As this is an effective chronicle of my three weeks in Tanzania and Zanzibar I guess I had better start with the flight, KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines. KLM is I believe the only European airline to offer daily flights to this part of Africa and it is running a very good service at an affordable price - as long as you book far enough in advance.
-Cost
The process of buying the tickets was incredibly easy. I have become addicted to using the internet for everything so in the process of trawling the masses of websites advertising cheap flights I decided to go straight to the source and see what the airlines themselves had to offer. Eventually I came across KLM and was able to find a return flight in late June this year for £430 including tax – Return from Manchester to Dar Es Salaam. This was a good £100-200 cheaper than I had seen elsewhere and the tickets could be booked there and then. Ever cautious however I decided to pay a visit to a certain student travel agent. They were unable to offer anything cheaper so I went ahead and bought the tickets direct.
Before I go any further I do not want to give the impression that tickets are always available at this price. I booked these tickets over six months in advance and even then seem to have come away with a very good deal, cheap tickets can always be found though if you look around enough.
-The Web Site
Disclaimer over with, I'll move onto the website itself which in my particular case was KLM UK (www.klmuk.com). The whole process of selecting and paying for tickets is dealt with in easy sequence familiar to anyone who has ever booked tickets on thetrainline for example. You input when you would like to travel how many people etc. your request is run through the reservation system and available flights during that period. Once you have selected you're preferred flight date or price you are whisked through a few further steps until you're credit card number is nimbly extracted from you.
That basically is the entire process, and you are then sent you're tickets, usually within the week. One disadvantage is that you need to look after the tickets yourself. Usually you don't need to pick things like that up until a week or two before hand. I had the tickets sitting around in my house for over six months, which can prove rather stressful at times, especially if others in the house choose to move things around every couple of weeks.
There are a number of other interesting features on the KLM UK web site. One I particularly liked was flight tracking. This basically provides information of the arrival and departures of any KLM flights. I used this the day before I left to be informed that the flight I was due to be on the next day was currently having a brief stop over at Kilimanjaro International Airport before heading on to Dar Es Salaam. There is also links providing information about airports, check-in times, accommodation etc.
You also get your own profile on the website which records any particular preferences you may have such as vegetarian, this also enables you to keep track of your bookings and confirm if your reservation has been made if you have not received tickets.
Overall I found the site very easy to navigate and importantly as far as I’m concerned doesn’t bombard you with flashy banners and protracted animated intros that take about two hours to load.
-The Flight
Sorry to go on so but it seemed a good idea at the start. The flight was very much as I had expected really. I am not a frequent flyer so perhaps am not able to add a critical edge. The flight from Manchester to Amsterdam and then on to Dar Es Salaam was completely and thankfully uneventful. On both the outward and return journey check-in was relatively easy, though in Dar Es Salaam the security arrangements were possibly a little over zealous. The flight was in two sections and the staff provided me with boarding cards right through from both Manchester and Dar, this meant the transfer at Amsterdam was very easy. Seats were comfortable enough and leg room for me was just about sufficient, frankly as you would expect when spending 12-14 hours flight time The cabin crew was always very friendly and courteous and quite happy to keep me supplied with Heineken and the odd glass of wine.
The major downside was the food and the films they showed. The food was quite dreadful, and though I understand we are on an aeroplane obviously catering isn’t going to be simple. But still at least pick a half decent menu. Lunch was some kind of beef thing consisting of two small chunks of very tough meat and some very salty mashed potato covered in a slightly suspicious brown glutinous liquid. Tea was very similar but the potato was replaced by under cooked rice and the meat (beef) with chicken and the dish had miraculously changed into a curry though to notice any difference in flavour between the two must take a very well trained tongue. Oh and the films, well nothing wrong with them I suppose they were just slightly dull.
I seem to have come out rather on the negative side on the flight which wasn’t really my intention but I suppose it is true to say the flight was merely adequate, average. Perfectly acceptable as far as I am concerned and would in no way stop me flying with KLM again. I suppose I would only be truly happy with an entire row to myself, someone on hand with champagne and bringing strawberries to my mouth for me. Perhaps a screen directly in front of me with my own selection of DVD’s and music. Do you suppose that could be possible on an economy ticket?
Overall KLM provided a completely hassle free service to Africa at competitive rates, a service I would well recommend.
More details
Class flown most frequently
Economy
How often do you travel with this airline
First time
Where did you book
Directly with this airline
Safety
Satisfactory
How well does it cater for disabled people
OK
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