Not sure if it counts as a budget carrier - but I like Indigo quite a bit. Lots of options, clean new planes, almost always on time, if delayed/cancelled - handles it very well.
I’m curious as to how their pricing compares to the other carriers. Overall, it seemed like their KISS approach is working really well and I’ll bet the market responds favorably.
I remember Branniff. My dad flew for United, so I was very airline "aware" at a young age. They flew to Latin America which most US carriers didn't other than Pan Am.
@@johnthegreek1980 Well, not exactly. It destroyed the old boys club that kept fares so high only the well heeled could afford to fly. So if cheaper fares for everyone deetroyed the industry, it needed to be.
I remember Cape Town when the airport was just a few buildings and you had to walk down steps cross a road and enter immigration. Very different now, Cape Town is one of the Greatest destinations on earth, people are lovely, the only city where I left my phone in a taxi without knowing only for the taxi driver to return an hour later with my phone. Been a regular visitor ever since. Camps Bay Hotel.
“This is the wine country and boy is it beautiful”. I’ll add to that by saying the scenery around Cape Town is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It was many years ago when I was there but the memories have never left me. The airline sounds like a great deal, who needs loads of food or IFE on a short flight, much rather pay the lower fare. Thanks Paul, another great review.
I, too, remember Braniff. My first flight was in 1958 on a DC-7C IDL (now JFK)-DCA-MIA-PTY-LIM-CGH. It took about 26 hours. They offered me champagne but my mother wouldn’t allow it, since I had just turned 13.
Enjoyed this very much. Haven't travelled with Lift yet, but will give it a try. Love the crystal-clear footage of the mountains on approach to CPT, as well as all the other footage. CPT is my hometown, so I am biased.
Absolutely love South Africa - I went there nearly 25 years ago on a school cricket tour - would love to go back! We took a trip on the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, a heritage steam line between George and knysna, one of the most stunning parts of the garden route/ sadly this closed down in 2009!
Bit of an avgeek question but at 2:57 there is a quick shot of 3 Airbus A340 aircraft parked. What caught my eye was the engines, RR Trent of some type? If so, they are rare aircraft being A340-500. Only 5 were built primarily for Kingfisher who were going to operate them between Bangalore and San Francisco, which is quite a long route. They have long endurance and other tweaks centred around fuel. Of course, Kingfisher collapsed and that was that. I think Hi-Fly are operating one example as a wet lease to other airlines.
You are spot on, they are indeed the elusive and rare A340-500. They belong to Global Aviation (ironically the same company that owns LIFT), and are the following: - ZS-GAU, ex-A6-ERH with Emirates - 2-RLBC, ex-A6-ERD with Emirates - 2-RLAV ex-A6-ERJ with Emirates They are currently stored indefinitely as far as I can tell.
ZS-GAL is in fact one of the first ever A320s to have flown passengers still in passenger service and I believe there are no more than 5 older examples still in service!
Name embossed on the seatbelts....oh dear Paul!!!! haha Great trip report and a decent looking airline. Had not actually heard of them until you posted about this. The aircraft history is very interesting, having operated for America West, US, AA and even Fly Baghdad at one point!!!
Welcome to my home country. I hope that you had a awesome time here. I'm sure that Cape Town was awesome. I can't wait to see what else you get up to here.
Love the new video Paul! Also love seeing a new South African carrier! 🇿🇦🥳 Hope they can survive the test of time though, as S.A. Is a notoriously bad country for a new airline. Dozens have tried 😃🥂and dozens have failed! 😢🚯 Also at 3:08 Wow! There’s a blast from the past! I didn’t even know Braniff flew A320’s, or any Airbus jets for that matter! However I remember hearing about Braniff. Although, I was 3 when they collapsed & at that age I was not such an Aviation Enthusiast so I wasn’t too sad! 😂 😔 Also at 7:30 love that joke about “Even the seatbelts have Lift branding!” 😆
The airplane was delivered to the 2nd version of Braniff after the first one had gone bankrupt and was pit of business for many years. I flew on both Braniff 1 and Braniff 2. I think there was actually a third Braniff for a short period after the second one also went bankrupt.
As I was raised in the Dallas area and flew on Braniff's 737s and their 747 on a charter in 1976. They were a good airline but they couldn't compete when deregulation hit.
Never been to South Africa. But I do remember Braniff. Had one flight with them from Austin to Dallas. Kudos to LIFT airlines!! Thanks Paul for sharing.😀😀♥️♥️
Long T/O run for just a 2hr flight. 142 Euro's ($155USD) for this trip isn't bad for lounge access, priority boarding, bags inc.l...not bad $$ at all. Enjoyed the vid as always. 😉👍✌️
I remember Braniff! Flew them from Kansas City, MO to Dallas Love Field in 1969, then again from Panama City, Panama to Quito, Ecuador in 1979. Had to abort the takeoff in Panama City and blew 2 main gear tires stopping on the runway.
Most locals would look at Economy pricing and that is the battle for customers. Currently only 3 A320 (of same age roughly) in fleet which means schedule issues if technical problems - but we wish them well. Comair and Kulula have both been grounded this week - update 13/03/22 grounded indefinitely now - due to engine related failure caused emergency landing at Lanseria after ORT dep. CAA says Comair knew about problems.
Great Trip Report! It’s hard to believe that there are still A320’s that are over 30 years old operating. Certainly enjoyable to watch as always. Fantastic fare and service for a reasonable price. The legroom looked a lot more than 33 inches, possibly 35-36. ✈️
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I've also watched Paul's reports on Scoot and was wondering if anyone had experience of their LGW to BKK route? Fares are currently very low ...
01:19 Lift's Competition: Well Comair/BA is not on THAT liest anymore! 5:15 Empty Airport - I remember the days when all those fingers would all have been connected to the dozens of SAA aircraft that one would see at JNB airport. I think SAA only has 3 or 4 now
Lift looks like a good airline. I hope they are able to add some of the features their competitors have, like miles earning, in order to keep attracting new and more customers!
I know of Braniff because they were allowed to operate Concorde at sub-sonic speeds from I believe Texas to JFK, and then supersonic to Europe. That Concorde had half a Braniff-livery on it too.
I remember when Braniff airlines had the best paint scheme...Alexander Calder designed paintings for the planes and they were the coolest paint scheme bar non....and they had solid color or two tone solid bright colors blue green etc....very classy
I was just wondering Paul. How many of the carriers twig who you are and what you do? Therefore pushing the boat out that little bit further to make sure of a favourable review. I am not questioning your bias at all. I was simply asking do the carriers ensure you are well looked after shall I say.
No bulkhead at all in the front? No separation between galley and cabin? Thats weird. If something’s loose in that FWD galley, the pax in the 1st row RHS get it right into their face 😮
This plane was not from the original Braniff International (which ceased operation in 1982), but rather from Braniff II, a fairly short-lived successor that started in 1983 and lasted until just after the first two A320s entered the fleet (and proved to be very expensive to operate). I well remember the original BIA (Flying Colors!) but I never flew either Braniff II or Braniff III (which only lasted one year and a day).
Wow! Braniff was a LONG time ago! I'm American, but Braniff flew here. That really brings back memories. Oh, no, exploding sparkling water! I hate when that happens! Enjoyable video, Paul! Have you ever flown out of Ringway in Manchester? Lovely airport. I'm looking forward to spending the summer in the UK. Also going to Scotland, Wales and Ireland.(I'm half Irish, and I look it!) If a mate of mine is home, I think I'll even go to Brussels! Having my continental tour at last. Have you been to Brussels? Any recommendations?
Thanks for tuning in again! Let me know what you think of Lift in the comments. Do you have a favourite budget airline?
Not sure if it counts as a budget carrier - but I like Indigo quite a bit. Lots of options, clean new planes, almost always on time, if delayed/cancelled - handles it very well.
I’m curious as to how their pricing compares to the other carriers. Overall, it seemed like their KISS approach is working really well and I’ll bet the market responds favorably.
For me, it is FlySafair. Their prices are top notch.
1:19 Lift's Competition: Well Comair/BA is not on THAT liest anymore!
We loved having you on board! Thanks for a great video. Looking forward to welcoming you back ✈
Thank you! 😃
I love lift
I flew Lift Premium a month ago on the same A320, sat in 2F, one of my best flights ever between Cape Town and Joburg. Can certainly recommend Lift.
Glad you liked it - quite surprised it all went so smoothly!
I lived in South Africa for about 8 years. I loved it. Beautiful country with fantastic people.
Welcome back we've missed you!!
I remember Branniff. My dad flew for United, so I was very airline "aware" at a young age. They flew to Latin America which most US carriers didn't other than Pan Am.
Pam Am was the best airline besides eastern.
@@johnthegreek1980 Sadly, deregulation was the end of the less well managed airlines.
@@christerman yes it destroyed the airline industry.
@@johnthegreek1980 Well, not exactly. It destroyed the old boys club that kept fares so high only the well heeled could afford to fly. So if cheaper fares for everyone deetroyed the industry, it needed to be.
I remember Cape Town when the airport was just a few buildings and you had to walk down steps cross a road and enter immigration.
Very different now, Cape Town is one of the Greatest destinations on earth, people are lovely, the only city where I left my phone in a taxi without knowing only for the taxi driver to return an hour later with my phone. Been a regular visitor ever since. Camps Bay Hotel.
💗💗🇿🇦
“This is the wine country and boy is it beautiful”. I’ll add to that by saying the scenery around Cape Town is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It was many years ago when I was there but the memories have never left me. The airline sounds like a great deal, who needs loads of food or IFE on a short flight, much rather pay the lower fare. Thanks Paul, another great review.
I, too, remember Braniff. My first flight was in 1958 on a DC-7C IDL (now JFK)-DCA-MIA-PTY-LIM-CGH. It took about 26 hours. They offered me champagne but my mother wouldn’t allow it, since I had just turned 13.
Clicked on this the second I saw it pop on my notifications, bet it's gonna be great Paul!
Thanks for the video Mate 👍
"even the seatbelts have the airline's name embossed on them" - 😂😂
Seems like an incredible deal, 800 miles for £150 and all the perks. Thanks for taking us along.
Enjoyed this very much. Haven't travelled with Lift yet, but will give it a try. Love the crystal-clear footage of the mountains on approach to CPT, as well as all the other footage. CPT is my hometown, so I am biased.
Paul thank you so much for the video just got home from work and your voice is very smoothing and relax after a day at work
Thank you Sheila!
Absolutely love South Africa - I went there nearly 25 years ago on a school cricket tour - would love to go back!
We took a trip on the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, a heritage steam line between George and knysna, one of the most stunning parts of the garden route/ sadly this closed down in 2009!
Bit of an avgeek question but at 2:57 there is a quick shot of 3 Airbus A340 aircraft parked. What caught my eye was the engines, RR Trent of some type? If so, they are rare aircraft being A340-500. Only 5 were built primarily for Kingfisher who were going to operate them between Bangalore and San Francisco, which is quite a long route. They have long endurance and other tweaks centred around fuel. Of course, Kingfisher collapsed and that was that. I think Hi-Fly are operating one example as a wet lease to other airlines.
You are spot on, they are indeed the elusive and rare A340-500. They belong to Global Aviation (ironically the same company that owns LIFT), and are the following:
- ZS-GAU, ex-A6-ERH with Emirates
- 2-RLBC, ex-A6-ERD with Emirates
- 2-RLAV ex-A6-ERJ with Emirates
They are currently stored indefinitely as far as I can tell.
I lived near Gatwick as a child when Braniff were operational, regularly saw the bright orange 747 nicknamed the Flying Carrot.
Great video as usual Paul. Good to have said hello to you at Stadium MK on Saturday. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Rob and COYD!
ZS-GAL is in fact one of the first ever A320s to have flown passengers still in passenger service and I believe there are no more than 5 older examples still in service!
3:54 super disappointed that there was no 'ding' when you touched the aircraft body!
I was waiting for that too. He must have missed it.
Great flight review as always.
Beautiful scenery.
Keep it up.
Yes, I remember Braniff, one of my friends was a flight attendant. She stuck it out until the very end. I got to fly on it just once.
i really enjoyed the video paul i cant wait till the next one
I remember Braniff very well indeed. Loved their multi coloured 727’s and the “Big Orange”.
Name embossed on the seatbelts....oh dear Paul!!!! haha
Great trip report and a decent looking airline. Had not actually heard of them until you posted about this.
The aircraft history is very interesting, having operated for America West, US, AA and even Fly Baghdad at one point!!!
I flew Lift for the first time and had the best experience. Premium was worth it.
Nice video Paul! Always enjoy your videos.
Great vlog as always! Happy landings!
Welcome to my home country. I hope that you had a awesome time here. I'm sure that Cape Town was awesome. I can't wait to see what else you get up to here.
I remember taking Braniff from Albany, NY to Honolulu, HI (with a couple of stops in-between) and back again way back in 1979.
Love the new video Paul! Also love seeing a new South African carrier! 🇿🇦🥳
Hope they can survive the test of time though, as S.A. Is a notoriously bad country for a new airline.
Dozens have tried 😃🥂and dozens have failed! 😢🚯
Also at 3:08 Wow! There’s a blast from the past! I didn’t even know Braniff flew A320’s, or any Airbus jets for that matter!
However I remember hearing about Braniff.
Although, I was 3 when they collapsed & at that age I was not such an Aviation Enthusiast so I wasn’t too sad! 😂 😔
Also at 7:30 love that joke about “Even the seatbelts have Lift branding!” 😆
Been wanting to give them a go between JHB and CPT, thanks for the review.
Braniff those colourful aircraft they used to fly always found it amusing and fun..
The airplane was delivered to the 2nd version of Braniff after the first one had gone bankrupt and was pit of business for many years. I flew on both Braniff 1 and Braniff 2. I think there was actually a third Braniff for a short period after the second one also went bankrupt.
As I was raised in the Dallas area and flew on Braniff's 737s and their 747 on a charter in 1976. They were a good airline but they couldn't compete when deregulation hit.
Fabulous as always Paul 👏
Never been to South Africa. But I do remember Braniff. Had one flight with them from Austin to Dallas.
Kudos to LIFT airlines!! Thanks Paul for sharing.😀😀♥️♥️
Long T/O run for just a 2hr flight. 142 Euro's ($155USD) for this trip isn't bad for lounge access, priority boarding, bags inc.l...not bad $$ at all. Enjoyed the vid as always. 😉👍✌️
Johannesburg is 5,500ft above sea level, so aircraft performance is pretty weak! Takeoff runs can be pretty long!
@@Paul_Lucas that's what I figured. Thx for the reply. Look fwd to the next vid. Safe travels my friend 😉👍✌️.
@@Paul_Lucas esp on a warm day. Same here in DEN.
Flew them on November and actually found them to be quite solid. Flew the same route!
Very impressive airline from the looks of it, hopefully they can survive in what is an extremely difficult market!
I remember Braniff! Flew them from Kansas City, MO to Dallas Love Field in 1969, then again from Panama City, Panama to Quito, Ecuador in 1979. Had to abort the takeoff in Panama City and blew 2 main gear tires stopping on the runway.
Most locals would look at Economy pricing and that is the battle for customers. Currently only 3 A320 (of same age roughly) in fleet which means schedule issues if technical problems - but we wish them well.
Comair and Kulula have both been grounded this week - update 13/03/22 grounded indefinitely now - due to engine related failure caused emergency landing at Lanseria after ORT dep. CAA says Comair knew about problems.
Yep , I'm that vintage , I remember Braniff well ... the first airline to get into all the colours of the rainbow way back in the 60's
Hi Paul, it looks like a good little airline and good value for money too.
Great Trip Report! It’s hard to believe that there are still A320’s that are over 30 years old operating. Certainly enjoyable to watch as always. Fantastic fare and service for a reasonable price. The legroom looked a lot more than 33 inches, possibly 35-36. ✈️
Thanks! yes it does look more than 33 inches, but they advertise 33...so I'll take their word for it. I'd have guessed 34-35.
I was literally just catching up on your videos when this dropped.
Nice travel report.
Thank u for this. Didn't know about the airline & with Comair grounding their fleet, this is a great airline
Amazing vlog keep up the good work
Great video. Thanks for sharing. I've also watched Paul's reports on Scoot and was wondering if anyone had experience of their LGW to BKK route? Fares are currently very low ...
3:08 What happened to Braniff International?
01:19 Lift's Competition: Well Comair/BA is not on THAT liest anymore!
5:15 Empty Airport - I remember the days when all those fingers would all have been connected to the dozens of SAA aircraft that one would see at JNB airport. I think SAA only has 3 or 4 now
Paul great vlog sir !
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks ok for a new airline and the price. Enjoyed the video.
Great video! Why are there BA 737’s in JNB??
I think it’s because they are operated by Comair on behalf of BA for domestic routes
The first flight I ever took was on Braniff from Austin to Corpus Christi Texas. Prop aircraft in 1961.
How much of that aircraft is original 1989 parts and how much will have been replaced during maintenance checks over the years?
I remember Brannif with all the colored airplanes. They were very brightly painted
Lift looks like a good airline. I hope they are able to add some of the features their competitors have, like miles earning, in order to keep attracting new and more customers!
I know of Braniff because they were allowed to operate Concorde at sub-sonic speeds from I believe Texas to JFK, and then supersonic to Europe. That Concorde had half a Braniff-livery on it too.
My first ever flight was on Braniff from London to the USA in 1979
Braniff? I've flown that milt-colored fleet of 727s many times!
Looks great!
Great flight.
Great video Paul as always! I am curious as to who or what the names are next to the entry door of the aircraft are of. Many thanks!
I remember Brannif. As well as Eastern,Continental, Northwestern.
I worked for that version of Braniff not the original i worked for 1 of there commuter carriers
Not only do I remember Braniff, I flew onboard Braniff a number of times.
Hey it’s the guy who commented on daily dose of internet!
I remember when Braniff airlines had the best paint scheme...Alexander Calder designed paintings for the planes and they were the coolest paint scheme bar non....and they had solid color or two tone solid bright colors blue green etc....very classy
an interesting name for an airline.... lift !
I was just wondering Paul.
How many of the carriers twig who you are and what you do?
Therefore pushing the boat out that little bit further to make sure of a favourable review.
I am not questioning your bias at all. I was simply asking do the carriers ensure you are well looked after shall I say.
Paul, as long as you can get a decent G and T up in the air, I am happy!! :)
No bulkhead at all in the front? No separation between galley and cabin? Thats weird. If something’s loose in that FWD galley, the pax in the 1st row RHS get it right into their face 😮
A British Airways Boeing 737-800 in South africa or are my eyes wrong?
Yes and a -400 too. Operated by Comair.
@@Paul_Lucas Hope, they get back in the skies again, SACAA has grounded Comair sighting safety concerns...😢
@@jean-pierremichau8041 saw that today yes ☠️
Grounded indefinitely today.
I am old enough to remember Braniff. ;=)
The A320 still looks great for a 33 year old aircraft 👍
I just don’t get European first class. If the seat isn’t any wider then a seat in economy how is the seat really any different or better?
This plane was not from the original Braniff International (which ceased operation in 1982), but rather from Braniff II, a fairly short-lived successor that started in 1983 and lasted until just after the first two A320s entered the fleet (and proved to be very expensive to operate). I well remember the original BIA (Flying Colors!) but I never flew either Braniff II or Braniff III (which only lasted one year and a day).
Well Kulula is not around anymore ☹️
Am I right in saying at 5:12 there's a 787 British Airways on the tarmac. Why don't we see these in the UK? Or am I just being stupid....?
Correction. 737.... #typo
It’s a Comair 737 which operates as a BA franchise in Africa.
@@Paul_Lucas thanks Paul, learn something new everyday. Love the vids!
@@Paul_Lucas looks like Comair have just been grounded in SA....
Wow! Braniff was a LONG time ago! I'm American, but Braniff flew here. That really brings back memories. Oh, no, exploding sparkling water! I hate when that happens! Enjoyable video, Paul! Have you ever flown out of Ringway in Manchester? Lovely airport. I'm looking forward to spending the summer in the UK. Also going to Scotland, Wales and Ireland.(I'm half Irish, and I look it!) If a mate of mine is home, I think I'll even go to Brussels! Having my continental tour at last. Have you been to Brussels? Any recommendations?
Very nice review of this rather unknown airline, I would have liked to see the toilets on this aircraft 😅
BA 737s in Jo’burg?
I'd suggest you blur the page of the sign-in book... it is possible to get personal details off that.
I remember Branniff with its different colored airplanes.
Excellent 👍👍👍
Looking good 👍
Braniff is used by the makers of South Park as their production company logo.
Out of curiosity, I looked up frequencies between the two cities, I counted 25 times (sample Mon, March 14, 2022)
Right after takeoff from J'burg you passed over a park with a tangled maze of roadways. What was it? A cemetery? Or...?
Probably a golf course.
@@ziauddinkhan5699 I thought so at first but it didn't fit that sort of pattern. Just curious.
Its a mountain bike cycling track
@@manusheunis6298 Bingo! Thanks!
Absolutely fantastic trip report Paul!😸
Wow, this A320 is 31+ years old. It doesn't look too bad.
7:01 - You forgot Lesotho is its own country
That’s precisely why it isn’t marked on a map of South African provinces.
Beats Luton to Edinburgh on EasyJet haha
You probably flew over my house as you turned to the west shortly after take-off
I love south Africa out of the loadshedding and water shedding
Looks strange without the bulkhead
A good thing the seatbelts do not say "Pull up" ! 😱😱