Irish Daily Mirror

Travel test

- CARRIE ANDERSON 9/10.

WHAT: CAP

Airlink flight 4Z131,use hard E70-embraer 170, in an ecorneotum­ryn at seat. Use hard WHERE: From Johannesbr­uertgu,rn at South Africa, to Jamestown, Saint Helena, from £384 one way; flyairlink.com.

EXPERIENCE: Airlink previously flew to Napoleon’s place of exile on a Saturday, but has added this midweek flight to its schedule.

The 6hrs 30mins flight is something of an adventure in itself, with a stopover on the outbound leg to refuel at Walvis

Bay Internatio­nal Airport – a small hub in the middle of the Namibian desert!

The 74-passenger plane has six business class seats, the rest economy and in a 2-2 configurat­ion, with plenty of space for both your legs and an underseat bag.

The economy seats don’t recline but were comfortabl­e enough for a good nap after an early trip to the airport for the

9am departure.

Prior to the plane being refuelled, drinks are served – wine, beer, tea, juice and water – followed by sandwiches.

In the second half of the flight another round of drinks and a meal are served, with either a chicken or beef salad plus a chocolate cake and crisps.

On the return leg – which does not stop to refuel, cutting the flight time to 4hrs 20mins – there are again two drink services plus a meal. I had the beef pastrami and pasta salad, which came with crisps and a chocolate truffle.

Flying into Saint Helena is an experience in itself with the dramatic scenery and a sheer drop at the end of the runway! QUIBBLES: There are no power points for charging and no in-flight entertainm­ent.

VERDICT: The flight felt like it went by quickly enough and was well served with refreshmen­ts for the duration.

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