Review: Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK

Although I never anticipated flying to Arusha, I wanted to capture my experience flying Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK. I had initially been booked to fly from Zanzibar (ZNZ) to Kilimanjaro (JRO), but with flight delays, we switched to Arusha as a backup.

Despite the difficulty I faced when our original flight got delayed and the trouble with customer service thereafter, the flight on Air Tanzania was certainly pleasant. 

This article is part of my Trip Report: Starting Summer in East Africa including:

• My Comically Bad Luck Flying to Africa
• No Compensation for an Involuntary Business Class Downgrade?!?
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa Business Class Lounge IAD
• Review: Lufthansa B747-8 Economy IAD-FRA 
• My First Flight on the Queen: My Thoughts
• Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge FRA
• Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge FRA 
• Review: Lufthansa A330 Business Class FRA-NBO
• Review: DoubleTree by Hilton Nairobi Hurlingham
• Review: Air Kenya into the Safari
• JW Marriott Masai Mara Review: Luxury in the Savannah, a Truly Unforgettable Safari
• Is the JW Marriott Masai Mara Worth $3k a Night?
• Review: Aspire Lounge Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta (NBO)
• Review: Kenya Airways NBO-ZNZ E190
• Exploring Tanzania: My Thoughts on Zanzibar
• When Flights Don’t Go as Planned: Delayed in Zanzibar
• Review: Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK
• Mt. Kilimanjaro Day Hike: My Thoughts
• Exploring Moshi, Tanzania: What Everyone Gets Wrong
• Review: Twiga Lounge by Aspire Lounge Kilimanjaro International Airport
• Weirdest Flight Delay I Have Ever Had… 
• Review: Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa Executive Regency Suite
• Exploring Addis Ababa: My Thoughts
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine Business Class Lounge Addis Ababa
• Review: Ethiopian Cloud Nine B787-8 Business Class ADD-IAD
• My 18 Hour Odd Business Class Experience: A Stop in Lome, Togo?

The Flight

We arrived at the airport early in case of any issues with our newly issued tickets. After going through security multiple times and checking in, we reached the domestic gate. It was a small room with some benches facing the tarmac. 

At check-in, the agent told us we needed to check our carry-on baggage despite being the proper size. Although I would have preferred to keep my bag with me, since it was free, we obliged. 

After the agent announced boarding, we went outside and boarded a bus to the plane that would operate Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK. I believe a Bombardier Dash-8 operated our flight. For me, it is always fun to fly on a propeller plane. Everyone was directed to board from the front of the aircraft, where seats were arranged in a 2-2 configuration with tiny overhead bins. 

The seats had definitely seen their better days but have held up pretty well. There was enough legroom that I was able to sit comfortably. While I was assigned a neighbor for my ticketed seat, I moved across the aisle after takeoff to have more space.

There was an in-flight drink service with a typical assortment of offerings. 

After landing in Arusha, the ground crew escorted us out of the airport. There, they unloaded the bags from a cart onto a table. We were able to retrieve our bags and quickly get on our way.

Booking

When searching for flights, we chose Air Tanzania because they offered the only direct flight to Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, we did not end up flying on it, but we did use that same ticket to get to Arusha. 

There was no way to directly use points for the ticket, rather just to erase the charge from my card with points at 1 cent per point. Hence, we just paid cash for the flight.

The cheapest option was to purchase with Go To Gate for $103 per person, which I thought was reasonable for the hour-long domestic flight. I bought the ticket on my Chase Sapphire Prefered for some flight protection in case anything went wrong. 

This was the first flight in a long time that I had not used the American Express Platinum Card, which typically earns 5x on airfare, but only when you book directly with the airline. 

The Last Point

Flying Air Tanzania ZNZ-ARK was a nice flight. The seating was comfortable, and while it was not the fanciest flight, boarding a propeller plane was always fun. 

I wish our flight had not been delayed to Kilimanjaro, but I am happy we could at least salvage value out of that ticket and get to Arusha. New airport for my map!

Have you flown Air Tanzania? Comment below!