Information on Airlink Flights

Airlink (4Z) is a full-service regional airline operating primarily in Southern Africa. It connects to over 45 destinations in 15 countries, offering flights to some of the continent’s smallest towns like Botswana’s Kasane and remote destinations like Madagascar.

Airlink is based in Johannesburg, South Africa where it operates from its main hub at OR Tambo International Airport. In business for over 3 decades, Airlink has in recent years become Africa’s 2nd-largest airline by flights offered, right behind Ethiopian Airlines. It has reliable service and consistent on-time performance, making it an easy choice for travelers in the region.

Why fly Airlink

For US travelers visiting Southern Africa, Airlink provides reliable connections to major cities in the region like Nairobi or Cape Town and tourist destinations like Victoria Falls. The airline also flies to harder-to-reach locations like the little-known St. Helena Island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. On some routes - Skukuza at Kruger National Park or Pietermaritzburg in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province - Airlink is the only non-chartered option.

Even though 4Z is not a low-cost carrier, its operations are more akin to the point-to-point models of Ryanair or Southwest than the hub-and-spoke model of comparable airlines. The airline’s network of regional hubs such as Windhoek Eros Airport in Namibia (through its franchise partnership with FlyNamibia) or King Shaka International Airport in Durban, South Africa offers direct routes, without the need to connect in Johannesburg.

I also appreciate how reliable the Airlink service is. In my experience, Airlink flights are always punctual. With its large fleet of Embraer jets, the airline rarely cancels a flight due to maintenance issues, which cannot be said about some of its competitors in the region.

Cabin classes, seats and legroom

The Airlink fleet consists of over 60 Embraer aircraft. The smaller Embraer 135 and 140 models serve shorter routes with an economy-only configuration, while the larger Embraer E-jet models (E170, E190 and E195) fly longer domestic and regional routes and offer business and economy seating on select itineraries.

Business

Airlink flies business exclusively on its Embraer E-jet models (the airline calls this class Superb Sunbird, in reference to its mascot, the African sunbird). You’ll mostly find these fares on 4Z’s popular routes like Johannesburg - Cape Town or Cape Town - Harare. Except for E195, which has 11 business seats, this cabin has 6 seats. Seat arrangements vary from 1 x 1 to 2 x 2 seats per row.

The business cabin is comparable to the one you’ll find on the US domestic business class. The seats do not recline 180 degrees and there is no footrest, but there is decent space with a 37” pitch and 18” width.

Superb Sunbird fares can be up to 3 times costlier than the cheapest Economy fares. They include priority boarding, lounge access at select airports and a more generous checked luggage allowance. The cabin experience is pretty basic, so I don’t recommend it on shorter 4Z flights (unless you’re looking to maximize miles earned, more on this below). For flights lasting 4 hours or more, this fare may be worth it.

Economy

Airlink’s Economy cabins don’t have the most comfort, but they do just fine on short and medium-haul 4Z flights. Legroom and space are limited, especially on the smaller E135 and E140 jets. These models have a 1 x 2-row configuration (it’s 2 x 2 otherwise) and I recommend selecting seat 1A if you can: it’s the first seat in the single row, with slightly more legroom than the rest.

In Economy, 4 fare options range from the most restrictive, non-refundable Plain Sunbird to the least restrictive Magnificent Sunbird which allows refunds and has the highest checked bag allowance. Indeed, Magnificent Sunbird is closer to business fare than economy in terms of policies and fare cost.

Unlike many other airlines, Airlink allows unrestricted seat selections free of charge on every Economy fare. As I travel with a carry-on only, I typically purchase Plain Sunbird fare, which costs up to 3 times less than Magnificent, and still sit in the first row of the Economy cabin.

Pre-flight experience

Here’s what you need to know about the 4Z pre-flight experience.

Booking process

Although 4Z is not part of any airline alliance, it has partnerships and codeshare agreements with a number of large global airlines. If you’re flying Emirates, Air France, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa and many more, you can book a ticket to Airlink destinations in Southern Africa on that airline. Airlink flights will be part of 1 single booking and your baggage will be checked to your final destination.

While this may sound tempting, particularly if you have checked bags, I do not recommend this option (unless you're getting a great flight award deal, for example). In my experience, booking your trans-oceanic flight to Johannesburg on your main airline and getting a separate Airlink ticket to your final destination is significantly cheaper than booking it all under the same ticket, which can cost twice as much.

Baggage policy

Airlink Economy passengers are allowed 1 carry-on bag of up to 17 pounds and 1 personal item. In the business cabin, you can bring 2 carry-ons onboard. Bags must fit under the seat or the small overhead compartment, which is typically smaller than what can fit many larger wheeled carry-ons. In general, I recommend a duffle bag as a carry-on in the region instead, especially if you’re planning a safari.

Airlink’s total checked bag weight allowance is 66 pounds for Superb Sunbird (business) and Magnificent Sunbird (highest economy) fares. It’s 44 pounds for all other fares. Smaller planes land on airstrips with little baggage handling options. On these flights, you’ll likely be carrying your luggage yourself, so it is best to pack light.

Check-in & boarding

4Z check-in and boarding tend to be quite straightforward. Smaller airports like Maun in Botswana tend to be uncrowded, and the pace itself is much more relaxed. But even in Johannesburg, one of the largest airports in Africa, 4Z counters are often relaxed and uncluttered, in my experience.

In some of these smaller airports, the gate area tends to be pretty empty, with no possibility to buy snacks if you’re hungry, so plan ahead and bring one with you. Boarding is mostly done on the tarmac, where you’ll ascend the aircraft via the stairs - 1 more reason to pack light.

On board Airlink flights

Here’s what you can expect on board 4Z flights.

Beyond an inflight magazine, Airlink does not provide entertainment on board. There is also no Wi-Fi. This is fine on most of 4Z’s shortest flights, but can be a challenge on the longer flights like the 4-hour Johannesburg to Nairobi connection - so plan to bring your own entertainment.

There are no power outlets at the seats so make sure to charge up your devices ahead of time.

Airlink serves refreshments on all flights, regardless of duration. If you’re traveling on longer flights, expect a full meal in the economy cabin with several decent, if not entirely exciting options like pasta or meatballs. Meals in the business cabin tend to be more reflective of regional flavors (I’ve had an ostrich filet on an Airlink flight in the past).

On shorter flights, snacks like mixed nuts or dried fruits are typically served, although some routes can also include a full meal. Airlink’s wine options in the economy cabin are surprisingly good.

Lounges

For passengers flying on Airlink’s Superb Sunbird (business) class, the airline provides access to several lounges: the Bidvest Premier lounge on Cape Town and Johannesburg’s domestic routes and the Shongololo and the Mashonzha lounges on international routes from Johannesburg. These lounges are pretty basic and they can also be accessed through Priority Pass, the international lounge access network with memberships provided by several US credit cards.

The lounge network that may be worth checking out if you’re flying Airlink business is SLOW, the premium brand with facilities in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. At SLOW, I particularly love the free massages at the on-site spa and the private bedding areas for a quick nap.

Airlink loyalty schemes

Airlink’s loyalty program is called Skybucks and it allows passengers to earn and redeem miles on every 4Z flight. There are no program partners like hotels or car rental companies at the moment, although partnerships are in development. Unless you’re based in the region, it doesn’t make sense for most US travelers to invest in this program.

The program that offers good benefits is Airlink’s partnership with United Airlines, a member of Star Alliance. In the last few years, the carriers have reached an agreement that allows United MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles when traveling with Airlink.

While the value of miles is small due to the short distances of most 4Z flights, the policy is quite generous. Every 4Z class of service is eligible to earn miles, starting with 25% earnings for Plain Sunbird discount economy, 100% earnings for Elegant and Magnificent Sunbird economy and 125% earnings for Superb Sunbird business.