Airlines To Johannesberg

Hank2211 said:

ICQ, in many cases (about 75% of the time in my experience), you need Canada Customs to sign the export permit upon your return to Canada, certifying that the rifle and others controlled goods have come back to Canada. In one case I got the signature, but forgot to send it to DFAIT in Ottawa. Some months later I received a request to provide the evidence of return in order to close out the permit.

I wouldn't want to have left the firearm in Africa, and I'd suggest that to do so is a violation of the permit and the law in Canada. Do it once, get caught, and you won't be exporting anything to Africa!

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DFAIT issues the export permit and American customs inspect the gun leaving Canada. When I arrived in Montreal last year customs just verified the serial number and sent me on my way. No signature was offered or required and I wasn't asked to send in any paperwork to DEFAIT

lcq said:

DFAIT issues the export permit and American customs inspect the gun leaving Canada. When I arrived in Montreal last year customs just verified the serial number and sent me on my way. No signature was offered or required and I wasn't asked to send in any paperwork to DEFAIT

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It depends on the permit you get - some have the return page, others don't. I was told that is was a lottery - since government resources were getting smaller (not because thy've stopped stealing less from me), they were only requiring the signature (and badge number) on a certain percentage of the permits they were issuing. You clearly had the "better" kind. I had that last year, but for next month's hunt, we're back to the signature requirement.

Hank2211 said:

It depends on the permit you get - some have the return page, others don't. I was told that is was a lottery - since government resources were getting smaller (not because thy've stopped stealing less from me), they were only requiring the signature (and badge number) on a certain percentage of the permits they were issuing. You clearly had the "better" kind. I had that last year, but for next month's hunt, we're back to the signature requirement.

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I apply electronically and they are really fast and helpful, a rarity when dealing with the government. Who knows but with the anti-gun liberals back in power I expect the level of service and speed to nosedive. Orders from the top not the people in the trenches

I looked at DL direct, LH Frankfort, BA London, and EK Dubai. In cattle class, they were all about the same in price. I looked long and hard at the EK flight in business out of DFW. It was not much more then premium E on BA or LH. In the end I picked BA premium E out of IAH, which requires a 3 hour drive for the FF miles over the others, LH was cheaper in premium E. I personally would have taken the DL direct flight but my wife refused based on the reviews of the crappy seats on DL in E and what they call premium E (which its is not) as DL Business was $4k per person more in business then EK.

Another thing the EK B747 does not rate as nice as the A380, and its a B747 from Dubai to Joberg. As much as I like the B747, the A380 has the 747 beat on comfort, but the 747 is a nicer place to look at.

wesheltonj said:

I looked at DL direct, LH Frankfort, BA London, and EK Dubai. In cattle class, they were all about the same in price. I looked long and hard at the EK flight in business out of DFW. It was not much more then premium E on BA or LH. In the end I picked BA premium E out of IAH, which requires a 3 hour drive for the FF miles over the others, LH was cheaper in premium E. I personally would have taken the DL direct flight but my wife refused based on the reviews of the crappy seats on DL in E and what they call premium E (which its is not) as DL Business was $4k per person more in business then EK.

Another thing the EK B747 does not rate as nice as the A380, and its a B747 from Dubai to Joberg. As much as I like the B747, the A380 has the 747 beat on comfort, but the 747 is a nicer place to look at.

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My wife doesn't do Africa so I can do as I wish

Thank you very much for the greatly appreciated information, I didn't mention that we will be flying out of Salt Lake City Utah,
It looks like there a several options to try and work with, I will post on price and what option that we ended up with, if there is an interest,

Best Regards

Hank2211 said:

Mike, some years ago Canada banned hunters from taking firearms to Zimbabwe. I had a number of hunts planned there, and I didn't like renting a firearm. I gave my PH some money, which he used to buy a firearm, coincidentally exactly the same as one I would have left behind. He was free to rent it out to people, and make some spare cash, and whenever I was in country, he would let me use it, at no charge. The upside was that he'd use some of his rental earnings to buy ammo, so I wouldn't have to pay for it when I was there.

From my perspective, it was six of one, half a dozen of the other. I would have paid for a gun, and left it there, if I could have, and now I gave a PH a big tip (about the same as the cost of a gun), and I have a gun there. Cost was pretty much a wash.

I would think the same system would work in South Africa, so long as it is clear that legally, the South African resident owns the gun.

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no problem with that hank happy to do the same here if you want ......now just trying to remember what you have , but its totally different to leaving firearms behind......

I just flew Air France to Cameroon, Premium Coach and the service was excellent. I left from Houston and had a very speedy check in, no hassles or hold ups with guns that I have experienced with other carriers, very courteous, competent staff. I'm using them again for the family safari in June to Joberg.

This is my 7th trip to Africa and as I think back of all the ways I've flown and how long it took the Delta ATL-JNB is he best. From going from Miami-Cape Town-JNB-PE to landing on that island this DElta flight is so much faster. I can recall 20+ hours on some of those flights! Now the 15 hours seems like a breeze. One time we flew to DFW-NY-Dakar-JNB-WDH that was long especially on the way back. Then the stupid airport in DC- Dulles with the horrible elevated busses you take to get to your terminal. Unless I'm going to Namibia, in which case I'll go DFW-Frankfurt-WDH next time, I'm happy taking .the Delta flight.
Happy Flying,
Philip

Well it is all booked, we ended up going with Salt Lake to Seattle on Alaska airlines, then Emiriates to Dubai, then on to Johannesburg, reverse order coming home, Price was around 500.00 plus a seat cheaper than Delta, South, African Air or K L M along with total trip under 33 hours each way. When you are taking your Daughter and granddaughter along with the wife it all adds up fast

Thank you again for you input and help

I flew Emirates on the trip I am currently on.... The first half was very good. They assisted very nicely with my firearm. The flight was good/layover was a couple of hours.... Long enough but not too long. Good luck amigo!

Have a great hunt Nitro

So here's a new one for me. Chock up another one for TIA!

In January, I bought tickets on South African Air for my mid-May hunt in the eastern cape. Lagos to Port Elizabeth, via Joburg. Had decent connection times of about 3 hours. This past Friday, I decided to check on the SAA website and print out the flight itinerary. I immediately noticed my flights had changed and I hadn't received any notice. I also could see that the return flights were impossible, arriving Joburg 50 minutes after my flight to Lagos departs.



I emailed the travel agent and they promptly got it corrected. I also sent an email to SAA asking them how their system would even let something like this occur. SAA has not replied. I also asked them why they changed my flights in the first place. There's about 5 or 6 flights a day between JNB and PLZ. My original flights are still available and yet they changed my schedule. I am still working on getting my earlier flight out of JNB to PLZ. I had a 3 hour connection and now I have 6 hr 40 mins.

My advice to all, check your flight schedule on the airline website frequently.