Just in Thursday from my 3rd trip with Air Namibia via Frankfurt. The whole operation continues to decline in almost every respect. They no longer have a partnership with Lufthansa. They've been moved to Frankfurt Terminal 2 and use remote, obscure gates. No transfer desk. Personal check-in required; no advance boarding passes. Dirty planes with trash and blankets on the floor. Inadequate, uninformed, unhelpful staff rude to the point of being surly. The ONLY English you will here is when you speak directly with a staff member, and then it's a chore to get a clear conversation going.
German passengers with whom I spoke tell me it's their last choice for any African travel.
They make an already tough trip even tougher.

Welcome back.

I sat in the same seat for both flights. It had a broken seat back .

This is discouraging news - I'm booked with them for later in the year.

Honest curiousity here: I can't help but wonder if, with this over-all decline in service and maintenance from Air Namibia, it might be worth putting up with the hassle of routing through RSA (rifle transit permits, added costs for hotels (if needed), increased risk of theft/lost luggage, etc.), even if Namibia is your ultimate destination.

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Originally posted by pinotguy:
This is discouraging news - I'm booked with them for later in the year.

Honest curiousity here: I can't help but wonder if, with this over-all decline in service and maintenance from Air Namibia, it might be worth putting up with the hassle of routing through RSA (rifle transit permits, added costs for hotels (if needed), increased risk of theft/lost luggage, etc.), even if Namibia is your ultimate destination.

I had no preconceived notions as to what to expect from Air Namibia. I flew with them in April/May. If I were flying back tomorrow, I'd still fly them to avoid Jo-berg. I've never flown through Jo-berg but from all accounts it is a hassle that I want no part of.

There are flights from Europe and the U.S. into Capetown, which would be much more preferrable to Jo-Burg. But, you would still have to get the RSA firearms permits and may have to stay a night if you arrive after the last connection to Windhoek has departed.

Are drinks still included with the price of the ticket?

At the risk of being redundant, anyone who flies an African carrier, with the notable exception of Ethiopian, deserves what they get. You take your life in your hands. There is a reason why almost no African carriers are allowed to operate into the US, and SAA only made the cut by the skin of their teeth and a big dose of political correctness.

If Lufthansa cut Air Namibia away, you can bet they had a very good reason. That's food for thought in itself.

I am going to try Turkish Airlines from London to Cape Town in November. Anyone every fly them?

I agree that avoiding Joberg is the better option. Been through there 4 times and don't want to ever do it again.

You have to appreciate Jetdrv'rs insight, but in reality we have few choices to Southern Africa these days.

Air Namibia travelers just have to hang in there and tough it out. If you can crawl through the bush on your hands and knees for 10 days after eland, you can make it on Air Namibia.

I just had a decent experience with Air Namibia Frankfurt - Windhoek May 28 and Windhoek - Frankfurt June 12. Yes, They're in Terminal 2 at Frankfurt, but the flights were as good as most domestic travel I've done in the US lately (not saying much anymore, I know...) and I wouldn't hesitate to fly 'em again to avoid hassling with JoBurg.

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Originally posted by jetdrvr:
At the risk of being redundant, anyone who flies an African carrier, with the notable exception of Ethiopian, deserves what they get. You take your life in your hands. There is a reason why almost no African carriers are allowed to operate into the US, and SAA only made the cut by the skin of their teeth and a big dose of political correctness.

If Lufthansa cut Air Namibia away, you can bet they had a very good reason. That's food for thought in itself.

Very interesting point....

Does anything in Africa ever improve???

My flight was wonderful. Drink a couple German beers in Frankfurt, pop 2 Ambian on the plane and night night for 8 hours.

I been there via both Frankfurt and Joberg. I have to say a trip through Germany with an ass whippin for luck is my preference to going to or through Joberg. Just my 2 cents worth but GeoffM24 is right. Either way it sucks. Last year I went to Zambia and drugged up on the trip back. I was a little stiff when we got back to Dulles but the trip went fast.

All Air Namibia work for the Windhoek route is done in Frankfurt. Anything beats Joberg. Upon checking in for the flight home I noticed our lady at check in was in tears. Upon asking what was wrong, she informed me that she and many of her co-workers were in mourning for Michael Jackson. Who'd a thunk it...

To everyone who posted comments regarding Air Namibia. Would any of you mind if I shared your comments with Air Namibia sales office here in the US?

I'm sure there is not much that they personally can do about it - but at least it can be sent to the ears of someone at headoffice in Windhoek who may take notice.

I will not reveal any personal details to Air Namibia.

Thanks

Steve

Go ahead. I've emailed Air Namibia in the past, but never got a response.

The bottom line is that Namibia is a wonderful place for an American hunter, especially in light of what's going on in the rest of Africa. I've been throughout Southern Africa. Namibia is the most comfortable. Certainly beats the shit out of RSA.

Seems to me the light would go on at some point.

In 2006 the Air Namibia plane still had ashtrays on the armrest...at least they were clean

Still ashtrays a month ago. Flight was pretty uneventful. Rescheduled on the way back due to maintanence issue. Good news is we knew before we left. Air Nam. put us up for the extra overnight in both Windhoek and Frankfurt on the way back. Wouldn't agree to pay our transfer fee with USAir but in all not a bad experience. Figured if that was the biggest glitch we had in travel 1/2 way across the world and back, things were not too bad. All luggage and flights were generally there and on time. Based on what I've heard routinely happens on other routes this still sounds about as good as it gets.

Air Namibia sucks! It sucked in 2005, and it sucked again in 2007 when I used it to get home from military stuff.

Ok, that's not exactly true. White crew going south, no problem. Native crew coming home no service.

Response from Air Namibia:


Dear Kathi,


Thank you for sharing the comments below. I apologize for the delay but I had to wait for feedback from my

colleagues in other stations. As I previously said (and suspected), we continue to have an interline agreement with LH.

I am not sure what the passenger below is talking about.



I will address the comments one by one below:



*They no longer have a partnership with Lufthansa.

This is not correct, we continue to have an interline agreement with LH.



*They've been moved to Frankfurt Terminal 2 and use remote, obscure gates.

SW made the decision to move as T1 will be completed as a Star Alliance terminal,

so SW would have to move anyway at a later stage, in 3-4 years.

Terminal 2 is more advanced and modern than the old T1. The gates are much wider, clearer, cleaner

and up to standard..



*No transfer desk. Personal check-in required; no advance boarding passes.

I am unclear as to what this person means exactly by this. There are many ways to interpret this statement.

In any case, our check-in procedures are currently being upgraded and you will receive news regarding this very soon.



*Dirty planes with trash and blankets on the floor. Inadequate, uninformed, unhelpful staff rude to the point of being surly.

Unfortunately without a flight number and date, I am unable to investigate this comment.



*The ONLY English you will here is when you speak directly with a staff member, and then it's a chore to get a clear conversation going.

I am unsure of what the nature of this comment is. Although English is an official language of Namibia, there are many other languages spoken.

It is only natural for people to speak amongst themselves in their native language. Americans/English speakers should be more tolerant of non-native English speakers.

One cannot expect everyone else to speak one’s language perfectly if it is not their native tongue

If I missed anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.

.

Best Regards,

Rafael Olivares
Sales Manager

DAL,

Not on the route you are going, but flew Turkish Airline October 2008, Chicago to Istanbul then onto Dushanbe. An absolute fantastic airline. Very friendly staff,from check-in to flight attendants, ticket agents, etc.

I think you will have an enjoyable flight.

Well if English is the official language of Namibia and Air Namibia is owned by the government (according to the Air Namibia webpage this happened in 1982) seems to me that the crew should be speaking English to the passengers.

Kathi, thanks for the comment. I expect I will be pleasantly surprised. My one concern is that they are in the "Eastern Hemisphere" re: baggage limits and I may have some problem ($$) with the weight of my luggage plus hunting gear. My bow fits into a golf case, so I am hoping to slide in under the 'sports equipment' exclusion when I check in at LHR. We will see, and I will report back.
Dave

Kathi:

I appreciate your input. I am not here to get into a pissing contest. I am here to share my experience with AR members. That's what AR is all about.

Reality for the traveler enroute---is what it is. One cannot shine, sh--. What happens on the ground abroad is very often different from what travel industry reps claim and/or promise. As a professional travel agent, I'm sure you appreciate the input.

Bottom line is that Lufthansa tells people at the Frankfurt airport that they can not help with any transfers to Air Namibia flights. I was told this directly at the Lufthansa transfer desk. Moreover, there were no Air Namibia representatives ANYWHERE in Terminal 2 upon my arrival from the States via Delta at 0730 +/- hrs. No one I spoke to could tell me anything about Air Namibia other than that the Air Namibia desk would not open until sometime witin 3 hours of the scheduled Windhoek departure.

I went to the central information desk at Terminal 2 and they were kind enough to phone Air Namibia, whereupon I was told by an Air Namibia rep that I had to come back 3 hours prior to flight departure in order to check in. I was told there was no other way to obtain a boarding pass, and that personal check-in was required. I was told very clearly that no other airline had access to the Air Namibia computer system, so there was no way to conduct an early check-in.

As I said, it was my 3rd Air Namibia flight, and my 7th trip to Africa. I'll go back, and I'll use Air Namibia because I have little choice given my desire to transit through Frankfurt.

On the other side of the coin, my experience with Air Namibia at Windhoek has always been great. Their procedures are smooth, their lounge is accomodating and comfortable, and the staff is wonderful. So...there you have it.

Travel to the third world, using state-owned airlines is what it is.

Best......Tom

I guess I got lucky last August on the Gatwick to Windhoek flight. The plane was clean and looked well maintained, the staff was very pleasant, the food was no worse than any other airline food except for the wine, (it was so bad I had them take the glass away because I couldn't even stand the smell near me).

Yes, I couldn't check in until three hours before the flight but that is very common when travelling internationally and the plane left Gatwick an hour late but La Guardia is worse than that on the best days.

BTW, I'm a fairly experineced traveler, I run a gas turbine repair shop for a living so I know jet engines and I have 40,000+ airmiles already this year.

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Repl

I just flew today from Namibia via Frankfurt. We had no issues with Air Namibia on either leg. Our luggage was transferred from Lufthansa with no issues. We had 2 gun cases and 4 checked bags, and everything arrived on time. The planes were clean. I can not really say much about the in-flight service. We slept for about 8 hours during both flights. I love sleeping on a plane, so does my son and father.

Our only problem was with Lufthansa in Houston. Their luggage nazi at the check-in desk weighed our carry-on bags. She made us get the weight under 8kgs. It got a little silly. One bag was only about 3 ounces over. She forcefully told me to cut the weight under 17.6 pounds or pay to check it. I pulled my GPS out of the bag, and had her weigh it again. At that point she backed off and let us proceed. She did not like the idea of my 10 year old son going on a hunting trip. Through all the check-in process and baggage drama she was lecturing me on why I should not be taking my son along on the trip. It was very, very, very difficult for me not to tell that bitch what I thought of her little lecture. At that point I just wanted to the trip going. I was a little afraid she was going to send bags to Timbuktu.

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She did not like the idea of my 10 year old son going on a hunting trip

I hope you got her name. Send a letter direct to the President of the Airline.

When the check in nazi is a b**ch be sure to read the baggage tags on your luggage before they go to the back. Had a rude ticket agent send my gun case to Canada instead of Washington State. Went through hell to get it back. Sure it was an intentional "mistake".