JNB Connection Time / SAA
On the fence about keeping this post going/bump v. new thread since my originating and final destination airports are different but the root question "enough connection time in JNB?" is still the same.
Scene:
December 2011
Mr & Mrs. jsnydcsa and two small (in Dec. 2011, 3 year old, 1 year old) kids. Tons of luggage (we're muling over stuff for Father Christmas). FWIW - priority tagged at IAD (it's been 50/50 for me on whether the bags come out first in JNB, or even if one or two do, other bags are at the end).
We've never directly connected over to another SAA flight. We've always laid over in JNB for a few days-week to visit friends, family, etc. So, pre-mega JNB/World Cup airport renovations, during the renovations and after the renovations, we never really cared about connection time. And, of course, in the past, didn't have two kids and Father Christmas' bags.
So, is 90 minutes still enough. Cheetah is right. 90 minutes is the "legal" limit (just confirmed with SAA USA by phone).
But, there's a difference between legal and practical. And, for the life of me, I just can not recall seeing "re-check" desks in Int'l arrivals that would at least help (rather than Mr. jsnydcsa and porter(s) hauling the luggage over to JNB domestic).
While the entire itinerary is on the same ticket and we'd be "checked in" in IAD all the way through to CPT. I'm still concerned (in a TIA, TIA SAA way) that we'd get jammed and be stuck 'til a later JNB-CPT flight. We're landing at JNB on a Saturday evening, it'll be slow, people will not be as "attentive" / I can only imagine the attitude of the baggage handlers, etc. etc. on a Saturday afternoon.
So, while the originating and final destination points change. The same thread question remains under the facts/queries above, is 90 minutes enough.
FWIW - This is all due to the fact that SAA has bumped the arrival time of SA208 from 5:05 p.m. arrival to 6:00 p.m. arrival. Whereas prior to this change we had just a hair over 2.5 hours of connection time, now it is - exactly - 1.5 hours (90 mins) between the arrival of 208 and our JNB-CPT departure.