Checking rifle on contiguous ticket and Johannesburg connection

[autofire]

I have always spent night at Jberg airport and caught my connecting intra Africa flight next day. So I picked up rifle case at SAPS and checked it when i checked in for my flight. I'm setting up a June trip to Botswana via Jberg. Plan on checking rifle case with Delta with contiguous ticket to Gabarone. Will i have to pick up rifle case and clear with SAPS for same day connection or will rifle case go straight to Air Botswana connector flight?

 

[Red Leg]

I am curious to see how this works as well. In all my previous trips transiting Johannesburg, I have had to do the rifle check drill. In August I am taking Qatar Air to Jo'burg and then transfering to Airlink for the leg to Lusaka. Gracy Travel (who know their business) assures me that Qatar and Airlink have a transfer agreement, and that my bag and rifle will be checked through to final destination going and coming. Can't tell you how much I hope that is true.

 

[YancyW]

The problem is when if you miss your connection and have to spend night.

 

[sierraone]

Qatar and Airlink have a transfer agreement, and that my bag and rifle will be checked through to final destination going and coming.

This was published/written in a thread just a week ago, but I don't recall who or what business wrote the post/thread. It may have been PHASA. I hope for everyone concerned that this is correct.

 

[sestoppelman]

The OP has two threads on this, I answered on the other one, that in my experience if in transit, guns will be moved along and not have to do the SAPS.
In 2007 we went thru Jo to Namibia, all luggage checked thru to WDK but we missed our connector and had to overnight in JO. We had no paperwork to do so and so we were told to expect lots of unpleasantness by an airline employee.
However someone else sent me down to talk to a very nice understanding lady deep in the bowels of ORT and she assured us there would be no problems, our rifles were in temporary bond and would be on our hopefully morning flight to Namibia, and so they were.

 

[Scott CWO]

I am curious to see how this works as well. In all my previous trips transiting Johannesburg, I have had to do the rifle check drill. In August I am taking Qatar Air to Jo'burg and then transfering to Airlink for the leg to Lusaka. Gracy Travel (who know their business) assures me that Qatar and Airlink have a transfer agreement, and that my bag and rifle will be checked through to final destination going and coming. Can't tell you how much I hope that is true.

It depends on your layover length. If a long layover, I have found it best to have a SA rifle permit and claim bags in Joberg. Then recheck them on your connection. Bags can get lost in the bowels of the Joberg baggage “system” easily. Once when connecting to Harare, I followed this plan and I was the only hunter whose luggage made the connection. The other hunters with the same long layover were missing all their bags.

This year heading to Botswana in June, I have another long layover in Joberg and Gracy is advising me to claim and recheck from Qatar to Airlink in Joberg.

 

[Red Leg]

It depends on your layover length. If a long layover, I have found it best to have a SA rifle permit and claim bags in Joberg. Then recheck them on your connection. Bags can get lost in the bowels of the Joberg baggage “system” easily. Once when connecting to Harare, I followed this plan and I was the only hunter whose luggage made the connection. The other hunters with the same long layover were missing all their bags.

This year heading to Botswana in June, I have another long layover in Joberg and Gracy is advising me to claim and recheck from Qatar to Airlink in Joberg.

And the same nice folks at Gracy (who I have used for two decades) are saying not to sweat my transfer. I arrive at 0400 and depart for Lusaka at 1115 on Airlink. That will be less than 8 hours and not an overnight. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

 

[YancyW]

The OP has two threads on this, I answered on the other one, that in my experience if in transit, guns will be moved along and not have to do the SAPS.
In 2007 we went thru Jo to Namibia, all luggage checked thru to WDK but we missed our connector and had to overnight in JO. We had no paperwork to do so and so we were told to expect lots of unpleasantness by an airline employee.
However someone else sent me down to talk to a very nice understanding lady deep in the bowels of ORT and she assured us there would be no problems, our rifles were in temporary bond and would be on our hopefully morning flight to Namibia, and so they were.

I had the exact same thing happen, but when I got my bags in Namibia several days later, the locks had been busted off and a bunch of my stuff was gone.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I had the exact same thing happen, but when I got my bags in Namibia several days later, the locks had been busted off and a bunch of my stuff was gone

Just curious, were they TSA locks?

 

[Scott CWO]

And the same nice folks at Gracy (who I have used for two decades) are saying not to sweat my transfer. I arrive at 0400 and depart for Lusaka at 1115 on Airlink. That will be less than 8 hours and not an overnight. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

I also arrive at 0400. It’s not worth the risk to me so I am planning to claim. I’m probably over cautious after what I witnessed before. My layover is about the same as yours and it gives me plenty of time to claim and recheck so that’s my plan for now. I will let you know how it goes.

 

[sestoppelman]

I had the exact same thing happen, but when I got my bags in Namibia several days later, the locks had been busted off and a bunch of my stuff was gone.

When we got to WDK all our stuff arrived undamaged, however the baggage drones didnt find most of our luggage till a couple of days later, but the rifles were there so we went off to hunt and when they found our stuff someone delivered it. Had to live out of my carry on for a couple of days.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Pre-covid I travelled through ORT at least 12 times a year, maybe 20. I never locked any luggage and never lost anything, I think maybe once a hat disappeared. My daughter locks her bags and the locks are always being broken or cut, or the zip separated, and yes she has lost stuff. Locks are just a sign saying valuables inside.

 

[YancyW]

Just curious, were they TSA locks?

On my regular bag it was, the ammo box also had TSA, the gun case was a tuff pac with that circle key lock, it wasn't messed with.

 

[YancyW]

When we got to WDK all our stuff arrived undamaged, however the baggage drones didnt find most of our luggage till a couple of days later, but the rifles were there so we went off to hunt and when they found our stuff someone delivered it. Had to live out of my carry on for a couple of days.

I would still check all the way through again, the odds are high it works out fine, my experience is an outlier, but still was annoying.

 

[Adrian]

Book it straight through to destination.
I've gone from Heathrow to Windhoek via Johannesburg and the return trip a few times and have always booked straight through.
I've waited in Johannesburg for six or seven hours on layover and never had any issues.
You don't have to check your rifles in and then out again.
Make sure they put labels on that are for your final destination and check them before your bags disappear on the conveyor.

 

[autofire]

Delta has an interagency agreement with Air Botswana so they should be able to go through without being claimed. I have a 3.5 hour layover. I am concerned if I claim rifle case at SAPS I could get jerked around with Covid rules and that since I left secured airside my PCR test result will be more than 72 hours old and not valid to re enter secured side.

 

[Scott CWO]

And the same nice folks at Gracy (who I have used for two decades) are saying not to sweat my transfer. I arrive at 0400 and depart for Lusaka at 1115 on Airlink. That will be less than 8 hours and not an overnight. Keeping my fingers crossed that it works.

I just got off the phone with Bruce at Gracy Travel. He called me from JNB. He thinks it’s best to claim and recheck my bags in JNB due to the eight hour layover. He is personally meeting me and will have a safe place to keep my suitcase and gun case during the long layover. He will have my SA gun permit. About three hours before my Airlink connection, we will recheck my bags. He also said Gracy will send me a copy of the paperwork submitted to Qatar for my rifle in case someone asks for it.

He is advising me to check my bags all the way through on my way home as my layover is shorter and the pressure of having the rifle and ammo arrive at the same time are less because the hunt is over.

He mentioned that he had nine hunters arrive from the USA last week on Qatar through Doha. One guy didn’t receive his rifle and it is still in Doha. All he has been told is that there is some kind of problem between the airline, the hunter and Qatar security. The people he is communicating with will not tell him any other details. Weird. Maybe that hunter didn’t have his Qatar paperwork done in advance? Who knows?

 

[Red Leg]

I just got off the phone with Bruce at Gracy Travel. He called me from JNB. He thinks it’s best to claim and recheck my bags in JNB due to the eight hour layover. He is personally meeting me and will have a safe place to keep my suitcase and gun case during the long layover. He will have my SA gun permit. About three hours before my Airlink connection, we will recheck my bags. He also said Gracy will send me a copy of the paperwork submitted to Qatar for my rifle in case someone asks for it.

He is advising me to check my bags all the way through on my way home as my layover is shorter and the pressure of having the rifle and ammo arrive at the same time are less because the hunt is over.

He mentioned that he had nine hunters arrive from the USA last week on Qatar through Doha. One guy didn’t receive his rifle and it is still in Doha. All he has been told is that there is some kind of problem between the airline, the hunter and Qatar security. The people he is communicating with will not tell him any other details. Weird. Maybe that hunter didn’t have his Qatar paperwork done in advance? Who knows?

I'll check with Gracy as we get closer and obviously do whatever they recommend.

 

[Scott CWO]

Book it straight through to destination.
I've gone from Heathrow to Windhoek via Johannesburg and the return trip a few times and have always booked straight through.
I've waited in Johannesburg for six or seven hours on layover and never had any issues.
You don't have to check your rifles in and then out again.
Make sure they put labels on that are for your final destination and check them before your bags disappear on the conveyor.

As I said before, I claimed and rechecked in JNB due to a long layover on my way to Harare. All the other hunters with the same itinerary checked all the way through and NONE of them received their bags in Harare upon arrival at 9pm. They were not hunting with my outfitter so I have no idea when things got sorted for them.

 

[Scott CWO]

I’m in Dallas after an American Airlines flight from Denver. I’m waiting for my Qatar flight to Doha with a connection on to Joberg where I am claiming my bags during an eight hour layover before taking an Airlink flight to Maun. Qatar doesn’t have a formal bag transfer agreement with Airlink but Qatar still offered to re-tag my bags in Joberg for me since I am flying Business Class but I declined and will follow through with the original plan to claim and recheck in Joberg.

Qatar staff very friendly and helpful. If you are flying Qatar, make sure you have a generous layover. They called me to the gate desk and reviewed my COVID test. Then told me I had to leave the gate area and go out to the ticketing/check-in counter to complete the Qatar firearm paperwork. There, they made a copy of my customs Form 4457 and quizzed me about how much ammo I had and how it was packed. They watched me sign the “firearm surrender form” in person. I then had to go back through security and back to the boarding gate. Luckily I had plenty of time. If you are starting out on a different carrier, make sure you have plenty of time to deal with everything with Qatar.