Kulula

Mango

Winner

Flight specials Joburg to CPT

R652 HLA -CPT
on latest Kulula special

R755 HLA-CPT
on latest Mango special

Kulula

We are happy to say that we have mainly experienced short check-in queues with both Kulula and Mango, with the odd incidence of longer queues. This one is too close to call.

Other Check-in factors

A BA staff member once offered to take a family photo whilst we were in the queue :) Check-in staff gave our little one a fizzer sweet :) Kulula's new luggage limits means you're more likely to run into trouble at their check-in.

Mixed experiences with Mango staff members - some friendly and cracking jokes, whilst others serious and moaning about hand luggage weighing 9kg (maximum is 7kg). Gave chocolate eggs out at Easter :)

Mango

Space between seats

Kulula has the most leg space.

Mango Airlines seems to have less legspace than Kulula. There's usually not enough space to fully open a laptop.

Kulula

Choose seats online

Allows you to choose your seats online 24 hours before your flight.

Can choose seats online at point of booking, for an extra charge (but front row seats and seats at the emergency exit are taken)

Kulula

Baggage handling

Flew Kulula from Johannesburg to Cape Town and one of my suitcases got lost.

Complex baggage rules.

Never had baggage lost through Mango Airline. Check-in staff take care that luggage doesn't lose its labels.

Mango

Courtesy

A good experience was BA staff at check-in offering to take a family photo, and Kulula staff giving our toddler a fizzer sweet.

A negative experience was after cancelling their flights twice, Kulula not making enough effort to get us on an SAA flight leaving on time, and then when it was too late their excuse changed to they would but it was too late.

At check-in the Mango staff member cracked jokes and was friendly.

In-flight, as a sandwich dropped on the floor, the attendant immediately said she'd replace it.

Mango

menus

Kulula's menu is in their in-flight magazine.

No smoothies or veggie burgers (but they do have veggie sarmies).

Mango's menu is in their in-flight magazine, and requires some looking around to find.

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Free newspapers

Mango offered us a complimentary Business Day and The Times newspaper. On a Kulula Cape Town - Johannesburg review, we got a free newspaper from Mango :)

Mango

Kiddies Pack

Kiddies pack available, but you've got to pay for it.

Have to pay for the kiddies pack. On our Mango Durban flight they'd run out :(

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Travelling with babies & children

Kulula have shown consideration to us when travelling with babies, in the form of making sure we sit together, and if there is free space putting us on a 3 seater with the seat in the middle for the little one. Kulula offered our toddler a fizzer at check-in, and then delighted us by doing face-painting on-board a flight for children.

Haven't flown with a baby yet.

Kulula
(Mango)

Marketing

When it comes to the affiliate marketing of their airline tickets, South African Airlines other than British Airways are way behind the curve . Overseas competitors like Jet Blue, bmiBaby, BA, Qatar Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, KLM, Lufthansa, Air France and Virgin Atlantic all have fully-fledged affiliate marketing programs. Mango have run campaigns with Groupon & Ubuntudeal.

Mango

In-flight magazine

Khuluma's guest editors are comedians, making for hilarious reading.

Encourage you to take the magazine if you like it.

Available on-line (but there's pdf errors when you try to download the whole document)

Kulula

Safety announcement

Live and sometimes packed with Kulula humour. A major differentiator.

Sometimes live, sometimes pre-recorded, but no humour.

Kulula

Frequent Flier program

Kulula has a Jetsetter program, and one can also earn Kulula Moolah with the Kulula Credit Card.

Mango does not have a frequent flyer program.

Kulula

Travel Insurance

Kulula now sells travel insurance

Mango and AIG offer travel insurance.

Mango
Kulula

Planes

Boeings, use 26% less fuel than the MD82s, saving a lot in terms of carbon emissions.

Boeing 737-800, carrying 186 people.

Kulula
Mango

Boarding the plane

All airlines allowed front and back boarding of their planes, allowing them to fill up quickly.

Kulula, Mango

Toilets

Toilet plans fall down and have to be held up by hand when (men) pee.

No issues

Mango

Air nozzles and overhead lights

Overhead lights have worked well on my Kulula flights so far...touch wood. Some planes don't have air nozzles.

No issues

Mango

Engine noise

Noisy, but not as loud as sitting at the back of a 1time flight.

Noisy - I was sitting right next to the engines on the wing, but not as loud as sitting at the back of a 1time flight.

Kulula
Mango

Flexibility

Very little flexibility.

Mango offers Mango Flex and Mango Plus tickets which are flexible to change.

Mango

On-plane advertising

Kulula have advertising on the overhead lockers (advertising the Kulula credit card), and on the outside of some of their planes (Europcar).

The Times advertising on the serving trays.

Kulula
Mango

Price display

I had thought Kulula had ended its practice of quoting prices excluding taxes, until I saw this wasn't the case for Kulula Holidays.

include all taxes

Mango

Cancelling flights

Two days before a flight from Cape Town to Durban, Kulula emailed me to cancel my flight and change it to a new time (no compensation offered).

Mango has never cancelled a flight I have booked.

Mango

Time taken by call centre to answer phone

More than 5 minutes. Had phone put down on me!

Less than 10 seconds.

Mango

7 Apr 2012

On our Mango Durban flight they'd run out of Kiddies Packs.

25 Aug 2011

1time Cape Town to Joburg flight - enjoyed the legroom.

24 Apr 2011

Check-in delay before Velvet Sky Cape Town flight.

4 Feb 2011

1time from Durban.

12 Apr 2010

1time Johannesburg - Livingstone (Zambia) flight.

12 Apr 2010

Kulula return flight to Johannesburg.

4 Dec 2009

Kulula Cape Town - Johannesburg flight.

19 Sep 2009

1time flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

14 Sep 2009

1time CPT-JNB flight.

24 Jul 2009

BA cheapest, chose Interlink but eventually fly Mango.

18 May 2009

Switching from 1time to Mango

27 Apr 2009

Review of 1time flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town

28 Jan 2009

Kulula from Cape Town to Durban

24 Dec 2008

Kulula from Cape Town to Johannesburg

31 May 2008

Kulula from CPT to JNB

9 Aug 2007

Mango from Cape Town to Johannesburg