Review: Airlink Economy E190 Cape Town-Johannesburg
Intro
While I have reviewed this trip in the other direction, I wanted to share some insight on what it is like to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg on one of my favorite regional carriers in the world.
Intro
Following a lovely time in Cape Town, eating some delicious food, and enjoying the sunsets, it was time to embark on the next flight of the trip. The next portion of my trip would see me heading off to the small city* of Vilankulo in Mozambique. However, to get there, I first had to fly through Johannesburg, as Vilnakulo is a small airport with limited flights.
Overall, it was another lovely flight onboard Airlink from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The level of consistency this airline provides is nothing short of exceptional. Let's get into it.
Route-Cape Town-Johannesburg
Seat- 6A
Flight Number- 4Z922
Aircraft- Embraer E190
Date- June 17th 2024
Flight Time: 2 Hours and 0 Minutes
Price Paid: 352$
How I Booked
Flights into VIlankulo airport (VNX) are traditionally quite expensive. There are two main carriers that operate into VNX; one being Airlink, with a couple of daily flights, and the other is LAM (the local airline in Mozambique). I ended up paying 352 USD one way for this flight, which I thought was quite high.
As a sample date, here are some prices I found (prices are in Nepalese currency 45,000=325$)
Check-In
The 6 am alarm went off, and I began to wonder what I was doing with my life. However, I quickly realized that I was heading off to Mozambique today! Placing the keys away from the Airbnb I was staying at, I called an Uber for around 15 USD, and it was off on the 30-minute drive to the airport.
Sure enough, I had arrived with plenty of time for a domestic flight. Check-in was, once again, a complete breeze. Airlink is a very efficient airline when it comes to the ground experience, which is something I can rarely say about an airline (at least in economy).
I had a couple of hours to kill (I did this since I didn't know much about the requirements for entry to Mozambique. A new country means showing up a bit earlier than normal), so I opted to check out Cape Town airport. And, of course, grab a quick bite to eat.
Boarding
Soon enough, our boarding time of 8:50 am came around, and it was time to be the last one on the plane once again. The Airlink boarding experience was efficient, and we were all on board within 15 minutes.
Still slightly unsure why passengers were boarding from the rear as there was a jetbridge attached to the forward door.
Warmly greeted by the flight attendant, it was back to the same seat I was in before, 6A.
Departure
BY 9:15 am, the captain came on to welcome passengers onboard and enjoyed the Airlink experience. They mentioned how they were just finishing up the paperwork and that we would be pushing back a couple of minutes late, as well as apologizing.
Sure enough, we pushed back 4 minutes late and departed to the South.
I've touched upon more of the finer details of Airlink, such as the wifi, seat, and IFE, in the previous report, so I will not be writing about it here.
Meal Service
About 25 minutes after departure, the inflight meal service began. On the previous flight, there was a choice between two cold dishes (beef and chicken), while on morning flights, it seems that Airlink offers sandwiches instead.
I'm not really one for sandwiches, but it was fine (nothing spectacular). Additionally, wine, beer, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and much more were served. For me, it was much too early for a glass of wine.
Arrival
I somehow must have fallen asleep, as I woke up while we were on approach into Johannesburg. We ended up touching down ahead of schedule into JNB, so the captain and FO had made up a little bit of time.
Plane-spotting at Johannesburg is always fascinating, stumbling across retired A340's as pictured above.
Just like that, we parked at the domestic terminal and it was off to grab a quick Nandos before heading over to the international terminal. As I was born in the UK, Nandos has a dear place in my heart.
Mhm, delicious
Final Thoughts
Another very solid Point A to Point B flight with Airlink. This is one of those routes that feels like a commuter route, and Airlink makes the experience very pleasant. Everybody onboard the plane is an absolute charm every time I fly with them, and there is something to be said about the "Airlink experience". As I have said many times and will say again, Airlink is one of the best regional carriers I have flown.
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