Gavin

The South African Airways website says that travelers to the USA should check-in three hours prior to flight time. Does anyone have any sense of how much leeway there is on that time? I am travelling in business class if that helps. Looking at old posts I see that there is a secondary screening prior to boarding which chews up some time. I am trying to plan an activity on the last day of my trip and need to know how much time I have.

sdb2

I've almost always flown economy from JNB back home to the US and I always try to check in as early as possible to minimize my waiting on lines. I don't mind being air-side where I can have a snack or do some shopping. With Business, and not having to wait on long lines, I would think you could get there 2 hrs ahead of the flight and not have a problem. Perhaps other posters who regularly use Business will weigh in.

cary999

I'd like to whine about JNB, but I'll spare you . I'd get there 2-3 hours early. No later than 2 hours.

regards - tom
ps - although recalling flying out of Kilimanjaro (JRO) a year ago, and the cattle pen waiting room, JNB not all that bad .

sdb2

Funny, Tom! Hadn't thought of it as a cattle pen, but very apt description when I think about it now.

christabir

JNB is significantly better since the upgrades for the World Cup. It's no longer worse than LHR and JFK, in my opinion.

Most of the international flights are after 5pm. The security lines can get long. I've gotten unlucky with connections and arrived late to the line. Gotten dirty looks, but we've cut the line - you can get assistance from airline personnel if it gets really close. They don't want you to miss your flight.

Gavin

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Knowing that the three hours is not a "drop dead" limit is helpful. I normally prefer to be at airports ahead of the recommended time but am squeezed for time on this flight. Am going to investigate changing to a later flight.