Here is the final installment in my report...
After saying goodbye to Proppy at the Johannesburg airport we are on our way home. Sad to be leaving so soon, and wishing we had stayed longer.
We get through the Joburg airport with no problem and plenty of time to get to our gate.
Then we get to Dubai and change planes with no problem. We are on our Emerites flight from Dubai to Seattle and the plane pushes back from the gate and then it stops. After about 20 minutes of nothing, the Captain comes on the PA and says there is heavy air traffic today and we are going to be delayed another 40 minutes. Oh well, what's another hour added to an already 14hr flight. We have about 2.5 hr layover in Seattle before our flight to Alaska, and I am not concerned since our luggage is checked all the way through to Alaska, all we should have to do is clear passport control and find our AK Air gate.
We land in Seattle just over an hour late. We had a screaming baby most of the and no one got any real sleep. As we are disembarking the plane I over hear an Emerites customer service agent at the door of the airplane say my name to one of the flight attendants... Well this can't be good...
The customer service explains to me that we do not have time to make our connecting flight because of the time required to get through passport control, but they have booked us on a later flight. I respond with "you mean we don't have time to make our connecting flight because Emerites is over an hour late". He sheepishly agrees and says "we also have another problem. We need you to clear your firearm though customs and then recheck it in at the Emerites counter again" Now I am grumpy....I stop and look at this guy almost not believing what he is telling me. I respond with "are you FU**ING kidding me? Emerites checked it all the way through to Anchorage and assured me that this would not be a problem."
His response is "Yes sir, but some times our people do not always understand the local rules". Now I am pissed...
But holding my temper I say "are you are telling me that an Emerites check in agent AND her supervisor, who have an Emerites computer in front of them, do not know what Emerites local rules are??"
The customer service guy looks like he doesn't like his job much right now.
I think about it for a second, and tell him "I am not going to pick it up. We are going to head to our gate and they can just forward it to me at home later"
Customer service guy gets on his cell phone as he is following us to passport control. Just before we enter passport control he stops me and says "Sir, if you don't clear your firearm through customs they are not going to let you board your connecting flight". Well SH**....
Fine. We clear passport control and the Customer Service guy meets us again at the CBP desk where my rifle case is waiting. Then Customer Service guy tells me that my son left his Kindle in the seat back on the aircraft, but Emerites will bring it out to the counter area when we re-check our luggage. Urggh... Thank You...
On to clear my rifle... get to the Customs desk and point out my rifle case to the CPB agent. He waves to some other Agents at the next desk at over and all of of suddenly it's "training day". OMG!...
CPB Agent asks me if I have any paper work for the firearm. Now I am super grumpy, so I hand him the stack of South Africa 520 paperwork...hehehe. He looks through it all and then hands it to the trainees and there is lots of whispering and obvious confusion...hehehe. Finally he says to "do you have a CBP 4457 form for this rifle"? My response "Yes sir I do. Why didn't you just ask for that the first time"?
I hand him my 4457 and he has me open my gun case and take out the rifle, then each of the "trainees" verify the serial number on the 4457 with the serial number on the rifle...
We finally get to the Emerites Counter outside security and an Emerites luggage handler brings our suitcase and rifle case up to the counter. They also have my son's Kindle that he left on the plane. An Emerites manager gives us our new flight itinerary for the Anchorage flight and also gives us a $40.00 food voucher so we can get something to eat while we wait for the new flight. I give the manager an earful something like this like this...
"I really do not care if I need to pick up my firearm and recheck it for International flights, if that is the Emerites policy. As long as Emerites is upfront and tells me that, I can plan for it and it's not a big deal. But when they tell me that it's all checked through when it's really not, that is a problem. Especially when it's happens twice, and the second time is your own people!" I don't think it accomplished anything except to make me feel better, but I doubt they will change their practices.
Emerites really has excellent customer service compared to many other airlines, and I would not hesitate to fly with them again, Without my rifle! They obviously need to get a better handle on their firearms policy as relates to International connections. My recommendation to anyone traveling overseas with a firearm on Emerites is: Make plans to re-check your firearms when leaving or entering the United States, regardless of what they may tell you.
At the end of the day, we made it home and all was well.
All the folks at Pawprint and Flintbeck were OUTSTANDING and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone wanting an African adventure. Pieter has worked hard at making Africa affordable for the average guy to go and have a good time.
We are looking forward to hunting with Pawprint Safaris again in the future!!