Oriental,
I don't think airlines select new routes on the basis of how nice the layovers will be. It's a business, not a travel agent, and the fact is that there is A LOT of money to be made in Africa. 7 of the World's ten fastest growing economies are African and the continent is outpacing Asia. And yet our esteemed leaders appear never to have even heard of the place. Either that or they're scared of the place, but surely it couldn't be that!
Oh, and Emirates apparently starting a freighter service to Harare.
Personally I think we should add some frequencies to LA......
