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South African Airways customer travel guide
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South African Airways customer review :  14 January 2011 by C McKee   (UK)

London to Cape Town, Johannesburg to London. First leg so-so, with a medium age plane that had an okay entertainment system and fair food - mediocre all around. The return leg was a nightmare. Terrible food, rude, inattentive service, and a virtually non-existent entertainment package for a 12 hour flight - one smallish TV mounted at the very front of economy, which played the same movie on this return leg as the incoming leg! 4-star airline? No way!

South African Airways customer review :  25 December 2010 by R Chalmers   (UK)

Johannesburg-Maputo return Economy. This is a short flight - just over 1 hour but was very happy with level of service offered which included snack (sandwich) and drinks (soft, beer, wine). Check in at Maputo on way back was quick - although colleagues who checked in later than me complained about the passport control process which was slow. I was in transit on way to Maputo and had to pick up boarding pass at the transfer desk. Luckily I have a Star Alliance Gold Card so was dealt with quickly - due to a new computer system, queues were rather long. On both legs, the aircraft (A319) was on time.

South African Airways customer review :  23 December 2010 by Darran Burr   (UK)

Business Class LHR-CPT during the snow crisis at Heathrow Airport, our booking was for the 20th Dec, the first SAA CPT flight out of Heathrow for 4 days. We boarded the A340-200 at 830pm. At 930pm an announcement from Captain advised that water pipes had become frozen and there was leak in the Cargo area - he assured that engineers would ensure the problem was fixed and we could depart that evening. After 6hrs the aircraft, it wasn't looking good we would get away that night, during those 6hrs cabin crew were extremely attentive, served Dinner to passengers. At 3am Captain announced the fault could not be repaired, but he had a choice of either cancelling the flight for a complete repair, or could depart with no water for the bathrooms and no hot drinks - passengers would need to be co-operative by using bottles of water to empty into the bathroom so they can flush - passengers agreed and we left at 350am. Bathrooms were clean during the whole flight, passengers and crew were brilliant in ensuring no health hazard occured. This crew were an absolute credit to SAA, kept smiling for the full 12 hour flight. Well done, a magnificent caring experience.

South African Airways customer review :  17 December 2010 by Terry Stokes   (Australia)

DUR-JNB-VFA and LIV-MQP-JNB. Nothing eventful DUR-JNB. JNB-VFA, an issue with the luggage meant everyone had to exit the plane to identify their bags and then re-board the aircraft. This obviously led to a delay. LIV-MQP uneventful and on time. MQP-JNB, flight was late arriving and when we finally boarded the airconditioning did work.

South African Airways customer review :  29 November 2010 by Denise Wilson   (UK)

Have used South African Airways quite a lot from Heathrow to Cape Town. They have recently changed the planes to older aircraft. No personal TV in economy, food dreadful, some stewards very helpful, but others surly. The one good point is that their economy class is better than British Airways.

South African Airways customer review :  21 November 2010 by M Kauer   (Switzerland)

JNB-CPT-JNB in Economy. SAA does not treat affiliated Star Gold members, as is customary with other airlines in the alliance. For SAA, first come their own Voyager members. First leg on 737-800 aircraft, old seats, no priority boarding, chaos on board since two seats where broken and delay of 45 mins, without being informed or updated at all. Catering only started after 1 hour. Return on 340-600 aircraft, again, seating problems, double seat assignments resulting in delay. Very disappointed with SAA.

South African Airways customer review :  9 November 2010 by Mark Simons   (UK)

LHR-JNB-LHR. Check in process very quick and through to lounge. Heathrow Star Alliance lounge very poor - dark lighting, hard seats - felt like a waiting room at a train station. Very professional cabin crew, nice choice of food and excellent wines on offer. Film choice very limited and not on a par with other carriers. Flight made up time and arrived on schedule. As one of the first flights virtually no queue at immigration and bags through quickly. Return flight also on time. Very professional "old school" CSD who personally came round the cabin shaking passengers hands and thanking them for flying SAA - a nice touch. Food and drinks very nice again. Found the lie flat seats a little hard and restrictive width wise. All in all a positive experience.

South African Airways customer review :  8 November 2010 by Valerie Davies   (UK)

The aircraft was clearly very old, cramped seats with extremely limited leg room. Drop down tvs overhead, not seat back screens. Extremely old films, overhead screens were just inches from my head and there was a warning on the back of the seat about this. Could not move my arms easily in order to eat my meal due to the lack of space. Unsmiling, surly staff on the outbound flight (UK to Cape Town), better on the way back. Breakfast inedible. Uncomfortable flight, with many people clearly unable to sleep. The overhead light would have disturbed other passengers, so I couldn't read and with no proper in flight entertainment, I simply sat in my seat for 11 hours bored out of my mind.

South African Airways customer review :  31 October 2010 by Keith Rogers   (Canada)

Had a wonderful experience on JFK-JNB in business class on the A340 lie flat seats - top notch all round from comfort to food to staff to entertainment.

South African Airways customer review :  31 October 2010 by J Bur   (Australia)

JNB-LLW and NBO-JNB economy. First leg okay, though food awful and staff abrupt. NBO-JNB was awful - check in staff rude, one walking away mid conversation and not returning. What was originally a 2 hour delay became an 8 hour delay - we were kept poorly informed and provided only with juice/water, but no proper food.

South African Airways customer review :  27 October 2010 by O Garratt   (South Africa)

My thanks to airline retrieving, wrapping and delivering luggage to me when it did not make a connecting flight out of Dulles - also to the ground staff at OR Tambo who were courteous and reassuring to all of us. The food on that flight was awful, and I am not a fussy eater. The food was served at local time 15h00, less than two hours before touch-down at OR Tambo and quite ridiculous as a lunch - especially since it was about 8 hours after breakfast. The cabin was darkened until that time (15h00) even though it had been daylight for hours. Surely one does not expect an 8-hour sleep after breakfast when we had already had about 4 or 5 hours after leaving Washington. Most ridiculous the out of date video that played before touchdown was long and complicated and did not even mention Gautrain.

South African Airways customer review :  20 October 2010 by V Vedi   (UK)

LHR-Cape Town return. Flight to Cape Town was excellent, FAs could not have done more. Seat pitch a little short in flat bed position. Star Alliance lounge at LHR is very average. Return CPT to LHR service no more than efficient and not with a smile. Food average throughout. South African Airways lounge is poor, as are refreshments on offer. Inflight entertainment is poor and old fashioned on A340-200.