British Airways will soon start non-stop service to LHR from my nearest airport, Austin. A booking all the way to Windhoek on BA is very economical (less than $1800). It goes through JNB and then connects to WDH on Comair. HOWEVER, the BA website says that Comair does not accept sporting firearms as baggage. Does anyone know for certain?

The last that I heard it is true !!! Idiots !

Stonecreek,

COMAIR is not carrying firearms as far as I know. Check with Gracy Travel 1-800-299-8558.

Mark

as an alternative, you can book BA to JHB, then buy a separate SAA ticket ti Windhoek. it will require claiming your bags at JHB then rechecking them on SAA but if time allows between flights, it is another alternative. it's what i do when flying to Kasane from JHB after at BA flight

To the best of my knowledge Comair does not accept firearms. Jdollar's recommendation of flying Austin - London - Johannesburg and claiming firearms is good as you know that at least the firearms made it to Joberg (or not). If there are any problems you can narrow down where the problem occured.

I haven't had any problems as far as BA and firearms go, they tend to be very good with firearms, just follow their rules.

I also believe that the Austin - London leg is on one of the new 787's so should be a relatively nice flight.

Not sure when you are going but new routes like Austin - London often have quite a few business class or premium economy seats available for frequent flyer mile redemptions.

My recommendation to clients is always to receive their luggage in JNB and physically recheck it on to their next flight as others have suggested. It is a PITA but you know your luggage made it at least to JNB or not making the follow up easier if there is a problem. If you check it through your luggage could be anywhere between your home and your destination.

Mark

BA does not carry firearms at all, as they have stated they cannot carry the cost of the security that goes with firearm transportation. Only SAA carries firearms in Southern Africa.
Wonder how much business BA has lost because of this and if this would not negate the costs of carrying firearms? Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Just to be clear BA is carrying firearms to JNB but its affiliate COMAIR is not carry firearms to Windhoek, Harare etc.

Mark

Mark,
So you can still get firearms on BA from US to RSA? Just not on the domestic flights?

Just to clarify matters:

BA owns Comair but BA do the international flights & Comair do the domestic flights.

BA can & will carry sporting firearms because they have a licence to do so.

Comair cannot carry sporting firearms because they do not have a licence to do so.

SAA do have a licence to carry sporting firearms BUT one should be aware that no airline is allowed to carry firearms on aircraft types that allow access between cabin & a baggage hold that contains firearms whilst the aircraft is in flight.

Until relatively recently, SAA had several of these aircrafts but are selling them however, they do sometimes lease such aircraft for domestic routes so be aware of that.

I find that for about $200 more than the ticket connecting with Comair (Kulula), you can get a connection with Air Namibia. Now, Air Namibia doesn't have the greatest of reputations, but airlines, the opposite of the children of Lake Wobegon, are all below average, so I'm not sure it makes too much difference.

I've only traveled to Windhoek through Frankfurt and have heard many stories of woe from those transiting JNB. So how problematic is it to claim your rifle in JNB and recheck it on a flight to Windhoek? Do you need to pre-clear it with the SAP?

Marius,

Steve has it exactly right. You can fly BA to JNB and SAA etc on to your final destination as long as that airline can carry firearms and ammunition.

Stonecreek,

Transiting O.R. Tembo does not need to be a problem. If you have not done it before I recommend you use a meet/greet service that will provide your RSA gun permit, walk you through the process and check you onto your connecting flight. Last year this took me no more than 20 minutes from the time I arrived O.R. Tembo until I was in the departure lounge for my Zim flight. Currntly the full service from jetway on arrival to check-in for the connecting flight and the RSA gun permit costs $225. Money well spent. if you've done it a couple of times you probably can handle it all yourself but the meet/greet just takes all the stress out of the whole procedure. I use a service every time.

Mark

So, you have to have a SA gun permit simply to pass through JNB? What if your airlines have a baggage agreement and your rifle is checked straight through?

As I said in an earlier post on your thread if you can check your bags all the way through it would be simplier but I like to receive my bags and recheck them myself so I at least know the luggage made it to JNB.

Mark

Let me understand: You like to receive and recheck your bags so much that you are willing to go to the trouble of getting an SAP permit for them, even though you wouldn't need it if you checked them all the way through?

Or perhaps I'm misinterpreting?

I can't respond for Mark but I personally prefer to receive my bags in Joberg, deal with the SAP permit (It's not really a big deal) and then check them in on the next flight. As mentioned previously, if the bags go astray you can track down where the problem occured.

I would be willing to bet money that if you encounter a problem with bags not showing up and you have two or more different airlines involved it will take you a long time to get past the airlines blaming one another for the mishap let alone actually looking for your bags.

Planning on receiving your bags in Joberg also eliminates the potentially nasty suprise of checking in for the first flight and having an airline agent refusing to check a firearm through on a different carrier, particularly if the different carrier is ticketed separately.

I figure it this way: I'm spending thousands of dollars on a safari, I like to shoot my own rifles, I don't mind a minor inconvenience to minimize the chance of my firearms not showing up.

Stonecreek,

Jaglav said it better than I could have.

Mark

My experience last July going through JB. Was on SAA, not BA or Comair, but still relevant I think. I had a four hour layover in JB after the flight from JFK. It took nearly all that time to walk a long way, stand in a very long line and get through the "In Transit" proceedure and out into the Terminal. Just had enough time for a quick coffee and ice cream cone before heading to the gate for my flight to Beira, Moz. If I would have had to deal with my bags and rifle, no way would I have made that flight. So, checking the bags (rifle) all the way from Albuquerque, NM to Beira, Moz worked for me. I have done it this way the last three times now and no problem. Did the same proceedure on the return trip as well. Maybe lucky, don't know?

Larry Sellers
SCI (International) Life Member