LJS DeBarba
Junior Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2011
- Posts
- 15
Trip report:
Johannesburg – Beira (and return)
South African Express
June, 2018
Business took me to Beira, Mozambique. While Mozambique was a Portuguese colony, Beira did a lot of commerce serving at the port for the British colony of Rhodesia (today – Zimbabwe). The commercial link continues today.
Beira looks to be the second busiest airport in Mozambique. I had a choice of flying South African Express or LAM, and due to ticketing convenience, I chose South African Express.
Johannesburg airport is an excellent airport – I had no issues with anything. Queues moved quickly, service was excellent, the systems worked, and there was enough shopping to keeping me interested (I did not qualify for lounge access on this trip).
IMPORTANT: I would suggest you get a stack of $1USD notes (or similar) before going to Johannesburg airport – the public toilets are staffed, and it appears the cleaning staff work for tips – no tip = very dirty look. Coins seemed inappropriate, and $5AUD seemed excessive – hence my $1USD comment.
The flight was on an Embraer. The passenger safety card is the same for an Embraer 135, 140, and 145, so based on counting seats I think we flew an Embraer 140. It has a 1-2 seating configuration (all economy class) with one toilet at the back (and no exits at the back). Overhead storage is limited, so carry-on baggage can be checked at the base of the steps (no airbridge – we were transported by bus from the terminal to the plane). The flight departed on time, and a small snack and water was provided. Crew were nice (better than polite).
Beira airport is oversized for the traffic it handles, but it is functional and I think it is safe enough. The runway can handle much larger planes, and looked maintained well enough. Due to the small number of passengers, clearing customs and immigration was quick – even though only one person was working the desk. Due to low use, the toilets were clean enough.
I arranged my own transportation, so I cannot comment on taxi service.
Leaving Beira, the setup is a little odd – you send your gear through x-ray, then you show your passport papers, then you clear human screening metal detector, then you collect your gear. Once I got my mind around that, no dramas.
The flight back was a clone of the outbound flight – probably the same plane, but same basic service delivered very well.
Conclusion – I would happily do this flight again.
Johannesburg – Beira (and return)
South African Express
June, 2018
Business took me to Beira, Mozambique. While Mozambique was a Portuguese colony, Beira did a lot of commerce serving at the port for the British colony of Rhodesia (today – Zimbabwe). The commercial link continues today.
Beira looks to be the second busiest airport in Mozambique. I had a choice of flying South African Express or LAM, and due to ticketing convenience, I chose South African Express.
Johannesburg airport is an excellent airport – I had no issues with anything. Queues moved quickly, service was excellent, the systems worked, and there was enough shopping to keeping me interested (I did not qualify for lounge access on this trip).
IMPORTANT: I would suggest you get a stack of $1USD notes (or similar) before going to Johannesburg airport – the public toilets are staffed, and it appears the cleaning staff work for tips – no tip = very dirty look. Coins seemed inappropriate, and $5AUD seemed excessive – hence my $1USD comment.
The flight was on an Embraer. The passenger safety card is the same for an Embraer 135, 140, and 145, so based on counting seats I think we flew an Embraer 140. It has a 1-2 seating configuration (all economy class) with one toilet at the back (and no exits at the back). Overhead storage is limited, so carry-on baggage can be checked at the base of the steps (no airbridge – we were transported by bus from the terminal to the plane). The flight departed on time, and a small snack and water was provided. Crew were nice (better than polite).
Beira airport is oversized for the traffic it handles, but it is functional and I think it is safe enough. The runway can handle much larger planes, and looked maintained well enough. Due to the small number of passengers, clearing customs and immigration was quick – even though only one person was working the desk. Due to low use, the toilets were clean enough.
I arranged my own transportation, so I cannot comment on taxi service.
Leaving Beira, the setup is a little odd – you send your gear through x-ray, then you show your passport papers, then you clear human screening metal detector, then you collect your gear. Once I got my mind around that, no dramas.
The flight back was a clone of the outbound flight – probably the same plane, but same basic service delivered very well.
Conclusion – I would happily do this flight again.
