Cape Verde Flights and Ferries - The Road to Nowhere?

Cape Verde. Beautiful islands, friendly people, delicious food, but to get there is, at the present moment a nightmare. Like catching a bus in the Costa Del Sol, (which most of the time are late or non existent) Or buying a pack of cigarettes in the UK. (too expensive).

There are so many advantages to going to Cape Verde until you get to the hurdle of getting a flight there. At the moment there are a few airlines going to the islands of Sal and Boavista, but then up comes an invisible wall when it comes to buying the ticket.

For the time being, Thompson in the UK has cornered the market with having the cheapest flights and still the prices are expensive for your average “Joe”. Even the Cape Verde Airlines (TACV) can tend to be pricey. There are rumours going around about other airlines flying to Cape Verde, for example Monarch might be going towards those parts, as for when? nobody knows! We need about two or three other airlines to fly aboard so then these astronomical prices will be reduced and flights will be more affordable to everyone.

There is not a person on this earth who likes delays, in any sense. Take TACV for example. There was an amazing story on Capeverdeinfo.org.uk

"Passengers on TACV flight VR 610, which was supposed to have departed from Praia at 6:30 pm, only left for its destination - Fortaleza, Brazil, at 7 o'clock the next morning. This delay of more than twelve hours was the result of an incomplete flight crew. At approximately 8:40 pm - more than two hours after the scheduled time of departure - passengers were informed that the flight would not be taking place. Rumor indicates that the co-pilot refused to fly alongside his colleague, with whom he is on unfriendly terms. As a result of the delay, the flight's more than 150 passengers had to return home, with the promise that the flight would leave at 5:30 am the next morning and the information that they would have to arrive at Praia International Airport two hours before. More than 50 passengers who arrived from Lisbon and who were supposed to continue on to Fortaleza had to be put up by TACV in local hotels. And, as has become common practice, those awaiting the arrival of passengers from Fortaleza were unable to obtain any information whatsoever from TACV, in whose airport offices phones went unanswered. Many made their way to Praia International Airport only to discover that the flight that was scheduled to arrive early this morning was expected only at 2:00 pm. According to some employees at Praia International Airport, VR 610 is not the first TACV flight that ended up being cancelled or delayed because of personal problems between different members of the flight crew. "There are pilots who will not fly with certain flight attendants, just as there are pilots who refuse to fly with certain co-pilots. Not to mention people who refuse to fly on their days off. Things have gotten to the point that there are people who have this procedure officially registered at the public notary,"

Further trials and tribulations can be found on Capeverdetips.co.uk

"We found it difficult to confirm our Monday morning flight from Sal to Sao Vicente as the flight departed at 9.30am and the offices were closed on the Sunday, the day before we were due to depart. Remember to pre-confirm flight time for all flights!"

"November 06 - If you get to the check-in (at least an hour before departure) you may find that the screen above the desk that shows your destination is closed, but you can check in at the other desks that are open. "

"Oct 07 - We arrived at the airport on SV and the person at the check - in desk tried telling us our names weren't on the flight bookings for that evening. However it was strange how a number of people who were not booked on our flight to Sal managed to get seats on an already full plane. The first TACV flight from Stansted had been delayed by 3hrs...... not good! The 3hrs delay resulted in missed connections and some people having to change their plans."

At least you have other options from two private companies. Cabo Verde Express is a charter aviation companies with a few planes flying, but only with maximum capacity 19 passengers.

The other option is a private company called Halcyon, which are rising slowly in the Cape Verdean market. One does wonder how, given that their website at the time of writing is merely a holding page under construction. This is a classic example of a newly disorganized company. If you need to book an inter island flight and certainly not over the phone. You end up having to book your internal flight directly at the airport in Cape Verde itself, far from ideal for the organized traveller!

This I'm sure will improve as time goes by, but for the time being, be warned!

There is one final option to island hop. Getting a ferry. This however is not without its' perils. You have a couple of choices at your disposal. Firstly the main ferry line. Some of the ferries used are large and antique to say the least, reminding oneself of the dinosaurs, taking you an age to reach your destination. The other option comes from the private sector, Moura Company. (Unfortunately the site is not in English yet) Since last year they acquired two new catamaran ferries to service the islands. They are smaller and faster, so to cut down journey times in the Archipelago. It's amazing how private companies are servicing Cape Verde more efficiently than the state owned companies? Maybe the government needs to revise what’s going on and who should be replaced. This is the 21st Century, not the Jurassic age. Lets hope they get their act together soon, so everyone can enjoy the beautiful islands of Cape Verde