Cape Point

South Africa has a couple of budget internal airlines you may not have heard of before. They have some really good specials so before you rush to use SAA or BA to get about South Africa, you should have a look at these local airlines.

First place to look for bargain flights is Mango.
The next airline we look to for specials is 1time Airline.

And the other handy and well priced local airline is Kulula.

I forget which one of them, but one of these budget airlines has a habit of making funny announcements. If you are the sort who has heard them a million times and ignore them, you may miss some unique safety announcements.

Of course you forgo your usual complementary airline meal and drink but I prefer to have something at the airport before the flight. They do sell basic food and snacks on the flight. Here are some hopefully helpful tips for long haul travelers. I am vegetarian and always book a special meal. I get my meal way before everyone else. The only thing I always do is confirm my meal when I book on-line. When I am seated on the plane I check again that my meal has been ordered. The special meal shows up with the other details on your print-out which you can show the flight attendant of there is any confusion. The reason I make extra sure they know I am expecting a vegetarian meal? Once I was told I hadn’t booked it when I knew I had and was left to go hungry. And that’s not all, someone who did not book a veg meal asked for one and when they got to me – my veg meal was gone!!!

Another I hope useful tip, is that I check in on-line as the bookings open 24 hours before. Some airlines charge to let you book earlier. Some let you choose your seat when you buy your ticket. But for most you can only check in 24 hours before. I bag myself a seat near the front so I get served and get off before the rest of the folk on the plane. And I prefer an aisle seat so I can move about without disrupting people. The best seats are those near the emergency exits. There you have extra leg room but you gotta be fast for them.

Bon voyage!