Since we were connecting same-night back to Istanbul, it made sense to fly instead of take a ferry back. Tickets were $37 each purchased the day before on Fastjet.
Fastjet hopes to become the African continent’s “first low-cost, pan-African airline” but thus far is only flying in Tanzania and Zimbabwe. (Easyjet // Fastjet …. get it?). The UK-based company has yet to turn a profit.
Tickets were only $37 each and easily reserved and paid for online at fastjet.com. Fasjet also charges a $5 credit card “convenience fee”.
I checked-in online earlier in the day, but re-checked in at the airport to check on better seats. Seats were automatically assigned: we were given middle seats toward the rear of the plane.
An agent first stated that no seats were available but when I asked about exit rows he re-assigned us seats in the first row of the plane. The flight turned out only to be about 20% full.
As you enter Abeid Amani Karume International Airport in Zanzibar, you go through a brief pat down and document check walking from the parking lot to the check-in area. Our passports were checked and our tickets verified. I did not have a physical print out of our reservation or boarding pass, but did pull up the reservation on the phone and that was accepted.
Fastjet Check-In
The check-in area has a covered roof but is semi-outdoors and quite run down. There are grand plans for a beautiful new airport, but without more funding those plans will just remain sketches on a wall.
Just beyond the check-in desks is a consolidated security line. Lines moved fairly efficiently and I was asked to remove my laptop from my bag. Water bottles were also collected (but for sale on the other side). Past security is a very congested gate area with a few concessions. If you have Priority Pass or are traveling in a premium cabin, use the Dhow Lounge upstairs.
Boarding was called late, about 10 minutes prior to our scheduled departure at 8:30p. But with front and rear air stairs and a very light load, it took mere minutes to fully board.
Fastjet (FN) 952
Zanzibar (ZNZ) – Dar Es Salaam (DAR)
Thursday, April 24, 2016
Depart: 08:30 PM
Arrive: 90:00 PM+1
Duration: 30min
Aircraft: A319
Seat: 1E (Economy Class)
There is not much to say about a 20-minute, 45-mile flight, but I am happy to vouch for Fastjet:
- Airbus A319 – clean and new
- Seats – leather and comfortable
- Crew – courteous
- Flight – arrived on-time
Unsurprisingly, there was no service on a 20-minute flight, but the seat back pocket contained buy-on-board menu for longer flights. I’ve included it below.
Checked baggage is not included in the fare, but we were traveling with only one carry-on and it was not weighed or sized. I noticed a sizer when we reached Dar Es Salaam–
There are over 30 flights per day in each direction between Zanzibar and Dar Es Salaam. Had it been a day flight I may have opted for a smaller Cessna plane, but for a night flight I enjoyed flying on a larger aircraft.
Fasjet has plans to expand to Zambia next and I wish them great luck in doing so.
Small nit – there aren’t quite that many flights between DAR and ZNB. A bunch of the 57+ flights listed in Google Flights are duplicates – the Hahn Air flights match Coastal Aviation flights exactly in the times, so it’s actually around 30 flights daily. If I’m not mistaken Hahn doesn’t operate the flights, it lists flights of (small) airlines so that they are available in global booking systems. Also chuckled when I saw that one of the airlines operating this route is Auric Air – that must be Mr. Goldfinger’s airline, flown by Pussy Galore!
Good catch! Thanks.
Wauw, that dent above left of the first window does not look good! Looks rather deep. It seems like it had a sticker ‘known damage’ next to it. But it looks too deep. Glad you did not have a decompression.
Ouch – $4 for a pack of samosas?!?!? That’s pretty steep, actually more than I’d pay at the Indian store in my neighborhood. I also find it slightly amusing that the vegetarian option is a cheese sandwich, but samosas are tailor made for a veg option!
Looks like fastjet no longer operates this route!
That was…fast.