Hello everyone. Quite new to this but was hoping for some feedback on flying to Southern Africa. I'm planning to go to Gaborone in November and wondered which airline you'd recommend - I believe South African Airways and Delta have the only non-stops from NY but curious to know if British Airways, with a connection in Europe, is better/less expensive. Thoughts? Thanks.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by orandae:
Hello everyone. Quite new to this but was hoping for some feedback on flying to Southern Africa. I'm planning to go to Gaborone in November and wondered which airline you'd recommend - I believe South African Airways and Delta have the only non-stops from NY but curious to know if British Airways, with a connection in Europe, is better/less expensive. Thoughts? Thanks.</font>
Going through Europe has some advantages. It is an overnight flight (10 hours) from Europe but the same timezone (1 or 2 hours difference), while from the US it is a 15 hour flight and 7 hour time difference. Going through Europe takes longer but has less jet lag ... particularly if you can stop over in Europe for a day. BA is best if you are in C (they have flat beds) otherwise VS. In economy it is hard to say, some of the SAA aircraft are nice in economy and others are awful (old and grimy). LH is pretty reliable. BA is acceptable only if you get World Traveler Plus. Going through Capetown is also nice (and then on to JNB the next day), it all depends on your schedule and priorities. The DL/SA codeshare from ATL is the fastest but often costs more than routing through Europe (service level is mixed, not the best and not the worst and varies a lot by flight). Going JFK-JNB is also an option but I don't recommend it (having flown it several times). Much nicer out of ATL.
I'm flying via LAX-LHR-CPT on BA, stopping for a day in Capetown and then to JNB (all on BA) but choosing BA is easy when flying in F; less clear cut in Y.

Not sure about all alternatives, but my reading has led me to book SFO-LHR(United upgraded), spend a few days in London , then flying VA in their premium economy class,, LHR-JNB. Am departing JUne 18, so will report. Bill Kepner

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bkep:
Not sure about all alternatives, but my reading has led me to book SFO-LHR(United upgraded), spend a few days in London , then flying VA in their premium economy class,, LHR-JNB. Am departing JUne 18, so will report. Bill Kepner </font>
Virgin is pretty good (BA does now offer World Traveller Plus on this route which is comparable to Premium Economy, but I think Virgin is a bit better ... it is only in business and first class that BA has an edge). The other airlines Europe-JNB are generally not as nice and don't have a "more room" coach product.
Enjoy your stay in South Africa. It is a great country. Presume you know about Johanesburg these days (best to stay away from downtown, and driving through red lights is legal in some parts of town); the airport itself is quite safe now (there was a minor theft problem a few months ago, now taken care of).