Charter vs Scheduled Flights in Africa

I used to look at charter flight pricing and wonder what sort of lunatic thought it was worth it. Now, not a braincell is wasted on thinking about it (some might say like my writing style); I just pay it.  Because once you’ve done enough of these lodge transfers, you realise the true cost of scheduled bush flights isn’t financial, it’s the relentless erosion of your time and sanity. There’s a moment of deep existential regret that hits you as you board your seventh bush flight of the week, wedged between a camera bag and someone who clearly lost a long, bitter war with Krispy Kreme.

Here’s why chartering is absolutely worth it.

Your Timing, Your Convenience

Scheduled flights always seem to stop at every airstrip like it’s a pub crawl, picking up and dropping off other guests while you slowly bake in a tin can.  You might be on a 45-minute flight that inexplicably takes 2.5 hours.  You arrive at camp so late your evening game drive is reduced to a frantic search for one impala.  And I wish I was not telling any of this from experience.

Moving between lodges, your flight time on a scheduled service often isn’t confirmed until the night before. Or if it is, you might find yourself needing to get to your international flight at 6pm but the only scheduled bush flight is at 10am.  But with a charter, you can leave the lodge at a sensible hour, enjoy a proper breakfast, actually go out on one last game drive, or spend time at your lodge rather than killing time at a terminal where the only excitement is betting on which poor bastard is going to pass out from sunstroke first.

Scheduled flights also come with their own special brand of paranoia: the fear of being late, so you arrive early.  Far too early.  I’m not saying you should be a complete dick and roll in whenever you like on a charter, but you also don’t need to chew your fingers down to the bone in panic if you’re running behind.

With a charter, you set the schedule. No stops. No detours. No sharing. You land when you want, where you want.

No, Really—Really Convenient

If you’re flying into a major airport like Nairobi, chartering means you can skip the tedious 40-minute slog to Wilson. You just land, stroll over to your waiting plane, and take off again, all within the hour. It’s so epic, I want to get on a plane right now, just to experience it.  Ok, that is a complete lie.  It’s still flying, and flying is rubbish.

Space

Planes that can land on remote airfields aren’t large to begin with. But you know what makes them feel even smaller? Being stuck next to someone who considers deodorant a sin, just came from a lodge where “showering” meant rolling in buffalo faeces, and has a BMI that flashes a skull and crossbones. And worst of all, they want to talk to you about crypto.  The entire flight.  Not here, not on your lovely private plane.

All those pesky regulations on luggage type and weight vanish too.  Sure, they’re technically still there, but I’ve never seen them bother to enforce it.

Avoid the Crowds

A deeply underrated perk of chartering is avoiding either a major airport, or some nameless airfield where it seems designed for the ultimate showdown in a horror movie.  Scheduled flights rarely connect cleanly, and it’s not unusual to have multi-hour layovers with no facilities. I once spent four hours at an airstrip with nothing but a mongoose I named Bruce for company. But I found God that day. He took the form of my intestines, which, in a rare act of mercy, held the line, because there were no toilets.

Charters mean direct transfers. From lodge to lodge. No airports. No waiting. No mongoose. Unless you’re into that.

If you’re staying somewhere like Arijiju, a private charter gets you to the lodge’s own airstrip, just 20 minutes away. Take a scheduled flight, and you’re landing almost two hours away.  Multiply that inconvenience across multiple lodge hops.  Go on, I dare ya.

Privacy

Nothing kills the post-safari high like being trapped next to a couple loudly agreeing on the economic upsides of blood diamonds and child labour. With a charter, it’s your aircraft. Your space.  Only your own horrible thoughts.

They’re Not That Much More Expensive. (And Sometimes They’re Cheaper)

If you’re a couple on a short trip, sure, scheduled flights will save money. But if you’re a group or family, chartering can sometimes work out cheaper than paying per seat on multiple legs.  Factor in the value of your time, sanity, and not missing your connecting flight because the scheduled bush plane was delayed by a suspicious goat. Suddenly, that charter starts to look like a smart financial decision. Suddenly, you’re the goddamn hero of this story.  And when you’re traveling with kids or older parents, as I’ve done multiple times, you deserve a win.