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JNB: 1 insane long flight or 2 shorter ones?

JNB: 1 insane long flight or 2 shorter ones?

Old Apr 21, 2015, 7:23 am
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by KHTravelBitten
Thanks for all the responses! JNB is actually our stopover en route to Victoria Falls and safari, so we want to minimize travel time there, so we will look for biz class SAA availability in the flights from JFK or IAD. Though at this point, the largest availability appears to be with routing through GRU (Sao Paulo), so we may not have a choice when we are ready to book
If you can get to YYZ (Toronto) there is a good deal right now to JNB in business in the premium fares thread.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 7:15 pm
  #17  
 
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I just took the SA IAD-JNB flight with the 1 hour stop in business class April 5 and it was one of the worst biz class flights I have ever had around the world. Service was terrible, no menus so you had no idea what the food was like. Food was inedible-I had to send everything back but then they were out of all the second choices. Out of 4 meals served I never had a complete one. Never had an entree that I could eat. The seat wasn't comfortable, the movie selection was awful.

On the return we had to go CPT-JNB-GRU on SA, 5 hour layover, GRU-IAH on UA, then to MCI. I got you all beat with a total travel time going home at 32 hours. The UA flight was far superior to the SA one. In the future, I will avoid TATL SA flights in J if I can.
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Old Apr 25, 2015, 9:09 pm
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by susiesan
In the future, I will avoid TATL SA flights in J if I can.
I've flown twice on SA from LHR to JNB in J (about 11 hours or so) and found the flights to be quite good. The food was decent (although not outstanding), the service good and the seat very comfortable (a true lie-flat).
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Old May 4, 2015, 6:58 am
  #19  
 
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Something I don't think anybody mentioned is the duration of a potential Europe stopover. It usually entails an early morning arrival and long layover until another overnight flight. So from the east coast, I would always take the direct option.

From the west coast, it's a different story. It would take you basically 2 days no matter which way you go, so then I would say it's better to break it up into even parts by flying through Europe.
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Old May 4, 2015, 2:26 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by purch
Something I don't think anybody mentioned is the duration of a potential Europe stopover. It usually entails an early morning arrival and long layover until another overnight flight.
You can do the JFK to JNB journey with a short stopover on BA (daytime TATL) or Virgin (daytime TATL) and IAD-JNB on Emirates (daytime to Africa) or Ethiopian (daytime intra-Africa). The Virgin connection is very tight, exactly MCT, so could be considered to be courageous.

(Let's just take any yammering about BA YQ charges as read and carry on, shall we?)

The "sleep in Europe" advice above is sensible if in Y. If in J/F, flying with short connections may feel less harsh, particularly if the seats are fully flat.
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Old May 5, 2015, 1:53 am
  #21  
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Originally Posted by purch
Something I don't think anybody mentioned is the duration of a potential Europe stopover. It usually entails an early morning arrival and long layover until another overnight flight. So from the east coast, I would always take the direct option.

From the west coast, it's a different story. It would take you basically 2 days no matter which way you go, so then I would say it's better to break it up into even parts by flying through Europe.
My gf and I came to the same conclusion this weekend. If we routed through Europe, that essentially makes it 2 days of traveling. With award availability dwindling, we booked biz class flights there on Ethiopian leaving from IAD, stopping in ADD. We'll be taking a United flight to get from Boston to DC. Waiting on some bonus miles to post and then we'll book the return flights. I know we missed out on the free stopover, but wanted to be sure we could still get there with only one day of travel.

Does SAA typically open up award space late, closer to the departure date? Currently we saw no award availability in biz class from either JFK or IAD.
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Old May 5, 2015, 4:10 am
  #22  
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Originally Posted by KHTravelBitten
Does SAA typically open up award space late, closer to the departure date? Currently we saw no award availability in biz class from either JFK or IAD.
I find it's usually possible to get biz award space on SA - am going to CPT over New Year and got it both ways - it looked like I had to do EgyptAir on the way back but SA availability popped up instead.

Incidentally, I do understand that Ethiopian J is quite mediocre. EgyptAir (although dry) has some planes that are flat bed and some not (depends upon the route). If you can get the flat bed ones, that might be a better option than Ethiopian.
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Old May 19, 2015, 3:19 pm
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by KHTravelBitten
My gf and I came to the same conclusion this weekend. If we routed through Europe, that essentially makes it 2 days of traveling. With award availability dwindling, we booked biz class flights there on Ethiopian leaving from IAD, stopping in ADD. We'll be taking a United flight to get from Boston to DC. Waiting on some bonus miles to post and then we'll book the return flights. I know we missed out on the free stopover, but wanted to be sure we could still get there with only one day of travel.

Does SAA typically open up award space late, closer to the departure date? Currently we saw no award availability in biz class from either JFK or IAD.
I would keep checking the flight availability. We tried to do what you did and gave up and booked through BA. I have heard SAA availability opens up verrry close to the flight date if you are booking through UA.

Our friends are flying biz to GRU and then on the SAA flight on to JNB and CPT. They couldn't get anything on the return. They booked much earlier than we did. They ended up buying an economy return on VS.

I was advised that people do the flights 364 days in advance. We are flying BA in first (on points) through LHR and then JNB. 3 flights in total. I just finalized the routing a few weeks ago. Stuff definitely opened up for us. Before that we had an award on Air France (if you've got miles) from Paris to JNB. You can add a leg on from LHR for the same points.

For our dates on UA (end of August, returning mid-Sept) there is nothing available in business at all other than Egypt Air.
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Old Jun 8, 2015, 10:29 am
  #24  
 
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I am in Florida and have traveled r/t JNB 3 times: 2 times in J class, one time in Y.

1st trip: Y on Emirates JFK to DXB, with a 10 hour layover with hotel (paid by EK due to aircraft issues). It was a lifesaver to have a half way stop and overnight. On our return we did not have a "rest stop" in DXB and it was much harder on our bodies.

2nd trip J class on AF from ATL to CDG, 14-hr layover in CDG, I rested in the J lounge on daybeds but still, made for a long trip. Lie flat seats all the way. The return was the 16.5 hr DL nonstop from JNB to ATL flat with Westin Heavenly beds, best sleep Ive had, 10 hrs straight on a plane.

Trip 3: this was again in J class IAD to LHR to JNB, long layover in LHR but onwards was in 1st class so we had a private cabana with bed to sleep. Return was from JNB to LHR 11 hrs and then onto MIA 8.5 hrs. Flatbed seats all around so great flights, I prefer longer flight s for more sleeping, leaving BOS or JFK to Europe, you barely have time to close your eyes.

Knowing what I know now, and having done what I have done both my husband and I agree that if we go Y class then we will always overnight somewhere 1/2 way, much easier on the body and one recovers quicker on the ground. Virgin Atlantic seems to do 23 hour layovers in London and this works perfectly for a hotel room. As others have said TK also allows for extended layover if you can do one of those.
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