Yaatri

Yes you can. It's a small airport. You might nt even have to leave transit area if there is a transit desk.

RooseveltL

I did JNB with the Iberia/BA deal last year. I found it not much different from any other city. There is poverty and wealth - don't drive at night and you should be okay.

Yaatri

That doesn't sound bad. I read that have a car pick up arranged before you in Johannesburg by train. Area around he train station was to be avoided. If I go to JNB from CPT, it would have to be by train. I may have to rethink my decsion to skip Jhoannesburg.

Reyn

JNB is fine, it's where I grew up. Just use common sense, if an area or situation feels suspicious, move along... try not to a act like a tourist.

There are several budget airlines that have flights between JNB and CPT:

• Kulula Airlines
• Mango Airlines
• OneTime Airlines

Don't bother with rail service.

kyushuman

Trying to make sense of this one:
KLM flight numbers, R class= 100% on DL SkyMiles
R class on DL metal, DL flight number=0% on SkyMiles
SO....
How about KLM flight numbers, DL metal? 0% or 100%? I'm thinking 0% since you always go with who's operating the metal, but....
Thoughts?
Thanks!

dd1612

Stayed with:
KLM flight numbers, R class= 100% on DL SkyMiles!!!

Yaatri

Welcome to FlyerTalk, and thank you. It's straight from the horse's mouth.
People warned me about Capetown also, saying, "Don't walk around with camera dangling around your neck". But you do need to take your camera out and it's not small enough to fit in my pocket. It threaded my belt through a loop in the case and had around my waist. It was easy to draw to shoot.
What's wring with the sleeper train service? I would like to see the landscape. I might have consider renting a car, but it would be a long drive from and to JNB.

The hotel receptionist sent a guy with me when I wanted to have dinner on my first night around 1:00 a.m.

Another late night, I need to buy some airtime, and I was offered an escort again. I thanked him and declined. I did not feel threatened. Immediate vicinity of the train station in Cape Town looked run down, but I couldn't figure out if it was dangerous. At 8;30 p.m. on my last night, walked from my hotel to the City Bus Station to catch a bus to the airport. It was 15 minute walk for me with some sections no one in sight.

kyushuman

I ended up doing the same thing. Using 40K US Bank Flex Perks points that I'd been saving for a few years--a $773 ticket for "free". Should accrue 19,300 MQM and double that in RDM since I'm Gold.
Am doing IAD-AMS-CPT and CPT-JNB (SA)-AMS-IAD all on KLM long-haul. I actually flew KLM BKK-TPE last week and thought it was pretty good! Was thanked by the Purser for flying and being an Elite Plus (Gold). Not bad, since nobody on DL has ever done that!

bartmas777

I finally caved.... I am in! Jfk-ams-cpt on 3/6, returning on 3/9. First mr this year and first time to Africa.

RamblingMan

The DM desk person wasn't sure how to do that when I called yesterday...spent just a hair short of 1hr on the phone with her while waiting in ATL. Two supervisors later, they figured it out. Still couldn't get seats on the BA flight, even with the booking reference #

Anbhc, I'll let you know after I do my flights next week

Yaatri, I wanted to see some of Amsterdam and some of Cape Town, that's a long way to fly to only see the insides of the airports. Gonna do some recon for when my wife comes with me in the future. You overnighting in AMS and CPT? If so, where are you staying? I'm thinking I'm gonna stay in a hostel in AMS (St. Christopher's Inn), and use some points at the Westin in CPT.

Yaatri

I hope the immigration and the customs officers buy that.
It's perfectly acceptable though. Not a whole lot of recon to be done in a day or less. You will know though whether and how (blind folded or not) you are shot at by immigration and customs officers. j/k
I am not over-nighting in AMS primarily because I did not want to add to the cost. I have stayed in AMS before a few times.

I have not decided how what I am going to do wih myself in South Africa.

• Stay in CPT and do day trips bu bus/train
• Stay in CPT day trips by car
• Rent a car and drive around stopping at will.
• Go to JNB

are some of the choices. I have stayed in hostels before. I like to have a private bathroom, which is hard to find in hostels.

dd1612

Rent a car and go to the coast/ sea side is what has been recommended to me. The coast is beautiful .... don't know if as good as Goa or the Kerala coast. Unfortunately I can't spare the time.

I am doing 2 MRs IAD-AMS-CPT-AMS-IAD in <1 week Saturday Jan 28th to Friday Feb 3rd, plus a IAD-DTW-BOS-DTW-IAD in between the 2 CPT MRs.

45k EQMs in < 1 week is pretty good, eh?

This is the year that I target DM by end May'12.

I may also consider doing another MR to CPT at the end of March.

broms

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milea...0-bna-add.html

At least one example, although within this thread it says there is yet another.

TrojanTraveler

FWIW, the wife and I were in CPT a few years ago. We had no problem with crime during the day in town, walking around, etc. The railway station area didn't look great, but with caution you should be able to get in and out. At night to go into town for dinner (stayed at the Mount Nelson hotel) we were warned about crime, but really didn't see much risk, though was on the main streets with restaurants, etc.

I rented a car and drove the Garden Route, with side trips and stops along the way, e.g. the wine country, Cape Agulhas, Knysna, Plattenburg Bay (sp?), etc. Had no problem whatsoever. Drove all the way to Port Elizabeth over the course of several days. The only caveat is that the roads, while in great shape, did have a number of what I would consider too fast drivers, especially on curves, and every few hours we would drive by yet anothe accident...none of which seemed to have caused serious injury.

My two cents. I would go back without question. But you will likely get better advice in the Africa forum.

Yaatri

My experience in Cape Town were similar. I did not drive, and I did not travel beyond Cape Town.