Originally Posted by
G-BOAC
Thank you for that...I was going by what SAA announced on my recent flight into JNB where they said ALL passengers had to collect bags. Perhaps there were no intl-intl conx (I was intl->domestic) that day?
I hope it hasn't changed recently! As has been discussed on other boards (most recently
here - though, bafflingly, it mentions going through immigration?) , there has always been a transfer desk that enables you to bypass customs and immigration if you have an onward flight, even if you still need a boarding pass.
OTOH it is quite possible that the onboard announcement was just incorrectly made: saying "all passengers connecting to another flight must.." rather than "all passengers connecting to a domestic flight must...".
Originally Posted by
map724
Thanks Cheetah_SA. Delayed bags on the way home are ok (mine have sat on the tarmac at LAD while I merrily taxied by them on a TP flight); it's the sticky fingers I am most worried about. Other than the "no valuables" part (trust me, I'd be a fool to take valuables to the DRC in any event), any recommedations for securing the bags from the "skelms"?? (new word for me - I like it!)
In that case I'd better give you the pronunciation: it's "skellims". It means petty crooks. (There is probably a better English translation but it eludes me right now.)
I'm not a fundi on avoiding the skelms at JNB. In other threads it would appear that locks are not much of a deterrent but I find that any unlocked pocket seems to get routinely examined. I usually put a strap around my luggage and that appears to have been effective - or it could just be coincidence. Some people swear by the plastic "mummy" wrapping but I doubt that's an option at FBM. I guess anything that makes your suitcase more trouble to open than the next one will provide a disincentive to the skelms.
The oddest thing I heard about being filched from a suitcase at JNB was a pair of shoes! Then in Arusha I saw a market stall that dealt exclusively in second hand shoes and realised that in Africa they are a saleable item at least as much as a second hand camera or an ipod.
