THE TRAVEL OFFICE
Contact Details at a Glance
Open during the school term Monday to Friday from 08h00 to 16h30
Travel Office tel no: 046 603 2317
Sure Go Travel tel no in the Travel Office: 046 603 2320 (term time only 08h00-13h00). Cell number between 14h00-16h00 term time for emergencies only: 071 342 2299. At all other times: Sure Go Travel's Office in Peppergrove Mall, Grahamstown: 046 622 2235.
Travel Office email: travel@sacschool.com
Sure Go Travel email: standrews@suregotravel.co.za
In case of travel emergency: Travel Office cell no: 083 275 2218
During school holidays, the Travel Office will not be manned every day. Should you wish to make a flight booking please ring the Sure Go Travel Office in Grahamstown on 046 622 2235. For other requests please call the Travel Office cellphone on 083 275 2218.
THE TRAVEL OFFICE SET-UP
St Andrew’s College runs a Travel Office in the Norton Building for all pupils at DSG, St Andrew’s College and Prep. Anne Harrison works for St Andrew’s College and her job, as Travel Co-ordinator, is to ensure all children needing flights to/from home have their air tickets, necessary ID documents and get to and from Port Elizabeth Airport in time for their flights. She books all taxis and coaches for this travel as required.
Working with Anne is Mrs Natasja Eksteen of Sure Go Travel. Anne passes any flight booking requests from parents to Natasja or you may book with Natasja direct on standrews@suregotravel.co.za or phone her on 046 603 2320. She also does Greyhound coach bookings if you need these. Natasja shares the St Andrew’s College Travel Office with Anne.
Sure Go Travel, Grahamstown Bookings
To use Sure Go Travel’s services you will need to complete a Credit Card Authorisation Form which will be faxed or emailed to you on request. No air tickets may be put on school account but, should you not wish to use a credit card for payment, a cash deposit may be made to Sure Go Travel’s Bank Account and the deposit slip faxed through – for further details please contact Natajsa. Please note, however, that if you pay by cash deposit this must be made and faxed through quickly as the airfare will rise if confirmation of payment is not received by the time stated, resulting in more than one deposit perhaps being necessary. Fax number for deposit slip is: 046 603 2375.
As well as giving parents the details of bookings made for their children, Natasja passes the ticket itself to Anne who follows the same procedures as those for tickets booked by parents (see next paragraph).
Parents’ Bookings
If you make your children’s reservations, please forward a copy of the airline booking to the Travel Office, either by fax to 046 603 2375 or, preferably, by email to travel@sacschool.com. All flight details should include the Booking Reference Number as supplied by the Airline concerned. Every child is given a travel wallet containing their ticket, preferably return tickets. Also in the travel wallet is their ID document (see below). Once details of the ticket have been received the child is automatically included in the lists for transfer to Port Elizabeth and back.
Booking References and ID Documents
To board an airplane these days all travellers must, along with their airline booking reference number, provide a suitable identity document. For travel within South Africa an ID book is perfect, but should your child not have one yet we would like them, if possible, to use a passport. Alternatively we need, preferably, an original copy of their birth certificate – you may obtain original copies of birth certificates from Home Affairs for R11.00. These documents will travel with your children on all their journeys and should be returned in their travel wallet to the Travel Office for safe-keeping at the start of term or after half-term.
Noticeboard Information for Pupils
All flight information is recorded on schedules for the more than 450 travelling pupils. All bookings made, either by you or Sure Go Travel, is put up on the Travel Office Noticeboard about 3 weeks before the next school break. Boys and girls should check to see their flights have been booked for this break. They are encouraged to remind you to make their bookings if nothing is there. We ask that if you do your own bookings that you provide us with the flight information at least 2 weeks before the end of term or half-term, including return travel at the start of the next term or from half term.
For those whose bookings are done by Sure Go Travel we ask that you liaise with Linde for the bookings you wish made as early as possible – no bookings are made without checking with you first that you are happy with the chosen flights and costs.
About a week before departure coach and taxi transfer lists to Port Elizabeth Airport are put up on the Travel Office Noticeboard and copied to Housemasters/Matrons and Housemistresses/House Mothers. The boys and girls get very anxious when their names do not appear on these lists. Please help us to help your children and encourage them to come into the Travel Office first before phoning home in a panic to see whether a booking is in hand.
Extra Curricula/Sporting Activities
It is sometimes difficult to arrange travel as children may be involved in extra curricula or sporting activities that overlap holidays and every change in booking involves an extra charge. Please encourage your children to tell you as soon as possible what may affect their travel bookings. Additionally, a ticket booked early costs less than a last minute booking.
End/Start of Term Flight Times
All children must attend Final Assembly at the end of each term. Therefore to allow enough time for transfer to Port Elizabeth Airport and check-in formalities, no flight may be booked out of Port Elizabeth before 15h00. The only exception to this timetable is at the end of term 3 in December when school closes after Final Assembly at 09h00. Therefore flights may be booked out of Port Elizabeth from 12h00 (midday). As a result those living outside South Africa may only be able to leave from early the next morning. Those flying to Bloemfontein also have to wait to the next day as there is no afternoon flight between Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein.
Flights back to school at the beginning of term may arrive at Port Elizabeth any time from mid-morning.
Start/End of Half-Term Flight Times
As a concession because half-term is short, children travelling outside South Africa may leave on the morning half-term starts in order to get home that day. Should, however, your child have a sporting or other commitment that requires their presence that morning, they may have to wait until the following day to depart. (The Swimming Galas happen on the day half-term begins in February and similarly, Sports Day (Athletics) happens in October.) This concession does not apply to those spending half-term in South Africa. They may still only leave on a flight out of Port Elizabeth from 15h00.
Flights back to school after half-term may arrive at Port Elizabeth any time from mid-morning
Flight Information and Timing Returns
If you are unsure which flights are suitable please consult us. Also, we ask that you do not leave your children’s return to school to late afternoon as, unless they are travelling from outside the country, they are due back at the schools by 18h00. It takes about 2 hours to get to Grahamstown from landing time in Port Elizabeth. It is also not ideal to be transporting everyone after dark – the single journey is roughly 130 kilometres. In winter, transport will be driving in the dark for any flights landing from 17h00 hours. For those coming from outside South Africa, it is often impossible for them to arrive until later and their transfer is organised to fit with their schedule.
Transfers between Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth Airport, Late Notification of Travel Arrangements and Costs of Transfers
All transfers to and from Port Elizabeth Airport at the start and end of terms/half-terms are by a mixture of 60-seater coaches, school buses and JC shuttle taxis. It depends on the numbers taking flights which transport is used.
As noted above, it is extremely important that all flight information is received by the Travel Office as early as possible and at least 2 weeks prior to the end of term or start of half-term for, both, travel home and return to school after the break. Transport gets very full and while every effort is made to have enough seats available for everyone, it is difficult to guarantee a seat for last minute bookings. This applies particularly to return to school after a break when should there be a shortage of seats your child may have to wait the arrival of a JC shuttle from Grahamstown to collect them. This may also cost more than the normal transfer if your child has to travel on his own.
The cost of all transfers is put on children’s school account.
Airport Supervision
Anne spends the days when children are travelling in large numbers at Port Elizabeth Airport to ensure smooth departure and arrival. She checks in all Unaccompanied Minors and collects them on return from the Airline staff. DSG and St Andrew’s College staff check pupils on to the transport from Grahamstown to the Airport.
Luggage
Please supply your children with luggage suitable to airline travel so that they can take full advantage of their baggage allowance, normally 20kgs checked in baggage and one piece of hand luggage, weighing no more than 8kgs. The airlines (particularly SAA) are becoming very strict. Baggage should also be packed neatly, not least because space is limited on the coach/taxi transfers. Should bags be overweight the school pays the penalty to the airline and this will be put on your school account.
OTHER TRAVEL
Anne books taxis for your children, during term time, to/from the airport in Port Elizabeth/East London at any time which you request – either to meet you there or for other flights your children may be making home during term. We will not book a taxi unless it is to connect with a flight or we have your specific permission for the trip – if your child is staying with someone other than their parents, the appropriate House Master/House Mistress needs both your and the host’s permission before the taxi is booked. If necessary, you may also need to seek permission from the appropriate Head.
Children under 12 years of age are classified as Unaccompanied Minors by the Airlines. Should they make trips home outside half-term and end of term special arrangements have to be made to enable them to be checked in and collected at the airport. Check-in, or collection on arrival back, at Port Elizabeth Airport will be done by one of the JC shuttle drivers.
STUDY PERMITS, PASSPORT APPLICATIONS and APPLICATIONS FOR FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN ID BOOK
Pupils at DSG and St Andrew’s College/Prep, who are not South African citizens or Permanent Residents, must obtain a study permit from the South African Embassy/High Commission in their country of residence before starting at school here. Study Permit renewals should also, preferably, be done at home. Please check the renewal dates regularly, although we will endeavour to notify you if we notice that a Study Permit or Passport is due to expire.
Study Permits are with effect from 1 May 2009 no longer renewable at Home Affairs in Grahamstown. They must be done at Home Affairs in Port Elizabeth. Because of the distance involved it is difficult for the Travel Office to help. Your children must be present when the application is submitted there. Should you not be able to renew the Study Permit in your home country or be able to take your child to Home Affairs in Port Elizabeth during a visit to them at school, we can give you the name and contact details of an Immigration Broker who will do the necessary paperwork for you. In this case your child does not need to be present at Home Affairs. There will be extra costs to pay for their work but this is likely to be less than having to make a trip to South Africa to arrange the new Permit yourself.
Anne Harrison is however happy to help pupils fill in South African passport application forms and applications for a first ID book.
Kind regards
Anne Harrison
Travel Co-ordinator
20 January 2010
