Review: RwandAir 737-800 Economy Kigali-Johannesburg
Intro
The next portion of the great African adventure would see me heading to the most southern country on the continent. Following a lovely time in Kigali and trekking the Eastern Lowland Gorillas, it was time to head to South Africa! I hadn't been back to South Africa for quite some time, so it was exciting to re-enter a country that has a very dear place in my heart.
Well, how was the flight? RwandAir offers a decent product on their 737-800s. The service was quite good, and the seats had a decent amount of pitch. Unfortunately, due to a horrific flight time (I chose it because of the cost), I missed out on the meal service, which I wanted to review. Let's get into it!
Route-Kigali-Johannesburg
Seat- 24A
Flight Number- WB102
Aircraft- Boeing 737-700NG
Date- June 13th 2024
Flight Time: 3 Hours and 35 Minutes
Price Paid: 280$ (booked through RwandAir website)
Getting To Kigali Airport
Waking up at Hotel Nediva in the DRC, it would be a long day ahead getting to Johannesburg. The first part of the journey consisted of a drive across the Ruzizi border, through the national park, and onward into Kigali.
The roads through the national park in Rwanda can cause plenty of accidents. Check this car below which has certainly seen better days. I hope the passengers are alright.
By 3 pm, we had arrived back in Kigali. The guide was happy to drop me where I wanted, but seeing as my flight wasn't until 10:30 pm, I figured a quick lunch and beer was in order. That was until I realized that I better get a move on to the airport around 7 pm.
I've taken many modes of transport to an airport, but this is my first time riding a motorbike to the airport 🤣.
Arriving at Kigali, I found the airport to be like a barren wasteland. Most of the flights out of Kigali don't tend to leave around 7 pm, and thus, the airport reflected that. Unfortunately, the agent informed me that check-in would open at 7:45 pm for the 10:30 pm departure, but I could go wait across the street until then.
And that I did, watching this beautiful sunset. Reminds me of The French Polynesia.
Check-In
Soon enough, it was time to head back to the airport and check in. Heading up to the counter, I inquired about the cost of an upgrade. 350$ for an upgrade to business class on a 3.5-hour flight? A little bit over the top, considering the cabin was empty...
Boarding pass printed, I headed upstairs to immigration and security. Needless to say, there was still not a single soul in sight, which was surprising.
Kigali Airport
The Kigali airport is quite a small airport. There is one restaurant located in the back, a smoking booth, which is 10$ for 30 minutes, and a few gate areas to relax in. RwandAir does operate a flagship lounge, but as I was not flying business class, I settled on a chicken and chips at the restaurant. Combined with a beer, a delicious meal all around!
Boarding
Due to a late inbound aircraft, boarding was slightly delayed.
At the gate area is a desk with a gate agent who is happy to help with any requests. As I was still feeling under the weather for some odd reason (perhaps run down), I wondered if he had any empty rows. Sure enough, he found an empty exit row for me! What a lovely guy!
By 10:10 pm, boarding has started for the hop down to JNB. I believe that most if not all, gates at Kigali are remote stands (at least from what I saw). It was a short time before we got to the plane, and then we laid eyes on this magnificent 737-800 (it was originally scheduled to be a -700).
The Seat/Cabin
Stepping onboard, passengers were warmly greeted by a couple of flight attendants.
The cabin on this RwandAir 737-800 is laid out with four rows of business class in a 2-2 configuration totaling 16 seats. While they do look comfortable and are stocked with plenty of amenities, I don't think it is worth the upgrade cost.
Heading past the free-flowing champagne cabin, the elegant blue colors filled the economy cabin. The economy cabin is laid out in the traditional 3-3 configuration, with a total of 138 seats. A couple of small notes:
the pitch was relatively good, better than the Ethiopian 737
there was a little legrest located at each seat, which is rare to find in Y
there were no seatback televisions.
The exit rows provided even more legroom, but as it turned out, a couple sat next to me. So, I mentioned to the flight crew that I had a cold and asked if they had an open row. Back in row 24, they were happy to accommodate me.
The Flight
By 10:40 pm, boarding was wrapped up, and we were just about ready to get on our way (or so we thought). The captain came on to welcome passengers onboard and proceeded to explain that there would be a small delay in sorting out a technical problem. Fantastic.
By 11:00 pm local time, we had backtracked down the runway and were wheels up to Johannesburg.
Unfortunately, this was the extent to which I experienced the RwandAir experience. Supposedly, the food and wifi offerings on their short-haul routes are relatively good. However, seeing as we took off at 11 pm and didn't land until 2:45 am, the only thing on my mind was sleep. Whoever invented this flight schedule, hmmm...
We touched down 20 minutes behind schedule into an empty Johannesburg. I guess there is one positive aspect to arriving so late at night 😅.
Immigration was cleared in no time, and with no bags to check, I was off to the Uber pickup area within 10 minutes. Not bad at all.
Note: After flying into Johannesburg 5 times this year, I have never once been asked for my health declaration.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, due to the flight time and being run down, I didn't get the overall RwandAir experience. However, from what I did experience, I found the RwandAir flight crew and ground operations to be very friendly and accomodating. The prices are reasonable, and there is wifi available on their 737-800 NGs. However, just keep in mind that this flight is royally brutal due to the 3.5-hour redeye, but the lower price also reflects that.
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