Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa How Much Ammo to Bring?

Last Oct, I flew SAA to JNB and had a follow-on flight to Richards Bay on SAA Express. I packed my ammo in a hard plastic lockable box with a TSA lock and packed it in my TSA locked checked bag. I also printed a copy of SAA's baggage/ammo policy posted on-line as well as SAA Express's posted policy.

Cleared SAPS in JNB with no issues. I had completed my 520 before I flew and had certified copies of my Passport and 4457's. Five minutes and I was done. The fun began when I tried to check in with SAA Express.

Per the published instructions, I declared my cased firearms to the agent, I declared the one checked bag had ammo it in a locked case. The agent said she couldn't accept the ammo or firearms and that both the checked bag and the rifle case had to be checked in with the "Domestic SAPS" office. I pulled the copies of the SAA Express web pages out and showed her that per those instructions they could. She called her supervisor over and she said the web pages where wrong and they had to go through Domestic SAPS - it is on the opposite side of the main check-in hall. No problem drug my stuff to them.

Domestic SAPS said they couldn't take either one without the "checked bag tag" and that I had to go back to the check-in desk and check them. They did send a SAPS Officer with me to make sure SAA Express got it right. No problem, pulled the locked ammo box out of the checked bag and the SAPS Officer carried it and my rifle case back to the SAA Express desk.

Got to the same agent and the SAPS Officer explained to her to print the baggage tags. This time she said that since I was now checking a "third" bag (rifle case, checked bag and now the ammo case) I would have to pay the extra bag fee. OK, I pull my CC out and she says she can't take it. I have to now drag all my crap over to the SAA Express ticket counter to pay the extra bag fee.

I get over there and I show the agent the SAA and SAA Express pages and that I just transiting and that neither the SAA or SAA Express published policies say anything about ammo traveling separately and ask to talk to her supervisor. She says she doesn't have one and I can either pay the fee or leave the ammo behind. I decide it is not going to be that much because the SAA Express web site says it should have been just a few ND per kilo. Instead she hits me with FULL extra bag fee that converted to $90USD.

I decided to just go ahead and pay it and put it on my CC and figure I'll contest the charge through them when I get home. Pay the few, get the receipt and drag all my crap back the SAA Express que, get the bag tags, leave the checked bag there and the SAA Officer and I drag the gun case and ammo back to their office, check the stuff in with them. Surprisingly, everything arrived in Richards Bay just fine.

Next surprise was on the way back. Checked in with Richards Bay and was told that I had to pay a $100ND inspection fee for the rifle. I asked why and they said they were under a separate contract with SAA Express. I said I wanted a receipt with the agents name on it - thought that would call their "bluff" if they where shaking me down but, I got the receipt with the agents name on it (and it matched the name on his photo security badge ID). I didn't bring any loaded ammo back, just shot it all up there and brought back the empties in the same lock box in my checked bag.

To wrap it up - once I got home I did contest the SAA Express charge and provided copies of the SAA Express web pages and they did reverse the charge.

Forgot to add that this was my fourth fourth trip via JNB and first time I had any...issues. I will add that the SAPS personnel in JNB were friendly and helpful and didn't...have their "hands out". The issues where making the transfer from SAA to SAA Express.