I am told that there is no baggage agreement between Delta & Air Link. On my return trip, this seems to mean that I would have to check my bags in Johannesburg rather than check them through to the US.

Does anyone have any experience with getting Air Link to check the bags all the way through??

https://www.flyairlink.com/en/za/partners

Says Bilateral interline agreement.

If you don't overnight in Johannesburg, they check through.

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R

when we return from Port Elizabeth to Joburg we will need to put our ammo box back into our checked baggage so I hope they will give us that time to do that and what about rifle cases?

Though not Delta, our bags (rifle case, too) have been checked thru to destination on Qatar/Airlink and we’ve still had to claim baggage both times-both ways in Joburg. Had to have SAPS transit permit, too. Airlink charges a “transfer” fee (R650, I think) to carry firearms. Hope this helps.

In above post, “checked thru to destination” meant to Zim and Moz, should’ve put that in there.

The last couple of years I had to separate my ammo from Johannesburg to Bulawayo but Airlink let me put ammo in my roller bag on the return. Just guessing, maybe standard policy if if your in transit to the States. Rifles cases go through no problem, unless Delta cancels your flight!

+1

Two trips last year (2022) Delta/SA Airlink. One to Namibia in June and one to Botswana in Aug. Both trips, Delta check-in agent checked luggage/rifles all the way to final and we stayed overnight in JNB. We just had to get our SA Airlink boarding passes the next morning and pay the rifle handling fee and confirm our baggage tracking numbers were in the aircraft's manifest with us. Ammo cases were in the checked bags all the way.

Return flts, SA Airlink agents on both trips, checked luggage and rifle cases all the way to Atlanta. Ammo cases checked separate with no extra fee other than the rifle handling fees. After cleaning US Customs in ATL, ammo cases back in checked bag and it and rifle cases re-checked to final at the Delta transit/transfer area just past Customs and given boarding passes to final.

I STILL had pre-filled out copies of the SAPS 520's and supporting docs for each way for each of us, just in case. This time, turned out to just be a few pages of wasted paper but, cheap insurance.