Kulula Boeing 737 - MN909

Route

MN909,  Johannesburg to George, 20 January 2015.

Scheduled Duration

2 hours.
Departure: 07:50
Arrival 09:45
George Airport is known for dense fog, our flight was delayed for almost an hour.

On time departure and arrival

Departed late.
Arrived late.

Ground crew and check-in

We checked in online 24 hours before the flight.
The airport was quiet, luggage drop off at the check in counters took around 5 minutes.
There was dedicated online check-in counters.
There were enough other counters open.
Our printed online boarding passes served as boarding tickets.
Ground staff was friendly.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for assisted passengers.
The ground staff scanned our tickets.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One carry-on bag 7kg max.
Checked luggage - 20kg.
Kulula luggage information

Seating

Economy class only.
We sat in row 7, a normal 3 seater row (6 seats in total per row), with adequate overhead locker space.
The seats are comfortable enough for a short flight.
Flight seats may be selected when you check in online, check in on-the-go (mobi check-in), arrive at the airport check-in counter or at airport kiosks at no charge.

"You can have the certainty of sitting together on the plane when you pre-pay and secure your favourite seat by selecting a pre-paid seat. Pre-paid seats are priced according to the different types and start from as little as R55 incl. VAT. This option is available at the time of making your booking or as an added extra 24 hours before your departure.
If you need to have extra space for your personal comfort, you may call us to assign and book an extra seat for you, subject to the cost of the additional seat." - Kulula website.

Amenities

None.

Entertainment

In-flight magazine available in seat pocket.

In-flight communication

None.

Meals and refreshments

Refreshment available for purchase.
On-board Menu

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean. There are toilets at the back and front of the plane.

In-flight shopping

None.

Traveling with Children

I am not sure if milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew.
I did not notice any diaper changing facilities.
Read more on Kulula - Flying with infants and children

Crew

I found the crew competent and friendly. Instructions were given English.

Disembarking

Disembarked from the front.

Overall opinion

What I liked
Affordable and comfortable.

Not so good
No app or electronic updates on delays.

Seats

Seats

Overhead locker

Leg room
















Bidvest Sky Lounge - O.R. Tambo Airport Domestc Departures

Airport

O.R. Tambo International

Lounge

Bidvest Sky Lounge
More information on Bidvest Lounges

Location

Airside - after Security Checks turn right. Take the lift to the 4th Floor and the lounge is located on the left hand side. The lounge is not accessible to any passengers departing on an international flight who must use lounges located in Terminal A.
 

Entry to Lounge

Business and First class passengers for selected airlines
Priority pass
Walk-in passengers for a fee of R219.00, online booking R204.00. Valid for three hours prior to flight departure

Services

Complimentary snacks and refreshments

• We visited early in the morning and there was a  choice cereals, fresh fruit, pastries and yogurt.  
• Coffee, Tea, Soft drinks, Alcoholic drinks.

Free Wi-Fi

• Login details displayed

Telephone and fax
TV, newspapers and magazines
Flight information display
Electrical outlets to charge phones and laptops etc.
Non-smoking lounge

Seating

Comfortable chairs and tables

Ambiance

Mostly quiet, but can become very busy during peak times

Bathroom Facilities

Toilets are kept clean.
Basin to wash hands and freshen up
Body Lotion
No shower facilities

Charging points

Chairs and table

Breakfast

Toilets

Wine Fridge

Breakfast

Working stations

Breakfast

Lufhansa Boeing 747-8 - LH572

Route

LH572, Frankfurt to Johannesburg, 12 January 2016.

Duration

10 hours

On time departure and arrival

Departed late but arrived on time.

Ground crew and check-in

We were able to check in online 23 hours before the flight.
Our flight was from Munich to Frankfurt, and then onwards from Frankfurt to Johannesburg.
Passport Control was at Frankfurt Airport
Security checks was at Munich Airport, at Frankfurt we departed from the same terminal building (landed in Terminal 1 A and departed from gates Z), and did not have to go through security at Frankfurt. 
We were unsure if our luggage would be booked through to Johannesburg so we handed in our luggage at the check-in counters. The lady confirmed that we could drop off our luggage at the automatic/self-service Lufthansa counters and our luggage will be booked through to our final destination.
Ground staff was friendly and very helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for first and business class passengers, families with small children and assisted passengers. We used the electronic gates to scan our boarding passes and boarded via a mobile bridge.
Boarding was a bit chaotic, this route used to be serviced by an Airbus A380 aircraft. At the time of booking it still showed the A380 seating options. The Boeing 747 takes less passengers and the flight was overbooked. The ground staff asked for volunteers to fly the next day on partner airlines. This caused a delay in boarding.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One carry-on bag 8kg max
Checked luggage - One bag not exceeding 23kg, Lufthansa make use of the Piece concept for luggage

Seating

Number of seats - 208 in standard Economy
Emergency exit row seats cannot be book online, they are allocated when checking in at the counters.
Seat pitch - 78.74 cm (31")
Seat width - 43.18 cm (17")

Number of seats - 32 in Premium Economy
Seat pitch - 96.52.74 cm (38")Seat width - 45.72 cm (18")

View more information at Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 seat map or Seatguru Boeing 747-8 Economy seat information

We sat in row 32 against the bulkhead. These seats have limited recline, the kitchen are behind them and this can be a nuisance.
The overhead locker space was limited, and there were crew luggage behind our seats.
The USB port was underneath the armrest.
The controls to adjust the lights, call the attendant etc. was in the armrest. There is no cover on it so you very easily press the buttons by accident.

Amenities

Small cushion and blanket.
Headsets and covers for headsets speakers. The covers are very flimsy and mine tore when I tried to put it on the speakers of the headset.
Headsets were collected just before landing.
You have to ask for flight socks, eye masks and toothbrush.

Entertainment

German and English newspapers were available upon boarding.
Personal touchscreen monitor with additional controls in armrest. The selection of movies was a bit limited in my opinion, but still enough to keep you entertained on a 10 hour flight.
Lufthansa magazine available in seat pocket.
USB port underneath the armrest.

In-flight communication

Internet access via WLAN and mobile telephony via GSM was available after take-off.
See more information on Fly-Net 

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
The in-flight service started as soon as we reached cruising altitude.
We were served a hot dinner. There was a choice between a chicken dish and a pasta dish.
The food tasted good.
On the tray - Salad, bread bun, dessert, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, cheese, cutlery, wet wipe and serviette. Cup for Coffee.
Any special meals must be pre-ordered when you make your reservation.
Coffee, tea, beer, wine and other beverages were served before our meal as well as afterwards.

Breakfast
A hot breakfast was served around 2 hours before landing.

Toilets

The toilets were kept reasonably clean. In my opinion there are not enough toilets on the aircraft.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

Available. Shopping magazine in seat pocket

Travelling with Children

Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on Lufthansa - Travelling with children

Crew

I found the crew competent and friendly. Instructions were given in German and English.

Disembarking

First and Business class disembarked first. We had an aircraft bridge to the terminal building at O.R Tambo airport.

Overall opinion

What I liked
The seats are wide enough and the legroom is adequate.
The staff was friendly and attentive
The plane was quiet with not too many rattles and noise.

Not so good
Limited recline on bulkhead seats.
Limited overhead locker space at bulkhead seats. The 
Configuration of Premium Economy seats makes the aisle very narrow when walking towards the toilets.
Not enough toilets.




Entertainment screen