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Flights from Boston to Praia and Atlanta to Sal

Thrice weekly direct flightsto Sal planned

Delta Airlines hopes to fly from June 2010 on Monday Wednesday and Friday from Atlanta to Sal returning on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Day Dep ATL Arr SAL Dep SAL Arr ATL
Monday 1510 v    
Tuesday   0215 1150 1740
Wednesday 2225 v    
Thursday   0930 2310 v
Friday 2225 v   0500
Saturday   0930 2310 v
Sunday       0500

There are also flights from Boston Logan to Praia on TACV outbound on Wedneday nights and inbound to the US on Wednesdays. Normal fares are $1300 but special deals for tourists can be below $500 return including taxes.

A is an American of Cape Verdean descent living in Boston and tries to explain the root of disatisfaction amongst passengers from the States.

"I remember writing about TACV four years ago and it would have been a pleasure to report some positive changes since. Unfortunately, not much has changed in terms of service but a direct flight from Boston to Praia is a plus, provided your luggage doesn’t stay behind as mine did.

As much as we want to hold the company responsible for its lack of service, we must recognize that the Cape verdean Community has also contributed to some of the havoc and here are a couple of reasons why.

Someone traveling with over $20,000 in cash only to be caught at the airport is totally unacceptable. There are many safer and better ways to transfer funds than to stack up your pockets with green bills. His action caused a three hour delay at Logan Airport and probably cost the airline thousands. Knowing that weight is the airline’s biggest challenge, those walking around at the airport looking for travellers with one piece of luggage to carry their overload will only stop when someone lands in jail. It’s against the law for anyone to accept someone’s luggage and it breaches the security of the entire plane if you are carrying a luggage that you didn’t pack yourself. Stop being a nice guy and learn to say NO.

The fact, that the runway in Praia is too shortl is not TACV’s problem and safety should always be taken into consideration even if it means only carrying half of the plane’s capacity. More seats will be available when people learn to travel light or the airline attracts more business passengers with less baggage.

So as you can see, as much as we want to blame the airline fully, we must take responsibility and learn to avoid giving it all the blame. My hat is off to the manager of TACV in USA. He is fully aware of the situation and understands the community’s frustration but is not in a position to make the necessary changes. However, he has vowed to continue his fight for improvements and offered to reimburse expenses for items that I had to purchase in order to facilitate my subsequent trips whilst I waited for my luggage to arrive.

To the General Manager, before you deliver another editorial about services, it would be a good idea to buy a wig, disguise yourself, travel around in your own planes and talk to your customers. Feel the pain of a visitor trying to call TACV at the airport in S. Vicente for hours to no avail. To make matters worse, witness the dialogue between your employee and the same traveller for 20 minutes before she actually discloses that the phone was down all day. There’s no better knowledge than information delivered directly from the source; your customers. And wouldn’t it be awesome to report unprecedented earnings next year while delivering good service!?

To the Government and to the Prime Minister, the time has come to alleviate some of the travelling pains for the people of Cabo Verde and in particular, the community in the USA. Over $200 round trip from Praia/S. Vicente or $1,300 from Boston/Praia on an airline whose schedules mean nothing is ridiculous and beyond comprehension . Imagine the possibilities of privatized air transportation for Cabo Verde, open up the market and let your constituents experience the true slogan of TACV - a pleasurable way of flying. "