I'm getting closer to booking a hunt for May '17, and would like some guidance please.

Route will be Dallas to JNB, will not fly business class because I'd rather spend the $$$ on trophy fees.

1. Delta-done this 4 times, upgraded to economy comfort every time for about $400. Haven't had any issues.
2. Emirates--I know I said this would be my last resort in the past, but it is significantly cheaper ($500 app).
If flying economy, is there a specific seat/exit row, etc to try and snag? Will bags be checked all the way
through to JNB from Dallas, resulting in no transfer permits, etc in Dubai? Only a 2.5 hr layover there, which may be
a good leg stretcher. Overall travel time is about the same as Delta, flight times a bit longer by about 3 hours.
3. South African Air-Dallas-Washington-JNB. Overall thoughts? Is there an economy comfort option?
4. Qatar airlines?

Thanks.

I flew BA from Dallas to LHR and then on to JNB several years ago. I had about a 10 hr layover in London on the outbound. took the tube into down town and saw the sights. It was a great trip over and I enjoyed the time in London. the break really helped with the Jet Lag.

JG: We flew on SAA our first two or three trips, once thru Washington and it was just as miserable as when they flew from Atlanta, someone on here says they would swim before they flew SAA again and I'm not far behind them. Then flew Delta for a few trips (if you can do "comfort economy" or whatever they call it), row 44 is my favorite seat, its next to a bulkhead so a tall fat guy like myself can stand and stretch bad knees. The last three or four trips we've flown Emirates and admittedly, though we were in biz class, some of our companions were in economy and said it was much better because of the layover in Dubai and being able to walk around and eat real food. You can sign up for Emirates "specials" and some of them are really reasonable. We watch the specials and book when a very good price shows up. /also, you can't beat their inflight service.
As for your firearm, even transiting you have to obtain a permit from the Dubai Police, not a really big deal and the agents at DFW are very helpful.

Good stuff. Thanks.
Karl, I'm sure Gracy, Travel with Guns, etc can handle the Dubai permit, right?

My, how times and opinions have changed, eh, JG? Emirates, Etihad, and probably Qatar are indeed the best options overall.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
My, how times and opinions have changed, eh, JG? Emirates, Etihad, and probably Qatar are indeed the best options overall.

We travel quite a lot, and use a number of airlines, depending on flight schedule, dates and destinations.

We have used Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, SAS and BA.

There is no way in hell that any European airline can compete in customer service with any of the airlines in the Gulf.

It has got to the point that I sometimes adjust my flight dates so I can avoid flying anyone out of here but Emirates.

My only trip was Dallas to Dulles to JNB. We had a 4-5 hour delay in Washington because of a battery problem. The delay caused us to miss our connection to Port Elizabeth. The representative from riflepermits.com saved the day by getting us a driver, room, and rebooked the next morning. I doubt we, as two gringos in a foreign land, could have fixed the problem like he did.

What's the appropriate tip for that service? Lol

My first choice would be Emirates. You do have to arrange a permit but that is relatively straightforward. As far as seats go, www.seatguru.com is a good source as you can plug in the airline and plane type and it will show you a seat map with good seats and probably more importantly in economy, which seats you do not want to have.

The last time I checked British Airways had the best fares from Texas to JNB, connecting in London. BA has had some blowback about being "gun unfriendly", but those who use it regularly tell me that such problems can arise with any airline and BA is no worse than any other.

Emirates by far is the way to go in my opinion.

Dallas to Dubai (short layover) airport is an airport really.
Dubai to Johannesburg.

Bags booked all the way.
You will need your Ammo in a locked separate container that they will weigh at the check in and then pack in your bag. Other than that its straight forward.

I flew Qatar a few weeks ago, same route, Dallas - Doha - Johannesburg.

Emirates was better.

Comparisons - entertainment better on Emirates, Planes were the same. Food better on emirates.

Wouldn't fly South African Airways. More expensive and sometimes you get thrown on an old plane that REALLY should not be flying anymore!

Done the flight there and back many times - my opinion, emirates is a great airline.

Plus if you are going to Zimbabwe, they fly straight to Harare and so no need to go to Johannesburg. Bonus!

Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
My, how times and opinions have changed, eh, JG? Emirates, Etihad, and probably Qatar are indeed the best options overall.

We travel quite a lot, and use a number of airlines, depending on flight schedule, dates and destinations.

We have used Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, SAS and BA.

There is no way in hell that any European airline can compete in customer service with any of the airlines in the Gulf.

It has got to the point that I sometimes adjust my flight dates so I can avoid flying anyone out of here but Emirates.

I do not agree with Saeed's politics being as how he likes the Clintons - but I like his choice in air travel. Emirates is really good and beats the heck out of the others listed. Unless you are flying full out first class, Emirates or Turkish Air are my favorites.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
My, how times and opinions have changed, eh, JG? Emirates, Etihad, and probably Qatar are indeed the best options overall.

We travel quite a lot, and use a number of airlines, depending on flight schedule, dates and destinations.

We have used Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, SAS and BA.

There is no way in hell that any European airline can compete in customer service with any of the airlines in the Gulf.

It has got to the point that I sometimes adjust my flight dates so I can avoid flying anyone out of here but Emirates.

I do not agree with Saeed's politics being as how he likes the Clintons - but I like his choice in air travel. Emirates is really good and beats the heck out of the others listed. Unless you are flying full out first class, Emirates or Turkish Air are my favorites.

Emirates is excellent. I will be flying it a fair bit cause they started flying out of orlando and their fares to africa and asia are the best.

One criticism of emirates is that they seat 10 across in economy on their 777. I am wider at the shoulders than emirates seat in economy is. It can get painful being in the middle east with 2 other bigs guys. Happen once.

Mike

For you guys that have flown Emirates, do you usually use a booking agent or just do it yourself? Also, does Emirates allow you to choose your own seat and if so, is there a preferred row/seat/etc that is best? I understand they have no EC+ like Delta. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
My, how times and opinions have changed, eh, JG? Emirates, Etihad, and probably Qatar are indeed the best options overall.

We travel quite a lot, and use a number of airlines, depending on flight schedule, dates and destinations.

We have used Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, SAS and BA.

There is no way in hell that any European airline can compete in customer service with any of the airlines in the Gulf.

It has got to the point that I sometimes adjust my flight dates so I can avoid flying anyone out of here but Emirates.

I do not agree with Saeed's politics being as how he likes the Clintons - but I like his choice in air travel. Emirates is really good and beats the heck out of the others listed. Unless you are flying full out first class, Emirates or Turkish Air are my favorites.

I DO NOT like the Clintons, nor any other politician!

As I posted on another thread.

I do not like politicians
I do not like lawyers
I do not like bankers
I do not like crooked outfitters
I do not like crooked professional hunters.

There. The record is set straight now

JG, I used Steve Turner at Travel With Guns there in Texas. They help arrange for the permits for you etc. Whatever Steve's modest fees are they are worth it in my opinion.

Then I joined the Emirates frequent flyer thing and selected my seats. My son and I had the bulkhead seats in Economy that were right up in front by the staircase to the upper deck on the Airbus A380.

We flew Houston to Dubai, then Dubai to Harare. The Emirates people in Houston really knew what they were doing, and transiting Dubai was a breeze.

PSmith, did you know seat availability before you booked that particular flight, or did you just take a chance by booking, joining the FF program, then were able to see seat availability? My goal is to know seat availability at time of booking, not book a flight and then hope for the best.

I appreciate the help.

JG,

I definitely joined the Emirates program before booking the flights.

It was in 2015 so my memory is a bit hazy but as I recall I told the guys at Travel With Guns I wanted to sit as far forward in the A/C as possible and not in the center section of seats. I also booked a long way in advance so there were plenty of seats available.

I did look at seatguru.com and the Emirates website to see the basic layout of the A380 before booking.

www.travelwithguns.com/

quote:

Originally posted by JGRaider:
For you guys that have flown Emirates, do you usually use a booking agent or just do it yourself? Also, does Emirates allow you to choose your own seat and if so, is there a preferred row/seat/etc that is best? I understand they have no EC+ like Delta. Thanks.

We book our own flights, that way if there is a screw up I have only myself to be mad at. If I remember correctly you can start the booking process and prior to actually paying for the tickets, you are able to see and pick your seats. I'm pretty tall so I prefer bulkhead row seating, on either side and not in the middle, but we always book a long way out, not sure how that would work this close to May.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Saeed:


I DO NOT like the Clintons, nor any other politician!

As I posted on another thread.

I do not like politicians
I do not like lawyers
I do not like bankers
I do not like crooked outfitters
I do not like crooked professional hunters.

I will give you a big AMEN on that one!

Dave, now that you're retired, you won't be able to have the sub drop you off anymore :-)

Emirates is offering some great fares Houston to Jo'burg. Business class for $4969 with travel between March 12 and November 30, 2017. Sale is only the next two days.

Emirates Special Fares