I AM PLANNING A TRIP TO AFRICA TO COMPLETE MY TOP LISTED BUCKET LIST ITEM. COMPLICATING MY PROBLEM IS I HAVE A BAD BACK CAN SOMEONE TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST CLASS AND BUSINESS CLASS,AREA HAS NOT BEEN LOCKED DOWN BUT IM LEANING TOWARDS THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY CAN YOU HELP ME . NUMBER TWO HOW DO I FIND OUT WHO WORKS THOSE AREAS

More seasoned travelers than me will, I'm sure, chime in about the "class" question. In my limited experience some flight only offer two classes of service. The ones that offer both first and business seem to vary in the amenities (e.g., food and drink) and the size of the seats. If your back is real bad (mine is not the best) I would try to find a way to go first if it is offered. As far as operators I am extremely prejudiced having gone with Charlton McCallum previously and have trips booked for 2015 and 2016.

International trans continental First Class is good on just about any airline that you would fly. Regional First Class flights can vary widely as far as quality goes.

Business Class quality varies greatly by airline.

If you decide to fly first class to Africa from Florida you will need to fly via Europe or the Middle East with Air France, British Air, Lufthansa and Emirates being the most likely airlines. Although the trip via Europe would be longer in total travel time you could also break the trip up with a stopover for a day on either side which might help out with the back problems.

If you want to fly direct to Africa from the US you probably are looking at either Delta or South African Airways. Neither has a first class option but from what I've heard both airlines' business class offerings are decent with lie-flat beds (It's been years since I've flown either one but my wife flew Delta business last year and said it was good).

My advice would be to look at the airlines' websites and you will be able to get an idea on what they offer in different classes as well as pricing. You can often save greatly on first and business class fares by booking 50 to 60 days out.

If you fly business I would definitely look at making sure the seat turns into a fully flat bed rather than just reclining 180 degrees.

The travel forum "Flyertalk.com" is also a good source for information about various airlines' first and business class products. "First Class Flyer" is another good source about flying business and first class as well as strategies to minimize costs.

Hope this helps and good luck with the trip planning.

Business class varies from one carrier to another. BA's business class is far above better than many first class seats I have been in. Their seats fold flat into a bed. BA is usually a problem for US travelers though because it has to go through London. I have done BA's biz class a dozen times or so. It is my preferred airline when I don't take guns.

There are some American Airlines planes fitted like BA's, I think???

Emirates business class is pretty good, I took them to Zambia and Zim last year and coach on the way back. Their first class is probably the best in the industry. You have your own little apartment! Never priced a first class ticket though. For what it is worth, their coach seat isn't too bad, all things considered.

Many options on carriers. Biz class tickets can run $6500 +/- a few $100. Talk to Gracy or Steve Turner. They will guide you to the best option.

As for who to hunt with in the Valley, this depends on what you want to hunt among other factors. Elephant? Leopard? Buffalo? Big 4?

Send me an email if you would like some options and advice on who I like for which hunt.

Ducking through the jesse of the Zambezi valley is going to do your back in. The VC 600 may add to your discomfort?

That is very true. Plus the hills will be tough .

FAIRGAME the 600 wont be in the picture it will be the lighter 375 or the 450 400, allot is riding on my being able to get my back injected if it worked like it did before i will be good if it does not im screwed and my dream to hunt africa will be down the toilet , will know by the end of the summer

i will lighten up and try to build up my legs and abd to make it better , i will choose a ph that will work with my limitation if i dont get one it wont be because i did not give it my all , it was 5 years ago i did the mountain grizzly in BC,i was slow but i did it . im not rich ,im not a graduate of a big ivy league school but this dream is all i have left or at least on the top of my list , its the oldest dream i have and i have never given up on it , i guess we will see by next convention season

Bwananelson

If it's the Zambezi you want to hunt,
Then you will do no better than the guys
At CM safaris! They have wonderful concessions
And 5 camps in total now.
It can be challenging terrain at times,
I am sure the guys could work out a plan.

What exactly are you wanting to hunt?

I am off again this august for double ele with my new VC 600. Not thrilled about lugging it all over Dande, but it needs too be blooded!

As to airline classes, min. Business class
If you have a bad back!

Cheers

Nick

It was mentioned above that South African Airways and Delt Airlines don't offer a first class option. That last I knew, which was about 2 years ago they did. Since I never went first class on either, I can't tell you more than that.

I traveled business class on Air France a couple of years ago. I considered the service and seat quite acceptable.

HI Bwana, good luck and congratulations on your adventure. As you can see from my lack of posts over a lot of years ( plus several of just lurking before registering) I am a listener more than a talker unless I am comfortable on a subject or have a question for the great people on AR.

I am a one world emerald frequent flyer with plus 10MM miles (unfortunately mainly work) so I hope some this may help you , especially with your back condition.

As noted from the good advice of others , the airline you are flying makes a huge difference s does traveling with guns if you have connections.

I'm a USA guy and did slc-dfw-lhr and then just flew the new BA airbus 380 from LHR to JNB arriving JNB yesterday morning on BA55. The airplane was 2 months old and was very comfortable but I do not particularly like its business class configuration of front and back facing seats frankly....this is based more on privacy/noise versus your potential back comfort.

Most of the tier 1 carriers have very acceptable biz classes and really good first class cabins theses days..........check with you travel agent or directly with the airlines as to what aircraft models ( and how old they are) when you do flight options for the best seat options. You will find the equipment they fly each day to the same location may vary ( but not always - depends on route and fleet).

Sites like seatguru.com etc are interesting but I do not always agree with their seating opinions. For instance, after many years of using aisle seats, I now prefer windows to control the light, not getting hit in the head with luggage and minimal disruptions by passengers getting up to use the toilet, etc...sometimes these sites give a yellow ( caution) grade to window seats because they might get cold for example but this is a gnit and a problem easily solved by a blanket or jacket...

But if you have a mobility problem with your back a window seat could be an issue if you have to step over somebody to get up......ease of access to the aisle from the window seat sometimes even varies by row of airplane.

To be safe with your back and since you do not mention money limitations, I would always opt for first class if possible, the other wild card is you cannot pick your crew and some are much better than others but luckily most are good .

Also try to get to your dream hunt ( at least the approximate destination or closest safe town and nice hotel) a couple of days ahead so you are fully recovered (and as a hedge against flight delays at worst case).

So all things considered equal opt for first class, take advantage of the airline lounges between flight if applicable , consider Bose QC 20 in ear headphones ( no, I do not work for them or have any affiliation) although they will also have good headsets usually in business/first on most airline long haul flights. They have a good system to mute airplane noise and are much more comfortable on long hauls versus over the QC 15 or other ear phones which get hot and make it hard to lay your head on its side.

Don't over pack and have a big class of red wine and a Xanax , health and doctor approval permitting . You will sleep better than with ambien and your back will also stay more relaxed. Just do not overdo either the wine or the drug of course!!!!

Regarding Zim hunts, many more knowledgeable than me on this topic/forum, but I have always been told by people I respect that it is hard to beat Mokore operations I know they are in Zim and Moz but not sure if their exact areas match your bucket list.

Good luck and very best regards to you & yours on checking off that exciting experience from your list, mark

PS anyone local AR folks in JNB happy to buy you a beverage and talk hunting ----- at the Montecasino, Fourways, am at the Palazzo until Thursday afternoon

South African and Delta both only offer a business class option according to their respective websites. Having just looked at the websites it appears that Delta offers the fully flat bed seating while South African offers the 180 recline.

While either option beats the heck out of economy or economy comfort (price aside) the fully flat bed seat on Delta will be much more comfortable and all seats have aisle access so you don't have to step over someone to get up.

Incidentally, while looking at Delta's website they offer some flights as a codeshare on KLM to Johannesburg via Amsterdam which are quite a bit cheaper than the non-stop Delta flight. I would definitely avoid the KLM flights, their business class seating is about the worst of any major airline out there.

As I mentioned earlier, if your back is a major issue transiting through Europe might make sense as you could spend a day or two on either side to break up the flights.

Even flying with firearms a stopover can be done with a minimum of hassle, you just have to make sure you follow the airline and country procedures.

Good luck with the hunt.

Bwana, again there are many good points by others that are spot one :

1) Are you traveling with guns or not? This does affect desirable routing and layover destination choices to split the trip into a more comfortable journey for you considering your back

2) So I absolutely agree with breaking up the trip with a layover if possible - this is what I try to do these days whenever possible

3) Agree flyertalk.com is a good old venerable site although it can be overwhelming to a novice and filled with jargon you may not be familiar with

4) Business class absolutely varies dramatically and not just by carrier but also plane type/model/age as noted so best to carefully check by flight number, date, etc.... First is usually safer but if you have a choice between first on a tier 3 carrier and business on a tier 1 , I would tend to opt for business class on the tier 1.

5) Since this is a bucket list trip and you are not a travel expert, I agree it is smart to use a trusted travel agent. Unless you have zero budget concerns, book far, far ahead, some of the fares, especially for business and first are stupid, silly (right now anyway). The other option is to see if your agent works with a reputable wholesaler. Also if you book certain fares you may be able to book last minute and get a better fare and the cancellation penalty for your original flight may not be prohibitive.....again best to deal with a trusted agent for all of this last piece.

6) If your back is really bad, you may also want to consider travel insurance, global rescue, etc

best regards to all, mark

Congratulations on taking the plunge.
My back isn't the best, but I get along OK. I can still walk OK, but climbing is tough. Most operators are really good at working within the client's limitations, make sure you communicate with them about this.
I travel with my wife, and considering how much upgrading two seats would cost, I'll suffer for a few hours to pay for another week's hunting. So I'm cheap.
Are you looking to hunt DG or plains game? Your choice of outfitter and area will likely be contingent on this decision.

Good luck and ease into it. Don't overdo it early in your trip.