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? about flying from Zanzibar to JRO on departure day.

? about flying from Zanzibar to JRO on departure day.

Old Jul 29th, 2009, 08:44 AM
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? about flying from Zanzibar to JRO on departure day.

Hello. I have a safari planned with Good Earth Tours starting on November 1st. It's been planned for a long time now, and I'm excited to visit Tanzania for the first time. The safari itself is 10 days, and then we are flying to Zanzibar to hang out on our own for a few days.

On our last day, Good Earth is booking a flight for us from Zanzibar to Arusha, 12:30 to 2:30. (It was supposed to land at JRO, but I was recently told that the 12:30 flight ends at Arusha Airport, not the International one.) Then, today, I was told there is a 4:30p.m. flight from Zanzibar that does indeed end at JRO, at 7:20p.m. The problem is, it seems to cut it a little close for our 9:40 p.m. International flight. I was trying to figure out how we would kill those hours between 2:30 to 6:00 something, which is the free time we would have if we took the 12:30 flight from Zanzibar, taking into account an hour to drive to JRO, and have a couple hours to check in. It's awfully tempting to just book the 4:50 flight that goes directly to JRO. But I know I would worry about making the KLM flight. Is this a legitimate worry?

Thanks!
Sandi
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 10:03 AM
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Are you on the KLM flight to AMS out of JRO? If you are it leaves JRO and stops in Dar and you can save yourself some money and time on flights by getting on the flight there instead of flying all the way back to JRO. Then you will only need a flight from Stone Town to DAR which leaves about 5pm. Does that make sense?
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 10:25 AM
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You can't just board the flight at DAR if you're already ticketed from JRO as you'll be a no show and the rest of your itinerary will be canceled. You could change your ticket now but that's likely to be costlier than the difference between ZNZ-JRO and ZNZ-DAR. This is assuming you're already ticketed. I would worry about making the KLM flight too as it doesn't leave you much room if your flight from ZNZ is delayed.
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 11:46 AM
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I would take the earlier flight. We just returned last week from safari and a trip to Zanzibar. When we flew from Zanzibar to Nairobi on Precision we had some issues.

We arrived two hours early for our flight and were second in line to check in. The people in front of us had already been there 45 minutes but were unable to check in because they were "lost". We could see people in the office rummaging through files and papers. After another 30 minutes they were "found" and on their way. We had confirmed our flights in person at the Precision office in Stonetown the day before. Despite an e-ticket number and the confirmation, we were "lost" as well. After 30 minutes and more flying papers in the office we were checked in but were told that our bags could not be checked through to Chicago but that we would have to pick them up in Nairobi. Meanwhile there was a huge line of people behind us wondering if they were going to make the flight. Somehow, we managed to get everyone on, but the flight left an hour late. The driver that brought us to the airport said that this happened often.

Once we got to Nairobi we were unable to pick up the luggage and had to go to a Kenya Airways desk. They ended up needing to go retrieve our luggage for us, issue new tags and then we needed to report back at the desk to get the tags input into the system. This took up a good part of our 3 hour layover. The KA people were very upset with the Zanzibar Precision people and said there was no reason the luggage could not be checked through.

Like many people have said on this and other forums, this is Africa and things don't run the same way they do at home. Allow yourself plenty of time and take a good sense of humor.
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 12:01 PM
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Yeah, I think I had my answer in mind even as I was finishing typing the question. It's a bad idea to take that later flight. Thanks for confirming!

My international ticket is already booked, the KLM flight does indeed stop at DAR before heading to Amsterdam. I did take a minute to wonder if I could get on the flight to Amsterdam there. The timing would be much better. lol But I know that would never work.

Thanks again...
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 12:08 PM
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This is good info. I have a simular flight scheduled in September from Zanzibar to Nairobi and am also booked with Good Earth Tours. I have already had some schedule changes, and am expecting more, so I'll keep this in mind when standing in line or facing the person behind the counter and try to think good thoughts, while planning ahead in the meantime! Thank you.
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 01:59 PM
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I had just finished reading Irongirl's report on TA, and my immediate response to you would have been to refer you there. But she posted here, so you see what her situation was. Doesn't mean you will experience the same, but you have to be aware - TIA, This is Africa! Just be sure you have your air tickets from Good Earth which might make the process run smoothly.

While there isn't much to do at JRO with a long layover, there are some shops and a restaurant to spend your time.
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Old Jul 29th, 2009, 04:53 PM
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For our safari in Feb. 2008 we booked a roundtrip ticket on KLM from SFO to JRO. When we got to Arusha our tour operator changed our tickets to open jaw for a fee of $50 per person. We flew into JRO and out of DAR. No problems and it saved us $$$ and time.
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