Simple Seven Step Process For AF Kinshasa Early Check In
Jul 26, 2014, 8:02 am
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
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Simple Seven Step Process For AF Kinshasa Early Check In
I'll write this up in my blog, at some point, but in case any forum members have to go through this soon, they may find this useful.
BACKGROUND
Kinshasa Airport is one of the most bloody minded, belligerent places you could ever hope to visit. Accordingly, all the major long haul carriers allow you to check in at their offices in central Kinshasa. Air France's office is at the Memling Hotel.
PROCESS
1. Getting Through The Front Door
Walk up to cordon around the office, with your suitcase. A security bloke will give you a baggage tag, and ask you to fill in your name and phone number immediately.
2. Baggage Inspection
Walk into the office, and take a moment to take in the chaos. If checking in after 10:00, that's just the staff! This place must be scary when also full of passengers. Everyone's friendly though.
Directly to your right is table. Place your bag on the table. A security bloke inspects the contents, while you watch; he then places it in the baggage drop-off area on the other side of the wall.
3. Automated Check In
It's not automated check in! A member of staff will do OLCI for you. If this didn't work for the day before, it won't work now either.
4. Document Check
Just after the division between automated check-in, and baggage drop off, is the document inspection point. I didn't have a boarding pass, at this point, so they just stamped my itinerary.
5. Actual Back Drop and Actual Check In
This is where your bags will be dropped off. If OLCI fails, they will sort you out here. Be prepared for a long wait. If you've been offered a paid upgrade, and if you've paid for it, bring lots of evidence along, and be prepared to stand your ground.
For really hard problems, they'll take you to an office upstairs. The good news is the people who work there seem to be able to sort out most problems themselves.
6. Buy Go Pass
Finally,back over to the OLCI side. There's a small window just to the left of this, where you buy your USD 50 Go Pass. Note: The Go Pass should be provided to you in duplicate.
7. Pray they haven't screwed anything up. I suspect the airport will be a nightmare if they have.
More when I know more.
BACKGROUND
Kinshasa Airport is one of the most bloody minded, belligerent places you could ever hope to visit. Accordingly, all the major long haul carriers allow you to check in at their offices in central Kinshasa. Air France's office is at the Memling Hotel.
PROCESS
1. Getting Through The Front Door
Walk up to cordon around the office, with your suitcase. A security bloke will give you a baggage tag, and ask you to fill in your name and phone number immediately.
2. Baggage Inspection
Walk into the office, and take a moment to take in the chaos. If checking in after 10:00, that's just the staff! This place must be scary when also full of passengers. Everyone's friendly though.
Directly to your right is table. Place your bag on the table. A security bloke inspects the contents, while you watch; he then places it in the baggage drop-off area on the other side of the wall.
3. Automated Check In
It's not automated check in! A member of staff will do OLCI for you. If this didn't work for the day before, it won't work now either.
4. Document Check
Just after the division between automated check-in, and baggage drop off, is the document inspection point. I didn't have a boarding pass, at this point, so they just stamped my itinerary.
5. Actual Back Drop and Actual Check In
This is where your bags will be dropped off. If OLCI fails, they will sort you out here. Be prepared for a long wait. If you've been offered a paid upgrade, and if you've paid for it, bring lots of evidence along, and be prepared to stand your ground.
For really hard problems, they'll take you to an office upstairs. The good news is the people who work there seem to be able to sort out most problems themselves.
6. Buy Go Pass
Finally,back over to the OLCI side. There's a small window just to the left of this, where you buy your USD 50 Go Pass. Note: The Go Pass should be provided to you in duplicate.
7. Pray they haven't screwed anything up. I suspect the airport will be a nightmare if they have.
More when I know more.
Jul 26, 2014, 12:40 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
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Good old Congo. A place with such incredible potential but so messy one would not think that it was possible...
Jul 27, 2014, 5:19 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom
Programs: Hilton Gold, Priority Club Blue, SPG Gold, Sofitel Gold, FB Ivory, BA Blue
Posts: 8,478
The customer hired a protocol specialist to guide me through the airport. The only problem was on arrival; a turf war broke out between the army, who wanted to waive the car through, and airport security, who wanted to stop and search the car (presumably to try and extract bribes). Oddly enough, the army won. Scary place!
Jul 27, 2014, 12:04 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,517
The customer hired a protocol specialist to guide me through the airport. The only problem was on arrival; a turf war broke out between the army, who wanted to waive the car through, and airport security, who wanted to stop and search the car (presumably to try and extract bribes). Oddly enough, the army won. Scary place!
