These are the important things you need to know when you are booking a flight and which the reservations officer should ask to enable you give the full information regarding your bookings as below,
1. What type of service to do need non-scheduled flight or scheduled?
There are several air charter services as follows(a) V.I.P Charter Flights( b) Scheduled flights morning or afternoon (c) Air Ambulance ,emergency & medical evacuation flights (d) cargo flights (e) Private Executive Jet Flights (f) scenic and filming flights (g) Aerial survey & aerial photography (h) Air safaris flights (i) sight seeing flights (j) tourists flights to national parks and reserves
2. What type of aircraft do need, single engine piston, turbo prop, twin engine piston, turbo prop, jet or helicopter and for how many people?
(a) C-172/C-182 single piston engine aircrafts (b) C-206/C-210 single piston engine (c) C-402 8 seater twin piston engine (d) C-208 Caravan 13 seater turbo prop engine (e) Beech craft super king air 200 10 seater pressurized (f) Citation Jet Bravo 550 7 seater (g) Let 410 18 seater twin engine turbo prop (h) Beech craft 1900 C/D 18 seater pressurized (i) Twin Otter 18 seater twin engine turbo prop (j) Dash -8 37 seater twin engine turbo prop
3. How much luggage will each passenger have?
(a) With full capacity 15 kilos per person in soft bags for passengers with more cargo you will have to charter a bigger aircraft and each passenger seats represents 75 kilos.(b) On scheduled flight it is advisable to book space for cargo in terms of a seat, if you have more than the 15kilos.
4. Do you need two pilots or one, this is asked for aircraft ranging from 3 to 13 seater as they are single crew operations but from 18 seater and above it is two crew operation?
(a) On aircraft for single crew operations you will pay extra usd 150=00 per hour that is for 3, 5,8,13 seater aircrafts but the rest legally they are operated by 2 crew.
5. How people are they and do have children of which age?
(a) For children above 12 years they are adults and if you have 6 years kids then you can take more luggage
6. Is it one-way, return, day trip or staying with the aircraft and pilot throughout the entire journey?
(a) One-way means only picking or dropping (b) return means going and being picked on a later date (c) Day trip means leaving in the morning
7. Do you require a transfer from airport to hotel and from hotel to airport on arrival and on departure and if so which type of vehicle would you prefer?
(a) If you do require then the vehicles available are Pajero,Landcruiser,Mecendenz,RAV 4,Prado,Tour Van,Limosine,Vitara Suzuki, Toyota Saloon,
8. Do you know for cross border flights you require clearance?
(a) At least 5 hours notice for Uganda
(b)For Tanzania 2 working days
(c) For DR Congo 3 days with upfront clearance fee which is non-refundable of usd 700=00
(d) For South Sudan 2 working days with two passport size photos and original passport for securing passes at the cost of usd 50=00 for one to three month and usd 100=00 for up to 6 month and usd 100=00 visa fee on landing South Sudan for one month
(e) For Somalia a letter from you to the Carrier confirming you have chartered the flight and the purpose 2 working days notice
(f) For Rwanda 2 working days same to Burundi(g) Also for flights to Northern Kenya and North Eastern Kenya you have to apply for police clearance as these are restricted areas due to insecurity which will require 2 working days notice.
9. How would like to make payments?
There several ways of making payment(a)By M-PESA(B) By ZAP(c)By Cash (d)By Wire Transfer(e) By Cheque(f) By Credit card
10. Which timings would you prefer for scheduled flights?
(a) For scheduled flights we have AM that is Morning and PM that is afternoon flights (b) For charters it will be at the customer’s discretion but it will depend with weather, sunrise and sunset factors and the hours of operation as set in AIP for that airport or airstrip.
11. Is it passenger flights V.I.P, normal flight or cargo?
(a)If it is cargo and they are dangerous goods then we cannot put on scheduled flight (b) If it is V.I.P flight then we have to configure the aircraft to V.IP configuration
12. Do you require us to make your hotel accomodation, game drives and transfers to the national park or reserve?
(a) There are flying packages which are for all inclusive except drinks,films,and luxuries (b) There are road packages which are for all inclusive except drinks, films and luxuries (c) Book flights separately and accommodation, game drives and transfer separately (d) Book vehicles separately ,accommodation,meals,game drives (e) Camping safaris carry Cook,food,tents and pay game drives separately.
13. Do you know with the new BANKING ACT in Kenya you can not write a cheque for any transaction above usd 15,000=00 or kshs 1 million?
(a) You will have to do telegraphic transfer direct to the account of the recipient (b) Pay Cash or deposit cash on the recipient account.
14. Is it a medical evacuation flight?
(a) Do you need stretcher, oxygen cylinder, Doctor & Nurse and any other special medicine like allergic to some medicine, blood group, High Blood pressure patient, patient with a broken back or leg.
15. Are you connecting a flight?
(a) Are you connecting an International flight what time departure and check in and which airline (b) Are connecting a local flight to where which airline and what time.
