Catman - the president used to (with no notice whatsoever) empty the *entire* commercial flight - which is one of the fundamental reasons why Air Zimbabwe is suffering. The airline's current problems are to do with cashflow/management, in large part due to interference by the government (such as the commandeering of planes by VIPS) I believe that the airline management is doing their utmost to control this and regain customer support...
JIMBOLIGUY - although it has been some years since I last took a long flight with Air Zimbabwe, what TC says about the standard of Air Zimbabwe's pilots is true - they are very good. A close friend of mine (my flatmate in London) is the son of the chief engineer for this airline, and I know that although Air Zimbabwe has limited resources and has been unable to invest in new planes, they take good care of their fleet and are thorough in ensuring that their planes are airworthy.
In fact, the only two fatal events for this airline since 1970 were in the late seventies, and were a direct result of the civil war that existed at the time...
from http://207.48.130.144/events/airlines/zim.htm
Fatal Events Since 1970 for Air Zimbabwe
1.3 September 1978; Air Zimbabwe Viscount; near Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Kariba to Salisbury when it was hit by a missile. The aircraft had a forced landing about 19 miles (30 km) from the Kariba airport. All four crew members and 44 of the 52 passengers were killed. Ten others survived the landing but were apparently killed by guerrillas.
2.12 February 1979; Air Zimbabwe Viscount; near Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Kariba to Salisbury and crashed after it was hit by two missiles. All four crew members and 54 passengers were killed.
[The civil war ended in 1979]
The only releatively recent 'event' that I'm aware of is one of their light planes driving off the end of the runway into some trees about 18 months/2 years ago. No one was hurt, and the plane was unscathed. There were some red faces...
As far as flying with Air Zim goes - their cabin staff are very friendly, the cabins are a little shabby (money is spent on essential maintenance, etc), and their sense of timing for internal/regional flights is inclined to be a somewhat flexible... Unless affected by acts of VIPS I think that their international schedule is relatively accurate (They fly into Johannesburg, London-Gatwick and other European destinations, and have to stick to the schedule there...) Air Zim (code UM) is often significantly cheaper than competing airlines, and if your friend wants to save money, may be a good choice. The last time I flew with them intercontinental economy passengers were given a goodie bag (toothbrush, comb, etc), and they did show at least one movie. The food is passable, and there are free drinks - including Castle lager, which TC enjoys so much...
I flew with Air Zim on various regional/internal flights early last year - once again, they're okay, slightly shabby interiors, laid-back but friendly staff, and an African sense of timing (don't plan any tight connections... but they'll get you there)
Not a bad airline - and definitely an exposure to the real Africa...
[This message has been edited by baobab (edited 01-23-99).]