In the region, when you ask a frequent flyer about an airport hub within a six-hour flight radius of East Africa they will most likely say Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Johannesburg, Cairo, Doha or Dubai. Some may add Istanbul since it is just over the six-hour mark.

Of the African hubs listed, I think O.R Tambo airport in Johannesburg offers the best overall airport and transit hub experience. It is easy to navigate, the terminals are spacious, airy and offer adequate waiting areas with clean rest rooms. But don’t expect free Wi-Fi here.

Unfortunately, most travellers choose transit hubs based on the affordability of air tickets. But some layovers are just too long and if the transit airport is lacking in amenities and services, the journey can be fairly unpleasant. Other hubs, though popular are crowded and hard to navigate. Schipol in Amsterdam comes to mind for the latter reason.

Passengers should insist on and look out for transit hubs that offer high and rapid connectivity to minimise time spent waiting for connecting flights unless where they have intentions to sample the city airport hub.

While still lacking in airport travel experience, Addis Ababa’s Bole Airport makes a good case for a rapid connection airport hub in the region, though it ranks low in the shopping and duty free experience. Don’t expect to access ATMs or buy airtime or access free Wi-Fi even if for a limited period.

Cairo, though it offers a quick transit time to Europe, is infamous for its not-so- polite airport staff.

It is in the travellers’ interest to also ascertain their eligibility for a transit visa for the selected transit point regardless of the ticket price offered by an airline. For instance, while travelling to Algiers in Algeria from Nairobi once, guided by price and patriotic motives, I chose Kenya Airways. The flight route was Nairobi-Paris-Algiers with a smooth two-hour connection on Air France to Algiers.

On the return leg, there was a 12-hour layover in Paris. I had grand plans for my brief stay in the City of Lights.

You can imagine my disappointment when the migration officer tossed my passport back at me and pointed to a cold bench in the transit area. I did not qualify for a short transit visa.

For just a couple hundred dollars more on a ticket on another airline, I would have had a better transiting experience elsewhere. I don’t remember having a meal because everything in the transit “holding” area was closed.

Realising that travellers from this region to the US, Canada and Western Europe are choosing to transit through hubs in the East such as Doha and Dubai, the airlines based at these hubs have been on a charm offensive to make the layover experience worth their while. And it is working in their favour.

Dubai and Doha are an hour apart and are served by carriers that offer great layover experiences, from easily acquired transit visas, hotels and airport transfers all lumped in the offer for travellers with eight to 24-hour layover periods.

The city tour experience with Souks and Desert Tours are a delight.

It is therefore no surprise then that a traveller from Lagos, Nigeria headed to the US would choose to transit through Dubai as opposed to Schipol or Heathrow airports in Europe.

The ability of an airport to handle high volumes of transiting traffic is an essential consideration. Both airlines and passengers are finding congested hubs unattractive and unpleasant.

If you chose to transit through Dubai, you are better off flying Emirates. This is because being the “home” airline, it has better terminal amenities and all its boarding gates are conveniently located closer to these amenities so that you don’t have to do a mad dash across the airport in case of a late check-in.

If you had been to the “old” Jomo Kenyatta International Airport during peak arrival and departure times, then you will greatly appreciate the recent airport expansion.
The terminals are now bigger and airier and with clean rest rooms. Especially the international departures terminal.

But the reality is that the region’s airport hubs are nowhere near offering the world class airport terminal experience like adequate clean restrooms, well ventilated comfortable waiting areas, lounges, restaurants, hotels, duty free shops or rapid movement lanes. They are still not that big or busy.

Travellers should always choose airports that offer convenient and smooth travel, with polite staff.

Michael Otieno is an aviation consultant based in Nairobi. Twitter: @pmykee143, E-mail: [email protected].