Can Anyone Help at Immigration at the Airports in Africa?
Landing at an international airport with hundreds of other people, all jostling to get off the plane as fast as possible to avoid the long queues at immigration… quite a stressful bit you do wonder if it could be easier, I mean, can anyone help you at immigration at the airports in Africa?
The answer is yes!
This is not a free service, you definitely pay for this and it has to be booked in advance.
How Does This Company Meet You?
When you disembark from the aircraft and enter the terminal, you must keep a lookout for your handler.
A handler is the term given to the man or lady who will be meeting you and assisting you.
Depending on how you enter the building, they might wait to meet you just inside the doors of the terminal, or as you exit the bridge.
This person will be holding a signboard with your name on it. If you know you have this service booked, please look out for this person. There are hundreds of people entering the building and they don’t know what you look like. But you can spot a signboard with your name on it.
What Does This Service Do?
Your handler will assist you through immigration and at most airports this is fast-tracked, so you do skip the queues. But bear in mind, if ten other people have also booked this service, there will be ten other people in the fast-track queue.
Once through immigration, they accompany you through customs, and then to collect your luggage.
If your luggage hasn’t arrived, they can escort you to the lost luggage counters where you can file a report and get a lost luggage claim reference.
From there they will escort you to your next service – usually to your onward driver to your hotel, or to check in for a connecting flight.
The huge benefit of this service is if your flight is delayed and you have a tight connection. It doesn’t always work out, but very often it does. Some airports have back passageways and faster ways to get you from one terminal to another. Sometimes they will take you in a golf cart. Yes, you might still have to run, they can’t hold a flight for you, but they can make things go smoother and faster for you.
What Does This Service Exclude?
As amazing as these services really and truly are, and how helpful they can be, you do need to be aware that they are not above any beyond normal airline and airport regulations.
Meet & Greet services:
- doesn’t guarantee you’ll skip every queue
- doesn’t get you through passport control without the correct documents
- can’t speed up baggage delivery
- can’t stop Customs from inspecting luggage
- can’t hold an aircraft if you’re late
- doesn’t replace airline assistance for wheelchairs or unaccompanied minors
Book Your Meet & Greet Service in Advance
This must be booked in advance. There are hundreds of people disembarking a flight, and there might be more than one flight arriving at the same time.
There are only a limited number of handlers at any airport. So if many other people have made advanced bookings and all of the handlers have been allocated to other travellers you are going to luck out.
Does This Service Ever Get Missed?
I’m going to be completely honest here from what I have experienced working with these companies in the past. There are a few occasions when travellers have not been met by their handler and I’ll give you some examples below:
- Your flight changes and the M&G (Meet & Greet) company hasn’t been advised.
- If you are travelling as part of a group, the name on the signboard might be under the group name, and not your individual name. For example: Robbey Reunion x 10 – but everyone is arriving at different times, on different flights. The name on the signboard might say Robbey Reunion x 10 but your last name is Stone and in all the craziness and excitement of arriving, you don’t see it.
- If a flight is delayed and the handler allocated to your arrival is still busy assisting people who are on the delayed flight, they might not make it on time for your arrival. Usually, they do meet up with you in the immigration queue and assist from there, but not always unfortunately.
Who Should Consider Booking This Service
- Elderly travellers
- Families travelling with young children
- First-time visitors to Africa
- Travellers with mobility issues (although wheelchair assistance is separate)
- Business travellers with tight schedules
- Anyone with a short connection
- Nervous or solo travellers
- Travellers carrying a lot of luggage
Meet & Greet Companies at Airports in Africa
Travel agents and tour operators usually book these through ground operators and destination management companies, but sometimes they go direct.
Here are the names of the companies to help you.
Note that you cannot pay the handler directly; payments are only done prior to arrival once they have sent you the invoice.
South Africa
There are two main companies located at both Cape Town International Aiport (CPT) and OR Tambo International Airport (JNB).
OR Tambo International Airport (JNB)
- Menzies Aviation
- Colossal Aviapartner
- BidAir Flythru
- SKYVIP Services
Cape Town International Airport (CPT)
- Menzies Aviation
- Colossal Aviapartner
Namibia
Hosea Kutako International Airport (Windhoek – WDH)
- Paragon Aviation Services
- Kotoka VIP Services
- Aerogreet
Zimbabwe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (Harare – HRE)
- FastLane VIP Service
Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA)
- VicFalls Executive Aviation
- Premium Passenger
- Africa Fast Track
Kenya
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi – NBO)
- Sky VIP Services
- Fastrack VIP Services
- Tradewinds
Tanzania
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
- Miracle Air
- Extramile International LTD
Zanzibar
Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (Zanzibar – ZNZ)
- The Premium Lounge Zanzibar
Rwanda
Kigali International Airport (KGL)
- Akagera Aviation
- Sky VIP Services
- Welcome Wings
Uganda
Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
- Sky VIP Services
- Comfort Pass
- Welcome Wings
The Seychelles
- Seychelles Fast Track
Is a Meet & Greet Service Worth It?
Having worked in the safari travel industry for many, many years, I personally feel that this service is worth it in certain situations. You won’t need it at every airport that you travel to, but at the larger ones it will help, and if you have a tight flight connection it is definitely worth it.
Common FAQs
Many of the companies do not allow their agents to accept tips from travellers.
Yes! Your dedicated agent will meet you at the curbside off your transfer , assist with your luggage, help with early check-in, escort through security, fast-track through immigration (if available) and escort you to the lounge or the departure gate.
Unfortunately not. They will try and help you as much and as quickly as possible, but they cannot keep gates open and cannot hold flights, so if the connection is too tight, you might still miss your flight. They have still provided a service and unfortunately you cannot get a refund.
This depends on the travel insurance cover that you have. If your flight has been delayed causing you to need this service to try and catch a connecting flight, they might cover it. You will need to read your coverage carefully as it might not be covered.
