Our two safari destinations in South Africa were Singita Boulders in Sabi Sands Reserve, and Singita Lebombo in Kruger National Park. Getting to & from these parks required taking three flights — one from Johannesburg to Sabi Sands, one from Sabi Sands to Kruger, and one from Kruger to Johannesburg.
We flew Federal Air for all these flights, so in this post I’ll review their lounge in Johannesburg, and in the next installment I’ll review the actual flights.
What Is Federal Air?
Federal Air is an airline based at Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport that operates flights primarily to & from remote bush lodges. They have a fleet of 18 props, including five different types of planes (all three of our flights were operated by three different types of planes, which was pretty cool).
While there are a couple of airlines offering this, Singita works with Fed Air, so that’s what we flew. I’ll talk about the booking process and pricing in the next installment, but in this installment wanted to talk about the check-in process and also the lounge they have for all passengers at Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport.
Getting To The Federal Air Terminal In Johannesburg
Our Federal Air flight from Johannesburg to Sabi Sands was scheduled to depart at 10:30AM, and we were told to be at check-in by 9AM. The chart we were sent for finding Federal Air check-in seemed super straightforward, though ended up being more challenging than we thought.
Here’s the map:
The key detail that was omitted was that their counter is actually in the bus terminal. If we had known this it would have been super easy, but when the map kept leading us there we figured we had to be in the wrong place, and then looked elsewhere.
Johannesburg Airport bus terminal
Once in the bus terminal, there’s a Federal Air counter in there, where an airline representative was waiting.
Johannesburg Airport bus terminal
Federal Air counter Johannesburg Airport
This isn’t actually where Federal Air’s flights depart from, though. Rather this is just where they pick you up. So the Federal Air representative took us outside into a van and drove us 10 minutes to the Federal Air terminal. While they also depart from OR Tambo Airport, they depart from exactly the opposite side of the field, so it’s quite a distance.
Federal Air shuttle Johannesburg Airport
The Federal Air departure area was super charming. There was an outdoor check-in area where we were promptly checked in.
Federal Air lounge Johannesburg Airport
We were presented with “boarding passes” for our flight, though in reality these were just generic cards for “Flight No. 2.”
Fed Air boarding pass
Federal Air Lounge Johannesburg Airport
Federal Air has a lounge for all passengers. This is essentially their departure gate as well, since they just have this one area you depart from.
The lounge was super cute — when we first got there we were the only ones.
Inside the entrance and to the right was a small room, which had a sliding door that could be closed. There was a couch and several chairs.
Federal Air lounge Johannesburg Airport
Federal Air lounge Johannesburg Airport
Then next to that were a couple of couches and rows of chairs.
Federal Air lounge Johannesburg Airport
Then the largest part of the lounge was next to that (inside the entrance and to the left).
Federal Airlines lounge Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge Johannesburg Airport
As you can see, the boarding gate was at the very end of the lounge.
Federal Air boarding gate Johannesburg Airport
They do sort of have a security checkpoint here, though not really. They ask you to put your bags through the x-ray, though it doesn’t seem the metal detector you walk through works. For what it’s worth, there was no security of any kind at the other airports we flew from (one of which was a dirt strip).
Fed Air security Johannesburg Airport
The lounge also had a really beautiful outdoor area.
Federal Airlines lounge outside area Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge outside area Johannesburg Airport
The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful, so this was the perfect place to sit.
Federal Airlines lounge outside area Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge outside area Johannesburg Airport
The lounge also had a gift shop.
Federal Airlines lounge gift shop Johannesburg Airport
Then there were well maintained bathrooms, though there were no showers (which obviously wasn’t a big deal for us, but if someone was coming off a long haul flight I could see it being more significant).
Federal Airlines lounge bathroom Johannesburg Airport
The lounge also had a selection of complimentary drinks and snacks. Snacks included all kinds of muffins, cookies, pastries, yogurt, etc. Then to drink there was coffee, soft drinks, water, and more.
Federal Airlines lounge snacks Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge snacks & drinks Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge snacks Johannesburg Airport
We had some coffee, cookies, and yogurt.
Federal Airlines lounge coffees Johannesburg Airport
Federal Airlines lounge snacks Johannesburg Airport
Everyone working in the lounge was super friendly. At around 10AM the Beechcraft 1900 that would be taking us for our first flight was towed right in front of the lounge.
Fed Air Beechcraft 1900
We’ll pick up there in the next installment.
Federal Airlines Lounge JNB Summary
What an awesome departures experience when you consider this is something that all passengers have access to (then again, flying with them isn’t cheap). This lounge had local charm, an awesome outdoor sitting area, friendly employees, and some pretty decent snacks.
While fares on Federal Air are expensive, there are all too many small airlines to luxury destinations that offer a no-frills experience (like flying to the Four Seasons Desroches Island). So it’s nice to see an airline that actually tries to make the experience special for passengers.
This is certainly all more than I was expecting flying with a small airline to a reserve.
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