After a day in Johannesburg during which my dad and I did a tour of Soweto and visited the aviation museum at Rand Airport, and a night at the City Lodge hotel connected to the airport, it was time for us to take a quick Airlink flight to Mpumalanga Airport near Kruger and start the main, safari part of our trip.
I was excited about the short hops to and from Kruger as they would be my first flights on the ERJ-135 and ERJ-140, respectively. While this review focuses on the former, other than the seat count and snack service (which I will talk about in detail), the two aircraft are virtually the same.
Check-in, Lounge & Boarding at Johannesburg Airport
After a fairly slow morning thanks to the convenient location of our hotel, we made the short walk to Johannesburg Airport’s domestic terminal, which is served by a colorful variety of airlines.
We got to the Airlink check-in counters around 8:20 a.m., a bit less than two hours before departure. With there being no line, we had dropped our bags off and were on our way with our boarding passes in just a few minutes. Security was a longer affair but we were through in 10 or 15 minutes nonetheless.
Once airside, I visited the Bidvest Sky Lounge, which belongs to the Priority Pass network, for a brief moment to review it before rejoining my dad in the main part of the terminal.
Frankly, the latter was more comfortable thanks to a space with sofas and power outlets located right after security, across from elevators leading to the lounge. That said, the lounge was still nice in terms of the selection of drinks and food available for passengers taking one- to two-hour domestic flights.
Ten minutes before boarding was scheduled to start, we made our way to gate E8, which was a bus gate. Soon after we got there, one of the gate agents started checking boarding passes of passengers waiting for our flight, 4Z829 to “Nelspruit – Kruger.”
While boarding started on time at 9:35 a.m., it wasn’t until almost 20 minutes later that the bus got on its way to the aircraft and until 10 a.m. that we got to the aircraft, ZS-ALJ, an Embraer ERJ-140 built for Chautauqua Airlines in 2002 before joining Airlink in 2018.
The bus ride was exciting as it offered great views of aircraft parked on the apron, both smaller aircraft from the region like a Zambia Airways 737-700 and a mix of wide body aircraft from all over the world.
Airlink Embraer ERJ-135/ERJ-140 Cabin & Seat
Airlink’s larger Embraer E-Jets (E170s, E190s, and E195s) are equipped with both business and economy class cabins. On the other hand, the smaller ERJ-135s and ERJ-140s are only equipped with economy class. As mentioned earlier, essentially the only difference between the two smaller Embraer models’ cabins was the number of seats.
While the larger ERJ-140 that took us to Kruger had 44 seats the smaller ERJ-135 that brought us back to Johannesburg had 37 seats, both in a comfortable “1-2” layout.
The legroom, while nothing to write home about, was perfectly fine for the short hops that we were on and that the type exclusively operates.
Individual air vents that could be found on the relatively retro overhead panels were welcome.
The seat pocket was home to an in-flight magazine (I always enjoy seeing those, especially now given that many airlines no longer provide print version) and a safety card. The former was also the only form of in-flight entertainment available on board. That is, except for the amazing window views, of course.
Airlink Flight 829 Departure
A few minutes after we got on board, the sole flight attendant welcomed us via the PA and announced that our flight time would be 45 minutes. Soon after, she closed the aircraft’s door and did a manual safety demonstration.
The aircraft’s layout meant that she had to do the demo twice – first for passengers seated in rows 3 and beyond, and then for passengers in seats 1A and 2A (there were no pairs of seats to the right of those) who could not see the first demo as the flight attendant performed it while standing behind them.
We taxied out of our parking spot 18 minutes behind schedule, at 10:23 a.m., and made our way to runway 21R, where we were seventh or eight in row for take-off after an array of interesting aircraft including an Botswana-registered business jet A2-BRK.
After our 10:44 a.m. take-off, some great views of aircraft parked at the airport could be had. In particular, the group of four European heavies – a Lufthansa 747-8, Air France and British Airways 777-300ERs, and a Swiss A340-300 – parked next to each other was a sight to behold.
Airlink Domestic Flight Snack
Just two minutes after take-off, the flight attendant announced that service would commence soon and include a choice from either a Crispy Creme doughnut or a hot crossed bun (a word I probably haven’t heard since learning a song about it in elementary school!) with cheese alongside a drink.
In addition to a regular selection of soft drinks, wine was available too.
On the flight back to Johannesburg, the snack selection consisted of potato chips, nuts, and dry fruits.
I appreciated that Airlink served fairly substantial snacks on the short flights where it could have easily gotten away without serving them. The doughnut was especially nice to have.
Arrival at Kruger Mpumalanga Airport
The remainder of the flight, I spent looking out of the window, watching the landscapes change from brown and flat to greener and hilly.
The flight back, on the other hand, took place after sunset and offered amazing views of controlled burns being done in the area.
Going back to the flight to Kruger, not long after the views turned green, towns spread around the northeastern side of the airport came into view.
Flying over them, we made a 180-degree turn and landed on Kruger Airport’s runway 23 at 11:26 a.m.
We parked on the apron in front of the airport’s small terminal at 11:28 a.m., approximately half an hour after our 11 a.m. scheduled arrival time.
Once off the aircraft, we walked to the terminal where we met up with our driver who took us to the Umkumbe Safari Lodge, our home for the next three nights.
Airlink ERJ-135/ERJ-140 Economy Class Summary
From take-off to landing, the flight from Johannesburg to Kruger took 42 minutes. The return flight, at 37 minutes, was even shorter. Yet, in that time, Airlink managed to offer not only water but a proper selection of drinks, as well as a choice of snacks, something that many airlines these days fail to offer even on considerably longer flights.
As an aviation enthusiast, getting a chance to fly on the rather elusive ERJ-135 and ERJ-140 for the first time was a nice bonus.
