Can you leave your locked ammunition box in your checked baggage with South African Air?

tay50

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We will be traveling from JoBerg to PE for our hunt, can you leave your locked ammo box in your checked baggage? I thought I seen where guys were made to remove and check their ammo box as additional bag. Thanks
 
You must check it seperate from your other baggage.
 
Yes if your transiting from Joburg to another port, it has to come out of your checked bag and travel separately from all I have read and seen other guys post on this site.
 
Maybe I lucked out but they had no interest in my ammo on my first trip through Joberg to Namibia. That was in 2014 however.
 
That's the last time I went thru as well, and I just had the ammo in a plastic case inside my checked bag and it stayed there the whole time over and back. Things are getting more and more complicated there and here.
 
It seems to change daily but typically if you are flying within SA they will require it to go as seperate checked luggage. Flying to another country and they don't care. The good thing is they won't charge you for additional baggage. Keep it in your luggage in a seperate locked case that you can easily pull out to check separately if required. It's no big deal if they ask you to.
 
I gather it's a SAA policy. Check with your airline. The rules will be on their web site.
 
Yup, SAA policy and once in SA it applies.
 
Thanks for the updates guys.
 
I just returned from South Africa and flew SAA from Joburg to Windhoek. I used the orange mtm boxes, and I had to remove them on my way to namibia. They put them in seperate SAA bags and tagged them.
On the return flight they allowed them to stay in my checked luggage.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, have a great weekend.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, have a great weekend.
Just returned from Zimbabwe. Both times flying through Joberg. I was Not required to remove ammo from checked bag. Guess it depends on gate agent and customers attitude.
 
Just returned from Zimbabwe. Both times flying through Joberg. I was Not required to remove ammo from checked bag. Guess it depends on gate agent and customers attitude.

It only applies to domestic flights within South Africa. As you were flying to another country it doesn't apply.
 
Just returned from a great hunt with KMG in May. Ammo in checked luggage all the way from Seattle to PE. Had to check separate from PE back to Joberg then put in checked luggage.This was my experience.
 
Yep had a similar experience in 2012. Nobody on SA Air cared when we flew out of New York, nor did they care when we transferred in Jo'burg for a flight to Port Elizabeth. On the way home it was different. Then it had to be in and UNLOCKED box even after we declared it at the check in; but I think it could stay in the luggage.
 
My BA flight from IAH to JNB required a seperate ammo box (I used a Pelican 1200). Seperate box within RSA too.
 
Anybody using a surplus ammo can to carry ammo? When I fly in the States, I use a "30cal" can that I drill for a U bolt, so I could put a padlock on it. I just put my Glock in a pistol rug, inside the can. I was planning to use the same can for my rifle ammo in RSA next month.
 
The key to this question is whether you are transmitting South Africa without collecting your luggage or not.

If you are flying to South Africa on a carrier other than SAA, you can generally leave your ammo in your checked bag (always in a locked box). If you are flying into South Africa on SAA, you will need to put the ammo in a separate checked locked box.

If you transit South Africa and your luggage is checked through to your final destination, the rules of the original airline which checked the bag will apply, generally all the way to the final destination. Thereafter, it will be the local rules which apply. So, if you stop in South Africa, and collect your bags, regardless of whether you are just staying the night or are actually hunting in South Africa, you will be required to put the ammo in a separate locked box for the ongoing flights.

This is why you can have two people flying to the same destination having different rules. If I fly from Canada Vic Falls, the flights to South Africa (going through Europe) will generally arrive early enough that I can connect to my flight to Vic Falls, and never enter South Africa. I can leave my ammo in my checked bag all the way.

If I fly from the US, the flights generally arrive too late in the day to connect to Vic Falls, sol I will spend the night in Jo'burg. The next morning, when I check many bags to Vic Falls, I will have to put the ammo in a separate box.

Same route, different result.
 
I just returned from South Africa and flew SAA from Joburg to Windhoek. I used the orange mtm boxes, and I had to remove them on my way to namibia. They put them in seperate SAA bags and tagged them.
On the return flight they allowed them to stay in my checked luggage.
You must have stayed overnight in JO then because if you had checked your luggage thru to WDK, you would not have the opportunity to handle or re check luggage.
 

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