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HOEDSPRUIT - A shiny new Premier Classe train service between Johannesburg and Hoedspruit has been launched, providing an added attraction to Limpopo's big-five reserves.

The Premier Classe train offers visitors to Limpopo's game belt a five-star service including private cabins, five-course meals and spa facilities.

The service began on July 9 and operates once a week, leaving Park Station on a Thursday evening and arriving mid-morning on Friday in Hoedspruit. It returns on the Sunday evening, arriving back in Johannesburg on the Monday morning.

Premier classe

One of South-Africa's well-kept travel secrets, Premier Classe trains have been getting great reports from travellers who have used them on other routes.

Premier Classe started out in 1998 as an affordable deluxe service from Cape Town to Johannesburg, originally running once a week attached to the regular Shosholoza Meyl 'Trans-Karoo' train. But in May 2006 it was made into a completely separate train and increased to twice a week. In October 2008 they introduced a twice-weekly Durban-Johannesburg train, then a weekly Cape Town-Port Elizabeth train in December 2008.

Hotels on rails

Premier Classe trains are hotels on rails. They use standard South African railways sleeping-cars (in fact, the same 1960s-1970s type used by Shosholoza Meyl) which have been refurbished to deluxe standards, and passengers are given twice the normal amount of space per passenger: Solo passengers get sole occupancy of what would have been a 2-berth coupé, two passengers get sole use of what would have been a 4-berth compartment and so get two lower berths.

The sleeping-cars aren't air-conditioned, a big advantage for photographers as the windows open!

There's a deluxe Premier Classe restaurant car serving 3-5 course meals and a Premier Classe lounge car with armchairs, sofas and a bar. The fare includes all your meals and complimentary tea/coffee, although alcoholic drinks cost extra.

If you can't afford the famous Blue Train, but still want safe, civilised deluxe train travel at ground level through superb South African scenery that you can't see from 30,000 feet, take a Premier Classe train.

PRICES AND BENEFITS

Current prices are from R980 per person one-way to or from Johannesburg to Hoedspruit, around 30% cheaper than flying, but bear in mind that this also includes decent accommodation on the train and food (which you might otherwise pay for).

It also enables local visitors to leave after work with ease without wasting time, and caters for international arrivals coming in after the last daily Hoedspruit flights have departed Johannesburg after noon.

On a similar note, the evening Sunday return from Hoedspruit provides for more time in the bush and no accommodation worries in Johannesburg.

Premier Classe passengers can use the luxury 'Blue Train' VIP lounges at Cape Town and Johannesburg stations.

Comment

Viwe Mlenzana, CEO of Shosholoza Meyl, which owns Premier Classe, said the schedule was aimed at the weekend market. "The service allows guests to get away to the bush for the weekend but still arrive back on Monday in time for work."

He said the service was launched in response to demand from customers who wanted a new travel experience and was aimed primarily at the domestic market.

The train has been recently refurbished and Mlenzana said the product would continue to be refined, including a new point-to- point service for passengers to Johannesburg's Park Station.

Later this year further coaches catering to a more exclusive market would be added. However, Mlenzana said, the aim was to make the service affordable to a range of passengers.

Labels: blue train, hoedspruit, johannesburg, premier classe, Shosholoza Meyl, train, travel

NELSPRUIT– The first chartered planeload of European tourists could be touching down at Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) during this year.

At least that is the hope of airport manager Sisa Tanda. Negotiations are in an advanced stage with a major UK charter company to fly once a week to KMIA.



Gaining the charter airline is one of three key aims on Tanda’s business wish list for 2007. The others include enticing a low-cost airline into a long-term arrangement and increasing the amount of cargo traffic.

After doubling profitability in the past year, the seasoned Tanda is working hard to coordinate consultants, agents, route developers and operators to further the master plan for the future.

Most of the income is derived from people travelling through and using the services at the airport.

“Our short-term objectives include the development of the charter airlines business,” Tanda said. “By the end of this year we expect to have weekly charter flights and once one operator starts, it will have a snowball effect.

“We have learned through studies that the two main places in South Africa that foreign tourists want to visit during a 14-day stay, are Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. We want to make their travel arrangements as comfortable and direct as we can.

“We are slightly restricted by national requirements and bilateral aviation arrangements which means using Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport as the point of entry,” said Tanda. He is also cognisant of the desire of domestic fliers to have more choice of internal operators– especially a no-frills, low-price airline.

The third arrow in Tanda’s quiver is reserved for the cargo market, which he sees as a key economic growth factor for the region’s future and long-term development of the airport.

Labels: airlines, mpumalanga, nelspruit, southern kruger, travel

JOHANNESBURG— Delta Air Lines completed its first flight into Johannesburg from Atlanta today, making it the only US carrier offering a scheduled service between South Africa and the United States.




The only other scheduled routings between South Africa and the US currently are the two routes operated by South African Airways.

These are from Johannesburg to Washington and to New York. SAA's Johannesburg-Washington route includes a stopover in Dakar, as does the Delta route to Atlanta.

Delta's arrival will break SAA's monopoly on this route as well as bringing some welcome competition to flights to America.

The new Delta flight, which will operate daily, forms an integral part of Delta’s expansion into Africa and will significantly improve options for onwards travel options within the US. They also start flights to Nigeria next week.

Flight DL35 departs Johannesburg at 7.35pm daily, stopping in Dakar, Senegal at 3am. It departs Senegal at 4.15am, arriving in Atlanta at 8.50am.

The return flight DL34 departs Atlanta at 4.25pm, arriving in Johannesburg at 4.35pm the following day.

Commenting on the new Delta service, Frank Jahangir, Delta’s Vice President Sales & Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) said: "This new route will open a corridor of commerce between South Africa and the world's largest airline hub in Atlanta, facilitating travel throughout all 50 states in the US as well as Latin America and the Caribbean."

According to Jahangir, "Atlanta is the business capital of the southern United States, home to the world's largest airline hub and has the seventh-largest population of South African-born residents in the US. With this flight, Delta customers travelling from SA to Atlanta will now have convenient connection opportunities to more than 220 destinations worldwide including key business destinations such as Los Angeles, Washington and Dallas as well as leisure destinations such as Miami, Orlando and Las Vegas."

Speaking about Delta’s maiden flight, Moeketsi Mosola, Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism said: "As the first major US airline to operate a scheduled service between the United States and South Africa, it is a great pleasure to welcome Delta Air Lines to SA.

“It is encouraging that the fastest-growing international carrier in the US has shown confidence in promoting travel between our countries. From a tourism perspective, the US has always been an important source market for SA— a fact clearly highlighted by this year’s arrivals figures, which have exceeded expectations and shattered previous records.

Teaser fares (no longer available) saw return fares from Atlanta to Johannesburg from around $1,200 (excluding taxes).

Delta will operate the new flights using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft configured to carry 214-passengers with 35 seats in BusinessElite, Delta’s business class.

Labels: airlines, travel

HOEDSPRUIT (Kruger Times) - Tourists entering South Africa may soon benefit from a novel swipe card that records their purchases at selected outlets to provide them with an easy Vat refund on their departure.

The Traversa Traveller’s Companion Card will be given to tourists as they pass through border facilities. Once on holiday, the tourist can use the card at designated Traversa attractions, stores and restaurants. Traversa merchants will also offer a discount to cardholders. A multilingual call centre will also be available.

With each purchase, the cashier will swipe the card and enter data into the system. On departure, another swipe of the card will provide the tourist with tax invoices that will allow him to obtain a Rand cheque, a foreign currency bank draft or a credit to his credit card.

Traversa has been approved by the South African Revenue Services, the Vat Refund Administrator and the Airports Company of South Africa. It is anticipated that a million cards a year will be distributed.

Some of the money generated by the card will be used to develop tourism to South Africa and to develop grass-roots businesses.

by Lynette Strauss, Kruger Times

Labels: travel