POOR old BMI. What’s going to happen now that it’s fallen completely into the clutches of Lufthansa? The Germans don’t appear to have much enthusiasm for their new British brand, to put it mildly. Putting all sentimentality aside, it would be a great shame if BMI disappeared. Beyond the generous benefits of the Diamond Club, the old BMI management’s recent investments have shown the potential (and crying need) for a strong UK airline brand that’s going to offer higher quality service on international routes. It’s just too bad they have made those pricey decisions in the face of the worst global recession for a century!

BMI Lounge, Heathrow

Take the new BMI international lounge at Heathrow T1 (above). It’s miles better than the (very average) Star Alliance lounge and most of the rest on offer at T1. This roomy and modern facility has the lot: a cosy lounge, quiet office space, a slumber room, showers, a cafe serving everything from hot soup to ice cream, and your very own English ‘local’ (below).

We like this lounge so much that we used it for our trip to Jo’Burg on South African, despite the best efforts of the BMI staff to direct us back to the Star Alliance lounge (on the basis that there would be no flight calls).

We spent a delightful couple of hours in the lounge sampling some fine Kiwi wines and spoiling our appetites with hot snacks. It’s too sad to think that the whole thing might be ripped up and thrown in the dumpster with the rest of the BMI brand before too long.

New SAA

Another carrier which has clearly been investing in the product is South African. It has been almost five years since I last set foot on a fairly rundown 747 for the trip to Jo’burg. What a difference this time stepping onto the business class cabin of this pristine A340 600. With flat bed seats, the latest interactive entertainment systems and a great menu (below), South African looks in pretty good shape for its big moment in the global spotlight: the 2010 World Cup.

Appetiser (above) and main course (below)

With service like this, the hours before we landed at Johannesburg International (below) just melted away.

Air Botswana

I mentioned in another post that the ATR is one of my least favourite small planes: too small to offer any kind of  high quality flying experience, but too big to provide the same kind of fun you have have in a tiny Otter, for example.

Imagine my delight, therefore, to discover that Air Botswana was running these French twin tubs to Maun, gateway to the Okavango Delta. This was a journey of TWO HOURS.

Thankfully, the cheerful Air Botswana staff made the experience as bearable as possible. They served up this snack box (below), brought to us courtesy of ‘BeMOBILE - the only network that offers the best calling value in town’. Please remember that next time you find yourself in Botswana with a choice of mobile networks. 

Air Namibia

After a wonderful week in the Okavango, we landed back in Maun on our way to the Namibian capital, Windhoek. Then I discovered there is a worse plane to spend two hours on - the Beechcraft 1900.

This is an aircraft which packs about 20 passengers into a space smaller than an average pub toilet - without the loos! I’d love to show you some pictures, but there wasn’t enough room to take the camera out.

Although the flight itself was relatively smooth, I can’t recall a time when I was happier to hit tarmac.

Again, full marks to the Air Namibia pilots for getting us there as efficiently and safely as possible.

Namib Desert Landings

OK, I’m saving the best for last. After a night in Windhoek, we headed to the capital’s domestic airport, Eros, for the hour-long flight to Sossusvlei Desert Lodge.

On a crystal clear morning, we took off and headed for the Namib Desert on what was (probably) the most stunning flight I’ve ever had. Starting out from Windhoek over Namibia’s Central Plateau, you are soon over the dramatic rocky peaks of the ‘Escarpment’, a mountain wall of up to 2,000 metres.

Then the rocks give way to the stunning sands and dunes of the Namib Desert, one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Scenic Air

Congratulations to Scenic Air for providing such a marvellous experience, with professional young pilots who also seemed highly experienced.

One word of warning: make sure you fly in the morning. As the air heats up during the day, extreme gusts of wind occur over the mountains which can toss a Cessna around - somewhat uncomfortably!

Back to SAA

Speaking of high winds, our SAA pilot on the way back from Windhoek to Jo’Burg gave us a typically blunt assessment of flying conditions as we stepped on board: it was going to be rough!

Much to our relief (and surprise), the journey turned out to be uneventful, and we enjoyed the Business Class service all the way back to London, which included tasty dishes like the lamb kebab and chicken (below).

The Verdict

Everyone should fly over the Namib Desert in a little Cessna once in their lives!

Flights Reviewed

South African Airways SA235, London Heathrow to Jo’Burg (A340-600)

Air Botswana BP212, Jo’Burg to Maun (ATR 72)

Air Namibia SW139, Maun to Windhoek

South African Airways SA75, Windhoek to Jo’Burn (B737800)

Scenic Air Charter, Windhoek to Sossusvlei (Cessna C210)