Top hubs for SA travellers
FINDING the best routing
for clients to the Far
East, Europe, Africa,
US and South America is a
challenge for travel agents,
who need to take several
factors into consideration.
Agents need to factor
in price, time between
connections, and the final
destination.
Monique Lindeque, senior
consultant at XL Bedfordview
Travel, says price is the
main consideration for
leisure travellers, who are
not too concerned about
which airline they fly with.
They also want the quickest
possible connection to their
final destination.
The Far East
Although it does depend
where travellers are headed
in the Far East, the most
popular routings according
to agents are via Hong
Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and
Singapore.
Stuart Kirkbright,
international travel
consultant at Sure Voyager
Travel in Durban, favours
Singapore because of its
many onward connections
and wide selection of
carriers.
However, he concedes
that Dubai and Abu Dhabi
have the cheapest fares
and shortest layovers. “It
just makes more sense
to book Emirates which
has four flights a day into
Johannesburg, two into
Cape Town and one into
Durban daily, which is
an added advantage for
our coastal clientele. At
Dubai International Airport,
passengers with a four-hour
or more layover get a free
meal, there are children’s
activities and religious needs
are catered for. There’s also
a well-priced hotel in the
airport.”
UAE countries offer very
reasonable fares and
business- and first-class
passengers get free spa
treatments in the lounges at
Dubai Airport, says Monique.
Hong Kong provides easy
connections to Far East
destinations and to some
North American destinations,
says Mo Jenkins, front office
manager at XL Michelle’s
Travel. Rod Rutter, XL Travel
coo, agrees. “We use Hong
Kong for much of our Japan
traffic, and it also offers
shorter flying times to US
west coast destinations such
as LA and San Francisco.”
Sian Roediger, sales
executive at Sure Bleeker
Travel, routes travellers to
China via Hong Kong or
Dubai because of Emirates’
convenient frequencies.
USA
The most popular hubs for
South Africans in the US
are New York’s JFK – the
main gateway to the US –
Washington, Boston and
Atlanta (although some
don’t like it).
For David Barron, md
of Sure Link Travel in
Claremont, Cape Town,
New York is the primary US
hub used by his agents.
“Many of our clients fly into
JFK or Boston via Dubai
because of the good fares
on Emirates. JFK offers the
widest choice of airlines
and connections and is
very user friendly.”
Since the AirTrain was
introduced at JFK to ferry
passengers between
terminals, JFK has
improved significantly, says
Sian. Rod points out the
great connections from
Frankfurt to New York.
“Atlanta is also a significant
hub that rarely becomes
snowbound in winter.”
Mel Tester, branch
manager at Pentravel
Hillcrest, likes flying
clients on Delta to Atlanta
as the hub offers so
many connecting flights.
“If clients miss their
connection, they can just
take a later flight. Flying
on SAA to the US is also
great as they have two
direct routes into major
hubs (JFK and Washington).
Connections from both
these airports are good as
there are so many flight
options.”
Mo says Washington,
New York and Atlanta are
the most popular hubs as
they offer a more direct
routing from South Africa
(although SAA does have
a fuel stop in Dakar).
“There are also competitive
discounted fares flying with
the Middle Eastern carriers
or via Europe. Etihad and
Emirates, both five-star
carriers, offer businessclass
fares to the US that
are often half the price of
other well-known carriers.
Europe
The most popular European
hubs are Frankfurt,
Munich, London, Paris and
Amsterdam, say agents.
With direct flights on
Lufthansa from South Africa
to Frankfurt and Munich,
these destinations make
sense for South Africans,
says Stuart. He adds that
both destinations offer
excellent facilities and
seamless connections, and
that their terminals are
close together. “Another
advantage is that you don’t
need an additional visa when
transiting, such as [you do]
when transiting into Europe
from the UK,” he says.
Rod finds Turkey is an
excellent hub from which to
access the Middle East and
Eastern Europe, especially
Russia and Uzbekistan.
“Turkish Airlines flies to
more destinations than any
other carrier in the world
and Istanbul offers great
shopping.”
For Western Europe, Rod
recommends Turkish Airlines,
Etihad or Emirates, which
offer great prices, modern
aircraft and good frequencies.
Sian is a fan of Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol, which has
one terminal, is efficient and
allows for easy transiting.
Monique likes using
Schiphol and Charles de
Gaulle as KLM and Air France
have good connections.
“We also use Munich and
Frankfurt when booking SAA,
and London is a good hub
when you’re flying to a country
that doesn’t require a UK visa
when transiting, such as the
US or Australia.”
For Mo, Amsterdam, Paris
and Frankfurt are the primary
European hubs used by her
agents. “We like the flexibility
Air France KLM offers where
you can fly in on KLM and
fly out on Air France, or fly
in and out of the same hub.
Schiphol is a lovely airport
and KLM allows one to buy
a discounted economy-class
fare and then upgrade your
seat to economy comfort
class. We also use KLM for
passengers transiting from
the US, as the airline offers a
daylight flight to South Africa,
so passengers can connect in
the morning and be home by
evening.
Africa
Agents say the best hubs
in Africa are Kenya, Ethiopia
and Egypt, with SAA also
flying direct to many African
destinations. Agents like
Kenya Airways and Ethiopian
Airlines for their good
connections in Africa and
to the Middle East, and use
Egypt as a hub to Europe
because of the great fares
offered by EgyptAir.
South America
The best way to access
South America is to fly
direct to São Paulo on SAA.
The continent can also be
reached via Dubai and from
several European hubs.
Did you know?
As South Africans with a US visa transferring though to Heathrow
no longer require a transfer visa for the UK, flying via London to the
US has become an attractive option. British Airways’ joint venture
with American Airlines and US Airways gives South African transfer
customers a wide choice of connections and gateways into the US.
AF, KLM add services
KLM launched daily services
to Belfast in Northern
Ireland, Montpellier in
France and Krakow in
Poland on May 18 via its
Amsterdam hub. It also
launched three weekly
frequencies between
Amsterdam and Edmonton
in Canada.
Air France launched five
weekly direct services
between Paris and
Vancouver on March 29.
Top tips
Book onward
connections with
the same carrier on
a single PNR rather
than booking a lowcost
carrier
to save a client
R300. By booking
on the same
PNR, if a flight is
delayed and the
passenger misses
their connection,
the airline will book
the passenger
on a later flight
at no additional
cost. However,
if passengers
are booked on a
low-cost carrier
and miss their
connection, they will
have to buy another
ticket.
Book connecting
flights a minimum
of two-and-a-half to
three hours after
the scheduled
arrival of a longhaul
flight as flights
can be delayed and
immigration can
hold up passengers.
Give transiting
passengers three
hours between
connections at
Charles De Gaulle
airport.
Give transiting
passengers flying
into Atlanta from
abroad three-and-ahalf
hours between
connections as
immigration can be
a long process.
The worst hubs,
according to agents
JOHANNESBURG is probably
the worst hub because of
the amount of luggage that
goes missing, says Stuart
Kirkbright. “Also trying to
catch a connection when
your plane has been delayed
can be stressful as it’s
time consuming to get from
domestic arrivals to the
international departures hall.”
Stuart also avoids Atlanta in
high season. “The airport is
so vast and the immigration
process hectic. If you book
a connecting flight two hours
after arrival of the first flight,
you’re guaranteed to miss
your connection. However,
we book many US west
coast trips via Atlanta as the
connections from SFO and
LAX/LAS through Atlanta are
good for onward travel back to
Johannesburg.”
Sian Roediger says people
dislike Chicago as a hub
because the airport is so busy.
Coming soon…
Singapore Airlines will launch its Premium Economy class from
August 9. Customers travelling on selected flights from
Singapore to Sydney will experience the new cabin class first. It
will then be progressively introduced on other sectors, including
Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, London, Mumbai, New
York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Zurich in the latter part of this year
and early 2016. The airline has no plans to introduce Premium
Economy on the South African route at this stage. All passengers
travelling on Singapore Airlines from South Africa and transiting
through Singapore’s Changi Airport receive a Changi Dollar
Voucher worth S$40 (about R360) to spend at Changi Airport
until March 31, 2016. Half the voucher can be used at retail,
food and service outlets in the transit area or redeemed for onetime
access to the Ambassador Lounge for two hours. The other
S$20 can be used to buy liquor, perfume or cosmetics.
En rout to the East?
ONLY four hours from
Johannesburg, Mauritius as
a hub to the Far East and
Australia is hard to beat
with the best flying times to
Perth (7h35), Kuala Lumpur
(7h10), Hong Kong (9h45), and
Mumbai (6h10), says Wouter
Nel, Air Mauritius sales and
marketing manager: Southern
Africa.
Air Mauritius offers a free
stopover in Mauritius on all
non-connecting flights to
and from South Africa. The
stopover includes return airport
transfers, one night’s four-star
hotel accommodation and
selected meals.
The new passenger
terminal, which opened at Sir
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
International Airport in
September 2013, offers great
duty-free shopping, a variety
of restaurants and airport
lounges.
The award-winning Amedee
Maingard Lounge is available
to business-class and elite
Kestrel Flyer members.
It has a children’s play
area and is also available to
economy-class passengers
for MUR2 000 (R688). Any
passenger with a boarding
pass can also relax at the
ATOL lounge. Workstations with
high-speed Internet and free
WiFi are available throughout
the terminal, and the airport is
wheelchair friendly.
Did you know?
The Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre offers free transfers to and from OR Tambo Airport. The hotel recently introduced a ‘Recharge Package’, which offers travellers with lengthy stopovers the opportunity to catch up on sleep or work at the quiet exclusive Silverbirch wing of the property. Aside from free transfers the package also includes a R100 Mangwanani Spa voucher.
New terminal for Changi Airport
THE new passenger
Terminal 4 at Singapore’s
Changi Airport is scheduled
for completion in 2017.
The terminal has a
planned capacity of
16 million passenger
movements a year. Among
the new features will be
self-service kiosks and
bag drop-offs that will be
introduced on a large scale;
biometric technologies will
facilitate a faster, more
seamless travel experience;
Singapore’s heritage will
be showcased in the retail
zone; and the departure
boarding pier will have
relaxed seating areas along
a boulevard of trees.
For the kids A BABYCARE Lounge
has opened at Schiphol
Amsterdam Airport where
parents can take care
of their babies in private
– bath and feed them
and let them sleep in
one of seven bed cabins
provided. The lounge is
open from 06h00-10h00
daily.
Free WiFi is available
throughout the airport and
there’s a paid high-speed
Internet option. There
are also Internet centres
throughout the airport.
A free Schiphol App
provides real-time flight
information and a personal
travel planner. Passengers
can sms or email their
flight information, and
reserve a Schiphol Travel
Taxi from within the app.
Air France introduces new menu
AIR France has introduced
Asian à la carte meal
options for its long-haul La
Première and business-class
passengers. Dishes can be
booked from 90 days to 24
hours before departure.
At Paris Charles de Gaulle
Airport, Air France’s satellite
S4 in terminal 2E offers Air
France and SkyTeam longhaul
passengers 6 000 sqm
of space with shops, bars,
restaurants and a museum
area that exhibits original
works from Paris museums. At
Air France’s S4 airport lounge,
the largest in its network,
guests can relax on loungers,
enjoy fine French cuisine and
spa treatments, and book
or change flights or seating.
There’s also a VIP area for
groups or delegations.
