Joburg connection question

Trap123

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I am in the process of shopping for airline tickets to Windhoek Namibia.almost all the flights I am finding from my area have only a two hour layover in Johannesburg is that enough time to make a connecting flight with a firearm.I do plan on using a rifle permits service to expedite the process.
thank you in advance for your reply
 
Trap, rather spend the night in Joburg what if you flight lands late or this is any kind of hiccups 2 hours would not cut it especially with firearms. It normally takes 50-80 minutes for the firearms to get to the firearms office then another 15 minutes even with rifle permit services.
 
Trap, no I doubt you would make the connection rather spend the night in Joburg or get a later flight. Firearms take around 40-80 minutes to get to the Police office then another 15 minutes even with the help of firearm service and then need to rebook and recheck the rifle with security ????
 
I agree with Fredrik. Not likely.
Even if you booked through to Windhoek (final destination) using SAA I think you would have issues.

Find a guest house or stay at the Airport and get the flight first thing in the morning. Safer driving for everyone once you reach Windhoek anyway.

Watch out for booking with Air Namibia. At the moment they have a firearms fee.
 
Trap ~~ question for you.

1. Are or will you book your flight through to Namibia. If so you will not need to clear customs in South Africa and 2 hours to make your connection to Windhoek should be fine. Make sure your flight from Joberg to Namibia is on SAA

2. Now if you are flying on South African Air to Joberg and have a South African Air connection to Windhoek the 2 hours is good. There is a hall monitor and persons to assist and get you on your way. (great help by the way)

3. However, If you clear your Firearms in South Africa you will need at least 4 hours. Even with the firearm permit in place. You will hate those buggers who have VIP status and move to the front of the line as you stand and wait your turn to clear your rifle. Depending on the day of the week and the number of hunters arriving, it took me over 3 hours in 2011 to clear the gun room to catch my connecting flight, and i had 4 hours. Made my flight by 10 min as it left 30 minutes early.

4. if you decide to transit Joberg and the gun room watch your self as many are looking to help you, and you cannot watch everything by yourself.

I stay at the city lodge and have my permit person meet me at the motel and walk me through the airport and gun drop off booth. Best $20 bucks i spent.
 
I am very happy to have a 4 hour layover in Joberg, coming in from Atlanta on Delta and connecting to PE on SAA.

I am a first-timer, but everything I have been able to learn tells me 2 hours is really risky!

My inexperienced $0.02.
 
In May I did a SAA from JFK to Windhoek with a layover in J'berg of 5 hrs, obviously no problem. You don't need any service as you do a passport check and security check before ending up on the departures side of the international terminal. You move right along, but it takes some time to process a entire aircraft of passengers.

Couple other hunters had 1 1/2 hr window and they got hustled forward by airport staff who asked around if anyone had guns and needing to catch an outbound connection. They did make their SAA Windhoek flight, but we landed ahead of schedual by a good 20 minutes and I think they may have been screwed any tighter.

I'd be more comfortable with a full 2 hrs or 3 hr layover just in case and will book that in the future for Windhoek. And after flying through I doubt I'd ever bother with staying in J'berg unless I absolutely couldn't get a flight out that day.
 
I did this in May booked right through with SAA made it through in less then an hour. I did not collect my guns in Joburg
 
I am flying from Syracuse New York to Windhoek Namibia the flights I have been looking at are Delta through Atlanta to Johannesburg and then Air Namibia from Johannesburg to windhoek.the layover times in Johannesburg seem to be either 2 hours and 40 minutes or 15 hours.I guess the more I think of it laying over in Johannesburg may be appealing as it will make the four hour drive from Windhoek to the final destination more enjoyable after a good night's sleep
 
is there any reason not to fly Air Namibia from Johannesburg to Windhoek other than the firearms fee?
 
is there any reason not to fly Air Namibia from Johannesburg to Windhoek other than the firearms fee?

No. Other than they reschedule flights regularly. Which can be a pain in the ass.
They use a small plane to fly the route. (Not exactly a Tokyo to LA demand level)
 
I just did this transit 3 weeks ago - if you are on SAA, check your guns through to Windhoek and two hours will be fine. If you don't check them through, it probably will not be enough time - depending on how close the exit door of the aircraft you are, time for luggage to come off plane, etc.

I'd not fly Air Namib if I had an alternative. They came close to having their operating certificate revoked a couple of weeks ago and have been having management issues for some time.
 
I organised a trip to Namibia last month for myself and three friends. We had a great time. Our first and certainly not our last.
Planning the flights was for sure the hardest part. It is important to ensure that the airlines you book with have an inter airline agreement. This is so that you can check all your luggage,bags,guns etc in and not see them until you arrive at your destination.
We flew SAA through Jo,burg to Windhoek. Our window in Jo,burg was 2 hours 30 minutes. We did fine and everything arrived safely in one piece. SAA are very firearms friendly. No big deal with them or charges.
Clearing firearms into Namibia is a doddle.
I do however wish I could afford to fly business class :-(
 
well thanks to all the advice on this thread I did a little more looking and found some flights from New York to Windhoek on South AfricanAirway the whole way to windhoek.looks like I'll have about a5 hour layover in Johannesburg and arrived in Windhoek at 2:20 p.m.I believe that will work perfectly I appreciate all the advice given
 
Have a good trip
 
well thanks to all the advice on this thread I did a little more looking and found some flights from New York to Windhoek on South AfricanAirway the whole way to windhoek.looks like I'll have about a5 hour layover in Johannesburg and arrived in Windhoek at 2:20 p.m.I believe that will work perfectly I appreciate all the advice given

Sounds like same flights I used......eh, in the grand scheme of things 5 hrs isn't that bad and put a little cushion in for a delay.

Good luck on the hunt!
 
I found out on my latest trip that neither Jet Blue nor US Air will transfer a firearm to a connecting flight of another airline. This means I had to do my own transfers at JFK going and at JFK returning. A real PITA! No more of either airline for me. If/when I go again, I think I will go Delta for that alleged little extra leg room and leave my guns at home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, if I was not hung up on using my own guns and loads life would be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier!!! Imagine no rifle hassles, book luggage all the way to anywhere, no permits, SAPS, transfers, CBP forms, CBP officers, NY city Port cops, dirty looks, scared looks, panicked looks and the list goes on. I think I will borrow the outfitters rifle next time. No really, that's no BS!
 
I found out on my latest trip that neither Jet Blue nor US Air will transfer a firearm to a connecting flight of another airline. This means I had to do my own transfers at JFK going and at JFK returning. A real PITA! No more of either airline for me. If/when I go again, I think I will go Delta for that alleged little extra leg room and leave my guns at home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, if I was not hung up on using my own guns and loads life would be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much easier!!! Imagine no rifle hassles, book luggage all the way to anywhere, no permits, SAPS, transfers, CBP forms, CBP officers, NY city Port cops, dirty looks, scared looks, panicked looks and the list goes on. I think I will borrow the outfitters rifle next time. No really, that's no BS!

I get the distinct feeling, by the time I'm 80, hunting will be over. There are just too many stupid people. Already I've seen hunting go backwards in last 40 years...in another 40 it's probably gonna end. They will regulate it to death.
 
Eric, I hate to say it but I don't think its going to take that long. I will probably long be in the ground in 40 years anyway.
 
I have just lost faith in society. Too many people with bad intentions have power !
 

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