Airlink

Headquarters: No.3 Greenstone Hill Office Park, Emerald Boulevard, Modderfontein South Africa 01609

00 27 11 978 1111

Website

3.5624 reviews

Travellers' Choice 2020 Winner

Travellers' Choice 2019 Winner

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About Airlink

Airline Summary

Headquartered in Johannesburg, Airlink (IATA: 4Z; ICAO: LNK) flies to 16 destinations across South Africa, as well as cities in Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It also has a strategic alliance with South African Airways (SA) and South African Express Airways (XZ). Airlink's fleet consists of 34 aircraft, including Avro RJ85, Embraer ERJ 135LR, Embraer ERJ 145 and BAe Jetstream 41 planes. Most are configured with a single Economy Class cabin, although some of the Avro RJ85 planes also feature a Business Class cabin. Airlink has a hub at O. R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).

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Flyer65530973505

1 contribution

Avoid at all cost

Johannesburg - Richards BayDomestic

We had a terrible experience with Airlink and would give them a negative score if we could. My partner and I wanted to book flights to Richards Bay and made sure we were online at the same time to book seats together. However, we noticed a massive price difference: two tickets booked together cost over R10,000, while single tickets were just over R2,400. This made no sense. We decided to book separately. My partner’s payment went through, but when I tried to pay, their system gave me an error message. When I refreshed, the ticket price jumped to R3,600. After switching to my phone’s internet, I eventually found a ticket for R3,050. Their system error cost me the chance to book at the original price. Our trip got worse. The flight to Richards Bay was delayed by 30 minutes without any explanation. While the onboard staff were friendly and the flight itself was good, the return flight was another disappointment. It was delayed by 20 minutes, and when we arrived, we discovered our suitcase didn’t make it because the plane was “too heavy.” This was shocking, especially since we had paid for extra luggage. The staff at the counter didn’t give us much confidence either. When asked about guarantees for receiving our suitcase, we were told that “left-behind” luggage gets loaded first on the next flight, but if that plane is too heavy, more luggage might get left behind. This seems to be a normal practice for Airlink, which is unacceptable. Airlink has a monopoly on flights to smaller towns, and it shows in how they treat customers. Their pricing is unfair, the booking system is unreliable, and they clearly prioritize profits over service. If you can avoid it, DO NOT fly with Airlink.

Date of travel: January 2025

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Written 15 January 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Dave

Cape Town, South Africa

7 contributions

GREAT GREAT service and experience -well done AIRLINK.

Johannesburg - VilanculosAfrica

We flew AIRLINK JHB to Mozambique and return - family group...wow what a lovely experience , the aircraft an Embraer 190 is a excellent aircraft , the on board food and drinks was spot on and the air crew were extremely polite , friendly and professional. We also had special sports bags that we called the call centre and pre checked in and No hassle at all. best by far regional carrier , well done AIRLINK

Date of travel: January 2025

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Written 13 January 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Titus J

1 contribution

Deceitful Advertising

Harare - DurbanAfrica

The Durban-Harare route flight is completely a scam. The aircraft is very tiny and they charge luggage per kg. I was charged R130 per kg after exceeding the 20kg limit. This limit is for all your bags (all your bags should add up to 20kg) before the R130 per kg limit is applied. The ticket did not specify this whatsoever, rather it said I am allowed 4 bags(20kg). Comparing to other flight tickets, this is very devious and deceitful. I was very unhappy and bitter paying R4000 for 2 bags that needed to be checked in. If this had been specified while buying the ticket I would have added another bag. Airlink is very disgusting.

Date of travel: January 2025

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Written 7 January 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Khambi M

1 contribution

Dissatisfied

Johannesburg - Port ElizabethDomestic

It's a disgrace Shame to airlink to have an elderly with walking aid -two walking sticks to go go 30 stairs up to get to the plane It was painful to quite a handful of passengers Airlink can and should do better

Date of travel: January 2025

Written 5 January 2025

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Fardad

Alsace, France

279 contributions

5 star domestic airline of S. Africa

Johannesburg - SkukuzaDomestic

Excellent flight, the crew were great. The flight was punctual. The service on board couldn’t be better. They even served free alcohol on such a short flight (something that with the European airlines is unheard of). We flew several flights with Airlink afterwards. They were all very good. They have brought back the fun of flying while in other parts of the world we dread it.

Date of travel: December 2024

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