Kulula - What Are They Like?

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

We are just about to book our domestic flights with Kulula (JNB-CPT-JNB). I was wondering if they have a good reputation and what their service is like on-board?

Thanks
BAe 146-100

[B Sousa]

Being a member of the South African Self Loading Freight Association, I can say after doing Kulula a couple times that its a good ride and is competetive. Nationwide and all the other carriers work also. If you plan ahead you can get cheap prices on most.
I used them as I needed last minute flights between JNB and CPT. No complaints at all.....
Its a couple of hour flight, what service do you need......Bring your own peanuts. Comfortable as any and just as clean.
In fact if you need to rent a car through them, good rates, but that is also a plan ahead as they didnt have many...

www.kulula.com

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply B Sousa :ok:, they sound like a nice airline!

BAe 146-100

[PAXboy]

I confirm Sousa's comments. I did two sectors with Kulula on my last trip. One on the old 727 and one on the new 734, both sectors were JNB ~ CPT (don't ask).

All fine and dandy, reasonable service and prices.

[planecrazi]

Just did a flight with them 3 days ago and it was fantansic. Excellent humour within the briefings, makes you listen a little more. Casual wear for the crew, jeans, windbreakers, although all clothing is Kulula designer wear. Makes you feel over dressed in a T-Shirt and more relaxed.

I enjoyed the boarding announcement for all the "superheroes", passengers in this case, to board the super duper easy peezy flight.

No complaints, I will definately do it again:D

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Thanks for your comments, I was wondering if Kulula has a in-flight magazine?

Thanks :)
BAe 146-100

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Just heard this on Airliners.net:

Kulula.com , South Africa LCC is to buy 4 MD-82 to replace the 737-400 on dometic services. The MD-80 are reportedly very cheap to buy and cheaper to operate than the 734....

Can anyone confirm this?

BAe 146-100

[bradnie]

who is doing their maintenance

[Rotates Lowly]

Probably Safair, who's already doing the maintenance on the majority of the B737 fleet.

[126,7]

Doesnt Safair also own a couple of MD80s? They were flying on lease somewhere in Europe and I wouldnt be surprised if these are their aircraft.

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

Doesnt Safair also own a couple of MD80s? They were flying on lease somewhere in Europe and I wouldnt be surprised if these are their aircraft

Yes, Safair operates 7 MD-80's (5 MD-82's and 2 MD-81's).

BAe 146-100

[RUDAS]

Kulula is a good no frills airline.They operate ex BA 737-400s and are doing extremely well in the local market.After SAA they operate the newest equipment domestically.Sounds like you made a good choice BAe146

[V1 Rotate]

I flew Kalula in August, just to make a change from SAA. Flight was OK......... but they double debited my credit card when I made the internet booking.
After repeated phone calls and Emails to the " Super Heroes" They have still failed to rectify this. Nor does there seem to be anyone capable of dealing with the problem.

Would have been cheaper to go SAA and have some frills.

Wont use Kalula again.......

V1

:( :( :(

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

V1 Rotate, did you pay online using a US credit card?

BAe 146-100

[B Sousa]

V1. Another friend also had the same problem. I will have to check and see if his was ironed out......Internet in SA is so very slow.
If your in the states all you have to do is call the Credit card company and explain. They should not charge you..........If you have a good Credit Card Company.
I have no problem buying anything over the internet. It seems the best way to get what you want......and avoid state tax (in the states)

[BAe 146-100]

Hi,

SA's cheapest airline, kulula.com, is to buy its own fleet of aircraft, in a move it says will slash the company's operating costs 30%.

The investment, which could be worth as much as R100m, would not affect ticket prices, commercial director Gidon Novick said yesterday. "In fact, it will help us keep prices low," he said.

Novick said the strength of the rand was one of two factors that had combined to provide a good environment in which to make the investment, which would be dollar-denominated.

The other was the fact that the slump in the global airline industry had seen several airlines scaling down their operations, leading to an oversupply of commercial aircraft in the market.

Kulula intended replacing its leased fleet of four Boeing 737 aircraft with four used McDonnell Douglas MD82 aircraft to operate its five domestic routes in SA. Although the plan was to buy the aircraft, leasing was still an option, Novick said.

Either way, operating costs would fall as the MD82s were more efficient than the Boeings. He said the 30% drop was a conservative estimate.

Source: allAfrica.com (http://allafrica.com/stories/200309300068.html)

BAe 146-100

[126,7]

They wouldn't take my European card, so I had to dig out my still-valid SA card. Funny thing that, I thought a credit card was a credit card and all had the same function....??!!

[V1 Rotate]

Guys, thanks for the advice on the Kalula credit card story. I did use an SA Amex Card, and quite right, I can probably get Amex to reverse the charge.
I just thought I would give Kalula a chance to do it themselves first.
I wonder how many times this happens? It has never happened to me before and I book a lot of tickets on line. Could it be peculiar to Kalula?
I shall not use them again, they completly failed to rectify the problem and I certainly don't think they live up to their own decription of " Super Heroes".

V1 Rotate
:( :{ :suspect: :sad: :*

[B Sousa]

V1....Never give up on a credit card problem. If they owe you money its just a matter of getting to the right person. Im sure they will rectify the matter. We can search the employee roster until we get to someone with authority and smarts enough to handle it all.....Providing you have all the documentation....
Solving problems is a hobby of mine. I also create quite a few......ha ha
Email is good if you want to drop a line...

[planecrazi]

They didn't take my international card too, however they asked for the email address and then they faxed a form to be filled out and completed with a signiture, and everything would be OK.

I managed to con my brother into using his local card and it worked, we flew!:p

[Goldfish Jack]

Comair, like many other companies in South Africa, not only aviation related, have been targeted by overseas crime syndicates that use stolen foreign credit cards to make, then cancel transactions immediately, and take the money, before the card owner knows his card is missing.

It is not only aviation companies that have been targeted like this.

A simple phone call to Comair, like I made, ensured all the answers to my queries in this regard, as I also had a friend from the UK try and use his card.

When you operate on such thin profit margins, you cannot afford to lose a lot of money to (overseas) credit card scams.

10/10 to Comair for being cautious.

[PAXboy]

I think you will find that most countries now insist on their 'own' plastic. US carriers insist on US plastic. Amusingly, earlier this year, I was in NYC and needed to book a new flight on BA. I offerred my AmEx BA card and it was refused because it was UK based. I was told to telephone Newcastle call centre and book that way. This - when I was standing at a BA ticket desk holding a BA credit card and a BA Exec Club card!

As to getting your money back. If you have the original statement, confirmation details and some documentary evidence that you took the flight as part of an itinerary - then put it all in writing to AmEx. As per usual, keep copies of everything.

Earlier this year, it took AmEx about three months to sort out fraudulent use of one of my cards but they did it and with good grace. The fraud, amusingly, was done in a Cape Town Holiday Inn and was for car hire. The card was copied whilst behind the check-out desk.

My bookings for Kulula were done in the country at the ticket desk. They would not accept my UK cards on their phone lines. I had to go to a desk (at JNB) and show my passport as well.

No big sweat, I would use them again but timing might rule them out, if I had to book before leaving the UK.

[V1 Rotate]

Goldfish Jack,

I don't think they are exactly operating on thin profit margins when they debitted my Amex card twice for one ticket !

On top of this they have no competent staff capable of addressing the problem, so they are obviously saving in that department too!

You don't have to do much double debiting to send your profit through the roof.

The amount they lifted from me was only a thousand rand, but it is bad business when you wont address it ! This is what has pissed me off with them. I don't want any more of their "Super Heroes" **** either. I just want my money back and an apology from them.

V1 Rotate
:} :} :} :}

[REAL ORCA]

Maybe you should take up Bert's offer to sort it out for you!
They probably call you a "super hero" because you paid twice-just joking!:}

[planecrazi]

V1 Rotate- you didn'nt know the "Enter button had more than one meaning when you hit the button twice!!!":O

[B Sousa]

V1. I wrote the book on Pilot Whining, so I dont want anyone whining more than me. If you are in Boulder Colorado. Give me a call 702-242-0233 and we can work on the problem......

[md80forum]

Kulula.com , South Africa LCC is to buy 4 MD-82 to replace the 737-400 on dometic services. The MD-80 are reportedly very cheap to buy and cheaper to operate than the 734....
Yup. This info has been in several South African business papers. I have the links on my MD-80 website (http://www.md80.net/yabbse/index.php?board=13;action=display;threadid=537).