Traveling long distances across Africa can be expensive.
Not so long ago, getting from one city to another often meant a layover in Europe.
That is finally changing.
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Budget airlines are gaining ground across the region, serving routes aimed at the continent's growing middle class.
It hasn't been easy for them.
African nations signed an "open skies" agreement in 1988, similar to the one in place in Europe, which paved the way for the success of carriers like easyJet.
Most countries have yet to put that agreement into practice.
But as the number of potential travelers grows, new budget airlines are slowly convincing governments of the benefits of expanded air service.
"The African continent is home to more than a billion people, yet it accounts for just 3% of the world's aviation business," says Ed Winter, CEO of Tanzania-based fastjet. "Clearly, the continent still has a real need for better and more affordable air connections."
There is a long list of failed ventures: Velvet Sky and 1time in South Africa both went bankrupt in 2012.
Fly540 canceled its flights to Accra and Luanda last year.
But that isn't holding new operators back.
1time hopes to relaunch this year.
Nigeria's Arik Air is considering launching a budget carrier.
Blue Crane, an aviation consulting firm in South Africa, also hopes to start carrying commercial passengers this year.
Here are 10 airlines already driving a revolution in African travel:
Kulula.com
Kulula.com took off in 2001 as Africa's first budget carrier.
It remains one of the most successful and one of the funniest.
On its signature green planes, flight attendants deliver the safety briefing with plenty of humor, and they are known for calling out passengers who aren't paying attention.
But the airline is also a serious business.
It is run by South Africa's Comair, the local partner of British Airways.
Kulula has also struck deals with Air France and Kenya Airways that have let it expand into five more countries.
Cities served: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, East London, Windhoek, Harare, Mauritius, Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Nairobi
fastjet
One of the most ambitious new airlines, fastjet took off in 2011 serving domestic routes in Tanzania.
Over the past two years it has expanded into four more countries.
The airline has deep experience and serious backing.
Its boss, Ed Winter, is a former easyJet executive, and easyJet holds a stake in the African venture.
The airline has set its sights on breaking into the lucrative South African domestic market while negotiating new routes across the region.
Cities served: Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Entebbe, Harare, Kilimanjaro, Lusaka, Mbeya, Mwanza
flyafrica.com
More than any other airline, flyafrica.com has filled the void left by a downsized Air Zimbabwe.
With Johannesburg as its hub, flights began last year with jaw-dropping special offers, such as trips to Victoria Falls for 99 rand ($9).
Beyond that popular route, it also flies the usually pricey route to Harare, a relief for the hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans living in South Africa.
But those cheap tickets don't include any checked baggage.
Cities served: Johannesburg, Harare, Victoria Falls and Windhoek
Mango
Its distinctive orange planes fly mostly within South Africa, along with the festive spice island of Zanzibar.
Mango is known for its flash sales with steep discounts for passengers who join its mailing list and are ready to book on the spot.
Cities served: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, George, Zanzibar
FlySafair
One of the newest competitors in South Africa, FlySafair took off in October and is working to build a customer base, going head to head with the already established Kulula and Mango.
It made a bold move by cutting ticket prices this year to reflect the drop in fuel costs.
Its tickets are already stripped down: they don't include checked baggage.
Cities served: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, George
Fly540
Here is an airline that shows both the incredible potential and the challenges of building new routes across Africa.
Fly540 has thrived in Kenya, where its flights connect even the remote desert outpost of Lodwar with the rest of the country.
But it had to cancel operations in Ghana and Angola in 2014. It is now focused on Kenya and neighboring countries.
Cities served: Nairobi, Eldoret, Mombasa, Kisumu, Lamu, Lodwar, Malindi, Juba, Zanzibar
JamboJet
This budget airline was launched in 2014 by Kenya Airways and serves just four cities, but aviation authorities have cleared the way for JamboJet to operate flights across Africa from Nairobi and Mombasa.
Cities served: Nairobi, Eldoret, Mombasa, Kisumu
Dana Air
Once a troubled name in African aviation, this carrier was shut down after a 2012 crash that killed 153 people in Lagos.
Dana Air resumed flying a year ago and says all of its safety issues have been resolved.
It is still working to earn certification from the international aviation body IATA, but it has restored its domestic routes.
Cities served: Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo
flydubai.com
Although it is obviously not based in Africa, this airline connects 12 cities on the continent, as long as passengers don't mind a layover in Dubai.
flydubai.com added six cities in 2014, and this year it launched a new route to Hargeisa in Somaliland.
Cities served: Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Juba, Khartoum, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Port Sudan, Zanzibar
Skywise
This new carrier has just started selling tickets for its first flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town, scheduled for March 5.
The airline is a relaunch of the defunct 1time, whose top executives are behind the new venture. Among their points of pride: no fees for checked baggage.
Cities served: Johannesburg, Cape Town.
Griffin Shea is a writer and traveler based in South Africa. His latest project is a travel app for African cities on iPhone and Android.
