If your flight into Cape Town is delayed, a properly booked private transfer simply moves with it. The driver tracks the flight number and arrives for the actual landing, so a delay does not run up waiting time on your account, and the first 60 minutes after real touchdown are still included. If the airline cancels or diverts the flight, the transfer moves to the new arrival at no charge, subject to availability.
The detail below covers the situations that actually happen, from a 40-minute early arrival to a missed connection in Johannesburg, and what each one costs you.
How flight tracking handles a delayed flight
The booking is made against your flight number, not a clock time. On the day, the driver and the concierge follow the flight's status and plan the driver's arrival in the hall for the updated landing time.
That has two consequences. A flight that lands two hours late does not mean a driver has been waiting for two hours at your expense. And a flight that makes up time and lands early does not leave you standing in the hall, because the driver has watched the estimate change.
This is why the flight number is the single most important thing you send. A wrong digit, or the number of an earlier flight you have since changed, is the one mistake that tracking cannot fix. The guide on what to send your chauffeur before you land lists the rest.
When the 60 minutes start
The included hour starts at actual touchdown, not at the scheduled time. It covers taxiing to the stand, getting off the aircraft, passport control on an international arrival, the baggage belt and the walk out to the driver.
On most domestic arrivals you will be in the vehicle well inside the hour. On a busy international evening, a long immigration queue can use much of it, which is exactly what the hour is there for. Waiting beyond it is billed hourly at the rate on your quote. The driver does not let that run quietly, and the concierge is told.
Delays, cancellations and diversions at a glance
| What happens | What the transfer does | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Flight lands early | Driver is already in the hall | Nothing extra |
| Flight lands hours late | Driver is timed to the new landing | Nothing extra |
| Bags take longer than an hour | Driver waits with you | Hourly rate beyond the first 60 minutes |
| Airline cancels and rebooks you | Transfer moves to the new arrival | No charge, subject to availability |
| Flight is diverted | Transfer moves to the new arrival | No charge, subject to availability |
| You change flights yourself | Treated as a change to your booking | Booking terms apply |
The last line is the only one where the timing is yours. If you decide to take a different flight, tell the concierge as early as you can. The cancellation terms explain the windows.
Missed connections through Johannesburg or another hub
Many international arrivals into Cape Town connect through another airport. If the first flight is late and you miss the connection, the airline rebooks you, and you now have a new flight number and a new arrival time.
Send the new flight number to the concierge as soon as you have it, and the transfer is moved to the new arrival, subject to availability. The concierge replies during business hours, every day from 07:00 to 21:00. If you are rebooked late at night, send the message anyway, so it is the first thing seen in the morning and the driver is reassigned before your new flight lands.
When the delay is on the way out
Delays work differently on a return transfer to the airport. The pickup is set for a time, not a flight, because the driver needs to get you to departures with enough margin for check-in.
If the airline moves your departure by an hour or more before you leave the hotel, message the concierge so the pickup can be moved where the schedule allows. If the delay is announced after you are already at the airport, the transfer has done its job. Leaving at the original time is usually the safer choice anyway, because airlines sometimes recover part of a delay and close the gate on the revised time.
What a delay costs when nobody is managing it
The real cost of a delayed arrival without a tracked transfer is not money. It is the hour after landing spent on the phone in the hall, the guest you are hosting who arrives at a closed reception, or the executive who lands late and then queues for a car before a 08:00 meeting.
A delay at 23:00 is worse again. The guide to landing late at Cape Town International covers that case. For conference organisers moving dozens of delegates across many flights, the planning is different again, and delegate airport transfers explains how to set it up.
Common questions
Do I need to tell you if my flight is delayed?
No. The driver tracks the flight number and follows the new landing time. You only need to contact the concierge if the flight number changes, if you are rebooked, or if you change your own plans.
Will I pay for the driver's time while my flight is late?
No. Waiting time is counted from actual touchdown, and the first 60 minutes after that are included. A late flight on its own adds nothing to the fee.
What if my flight is cancelled and I arrive the next day?
Send the new flight details. The transfer moves to the new arrival at no charge, subject to availability, and the airline's cancellation is never treated as a cancellation by you.
What if my luggage is lost?
Tell the driver. Filing a report at the airline's desk takes time, and the first hour after touchdown is included. Beyond that, waiting is billed at the hourly rate on your quote.
To book a transfer that follows your flight, send the flight number, the date, the number of passengers and bags, and the address you are going to. The concierge replies with a written quote and a booking reference. The zones and the included waiting time are on the airport transfers page.