i cannot remember the name of the lounge at or tambo that is open to travelers for a fee, and not tied to any airline. can anyone enlighten me? thanks in advance. tom

Bidvest

In Terminal A. Entry is up the staircase between the Out of Africa gift shop, the money exchange kiosks and the entry to the public bathrooms.

We spent a few hours at Bidvest in early July. Very nice place. I would highly recommend!

thanks for the info

Where is the Gun clearance office in relation to this?

I know you have to go upstairs.

gun clearance is before you go through outbound customs and immigration. Bidvest is after you clear all the BS.

Thanks Jerry

I arrive on SAA but my onward booking is a separate ticket. I am taking a SAA Air link flight to Bulawayo. So they will not book me right through.

The question is - Do I have to clear customs & immigration before checking into the Air Link flight or can I just collect my guns & check into the flight to Bulawayo?

if you are flying SAA and connecting to an Airlink flight, you should be able to check through to the final destination, even though it is 2 separate tickets. for sure, i would check with SAA right now. otherwise you will probably have to claim your gun/bags and go through the hassle of getting a gun import permit.

Yes I understand that. I contacted SAA & they said that the airport staff will make that call. A bit complicated as the Auckland Perth leg is co-partnered with Air NZ.

The question is - Do I have to clear customs & immigration as well?

I now realise that I will have to do so if I want to use the Bidvest lounge.

Thanks for all the help.

There is another very nice lounge called Shongolo? near gate A7. $30 min for 2 hours and escalates. I Was there 10 days ago. Delta flt from JNB to ATL was at gate A11 so very convenient for that. Also Airfrance lounge if flying a partner like Delta, again about $30 to get in- it is down near the A gates also. Shongolo is elegant compared to AirFrance but a bit more expensive, but better food and booze.

Etihad Airline uses Shongolo for their passengers traveling first/business. and it is much nicer than Bidvest. the hot and cold food is actually quite good and the booze selection is also....superior to the Air France lounge for sure.

If you need to clear guns then you will need a permit or a carriage pass from SAPS.

We did it a number of times in the last two months, and got a variety of suggestions from the SAPS guy but it always ended up requiring a permit on the day. If you have copies of the necessary docs on your person when you arrive it is actually quite painless.

K