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“Airlink planes not being able to land in cloudy conditions due to instrumentation shortcomings”
Review of Airlink


Reviewed 7 October 2024

This awful airline flew all the way to Umtata only to complain about not have the correct instrumentation to land at the airport through the cloud cover. Then returned with with a weak "sorry for the inconvenience" but we are not liable for costs associated with missed connection flights. A manager won't even avail themselves to explain to a plane load of business travellers as to why the planes flown to certain airports are ill equipped to land in cloudy conditions. And still they take bookings and fly out of OR Tambo to its destination only to issue cancellations once the plane returns to the originating airport. I would expect the inconvenience of a cancelled early morning flight with all its costs, planning and preparations would receive something beyond a refund for the ticket. But alas, no. You get your luggage back and that's it. Appalling.

Date of travel: October 2024
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Thank Desre N
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviews (633)
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29 - 33 of 633 reviews

Reviewed 27 September 2024

We had 2 flights, connection in Johannesburg, both were good with food drinks and comfy seats. Checked in on line and baggage drop was easy, bags checked right through. Would be happy to fly with them again.

Date of travel: September 2024
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Thank Maree R
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 23 September 2024

Our luggage was not there upon arrival. There was a airlink person already present at the lugage belt with forms. No communication about when we would know something. They should have told us that there is no linkage of systems. The first time that they knoe something here in wi doek is when they see the described bags on the belt in windhoek coming of the next flight. We had a bad afternoon waiting for our kugage for the next day we would start our overland trip

Date of travel: September 2024
Thank Martenscm
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 22 September 2024

I used to fly a lot with SA Airlink but COVID changed how people work, including how much I travel. So, after an absence of about two years, I flew with them again. The flight crew were amazing. They were really good, kind, friendly and efficient.

Unfortunately, not everything was wonderful. The check in was a bit chaotic. On the international check-in side, there were queues only for Lubumbashi and there were queues elsewhere for other destinations. However, there was no signage to say which counter was for which international destination. Luckily, I was in the correct queue. Some passengers had to leave my queue and go to other SA Airlink queues for other international destinations once they were told by ground staff that they had, essentially, not been in the correct queue.

The boarding process was the worst. It started on time and the passengers got onto the bus. However, we stood on a crowded bus for twenty minutes, going nowhere. Thankfully, it was not a hot day in Johannesburg but, still, some people wanted to pass out, unlike the ground crew who were comfortable inside the terminal.

When we got to the plane, they announced that someone's luggage was leaking and we should all check to see if it was ours before boarding. Fair enough as this is a safety issue. However, I have no idea where they put the luggage, so I could not check if it was mine. I presume they found the correct person because no one made an announcement on board to say they were still trying to identify the owner of the luggage.

The food onboard was okay. It was more than enough for me as I have been eating very little of late but, I am sure, for a lot of passengers, it was far from enough. I ate the chicken meatballs. Why they were coated in a sweet, syrupy sauce, I do not know. That was not very pleasant. The pasta salad was okay. The dessert was pleasantly chocolatey but too sweet.

At Lubumbashi airport, it was complete chaos trying to retrieve luggage. This is definitely partly the airport's fault but SA Airlink ground staff seemed to be invisible. We had to be directed by random people, whom I suspect, wanted "something small". They got nothing "small" from me.

Date of travel: September 2024
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Thank Ellipse
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 19 September 2024

what a fantastic airline i have disability and i got excellent help would fly again they went above and beyond for me and made my journey a breeze

Date of travel: September 2024
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Thank Tina P
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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