A muddle over tickets meant my confirmed reservation with LAM from Maputo to Nampula did not exist. A sultry, muggy morning in the organized chaos of Maputo's international airport did little to ease the situation—or my temper. The flight was full, as was LAM's later service that day. Yes, I was on the waiting list. So, come back at 1040 and we'll see. But I couldn't take the chance. I had to be in Nampula that night, not only because of the series of meetings I had scheduled for the next morning, but also to make my Air Malawi connection to return to Blantyre, Malawi, the same day. The following day's Maputo-Nampula flights did not allow the connection. My situation was a result of the success of Mozambique's outbreak of airline competition between state-owned LAM and privately-owned Air Corridor. Dramatically-reduced fares had led to massive increases in traffic, and spare seats were now a scarcity. Having spent some time talking to Air Corridor about its plans, I took the opportunity to try out the new carrier's famed service. Queuing at the airport ticket office window, I discovered that today's flight to Nampula was full in economy but had seats in 'Executive Class'. So I handed over the equivalent of $263 for a one-way ticket from Maputo to Nampula. Contrasted against the single economy fare of $100 this was no bargain; but compared to fare levels of pre-competition days—well, no comparison.
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