Airlink Failed Us: A Distressing Experience from Start to Finish

Flight scheduled for 30 December 2025, 17:40

I don’t usually write long reviews, but this experience deserves every word. What happened on this route was not only inconvenient — it was distressing, unsafe, and deeply disrespectful to passengers who trusted Airlink with their time, their money, and their wellbeing.

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 17:40. Instead, we received a short notification saying the plane was delayed and would now only arrive at 17:47. That already felt odd — a seven-minute delay isn’t usually presented as an “arrival time,” but we waited anyway. The plane landed, passengers disembarked, and naturally we assumed the aircraft was being cleaned, checked, and prepared for us.

But minutes stretched into an hour, and we sat there in uncer*****y. No updates. No honesty. No courtesy. Just silence.

It was only after 18:30 — almost a full hour after we were supposed to take off — that we were casually informed the flight had been cancelled due to technical issues with the plane. And then, as if that wasn’t frustrating enough, we were told that they couldn’t bring another plane because Mthatha Airport does not allow departures after 18:00.

Why weren’t we told that earlier? Why were we left hoping and waiting when they knew they couldn’t legally fly after 18:00?

This lack of communication ****** us of the chance to arrange our own alternatives — to drive home, stay with family, or even mentally prepare ourselves. It was a Sunday, people had jobs and commitments the next morning, and in my case, I had a terrible flu. I was freezing in that airport, already sick, and the delay made everything worse.

Then came the “shuttle.”

Instead of a branded shuttle or proper transport, we were met by a random taxi driver in a Quantum, who was apparently tasked with transporting all stranded passengers. The experience was terrifying — his driving was reckless, and we narrowly avoided two near-accidents. After an already frightening evening, this felt like insult on top of injury.

We eventually reached our hotel late at night, exhausted, anxious, and feeling abandoned by the airline.

The next morning, things didn’t improve. Despite everything we had been through, we weren’t placed on the earliest flight out, nor was a replacement aircraft arranged to help passengers get to Johannesburg first thing in the morning. Instead, we were put on a later flight — which was then delayed again.

And this is where it became truly unsettling: We watched, with our own eyes, as the same plane from the previous day — the one that had “technical issues” serious enough to cancel the flight — was being repaired right there in front of us.

Passengers openly questioned whether this aircraft was safe to fly. The anxiety was real. Watching your plane get fixed as you wait to board it is not comforting — especially after the experience the night before.

We were meant to depart at 08:30. We eventually left at 09:10. Even though the skies were completely clear, the flight felt unstable and unusually rocky, the kind of movement that makes your stomach drop because it doesn’t feel like normal turbulence — it feels like something is wrong.

Yet, in the middle of all this chaos and fear, the crew stood out in the best possible way. The two female pilots were professional, calm, reassuring, and incredibly competent. They carried themselves with strength and composure that genuinely helped settle nerves. And the flight attendant was absolutely outstanding — kind, attentive, and empathetic. She saw our anxiety and treated us like human beings, not inconveniences. These women deserve recognition (#WomenInAviation). They were the only bright light in an otherwise terrible experience.

We landed in Johannesburg around 10:30, and the moment we touched down we were greeted by mechanical trucks, emergency vehicles, and airport staff waiting on the runway. That told us everything we needed to know. Something was not right with that plane. We landed safely by God’s grace, not because everything was fine.

What makes this entire situation even more frustrating is the stark contrast with my 28 November 06:30 flight from Johannesburg to Mthatha. That flight was smooth, efficient, and completely drama-free — the kind of travel experience you hope for. The only negative was one extremely rude, mean-faced flight attendant who snapped at a mother traveling alone with a baby who simply needed help with a seatbelt. Even then, the flight itself was safe and well-managed.

But everything going out of Mthatha feels different. It genuinely feels as though flights departing from Mthatha are treated with less priority, less urgency, and far less care — as if the route doesn’t matter because the city is smaller or the passengers aren’t seen as “important enough.”

Whether or not that’s the intention, that is exactly how it feels. And it shouldn’t be this way.

Every route — big city or small, business hub or rural area — deserves the same standard of safety, transparency, communication, and professionalism. Passengers should never feel like they are taking risks with their lives or being left in the dark without dignity or respect.

Airlink needs to do better — much better — on this route. No one should walk away from a flight experience feeling traumatized, unsafe, and disrespected.