LAM review by Mike 2017-05-30

Flew from Villankulo to Jo'Berg via Inhamban. Plane was late to arrive in Villankulo with no communication to passengers. Once plane arrived, after a significant amount of time, we were told the airplane was broken. Waited two hours while mechanic was flown in from Maputo. Took mechanic another 2+ hours to fix plane. Took off with sun going down. Landed at Inhamban in the dark in the rain (airport not set up for instrument landings). Surprised to see the runway had no landing lights, but, rather, someone had lit a small number of torches (think citronella candles) on either side of the runway. Picked up passengers in Inhambane. Took off again for Jo'Berg in pitch black (again using only torches for runway light). Hit turbulence shortly after takeoff. Interior lights on airplane began to flicker on and off. Mechanic -- who had remained with the flight since Villankulo -- came storming from the back of the plane into the cockpit, which alarmed passengers. Landed in Jo'Berg 6+ hours late. Missed connection to Cape Town. Was told by airline rep that LAM would handle rebooking. That never happened. Customer service closed. Had to pay $600 for new flights. Lost entire day of Honeymoon.