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You Know You Are In Africa When.....

African Aviation Regional issues that affect the numerous pilots who work in this area of the world.

You Know You Are In Africa When.....

Old 16th Aug 2017, 12:11
  #761 (permalink)  
 
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4 Runner
Please do tell as I have done a lot of flying in and around africa on african carriers, and your description does not quite live up to my personel experiance. However if you have found this holy grale of an African crewed and owned carrier please let us know, please post in SLF as well as I am sure some of the cabin would like to know as well.
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Old 16th Aug 2017, 19:43
  #762 (permalink)  
 
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You fly across 3 continents on 2 different airlines to get to Africa. On both of these "flag" carriers, the cabin crew are fat, rude, uneducated, slovenly and bitter. Upon reaching Africa, you breathe a breath of fresh air. All of "your" cabin crew speak at least 3 languages, are university graduates, fit, trim, attractive, pleasant, grateful and an absolute pleasure to travel the world with.
From my own experience that description could be of any one or more of:
Air Mauritius
Air Seychelles
Kenya Airways
Ethiopian Airlines.

They're all delightful and in marked contrast to the crap service on airlines in the US and some of the worst in Europe (you know who they are).
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 07:30
  #763 (permalink)  
 
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Cazalet33
I have flown on all but one (Air Seychelles being the missing one). Spent a lot of time on Kenyan and Ethiopian with mixed experiances though I would agree with you about the service as compared with any US carrier and the "worlds ex favourite airline" which I think you may have been alluding to. However both have had issues in the past with incidents (wrong airport landed by Ethiopian - Arusha I beleive) and lost hulls, so though service maybe ok some piloting could be questionable.

Air Mauritius I have used on a couple of occasions, but found them to be poor in comparison with the competition they have on their routes into their home base. I always do struggle with the concept of Maurtius being an African country (but I do acknowledge you are correct on that point).
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 10:30
  #764 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Cazalet33
From my own experience that description could be of any one or more of:
Air Mauritius
Air Seychelles
Kenya Airways
Ethiopian Airlines.

They're all delightful and in marked contrast to the crap service on airlines in the US and some of the worst in Europe (you know who they are).
Absolutely agree. I live in Nairobi, and use KQ all the time. An absolute delight to fly. ET have been good the last couple of times I used them, too. I don't know the others. But given the choice between BA/AF/LH/KL, or KQ, from Nairobi to Europe, I'll fly KQ every time. Sure, from Kenya to anywhere in west Africa (Bamako, Dakar, Ougadoudu, etc), every now and again you get to ride one of the 15-year old 'chicken bus' 73-7s. But most of their fleet is now renewed - 78-8, ERJ190, 737-8.
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 11:36
  #765 (permalink)  
 
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rcsa
Good to hear your positive comments re Kenyan as East / Central and West Africa is not my patch anymore, so my time there was late 90,s through to about 2007. Spent quite while on old ex KLM 737 100 & 200 on the routes you quoted, but used to use BA on flights back to UK, as they had two flights a day at that time morning and evening as I recall. Also I think BA had some interrnal flights within East Africa at that time also on 737.
With regards to European legacy V Kenyan, AF is on my no fly list, as is BA, and LH do not operate into Nairobi and have not done so for somtime apart from Cargo flights. However I use them quite a bit elsewhere in the world and find them quite good. I have no recent experiance of KLM but wife used to use them to Vancouver on Business and had no complaints apart from A/C was old MD11 at that time.
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 11:43
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If Air Mauritius is included as 'African', can I nominate an airline that is based on an island a little closer to the mainland of Africa?

Air Austral

Yes, I have travelled as SLF with both airlines.
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 13:56
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Originally Posted by gearlever
... the friendly porter welcomed her with a smile and the typical "JAMBO, JAMBO" . Hosty replied: "No no, Airbus"
I seem to remenber that back in the days when EAA operated the VC-10, the welcoming PA included something like 'welcome aboard this East African Airways Jambo Jet'
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Old 17th Aug 2017, 18:28
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Evening, Mr Mac. Good to hear from an old Africa hand. BA now have one flight a day from NBO to LHR. LH started flying FRA - NBO again four (I think) times a week earlier this year - and Condor still fly to Mombasa. KL are fun and fine, and you get to fly on a 74 (for a little longer), and in C class you still get the sip of gin in a model of an Amsterdam house.

KQ had some shocking issues with cancelled/delayed flights in the late naughties, but seem to have up-ed their game a lot recently. The BA internal east africa flights were, I recall, run by a BA badged sub-contractor, Comair, who still fly BA-liveried 73s in Southern Africa but have pulled out of East Africa altogether.
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Old 18th Aug 2017, 01:54
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You know you're in Africa when.....you are genuinely shocked that the AME actually checks your blood pressure!
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Old 18th Aug 2017, 01:56
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You also know you are in Africa when.......the airfield doesn't have any runway lights so you taxi your aircraft to the threshold and turn on all you turn on your nav and strobes to indicate the threshold and landing lights to illuminate the runway so that your buddy can land..
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Old 18th Aug 2017, 07:50
  #771 (permalink)  
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The BA internal east africa flights were, I recall, run by a BA badged sub-contractor, Comair, who still fly BA-liveried 73s in Southern Africa but have pulled out of East Africa altogether.

You walk into a casino wearing shorts and a t-shirt and security ask if you have any side arms to check in. The following day, you find that your connecting flight out of Port Elizabeth is a B727 in full BA livery.
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Old 18th Aug 2017, 11:13
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rcsa
Did not realise LH were back into Nairobi, thought they were only cargo MD11 on the Frankfurt - Joburg v NBO route, used to meet their crew in Serena Hotel on ocassions. If I had to come down there I would look at using them to avoid LHR as northern UK based - in theory, as I go fishing at Hemingways Malindi some times in the winter. You are correct the BA 737 were Comair as I now re call, I think they may have packed up in about 2004 as I do not remember seeing them after that. As for KL and Delph pottery Gin houses, I think my wife has a street in her study - all still full as well !
Just noted that LH are operating A340-300 on the service. My experiance of that model of 340 is not great, would think it will be quite a long take off role from Nairobi with altitude and outside temps at certain times of the year. Have heard many jokes about the climbing rate, some suggestions about the curviture of the planet being involved !

Last edited by Mr Mac; 18th Aug 2017 at 13:40.
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Old 19th Aug 2017, 05:46
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RwandAir and Ethiopian.
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Old 26th Aug 2017, 00:05
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No offense taken

KAG, I am from Africa, and I can assure you this type of things happen, even in the more "civilized" countries of Africa- North- The people their dont realize that what they are doing is out of the Ordinary, and this thread will "Hopefully-" make them feel so.
We had to renew the license of our engineer - we are a flying school- who forgot to renew three months prior to that, so the CAA renewed it without a type. and asked that he attends a type training organised by them , and to pay a fee for that which we did.
Then they complained that they dont have anyone qualified for this type, their solution was to ask us to prepare the curriculum and the test, send it to them and take the test their.. which we did.. after taking the written test and pass, they asked for an Oral test.. and when confronted that the guy is signing off this kind of A/C for the past 20 years. they said that experience alone is not enough and training has to be provided by the CAA!!!
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Old 18th Sep 2017, 15:41
  #775 (permalink)  

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You just know you're in Africa

When:

You're on a VVIP charter in Nigeria from your base in the South to pick up a "principal" in the far North East.

En route you stop at a mid belt airport for fuel (having contacted them previously to confirm availability).

Having done the usual dance with Customs, Immigration and the SSS you walk back towards your aircraft and watch a diesel tanker draw up. Just in time you prevent the rather indignant bowser operator refuelling.

When you ask the Airport Manager to explain why he told you there was fuel he looks surprised, asks you "What is your problem ?" and tells you they do !
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Old 18th Sep 2017, 16:07
  #776 (permalink)  
 
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If you flew a proper plane ( Russian) you'd have run it on Diesel.
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Old 19th Sep 2017, 15:50
  #777 (permalink)  

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Quality Aircraft, Quality Fuel

Nuff said.
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Old 27th Sep 2017, 19:49
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You guys mentioning East African Airways brings up a memeory.

Years ago I was ops manager and f/o for a little Convair passenger airline based in Ohio in the US. Our chief flight attendant was retired from Delta (very attractive, left to get married/divorced, drove a Porsche. I was in puppy love).

She told me about flying with a girlfriend into Kenya to go on safari, riding on a 707. When the flightdeck crew found out there were two attractive Delta f/as on board the girls were invited up front to see the office. Naturally this led to occupying the jumpseat for the rest of the flight and landing in Nairobi with drinks in hand.
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Old 2nd Oct 2017, 08:33
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Surely standard procedure on most airlines in those days
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Old 17th Oct 2017, 14:02
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Red face Do dogs have souls?

Port Harcourt. Taking four soldiers and two army dogs out to a flowstation. On lifting tell the ATC 'lifting with seven souls (ie: me the soldiers and the two dogs) on board' Then followed long and heated argument with ATC as to whether dogs have souls'.

That's the problem with now living in Cheltenham. Its all so orderly and civilised. I could do with some African chaos now and then.
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