AIR MALAWI review : 2 February 2009 : by Wilbert Wolfs

Customer Rating : 4/5

I flew three times from Blantyre to Lilongwe (and back the same day) in the last 6 months. All these times I flew with Air Malawi's Boeing 737 "Kwacha". All flights went smoothly. Cabin crew is friendly, and pilots keep you informed during the flight. I really hope Air Malawi can be saved in the coming months!!

AIR MALAWI review : 2 September 2008 : by S Warburton

Customer Rating : 4/5

DAR to BLZ, return BLZ to NBO via DAR. Outward flight was a mid morning flight that was on time. A very acceptable hot western breakfast was served. Return flight; the incoming flight from JHB was one hour late, however the ground staff at Blantyre worked hard and turned the aircraft around in super quick time. It was not possible to leave the aircraft at DAR. A snack of sandwiches and fruit along with soft drinks and hot beverages was served during the mid afternoon leg from BLZ to DAR - this was perfectly acceptable, if a little "home made". A full bar service was offered on the leg from DAR to NBO; I was given a Malawi Gin and tonic that would have stunned a horse. There was no inflight entertainment as is normal on short regional flights - however a good inflight magazine was provided. On all legs the aircraft was never more than half full, and DAR-NBO there were only 20 economy passengers and one in business class. We embarked on this Air Malawi journey with great trepidation having read many negative comments and reports of financial difficulties within the company. Admittedly the aircraft was middle aged, but no older than many in European airlines, and the cabin was well overdue replacement - however it is clear that Air Malawi management and staff are working very hard to provide an efficient and professional service. Furthermore ground staff and air crew were helpful and courteous. We would certainly consider using this airline again.

AIR MALAWI review : 12 July 2008 : by B Geraghty

Customer Rating : 3/5

Johannesburg to Blantyre return. The service was friendly and courteous on the flight; food was quite good. My check-in bag did not arrive on the outward journey, but I did get it back (minus some of its contents) on the day I left Chileka Airport to return home. Air Malawi check in clerk and other staff at the airport on that day made huge efforts to allow me to check in the returned bag when it eventually did turn up. This is an airline whose staff try really hard, and they often succeed in making up for the problems the airline has.

Air Malawi - by J Piper

18 March 2008  Customer Trip Rating : n/a

Air Malawi brands its self as "Africa's friendly airline"!? I live in Kenya, and my mother was coming from the UK to Blantyre, via Nairobi. She was booked on a Saturday flight to Blantyre, via Lilongwe, from Nairobi. On the Friday we found that Air Malawi had cancelled the flight (without thinking to tell us). When I contacted them they said there was a flight on the Monday, but it was full, so they rebooked her for the Wednesday flight. As she was going to Malawi for 2 weeks, this would have made her trip very short. Finally I managed to get her on the monday flight. Air Malawi have two scheduled flights a week from Nairobi to Lilongwe. Monday and Friday. But they book people for all seven days of the week. If enough people book, they fly, if they don't they cancel the flight. The thing that really annoyed me was that I chose to use Air Malawi because they told me they fly every day. If I had known the truth I would have used Kenya Airways, who admit they have only two flights a week. The second thing that annoyed me was that there was not even a hint of an apology from them for cancelling the flight. If you are trying to go to Malawi my advice is to use Kenya Airways. They are more expensive - but they will get you there when they say you will, and if they can't at least they will say sorry!

Air Malawi - by Jonathan Boonzaier

22 November 2003

 A very pleasant airline that tries hard despite being the national carrier of a very poor country with only 3 planes. The service on the 737 is equal to SAA. The domestic flight on a Cessna Caravan between Blantyre and Club Mak was perhaps the most fun flight I have ever undertaken. The pilot flew low so we could look at the scenery and even made several detours to look at herds of elephants and hippos. Service on this flight was understandably limited to a "help yourself" cooler filled with soft drinks, but too busy looking out the windows anyway.