Travelling with Pets

We decided to travel with our pets on Mango Airlines over the December holidays and booked our flights already in June 2019. We abided by the process Mango prescribed such as informing customer care so that the dogs show on our booking, making sure the aircraft is suitable, buying airline approved cages, getting rabies moving permits, etc. We made sure we knew what to expect.

Firstly, on the day of the flight from Lanseria (and again when we had to travel back from Port Elizabeth), we were shocked to experience that the staff actually working in the airport didn't know what the process was. Our experience was horrible mainly do to the fact that Mango's process differs from airport to airport. We were running around just to get onto the airplane even though we arrived at the airport 2 hours before the flight.

Secondly, Mango PE booked the OR Thambo and Lanseria flights 10 minutes apart which meant hundreds of people standing in the line to check-in, go through the boarding gate at the same time in such a small airport with the minimum staff working. We stood in the check-in queue for baggage drop for over an hour with our three dogs and one toddler.

Thirdly, at PE airport we had to take our dogs through the security check ourselves. No problem with this, but on the other side of the gate there is no trolleys allowed and we had to board from gate 6. It was a nightmare to navigate through the hundreds of people (OR Thambo and Lanseria flights) with three cages (each weighing around 15 to 20kgs), one toddler and our carry-on baggage.

In summary, I want to make Mango Airlines attend on the fact that their process of flying with animals is not well thought through and communicated to staff and customers, as well as the problem with booking to huge flights on smaller airports ten minutes apart from each other.