation, Florida 33324
Tel: (877) 722-7477

Not clear what they're trying to accomplish. However, I cannot see paying these fees if another option exists. Sure would seem to discourage transit either to or through Jo'Burg on SAA. Maybe I'm reading that wrong on the transiting through part.

Let's see - ComAir won't carry guns, SAA charges per firearm, per flight. Not helping to make South Africa any more attractive as a hunting destination. Wonder if the concept of supply and demand and price elasticity has taken wings ??

Yeah! If your flying with two rifles USA to JNB and onto Port Elizabeth for instance it looks like you'd pay a total of $520 added to the cost of your flight. Traveling with guns just gets harder and a bigger PIA as time goes on. I'm doing a two country trip next year, I can't take my guns to one of the countries and I don't care at all. I'm looking forward to an angst free safari.

Mark

This comes from an airline that is constantly begging for bailout money. Not a problem for me or my clients; all of the outfits I work with have ample firearms to rent or loan. SAA just dug their hole deeper. LDK

That puts a serious dent in taking one's on rifles !!

I rented a rifle on my last trip...was really nice not having to worry about fees or any additional hassles that come up. They will nickel and dime you to death it seems.

quote:

Originally posted by AK145:
I rented a rifle on my last trip...was really nice not having to worry about fees or any additional hassles that come up. They will nickel and dime you to death it seems.

The ONLY way to go for me. OR Tambo is specifically set up to maximize tipping "opportunities". Even the airlines desk personnel will turn you in (so to speak) to a buddy who will "help you with that."

+1. Another loser for SAA.

So is a Blaser with TWO BARRELS one Gun or Two? It could be a new selling point?

Just one more reason to use loaner rifles. It’s worked fine for the last dozen safaris. Now it’s time for the “ I won’t go if I can’t use my own guns” crew....

The various governments’ control (or whatever you wish to call it)has now made it just about impossible without major inconvenience to travel with our own, legally used firearms.
So much for custom rifle makers. Very sad day.

Best regards, D. Nelson

A miserable, badly ruin, bankrupt airline, digging its own grave!

Time to discuss the merits of hunting with a “laser pistol.” Laser pistol vs. .45-70 on buffalo?

quote:

A miserable, badly ruin, bankrupt airline, digging its own grave!

Yep!

SAA is a SLIGHTLY better choice than Air Zim. Only an idiot would fly the unfriendly skies of SAA.

For me and for others, a big part of the hunt is taking your new/favorite/go-to rifles on a hunt. Hunting with a loaner is not the same as hunting with your own guns. And this is especially true of shotguns.

I wonder how long it will be before Delta follows suit.

Seems there is nobody with any vision running the show in RSA. Let's see, we take the land, we make it a pita for hunters to come here, the wildlife then becomes nyama, and after we eat all the game, what do we do?

Simple solution.

Avoid SAA.

If you cannot, avoid that destination and go somewhere else.

Mark do you know if this applies to tickets issued months ago but the flight is not for another month? We leave in a month. Wondering if we will pay this fee. Sadly we are flying SSA from NYC to Joburg and then onto PE.

SAA website says:
$30 USD if within South Africa
$60 USD if within Africa
100$ USD is international.
Cal

Does this apply if you are simply transiting through to Zim on another carrier?

LittleJoe,

Seems if you bought tickets months ago your good. I have to believe though that there will some confusion around this issue when checking in for your flight.

quote:

· The new charge is applicable for all tickets sold on or after the 15th of May 2019

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Dutch44:
Does this apply if you are simply transiting through to Zim on another carrier?

I think this only applies if you are flying SAA.

Things to remember about SAA:

1) It is owned and run by the RSA government;
2) The RSA government is corrupt, incompetent and racist 3) Any chance to extract cash from white hunters will be utilized .
Being totally out of touch with the workings of a free market economy, the RSA government will continue to nickle and dime visiting hunters while bleeding Billions of Rand per year due to their incompetence.

They are just joining with BA & Lufthansa in charging extra for firearms. Others will play catch-up soon.

Thanks, Saeed. I flew them once and they were shit. I'm booked on Emirates now and forever.

Is there any practical way to get to Windhoek from the east coast of the US without flying SAA or going through Joberg? I would also like to avoid flying Air Namibia since I've heard nothing but bad things about them.

quote:

Originally posted by Labman:
Is there any practical way to get to Windhoek from the east coast of the US without flying SAA or going through Joberg? I would also like to avoid flying Air Namibia since I've heard nothing but bad things about them.

Yes. Qatar Airways Philadelphia to Doha, then Doha to Windhoek.
The flight from Philly is daily but the Doha to Windhoek leg is not daily (maybe 3 or 4 days per week).
I personally don’t hate South African Airways because I think they are slightly less mediocre than the US legacy carriers like Delta. I still use SAA with the attitude they are the ‘least dirty shirt in the laundry.’

Qatar also flies from multiple other east coast gateways to Doha then on to Windhoek.

The first time I flew SAA from the US was when it was a privately held airline and it was great; good food, good service, and comfortable. Thoroughly enjoyed the round trip flights.

The following year I flew them again. This was after they were nationalized. Never again.

Enough said.

BH63

Thanks for the info. re Qatar airlines. I always used the SAA flight from NYC because it arrived in Joberg early enough to make connecting flights to other destinations without going through the SAPS crap in RSA. Looks like it will be Qatar in the future. I just hope that Qatar or other airlines don't jump on the gun fee bandwagon.

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
The first time I flew SAA from the US was when it was a privately held airline and it was great; good food, good service, and comfortable. Thoroughly enjoyed the round trip flights.

The following year I flew them again. This was after they were nationalized. Never again.

Enough said.

BH63

I’m under the impression SAA was started by the South African government and has always been state owned.

quote:

Originally posted by Victor Watson:

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
The first time I flew SAA from the US was when it was a privately held airline and it was great; good food, good service, and comfortable. Thoroughly enjoyed the round trip flights.

The following year I flew them again. This was after they were nationalized. Never again.

Enough said.

BH63

I’m under the impression SAA was started by the South African government and has always been state owned.

Might be originally it was run by competent people, like lots of things in South Africa in the past.

Things went South once politically connected, incompetent idiots started running it.

Like those who seem to run the airports there too!

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will see what our domestic hunting associations can pick up regarding this.

The problem is that you often cannot avoid SAA (or Airlink / SA Express). They are the ONLY carrier still carrying firearms domesticaly and to destinations like Zimbabwe / Mozambique / Zambia out of South Africa if you connect to here, as far as I am aware.

Part of the issue was legislation based, so to satisfy legal requirements the airlines had to be approved and have an arrangement with a private security operator to handle the firearms (of course eventually it is simply put on the plane by luggage handling staff, but be that as it may). It was quite a costly thing to set up which was why other airlines stopped the "service".

We have been charged a fee for handguns for some time (at least 15 or 20 years). Last I flew one it was ZAR120 or so. The idea was that sporting firearms flew for free and others were paid for, so flying to shoot a handgun match for example cost money, as did hunting with handguns. If you flew a hunting rifle you could put your EDC in the same box for no fee.

Receipts were always provided and the fee was paid at the firearms check counter.

Well, here is a real life consequence of imposing these firearms handling fees.

My son and I are headed for Zim to hunt with Buzz next month. I had put off purchasing tickets due to a pending business deal and just finalized it today.

We had originally planned on Emirates but due to adding extra days to the trip, which we didn't want to do, we switched back to SAA. The price was comparable but the extra days were the issue. Delaying obviously put us past the May 15 date when the fees were imposed.

Checking on the flights again yesterday, the fees added $620 to both tickets.

We decided the extra time, along with everyones' recommendations who've flown Emirates was the appropriate response.

So we are back to Emirates. Not only did SAA loose the firearms handling fees, they lost the two round trip tickets.

2 tickets. A drop in the bucket for sure and not even a blip on their radar. But, at least for our trip, we aren't getting raped by SAA.

I should have been more clear on that. The firearms handling fees added $620 to EACH ticket, for a total of $1,240 more. NOPE. Ain't going to do it.

I wonder if there is enough backlash, both from individuals and sporting/hunting organizations, if the fee will be dropped. If the fees collected are less than lost revenue, maybe so.
Cal
PS. I would fly Emirates every time if my bags from Anchorage could be transfered over to Em. Rather I have to collect and recheck both outbound and inbound and it's not worth the time. Maybe Em. will open a gate in Anchorage.

As stated by someone earlier,
for some of us, there is no other way but to fly SAA on some routes, for me intra Africa.

I will fly into Jberg on a “normal” airline and then transfer to SAA to get onto Zim. Moz. Namibia, Zambia etc.
On these flights it’s $60 per firearm per flight. For me it adds $240 to the ticket. Remember the firearms and ammo is exempt from baggage /weight allowance , so it’s manageable, but certainly not a great outcome.

It certainly won’t deter me from taking my own firearms!!

I could try Air Namibia from Jberg to Windhoek next time to compare. With the new fees now , the fare is half the cost of fling SAA.

Flight schedules are another problem though.....

quote:

I could try Air Namibia from Jberg to Windhoek next time to compare.

If I recall correctly Air Namibia also charges for firearms transit. I've never flown them but have heard nothing but bad things about that airline.

Just flew from Zimbabwe to Atlanta today and did not experience this yesterday when I checked in with airlink.

You can always fly Delta/KLM to Amsterdam and then fly Amsterdam to Windhoek. The flight from Amsterdam to Windhoek has a stop in Angola, but you don't disembark the plane. Flight is not every day of the week to Windhoek or returning from Windhoek to Amsterdam.

quote:

Originally posted by autofire:
You can always fly Delta/KLM to Amsterdam and then fly Amsterdam to Windhoek. The flight from Amsterdam to Windhoek has a stop in Angola, but you don't disembark the plane. Flight is not every day of the week to Windhoek or returning from Windhoek to Amsterdam.

I remember at least 3 individuals who have flown KLM connection from the US to Africa who have lost their rifles - never to be found again!