Luggage Storage Question at O.R. Tambo Int'l Airport
Jun 23rd, 2015, 06:57 PM
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Luggage Storage Question at O.R. Tambo Int'l Airport
We will be arriving into Johannesburg's O.R. Tambo Int'l Airport and connecting directly to Capetown (about 3 hours connection time). We return to O.R. Tambo Int'l Airport from Maun after a safari in Botswana to connect to our international flight back home that same day.
Because our Southern Africa trip is a second leg of a larger trip, we will have with us two pieces of luggage that we would like to store, which exceeds the size limitations for a safari. I understand that there is a luggage storage service at O.R. Tambo but am concerned about whether the logistics of storing and picking up would work within the constraints of our flight schedules.
We would need to store our bags before our connecting flight to Cape Town (3 hours connection time). We would need to pick them back up after we land into O.R. Tambo from Maun. Our flight from Maun on Airlink is scheduled to arrive into O.R. Tambo at 3:40. Our international flight back home on SA Airways is scheduled to leave O.R. Tambo at 6:40, which gives us 3 hours exactly--admittedly not ideal. The Airlink flight and the SA Airways flight were booked separately and are not on the same itinerary unfortunately.
Does this flight schedule give us enough time to store and pick up our luggage or is the risk too great that we might leave Johanesburg without our stored luggage. The obvious other option is to pack less so we have no luggage to store, but this would affect how we pack for and what we bring back from the first leg of our trip.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Because our Southern Africa trip is a second leg of a larger trip, we will have with us two pieces of luggage that we would like to store, which exceeds the size limitations for a safari. I understand that there is a luggage storage service at O.R. Tambo but am concerned about whether the logistics of storing and picking up would work within the constraints of our flight schedules.
We would need to store our bags before our connecting flight to Cape Town (3 hours connection time). We would need to pick them back up after we land into O.R. Tambo from Maun. Our flight from Maun on Airlink is scheduled to arrive into O.R. Tambo at 3:40. Our international flight back home on SA Airways is scheduled to leave O.R. Tambo at 6:40, which gives us 3 hours exactly--admittedly not ideal. The Airlink flight and the SA Airways flight were booked separately and are not on the same itinerary unfortunately.
Does this flight schedule give us enough time to store and pick up our luggage or is the risk too great that we might leave Johanesburg without our stored luggage. The obvious other option is to pack less so we have no luggage to store, but this would affect how we pack for and what we bring back from the first leg of our trip.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Jun 24th, 2015, 10:54 AM
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Yes, there is a good and safe storage area at Tambo. It is located on the lower level of the airport-- not far from where you exit your plane. I am sure someone can tell you the exact location. You can take the escalator down to the location. I have used it several times and fond it to be a safe and sure bet. CPD
Jun 24th, 2015, 09:28 PM
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As perry says, the luggage storage is safe. JNB is a small, very efficient airport so you should have no trouble picking it up in time. However, if the first leg of your journey is also safari, most lodges include free laundry service. There is no need to bring so much. On our first safari, we stored bags at JNB but since then, we only take carry on - even for extended trips. For safari, there's very little you really need. Most camps even supply bug spray.
Jun 25th, 2015, 04:00 AM
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Airlink is part of the South African Airways system, so you're actually checking in for their flights as if you were flying on SAA. That's the good news.
The real question is how much leeway you have in the event that your incoming flights are delayed. (As long as your incoming flights are on time, you'll have no problem in either direction.)
On your way to Cape Town, storing your bags is not going to take a lot of extra time. You will have to go through S.A. immigration and pick up your luggage, anyway, so the extra stop at the baggage storage is not a big deal. The bigger problem is returning from Botswana. In your favor is that your on SA Airlink and not Air Botswana. That said, you won't have much time if anything goes wrong. First off, there's a very good chance that your aircraft will park at a remote stand and you'll have to take a bus to the terminal -- this always adds 10-20 minutes to the process. Then, you'll have to go through S.A. immigration in order to pick up your bags, which can easily take 30-45 minutes if lines are long. (If you didn't have to pick up your bags, you'd need to stop only for a quick passport and security check.) Then, after collecting your luggage, you have to head upstairs, go through a check-in line, and again through immigration and security. Check-in closes 50 minutes before departure time. If the flight from Maun in on-time you'll be ok; if it's delayed by even a half-hour, you could be in trouble.
The real question is how much leeway you have in the event that your incoming flights are delayed. (As long as your incoming flights are on time, you'll have no problem in either direction.)
On your way to Cape Town, storing your bags is not going to take a lot of extra time. You will have to go through S.A. immigration and pick up your luggage, anyway, so the extra stop at the baggage storage is not a big deal. The bigger problem is returning from Botswana. In your favor is that your on SA Airlink and not Air Botswana. That said, you won't have much time if anything goes wrong. First off, there's a very good chance that your aircraft will park at a remote stand and you'll have to take a bus to the terminal -- this always adds 10-20 minutes to the process. Then, you'll have to go through S.A. immigration in order to pick up your bags, which can easily take 30-45 minutes if lines are long. (If you didn't have to pick up your bags, you'd need to stop only for a quick passport and security check.) Then, after collecting your luggage, you have to head upstairs, go through a check-in line, and again through immigration and security. Check-in closes 50 minutes before departure time. If the flight from Maun in on-time you'll be ok; if it's delayed by even a half-hour, you could be in trouble.
