Flying from Melbourne to Johannesburg

[Sjakon]

I am flying to Johannesburg in June next year from Melbourne. I will be taking my rifle and ammunition with me. Am I better of using Qantas via Sydney or Qatar which leaves from Melbourne? Thank you for any input.

 

[BlueFlyer]

I don't think it makes any difference as far as transfering a firearm, but others might have more recent experience. But I fly out of Melbourne frequently, as now most of the utes imported into Australia are made in Thailand. I work in the automotive design industry.
My policy is if the airline does not support me by flying directly out of Melbourne then I do not support them. Why would you add an extra 4 or more hours to your flight for no gain? The aerocraft used by Qatar are probably more up to date than Qantas also. Qantas appears to have very little loyalty to its customers so why should we reciprocate.
End of rant.

 

[Sjakon]

Thank you BlueFlyer

 

[BlueFlyer]

Last point with my rant - all the policies and processes Qantas HAD to ensure safety have been elliminated for the sake of cost cutting. Its only a mater of time before they have an incident.

 

[Mark R]

The only other consideration is Qatar flight route and duration?
And yes Qantas has lost reputation and loyalty.

 

[Sjakon]

Thanks Mark

 

[Tim Blackwell]

Qantas are certainly not what they used to be.

However, last time I looked, Qatar was something like double the hours in the air. No thanks.

The other alternative is SAA out of Perth, but with them being bankrupt every other month, and WA being so anti-gun, it looks like I'll be stuck with Qantas for a while yet....

 

[chashardy]

Be sure you have all the many pages of paperwork and permits required by Australia and Qantas for your rifle. On my buffalo hunt last year I had all kinds of useless nonsense to get my rifle cleared to return to the US. In my opinion, Australia and Qantas are not hunter friendly.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

Be sure you have all the many pages of paperwork and permits required by Australia and Qantas for your rifle. On my buffalo hunt last year I had all kinds of useless nonsense to get my rifle cleared to return to the US. In my opinion, Australia and Qantas are not hunter friendly.

He's talking about getting out of Australia, not into. It's a relatively simple permit process for us.

 

[deewayne2003]

Qantas are certainly not what they used to be.

However, last time I looked, Qatar was something like double the hours in the air. No thanks.

The other alternative is SAA out of Perth, but with them being bankrupt every other month, and WA being so anti-gun, it looks like I'll be stuck with Qantas for a while yet....

Agreed on Qantas!.... I flew Qantas in 2019 DFW - SYD and in 2023 DFW-MEL and Qantas was unrecognizable, their quality of service had plummeted.

Now having said that I flew DFW-JHB with Qatar in July and it was one of the worst flights I've had; and I will not be using Qatar again unless I have a Q-Suite.

 

[Tintin]

@Sjakon I've flown Qantas MEL-SYD-JNB the last 2 years. As others have said, I'm not necessarily a fan of Qantas - and always look for better options. Have had bad experiences with them in recent times - twice they have cancelled my bookings (confirmed and paid for) without telling me - only discovered when I went to check in.

These were not flight cancellations - they just cancelled my booking. Hours of agro on the phone from overseas to get sorted - last thing you want to deal with at the end of a trip. These were NZ flights, not SYD-JNB.

The timing of their SYD-JNB fliight (depart ~0930) means, in my experience, it is very high risk to try and get the first MEL-SYD flight of the day and try to make the connection with firearms.

So that means going to SYD the day prior and staying overnight - all a bit of a hassle.

I allowed 3 hours at SYD (having flown up the day prior) this year, and didn't have much time to spare. AFP can take a long time based on my recent experience.

But - if you go Qatar, you'll cop a stopover anyway - and my thinking was to cop the stopover here in Aus - rather than Doha with firearm / ammo.

The Qantas SYD-JNB-SYD flights were OK - and no real issues. Got a business seat with points last year - that was very good. Just be aware that some of their cheap fares don't allow points upgrades - yet another bit of airline skulduggery.

 

[Hunter4752001]

You need to check the luggage allowance and dangerous goods policies of each of the airlines your considering. With Qantas its pretty seamless. Firearms have to be in a separate locked case and as a consequence they allow an extra case providing you're within the overall weight limit. Virgin is the partner to SAA. Last time I enquired they also required the firearm in a separate case but charged for extra luggage. Last time I returned from Africa the Virgin manager at Perth was distinctly anti, tried to charge extra for everything and delay me as much as possible even though it was the final leg of a return flight.
ps whichever way you choose, allow plenty of time between connecting flights to cater with unexpected hangups.

 

[Tintin]

@Hunter4752001 good point on the baggage - Qantas Economy includes 1 x 23kg bag + 1 x 23kg rifle case.

 

[Mark R]

@Hunter4752001 good point on the baggage - Qantas Economy includes 1 x 23kg bag + 1 x 23kg rifle case.

I haven’t found that to be the case. Usually they have allowed the extra guncase as long as both don’t exceed 23kg.

 

[Sjakon]

Qantas are certainly not what they used to be.

However, last time I looked, Qatar was something like double the hours in the air. No thanks.

The other alternative is SAA out of Perth, but with them being bankrupt every other month, and WA being so anti-gun, it looks like I'll be stuck with Qantas for a while yet....

Hi Tim. Good to hear from you. Qatar has quite a layover in Doha as well. If going from Melbourne and transit in Sydney with Qantas would I only need to clear border force in Melbourne?

 

[Tintin]

I haven’t found that to be the case. Usually they have allowed the extra guncase as long as both don’t exceed 23kg.

Hey Mark - Interesting - flights in both directions for me and a mate this year, we both had 1 piece baggage + 1 rifle hard case, combined weight well over 23kg - from memory 20kg + each item.

Might be a dice roll as to who is serving on the day

Mark

 

[Sjakon]

Looks like Melb Joburg on Qatar is probably the best option from everything I read. I tried transiting in Sydney airport hotel overnight once and it was rather a hassle. Thanks all the advice. Greatly appreciated.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

@Hunter4752001 good point on the baggage - Qantas Economy includes 1 x 23kg bag + 1 x 23kg rifle case.

Qantas international is 30kg total maximum, unless you pre-purchase more. They don't work 'per-piece' as many do nowadays.

 

[Tim Blackwell]

Hi Tim. Good to hear from you. Qatar has quite a layover in Doha as well. If going from Melbourne and transit in Sydney with Qantas would I only need to clear border force in Melbourne?

Hi mate
Qantas Melbourne to Sydney is simply a domestic flight.
You will need to clear Border Force & customs in Sydney, which is the port of international departure.

We overnight at the Rydges Sydney hotel airport at the international terminal (#3.) That makes it easy.

Qatar is an extra 9 hours of air time, plus a 3.5 hour stop in Doha. For me, that's enough to say no thanks, and stick with Qantas, Sydney direct to Joburg. I still think it's the best option currently.

Cheers
Tim