Miss_Chief1,

You're a little early. They release flights 275 days in advance. I've not worked it out, but they should become available towards the end of this month. They are a great airline, one of the best I've flown with.

Darren

Thanks Darren.

Given I'm off to one of your "favourite" destinations, can you tell me based on your experience are we better off booking direct with them or elsewhere ? Also what's the flight time to Mauritius ? We're going to the south (Tamassa Hotel) and wondered what the transfer would be time wise ?

Sorry for all the Qs

Miss_Chief1,

Are you flying from Heathrow? The flight time is approximtely 12.5 hours (we did it in 11.5 from Paris, but 19 hours in total from Manchester includingthe connection!). They use an Airbus A340-300E. They've recently refurbished their interiors and spruced up their livery (although many prefer the older one) to a nice tropical look and fitted larger seat back screens. The cabins look even nicer than when I flew with them (trip reports at the bottom of the What Aircraft? Guide. Our flights were part of the codeshare arrangement with Air France as we went via Paris (wanted to avoid Heathrow!), that was our best option travelling from up here. I would shop around really. It's sometimes cheeper to go through one of the online agents or through a travel agent, but make sure you compare like with like. Some will be heavily discounted tickets and might have restricted luggage allowance etc so make sure you check what the fare includes before you book. I'm not exactly sure where the Tamassa Hotel is (probably passed it at some point!), but I would imgine it's no more than 45 minutes from the airport. The airport is on the south east coast so you shouldn't be too far from it. When you get to the airport inbound, make sure you have all your paperwork ready. Once you're through immigration, you'll have to go through a health / vaccine check so if you've been to anywhere where yellow fever is prevalent, make sure you have your innoculation card or they might refuse you entry. They're really strict on it.

Sorry for all the Qs

That's what Holiday Truths is for!

Darren

Thanks Darren......Heathrow is better for us as we're only an hour away max. Although the flights I've seen so far all include a stop in Paris ? !

Will our doctor give us a card if we get them there ? I better check what innoculations we need I guess, do you know where I can check and also where Yellow Fever is prevelant ? I'm sure we had to have that jab for Sri Lanka but that was 9 years ago.

Miss_Chief1,

Flights via Paris might be the cheaper option, but they also offer direct flights from LHR. If they are via Paris, make sure they are flights with Air Mauritius and not the Air France codeshare (MK flight codes, eg MK45/4 from/to Paris, not MK51/40 (AF980/1) which is the code shared AF flight No: AF3592/3). I've nothing against Air France, their domestic and european services are pretty good but their long haul service to the Indian Ocean (economy) is shocking compared to the competition. If you've already had a yellow fever vaccination (don't think it's a requirement for Sri Lanka for UK visitors unless you've been to an infected area), you should already have a card (normally a yellow booklet). It should be on record at your doctors if you need a replacement (assuming you had it done there). Do you have a stamp in your passport for Sri Lanka or anywhere that's infected, life Africa? If you haven't, then it's not a problem because they'll look through your passport at country stamps to check where you've been. If you've never visited a country with yellow fever, it's nothing to worry about. You don't need anything out of the ordinary for Mauritius, just the usual tetanus, Hep A+B etc that are recommended for anywhere else. There's more information on the NaTHNaC website.

Darren

Ahh thanks again Darren, we've obviously not had a yellow fever jab as no booklet.

We've not been to any infected areas, so we're okay. I'll have a brand new passport by the time we travel next year too.

I'll check that site out

Has anyone flown from Heathrow to Mauritius lately, if so what was the flight like? In particular were the seats comfortable? Was strongly considering going but have read some awful reviews on airlinequality.com

Jim

jim98,

See my posts above. Air Mauritius are one of the best airlines I've flown with. They use the E version of the A340-300E to/from LHR and have an excellent tropical feel to the cabins with their bright colour scheme, on demand IFE and comfortable seats. After a couple of cans of Pheonix, you'll feel native! Be aware that reviews are often only posted when someone has a complaint or something to rave about, the later being the most popular.

Darren

Thanks Darren, that's exactly why I was asking for opinions. Almost all of the reviews on airlinequality said the seats were dreadful and I was hoping to get a more balanced view before deciding.

Jim