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INDEX FEATURES Book
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Omo Valley Perfectly,
Privately Pemba South
African Airways
75th East
Africa Hotnews Switzerland
of Africa To
Casablanca by Rail Zulu
Heritage Women
in Tourism Air
Highways
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AFRICA'S AIR
HIGHWAYS In many
journeys to and from Africa during 14 years as
editors and publishers of Africa Travel Magazine
and Air Highways, we have flown with South
African Airways - and always look ahead to the
next flight. We entered the publishing
fraternity thanks to two huge events in the mid
90s. First was the day our leaders signed the
Open Skies Agreement. Second, and of paramount
importance, was the day we discovered the Africa
Travel Association - and ATA discovered us. As
much as Associate Editor Muguette Goufrani (an
African by birth) and I enjoy the many visits,
we get an even bigger lift bringing "positive
news" about Africa to hundreds of thousands who
read our magazine editions in print and online.
Congratulations to South African Airways on its
75 Years of Service. Scan down and get the
details. Visit our SOUTH
AFRICA
section index page for links. SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS
ANNOUNCES NEW NON-STOP SERVICE FROM NEW YORK JFK
TO SOUTH AFRICA New Daytime
Flight Means More Same - Day Connections to More
of Africa South African
Airways has announced that it will operate new
non-stop service from New York JFK to
Johannesburg beginning May 1, 2009. Flight
SA204, which will now depart at 11:35AM and
arrive in Johannesburg at 8:45AM the following
day, opens up a host of online connections,
taking more travelers to more of Africa through
SAA's Johannesburg hub. The
same-day connections feature flights to
Botswana, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique,
Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
As an African airline with global reach, SAA's
unmatched African network will now make it
possible to leave New York in the morning and
connect throughout South Africa and sub-Saharan
Africa as well as Africa's Indian Ocean islands,
all with seamless connections. Within South
Africa, SAA offers frequent service to cities
such as Cape Town and Durban, and the new flight
schedule will allow travelers to arrive at these
popular cities mid-day. Coupled with SAA's
commitment to excellence and its award-winning
service, there is no better choice for service
from the U.S. to Africa.” Adjusting the
New York flight to an earlier departure and
operating it as a non-stop to Johannesburg means
that business travelers and leisure travelers
alike can start their business meetings or
embark on their safaris even earlier, rather
than having to spend the night in Johannesburg
in order to catch a next-morning connection,"
said Marc Cavaliere, executive vice
president, North America for South African
Airways. "We are especially proud that our new
non-stop flights are the fastest way to fly to
South Africa and the earliest arrivals to South
Africa and southern Africa. In addition, when
you realize that passengers now have the ability
to depart during the day from JFK, or during the
evening from Washington, D.C., SAA is without
question the airline that offers the most
flexibility and the best connections to the most
points throughout Africa." Sthu
Zungu, president, South African
Tourism-North America expressed excitement about
the new non-stop service. "We are thrilled with
the addition of this new service out of New
York, which offers a most convenient alternative
for both our business and leisure travelers to
South Africa. As we expand the market for South
Africa in the U.S., it is important that the
options for air travel also keep pace, and
thanks to South African Airways, we are assured
that this is indeed the case." While SA204 will
operate non stop to South Africa, flight SA203
returning from Johannesburg to New York will
continue to make a brief stop in Dakar, Senegal,
and will continue to depart from Johannesburg at
7:05PM arriving into JFK at 7:40AM the following
morning. As part of the schedule adjustment, SAA
will now offer service to Dakar, Senegal, from
Washington, D.C., effective May 1. Flight SA 208
will depart Washington Dulles at 5:40PM,
arriving into Dakar at 5:55AM the following
morning. Flight SA208 will then depart Dakar at
6:55AM and arrive into Johannesburg at 5:20PM
that same day. Flight SA207 from Johannesburg to
Washington will depart at 5:25PM, make a brief
stop in Dakar, and arrive in Washington at
6:00AM the following day. The new non-stop
departures from New York will allow for easy,
same-day connections from our Johannesburg hub
to 23 destinations in sub-Saharan Africa: The
schedule change has also been hailed as
wonderful news by other SAA travel and business
partners from the US and from other African
destinations already served by SAA. 2. Durban,
South Africa 3. East
London, South Africa 4. George,
South Africa 5.
Hoedspruit, South Africa 6.
Nelspruit (Kruger Mpumalanga), South
Africa 7. Port
Elizabeth, South Africa 8.
Gaborone, Botswana 9.
Libreville, Gabon 10.
Nairobi, Kenya 11.
Blantyre, Malawi 12.
Lilongwe, Malawi 13. Walvis
Bay, Namibia 14.
Windhoek, Namibia 15. Beira,
Mozambique 16.
Maputo, Mozambique 17. Pemba,
Mozambique 18. Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania 19.
Entebbe, Uganda 20.
Livingstone, Zambia 21.
Lusaka, Zambia 22.
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 23.
Harare, Zimbabwe Stephen
Hayes, president of the Corporate Council on
Africa (CCA) views the new SAA service as a way
to further strengthen the economic ties between
Africa and the U.S. "Everyday, Africa becomes a
more and more important economic partner with
the United States. This new non-stop flight that
South African Airways has launched will be the
easiest way not only to South Africa, but to
more of Africa from the U.S. than ever before. I
am confident of the success of this new route
and know that many members of the CCA were
clamoring for better airline connections
throughout Africa, and this new flight is
exactly what was needed". Peter
Mwenguo, managing director, Tanzania Tourist
Board, applauded SAA's move to provide same-day
connections to Dar es Salaam. "The timing is
excellent. Tanzania tourism is booming, and in
2007, we had more visitors from the U.S. than
any other country worldwide. This new schedule
from New York on SAA will be a big boost for
American tour operators and travel agents. The
Tanzania Tourist Board looks forward to working
with SAA to promote this new route and the SAA
Tanzania vacation packages." The tourism
board from Zambia is quite optimistic by SAA's
schedule changes. "At the Zambia Tourism Board
we are overjoyed to hear of this development.
Same day connections will definitely make Zambia
more accessible as travel time is reduced to a
minimum, making travel packages to Zambia more
attractive than before, since clients will not
be required to spend an extra night in
Johannesburg before proceeding to either Lusaka
or Livingstone," said Margaret M. Makungo,
director North America, Zambia Tourism
Board. South African
Airways features the only nonstop service from
the U.S. to South Africa with daily departures
from Washington, D.C. (until April 30th, with a
stop in Dakar commencing May 1), and daily
direct service from New York (operating non stop
effective May 1) that offer travel convenience
and award-winning service. Travelers in premium
class enjoy 180° fully flat-bed seats, and
in economy class enjoy the most legroom versus
competitors. Every seat on board offers an
individual on-demand entertainment system, plush
pillow, warm blanket and amenity kit. SAA's
unrivaled network, featuring seamless
connections to more than 20 destinations within
South Africa, and more than 20 cities across the
rest of the continent, makes the airline the
savvy traveler's "gateway to Africa." As a Star
Alliance member, South African Airways is able
to offer its customers 912 destinations in 159
countries and more than 16,500 flights daily,
including convenient connections from more than
25 cities in the U.S. through code share service
with Star Alliance member United Airlines.
Members of United's Mileage Plus, US Airways'
Dividend Miles and Air Canada's Aeroplan
programs are able to earn and redeem miles on
all SAA flights. For more information on South
African Airways, please call (800) 722-9675 or
visit www.flysaa.com,
where travelers can sign up to be notified of
other great travel deals and vacation
packages Contact: Elizabeth
Ninomiya, South African Airways, Tel:
954-769-5120 SOUTH AFRICAN
AIRWAYS CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH
SPECIAL OFFER To Celebrate,
Share Africa by Taking a Companion along Fort Lauderdale,
FL South African Airways is celebrating its 75th
Anniversary of service with the "Share Africa"
fare, which invites passengers to share the
allure and excitement of Africa with a
companion. The first passenger pays
$1,399* round trip, excluding taxes and fuel
surcharges, while the second passenger pays only
the taxes and surcharges. The fare is on
sale now through Jan 31st, and is valid for
travel from New York JFK or Washington, D.C., to
Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa, or
Dakar, Senegal, for departures between Jan.
23rd-March 31st, or Oct. 1st-Nov. 30th,
2009. The "Share Africa" fare is also
available for travel from New York or
Washington, D.C., to Windhoek, Namibia, for just
$1,990* round trip. Fare rules and
restrictions apply. To book tickets,
passengers may call 1-800-722-9675, visit
www.flysaa.com, or call their travel
agent. South African
Airways was founded in 1934, and since then has
led the way in offering world-class service from
Africa to the globe. This attention to
service throughout the years has resulted in the
airline consistently being named "Best Airline
to Africa" by numerous travel experts and
publications. Among its firsts, South
African Airways was the first airline to offer
service from South Africa to the United States,
launching service 40 years ago in 1969, from
Johannesburg to JFK. Since then, it has
offered the most convenient service from the
U.S. to the most points throughout the African
continent. Today, it is poised to continue
this tradition of excellence by continuously
enhancing its product offering, including
non-stop service from New York JFK to
Johannesburg, commencing May 1st. For more
highlights on South African Airways' 75-year
history, visit www.flysaa.com,
and link to "About Us." "To celebrate 75
years as Africa's premier airline is something
we're particularly proud of, as it took a long
commitment from many outstanding employees
throughout the years to make it happen. It
also took the patronage of many loyal passengers
&endash; something we're especially grateful
for," said Marc Cavaliere, South African
Airways' executive vice president for North
America. "We treat our mission &endash;
that of bringing the world to Africa and taking
Africa to the world &endash; with the utmost
importance, and we consider it a privilege to be
able to do so. We hope that our customers
will join in and celebrate this milestone with
us by flying over and experiencing majestic
Africa with a companion." South African
Airways features the only nonstop service from
the U.S. to South Africa with daily departures
from Washington, D.C. (until April 30th, with a
stop in Dakar commencing May 1), and daily
direct service from New York (operating non stop
effective May 1) that offer travel convenience
and award-winning service. Travelers
in premium class enjoy 180° fully flat-bed
seats, and in economy class enjoy the most
legroom versus competitors. Every seat on
board offers an individual on-demand
entertainment system, plush pillow, warm blanket
and amenity kit. SAA's unrivaled network,
featuring seamless connections to more than 20
destinations within South Africa, and more than
20 cities across the rest of the continent,
makes the airline the savvy traveler's "gateway
to Africa." As a Star Alliance member,
South African Airways is able to offer its
customers 912 destinations in 159 countries and
more than 16,500 flights daily, including
convenient connections from more than 25 cities
in the U.S. through code share service with Star
Alliance member United Airlines. Members of
United's Mileage Plus, US Airways' Dividend
Miles and Air Canada's Aeroplan programs are
able to earn and redeem miles on all SAA
flights. For more information on South
African Airways, please call (800) 722-9675 or
visit www.flysaa.com,
where travelers can sign up to be notified of
other great travel deals and vacation
packages. *Fare excludes
taxes and fuel surcharges. Seats are
limited. Companion must travel with ticket
purchaser on the same date and flight. Minimum
stay of (X) days, maximum stay of (X)
days. Contact: Elizabeth
Ninomiya, South African Airways, Tel:
954-769-5120 |
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by
Jerry W. Bird 
