Review: Air Senegal A319 Economy Nouakchott-Dakar
Intro
Aye, yai yai, we are finally back to a full flight review. Following a lovely time in Mauritania and experiencing one of the most incredible aspects of life (riding the iron train across the Saharan desert), it was time to make my way back to Dakar, Senegal.
This flight on Air Senegal was just a horrific flight in general. For starters, the A319 is just a shambolic aircraft; the legroom is tight, there was no wifi/IFE, no charging ports, and we landed at 3:30 am... On the plus side, the aircraft was relatively empty, and we weren't delayed by 7.5 hours like last time!
Route-Nouakchott (NKC)-Dakar (DSS)
Seat- 21F
Flight Number- HC206
Aircraft- Airbus A319
Date- June 6th 2024
Flight Time: 43 Minutes
Price Paid- 198$
How I Booked
Originally, I was due to fly with Mauritania Airlines from Nouakchott to Dakar on the following day. The plan was to have a long rest in Nouadhibou and then head off to Dakar the next day. However, considering Mauritania Airlines reliability and my plan to visit one of the most off-the-beaten countries in the world in 2 days' time (in East Africa, think Pirates 😉), I decided to book a last-minute fare with Air Senegal for 198$.
Check-In
Arriving at the airport around 6 pm Nouakchott time, I had a long wait before my flight. Unfortunately, Air Senegal only opens their check-in lines about a few hours before departure, meaning I had about 4 hours to kill in this small airport with no restaurants (miles better than the Juba airport I just flew out of, oh my). Ahh, the joys.
Are you really traveling/backpacking Africa if you don't somehow end up sleeping on the floor of an airport😉.
Thankfully, I met a couple of fellow Englishmen, and we had some conversations about their life working in Mauritania. Another aspect I love about Africa is how I met all of these expats who have the most interesting jobs.
Hours passed, and we were told that there was a delay in the flight (here we go again) by about an hour. My friends that I had met flying from Dakar to Nouakchott showed up at the airport to check in for Royal Air Maroc, and they informed me that Air Senegal does online check-in (this would be an issue later).
So, we headed through to the departure area together, with my online boarding pass in hand.
Around Nouakchott Airport
Nouakchott airport is not the place to be if you are looking to spend hours in an airport. There is one restaurant and one lounge, which is owned by Air France. In addition, Mauritania is a dry country, so if you are thinking about having a beer at the airport, think again.
The sole restaurant is reasonably priced, and I had a delicious panini accompanied by chips.
Boarding
Hours passed, weeks passed, months passed. I'm joking, but it did feel that way due to the one hour of free wifi. To top it off, my SIM card stopped working the second I went through security (fate)...
Thankfully, just before the wifi ran out, I saw that the inbound aircraft was actually airborne; wow!!
The next hurdle is finding the boarding gate!
Right, Nouakchott doesn't actually announce the boarding gates, not by voice or on the screen. Considering there were 5 gates at the airport, it wasn't the end of the world, but it was tedious nonetheless.
Finally, at 1:20 am, we began boarding! I met a Frenchman in the line who told me that he really dislikes flying Air Senegal, but it is the only choice for a lot of flights.
The agents at the front took a look at my boarding pass on my phone, and allowed me on the plane (yay).
Or so I thought...
As I hear an agent running down from behind, I step to the side, thinking it is for someone else, but he asks me to come with him back to the boarding gate. Apparently, I needed a physical boarding pass to board the plane, and he was adamant this was the case. Somehow, someway, another agent came over saying that my digital boarding pass was the same thing, and they let me on the plane.
The Seat/Cabin
Stepping onboard as one of the last passengers, I was informed that the seating was open for today's flight!
This is slightly infuriating since I had reserved a seat near the front due to my last customs experience in Dakar, but it is what it is.
The A319 of Air Senegal features 12 Business Class seats across 3 rows in a 2-2 configuration and 108 economy seats in a 3-3 configuration.
You can say goodbye to anything that isn't the actual seat or the recline button. I found no charger ports or USB ports. It is almost as if you are on Spirit😞 (minus the food and drink).
The Flight
Ordinarily, I would stay up to review a flight in more depth, but seeing as I had barely slept from the train in the morning and that I already knew what Air Senegal served from the previous flight, I slept the whole way to Dakar. In that regard, that specific sleep saved my life.
Arrival
All I know is that I woke up when almost the whole plane had deplaned, and it was 3:10 am in the morning. Seeing as the flight is about 250 odd miles, there must have been yet another delay somewhere 😉.
To put the icing on the cake, we had a remote stand at 3 o'clock in the morning. Really?
It was nice, though, to be one of the few passengers on a bus at an airport. Usually, airlines squish everyone in like sardines, so this was refreshing.
Not all hope was lost, as immigration was surprisingly efficient at his hour! No more than 5 minutes has passed before I had been stamped into Dakar, quite the difference to the last time huh.
Honestly, if immigration had taken over 30 minutes like last time, I might have fled the airport and swam to Addis Ababa (impossible, I know).
Stay tuned for what a horrific time I had in Senegal the next few days: nothing to do with the country, more to do with serious lung issues after the train...
Final Thoughts
It's a carbon copy of the conclusion from the previous report. Air Senegal is a bit of a mess when it comes to an airline, in my opinion. While the delay wasn't as bad as the previous flight, we were still delayed about an hour. The A319 is not the nicest experience for flying, but if it's for a flight of this length, you'll be alright. The food is the same, from what I can tell, which isn't bad at all for a 250-mile hop. However, Air Senegal is the most reliable option when flying this route, so you don't really have a choice😂.
But where the flight really came up short was the Nouakchott airport. What I didn't mention before is that immigration members were smoking cigarettes inside the terminal building.
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