South African Airways review by S Farooq

6 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JBN-LHR return on business class. Check-in a breeze boarding quick and in flight service very good going to LHR while on return the service was superb. FA's very attentive and available at all times. Nice food choices though like many airlines the food portions seem to have shrunk over the years. This was my 3rd return trip on SAA JHB-LHR and I must say I've given up on other airlines like BA on this route as SAA is better in my opinion. The only "gripe" is the LHR lounge which really should have a make over as it looks and feels dull and drab.

South African Airways review by George Miller

6 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

IAD-JNB and CPT-LHR both in Economy Class. A340-600 on the first route and 747-400 on the latter. I was pleased with the service of SAA. Flights were generally on time. Crew very friendly and polite. The food was delicious. The check-in at Dulles International was slow. I found that the 747 offered more legroom and the seats felt more comfortable than on the A340 (I'm a large man). Maybe it was just my location in the plane. SAA seats were more comfortable than the ones on the United 777 I flew LHR-LAX though. Overall I feel that I got great value for my dollars.

South African Airways review by A McClure

4 July 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JFK-JNB and back with a stopover in Dakar end of May. Economy seats. Did not like the Dakar stop. It was not fun landing and then not able to get off the plan and walk around. All in all this was a wonderful flight! The food was actually good and loved the IFE. The planes were newer planes. The staff was very friendly and waited on us nicely. We had asked for certain seats and got them. I have not flown in 20 years and never international. A 16 hour flight is was a very long time to be on the same plane! Once in Jo-burg we took a connecting flight to DUR. It was an hour flight and the served us a meal. As soon as we took off they started serving and they just got through when it was time to land. All the flights, totalling 4, were very pleasant. Very nice trip! Thank you, SAA, for making it a great experience!

South African Airways review by W Brooks

25 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

JNB-DUR Y class B737-800. Cabin crew friendly and efficient. Passengers seem to want to take all their possessions on board, but we managed to depart on time. A pleasure to use them and enjoy the IFE. Compared to ancient aircraft of other domestic airlines, SAA still comes to the party.

South African Airways review by Mark Tufts

19 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

I agree with the comments about the onboard luggage. It is ludicrous that an airline of this stature cannot control this. Their policy states 1 piece of handluggage per passenger and the average is about 3. The boarding is a fiasco as well, in particular at Joburg and in Durban. The screen flashes that the flight is boarding and you get a complete stare at the gate by the ground crew when you dutifully arrive to board. Something also has to be done about luggage retrieval at Joburg. It takes too long. These comments are based on about 5 recent return trips. On board is actually very pleasant but ground side it is poor and the hand luggage issue worries me.

South African Airways review by Nick Howard

19 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

IAD-JNB-IAD. Business class. Five star trip all the way. Both planes were the relatively new A340. 15.5 hours IAD-JNB, 18.5 JNB-IAD with a one hour stop over in Dakar (we didn't even have to get off the plane for the stopover). Great food, fantastic South Africa wine, and polite but unobtrusive service who kept the libations flowing. Electronic seat can be adjusted in many ways and can get completely flat (also had a massager but I didn't use it). Big comfy pillow and a nice sized duvet. Lots of good movies, all on demand. Best way to get from North America to Southern Africa, period.

South African Airways review by Joe Shott

14 June 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

EBB-JNB-CPT return, off-peak season. Planes clean and neat. Crew pleasant and professional. The food was of good quality and quantity (a plus for me!). The rest though was less than mediocre, and really had me and many others annoyed. First, I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing or just bad policy implementation on behalf of SAA but it seems clearly that no one uses a queue! People were pushing and crowding the boarding areas, the jetways, the stairways both boarding and disembarking the plane. Many elderly people were nearly pushed over in these instances and no one took notice. The planes were boarded no particular order so to no one's surprise, we were late to depart from each airport due to the congestion on the plane. In addition, many passengers were taking as many as 3 items to carry-on when it is clearly stated that one carry-on plus one personal handheld item is the policy. SAA crew completely disregarded these policies and crammed luggage in any place possible. Another surprise - there was not room for everyone's carry-on luggage. Baggage offloading at JNB and CPT took approximately 45 minutes, so that was a bit lengthy as well. I flew SAA because of it's "good" reputation within Africa. It was $75 more expensive than Ethiopian Airlines or Kenyan Airways but I think it might be worth the extra expense to have a stress-free experience while boarding and while on board.

South African Airways review by D Taylor

13 May 2007  Customer Trip Rating :

CPT-JNB-JFK return, Economy class Airbus A340-300. The flight to Jfk was packed and I didn't have a good seat in the middle section of the very back row where the seats are 2-3-2 instead of the 2-4-2 which prevails throughout the plane. I stand 1.92m tall and the seat is tiny. I ended up with my legs out in the aisle for most of the flight (17 hours to Jfk, split after 8 hours by an unpleasant stop in Dakar). Unfortunately, every time anyone went to the toilet, or the food and drinks service came out, my feet got in the way, so I got no sleep with people tripping over me all night long. The A343 is also rather chilly, which didn't help either; nor did 17 hours of screaming child three rows ahead. Food was fine, entertainment almost excellent and the crew were very friendly. Outbound from Jfk I managed to snag a bulkhead seat and had yards of space for the return trip. Although we were delayed in the queue for takeoff and left more than an hour late, we got into Jnb pretty much on schedule. Again, the food was fine and plentiful - if memory serves, you get three meals plus a snack in the 17 hours - and the cabin crew all very friendly. The only downside was that the entertainment schedule hadn't changed yet, so I was stuck with the same movies I had already watched on the inbound flight.

South African Airways review by K H Teo

24 April 2007   Customer Trip Rating : n/a

HKG-JNB-HKG on business class. I must say they have the best business flat bed seat ! Full privacy with a very comfortable comforter. Food and service just average, really nothing to business class standard. Well, they do offer discounted business class fare compare to CX and if you just looking for a good sleep on the 13hr flight, this is a real good deal.

South African Airways review by Meredith Taylor
4 April 2007

JNB-LHR 747-400 First Class. The Cyclad lounge in Joburg is well- equipped with business services, 2 showers rooms, sleep rooms and generous seating areas. Arrived with 6 hours to kill before my evening flight to London and treated like royalty. Waitress service, full bar, varied menu and best SA wines and the pleasure continued on the flight with the latest movies and vintage champagne. Only 4 beds occupied out of 11 so virtually one to one unobtrusive service. Flat Bed is comfortable and allows privacy due to its design. Best First Class I've flown by far.

South African Airways review by Mark Hereward
20 March 2007

Washington - Johannesburg, Premium Class. SAA business class continues to be one of the best in the sky - 15.5 hours passed quickly and enjoyably due to the great seat, excellent IFE, powerpoint for laptop, good food, and good service. They use the Virgin Clubhouse as lounge in Washington - again, the best of the genre (although I resent paying for broadband in a lounge). The only hitch was the strange people-mover they used to get out to the plane in Washington, in which we waited for 15 minutes before they opened the door of plane. But a great way to fly a long way.

South African Airways review by Christel Eklund
9 March 2007

London to Johannesburg a couple of weeks ago and we were lucky to get seats upstairs in the 747-400. It was really neat. We thought there were plenty of rooms for our legs and fresh air. I was able to sleep for 5 hours in the way down. The service was also very good. On our way back from Cape Town to London we weren't that lucky. We now got our seats downstairs. What a difference. I'm not very big and my legs are not very long but still I didn't know where to put them. When I should go out to the toilet I had to climb over the other seats to get out. This time I couldn't sleep for more than 1 hour and I was very tired when I reached London.

South African Airways review by Gavin Lightley
9 March 2007

Cape Town to Frankfurt in business. Nice looking cabin, fully flat bed pretty good but a bit bumpy in places (but it wasn't angled which makes all the difference). Nice to have an almost full size pillow and a quilt type cover. Flew a few days earlier overnight and managed to get a quite few hours sleep. Great to take such a long daytime flight and get the opportunity to enjoy the experience. Food excellent. Very friendly crew. My partner lost his camera down the back of the seat and had a team of five trying to get it back for him. I then managed to lose a lens cap but kept that quiet. Shame about the fact that the IFE had not been updated (2nd March) as I had (sadly) already planned my viewing on the outward trip for the return.

South African Airways review by Anne Baynton
26 February 2007

Capetown to London. This was an excellent flight in economy. The cabin service was excellent and staff cheerful and helpful. The lamb meal was of excellent taste and likewise the breakfast which included a St Valentines day heart of chocolate! Maybe the seats are somewhat narrow but one can put up with that when choosing a non too expensive flight offer.

South African Airways review by Suzanne Frank
19 February 2007

We fly to South Africa from Canada once a year. Unfortunately, SAA does not fly to Canada, so we make use of Air Canada between Europe and Canada. Between South Africa and Europe, we always fly SAA. SAA wins hands down. Air Canada can learn a lot from them. We wish SAA will start flying to Canada, because we are thousands of South Africans living here. SAA staff is friendly and very sharp and professional and always looks neat.

South African Airways review by Richard Shill
15 February 2007

LHR-JNB 747-400 First Class. All 10 seats taken. Look after by 3 senior cabin crew, with good service, always addressed by name, only let down by the fact that the plane was loaded ex-CPT for premium class only and therefore not loaded with sleep suits or first class menus. Food pretty reasonable with some nice SA wines. Seat comfortable even in lie flat bed mode. JNB-CPT 737-800 Premium class. Again a full business section, cabin crew ok, managing a bar service, hot meal service and a hot drinks service in the short flight. CPT-LHR A340-600 Premium class. Only a few free seats empty on this flight. Cabin crew ok, addressed by name during meal service. Wasn't a great fan of the seat in bed mode, far too many bumps in the wrong places for me, found it much more comfortable to sleep in cradle mode. Food ok but the cheese service was appalling as it was already plated with soggy crackers, especially when compared to the first class cheese board on the way out.

South African Airways review by Mustafa Hassanali
13 February 2007

DAR-CPT-DAR Via change of flight in JMB. Airbus 319 is very comfortable even when it comes to seating for someone who is 193cm tall. The flight from JNB to CPT was uneventful. In a short 3.5 hr DAR-JNB route personalised menu cards were given out. Add to it, one of the Menu read Zanzibari chicken (thumbs up for promoting Tanzanian local cuisine outbound from Jozi).

South African Airways review by Patrick Paludan
19 January 2007

JNB-CPT return. Very impressed with the service on SAA. Full meal and drink service, even on domestic flights and the crew is very attentive and professional.

31 December 2006

CPT-LHR business class on 747-400. Comfortable lie flats, maybe not as good as on the Airbus A340, but I had a good sleep. Service, food and drinks OK. I never use the IFE, I like to get my sleep! The SAA arrivals lounge at LHR is really nice, great showers and a good breakfast. This again gives you another hour of sleep on the 'plane!

South African Airways review by Sylvia Goddard
31 December 2006

JNB to CPT and DUR to JNB both as part of longer journeys J clas. Very okay and acceptable for such short flights. Nice to be offered a hot meal JNB-CPT and wonderful to be presented with a bottle of wine to take away when crew realised it was our honeymoon! Good service and nice 2 x 3 seating on 737 aircraft. Generally OK for an hour or two - would use them again.

South African Airways review by Alan Edwards
20 December 2006

CPT-FRA-LHR-CPT. Chose to go to London via Frankfurt as the flight is a daylight one and as a Y-class "non-sleeper" I'd sooner spend 12 hours awake during the day than during the night. Checked in early and managed to get a bulkhead window seat. Aircraft was an A340-600 and although leg room was fine I did find the Recaro seat very narrow. I'm not the largest person around but my legs were touching both sides of the seat. Biggest problem though is that the seat sides are solid so no room to squirm!! Otherwise a very comfortable flight, average FA's and decent enough food. Transfer in Frankfurt was very smooth as a result of Star Alliance co-operation I assume. Flight to London was on LH A321, comfortable and efficient in a typically Germanic fashion! Return was direct on SAA 747-400. Again got in early and got the upper deck. Not sure, but it must be close to a 35" pitch. Comfortable enough for even me to get some shut eye! FA's were a bit more experienced and the service was excellent. All in all a very satisfactory trip and I would certainly use SAA again on long haul. Cost of the trip was also reasonable, considering it was a last minute decision.

South African Airways review by Armin Orichel
7 December 2006

JNB to WVB return. Both flights very smooth. 2 hours scenic flight in a cloudless sky. Service was very nice on both flights and I can only recommend SA Express for flights to and from Walvis Bay.

South African Airways review by John Lindhout
3 December 2006

BUQ-JNB. Flight was delayed for over three hours as heavy rains and thunder storms covered a big part of Southern Africa. The 2 hour flight on the 29 seater Jetstream 41 as rough. The flight attendant however did her utmost to make the trip as comfortable as possible. The transfer desk was quick to arrange food and accomodation as I missed my flight to Botswana on SA Express. Compliments for the smooth service offered by the ground staff. Excellent hotel and more than sufficient allocation for meals.

South African Airways review by Ron Kuhlmann
15 November 2006

FRA-CPT-FRA. Wonderful experiences both directions. The seats are as roomy as any in economy and the crews were pleasant. The food was well prepared and presented and the IFE worked flawlessly. The tail mounted taxi camera is a real hoot and made for exciting viewing. Overall, these folks rate way up there in my book.

South African Airways review by Robin Kilby
22 October 2006

FRA-CPT return in Economy. First time I have flown SAA in 15 years - lots of change, but all for the better. New modern A340-600 aircraft - very comfortable Recaro seats, with 85 cm seat pitch in economy. Making seat reservations on-line at the time of booking dead easy. I reserved 2 adjacent seats (aisle/window) just aft of the wing for both legs. The aisle/window combination is preferable to one of the 2+2 center seats, as 2 people have a bit more space to spread out & stow their magazines, pillows, blankets etc between the seat and the window. Nice little amenity kit is provided by SAA. Slight glitch with the aircon pack, as the APU was not working in FRA, so air had to be diverted from the cabin aircon packs to start the engines with the air starter valve - the cabin was a bit hot & humid while taxing, but cooled down very quickly once we were airborne. Cabin staff was excellent - very friendly & attentive. Enough FAs on board to ensure a quick service Service (bar, dinner) was done quickly after take-off - at 10.00 pm the cabin was dimmed for the night. Enough snacks/drinks ware provided during the night. These were left in the galleys - so no problem with talking a stroll through the cabin every hour or so, as suggested by the IFE cartoons. IFE was excellent -took in 2 movies during the night. Cabin was very quiet during the night, despite the flight being fully booked - most people either sleeping, or amusing themselves with the IFE Arrival at CPT on schedule at 0500, after a light breakfast. SAA is the only airline I know that serves real 100% orange juice for breakfast in economy. Breakfast was a little bit drab - the menu sounded more exciting than the reality! Smooth landing at CPT, conidering the size of the aircraft. The 85 cm pitch really makes a difference on the 12 hour non-stop leg from FRA to CPT. Also, the 2 + 2+2 +2 cabin configuration on the A340-600 makes a better travel experience, even in economy. I will definitely travel again with SAA on the FRA - CPT route.

South African Airways review by Bob Dornan
5 October 2006

Washington Dulles return in Business class - 17 hours each way using United award miles - yes it can be done. Great new airplane - A340-600 with lie flat seats. One hour refuelling stop in Dakar Senegal was a pain, but necessary. Food and wine were very good, as was service from friendly staff. Check in at IAD and JNB went smoothly, as did arrival and passage through JNB passport control. JNB airport has notorious problem with theft from luggage but SAA has started wrapping some luggage in plastic wrap, and airport is cracking down on problem resulting in recent arrest of 9 baggage handlers. I was very pleased with the entire trip on SAA and at JNB. If planning extensive travel in Africa check out Africa AirPass.

South African Airways review by Les Anthany
2 October 2006

I recently flew SAA roundtrip from Dulles to Capetown (via) Jo'burg. This was my first experience with SAA and we flew economy. We were presently surprised. Aircraft was very nice, service was good, food was pleasant, space was adequate. The individual video units were the best and made time go by faster. The only complaint was connecting to Capetown in Jo'burg -- JNB airport is not user friendly and it was a pain to change to the domestic terminal.

South African Airways review by Nigel Bragg
27 September 2006

SAA has really won me over. I flew to Maputo with SAA, and I have to give the staff 10/10 for that flight. Flying business class to Cape Town was a pleasure from arrival at Johannesburg International to the Cape Town, and the return flight was a pleasure too. I am planning on flying long distance with SAA next year (most likely to Hong Kong) and it will be nice to compare them with Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

South African Airways review by Mark Tufts
24 September 2006

Cape Town to Durban on a new A319. Great flight and service. I really was impressed. Food good, too, which is not an often found comment about airline food. Incidentally, SAA's prices are as good these days as the low-cost carriers if you book a little bit in advance and are not fussy about exactly when you fly.

South African Airways review by Stefan Straubhaar
24 September 2006

JNB to CPT roundtrip, both legs on their 747-400. On time departures. Friendly crew. But the sandwich served on these legs could be improved a little bit. When I flew with Comair to Durban, same distance, amount of time I got a meal. Also first they serve drinks and then 30 minutes later the dry sandwich, there should be a better coordination in between. Also they should control more how much alcohol they serve to passengers, since some of them got drunk and rowdy on the flight. Overall good experience. I think the seat pitch is normal, like any other airline, although on the upper deck there is more legroom than on the lower deck.

South African Airways review by Anita Nonneman
6 September 2006

I have flown SAA for the last 12 years, first in economy class, and for the last few years in business class. The business class accomodations have been wonderful; the attentive and cordial staff, the amenities, the food and wine, and advantages of Voyager membership. Although it's a long flight, I anticipate it as the comfortable first and last legs of an always incredible journey. In the first years of travel, we flew from Cleveland, Ohio (my hometown), to Miami, Sol Island, and then directly on to Cape Town. In recent years, the Miami start has been replaced by Atlanta (a great airport), and now a change of planes is required in Johannesburg before arriving in Cape Town. Will there ever be another flight directly from Atlanta (through Sol Island) to Cape Town? I'm planning another trip in February, 2007.

South African Airways review by Martha Santos
26 August 2006

GRU (Sao Paulo)-JNB and return. Very comfortable long-haul flight in economy. Food and wine (complimentary!) were good, but the long trip was really made bearable by excellent movie choices from the inflight entertainment system. Staff is friendly, helpful, and even tried to speak some Portuguese!

South African Airways review by Michael Nissen
12 August 2006

FRA-CPT and JNB-FRA Economy Mid-July and August. Flew first time with SAA. Tickets booked online via the SAA website with seat selection. Service on the FRA-CPT leg was efficient, food fine (I ordered a special seafood meal). The return leg to FRA was another experience: the SAA check-in staff at JNB airport was not able to confirm me the selected window seat, although I checked in very early. They told me without any excuse that other passengers booking online were also able to select that seat, even after the date of my booking! So there is in any case no guarantee to get the seat. I got instead an aisle seat in the last rows of the full aircraft nearby the restrooms, that made the 10 hrs flight rather uncomfortable.

South African Airways review by Brian Elliott
24 June 2006

LHR-CPT-LHR Economy. Excellent flights on A340-600 - very clean and quiet. At 6'4" I found plenty of leg room and aircraft only half full, so able to stretch out and even sleep CPT-LHR. FA's attentive and courteous and meals excellent in both quantity and quality. IFE computer glitch outbound which was unable to be fixed in flight, despite re- booting the system five times, but limited viewing still possible. Excellent check in at both LHR and CPT and pre-flight seat reservation worked well. Will use SAA on any future flights to SA.

South African Airways review by Reny Varkey
18 June 2006

Bombay-Johannesburg business class. The seats were comfortable, although slightly short of the seat pitch you expect on business class. Was promised flatbed seats on booking, but seats were old style - they reclined well. There was adequate space between the seats so you were not at all bothered by your fellow passengers. Service was good as was the wine. Food bland and mediocre with small portions, and not in adequate quantities. The arrival lounge in JNB for business class passengers was excellent and comfy with good clean showers and a hot petit breakfast and coffee. Overall a pleasant experience.

South African Airways review by Els van den Berkhof
1 June 2006

Frankfurt to Cape Town. The only reason I booked flights on SAA was because my husband is born in South Africa. But what a great experience it was! Our connecting flight was in Frankfurt and due to a technical problem there was a delay. But once inside business class everything was forgotten. What a treat to be able to sleep in the fully flat bed. The shell (back of the seat) is fixed, so whatever position the people in front of you sit or sleep inn, it doesn't bother you. Compared to KLM and BA the food was very good and the cabin crew on both our flights real friendly and welcoming, with an extra bonus for us that we could speak afrikaans. Without a doubt we will travel with SAA next time.

South African Airways review by Jo Francis
9 May 2006

If only SAA would get their online booking system up and running efficiently! It has been a severe test of loyalty since the (so- called) computer upgrade/Star Alliance get together on 17 March 2006. Voyager members must be deserting in droves due to lack of seats for upgrade to members and inefficiency online. How do we use our miles if we cannot access the booking system?

South African Airways review by Ron Kuhlmann
18 April 2006

LHR-CPT C-class. Magnificent flight. The A-340-600 interior was very attrictivly laid out and the seats and amenities were first rate. It was all the more welcome considering the hassles of Heathrow, which were many and varied. The crew was superb and managed to be both attentive and unobtrusive. The overall experience set a new benchmark for premium class travel. CPT-JNB-CPT C-class. Nice flights in both directions. Food was tasty and the crews in both directions were friendly and cheerful. The outbound was delayed quite a bit due to both weather and power failures in JNB. Lounge facilities at both airports were comfortable. Both flights left a good impression.

South African Airways review by Jon Passmore
12 April 2006

Traveled Hong Kong to Johanesburg (return) on SAA recently on the A340-600 in business class. Check in was fine in both directions, if a bit slow. Lounge was great, but all flights were slightly delayed and there was never any updates to the passengers (considering i had connections to make this became an issue). Lack of food in the lounges in Jburg, only chips and cakes. The full flat bed it brilliant and I had the best sleep ever on a plane (much better than BA). The shell design and privacy screen means that you are never disturbed by your neighbour. IFE was good, but half way through the flight the AVOD gave up and needed to be totally reset (which they said would take 5 minutes and took almost an hour). Thankfully no problems on the return journey. Food was rather ordinary and very small portions. Overall SAA have got a fantastic product here but what drags them down is service (or lack of it). Had to ask for everything twice and i cant recall the cabin crew smiling once. Always receive much better service on Thai and Singapore (even in economy). Would travel with SAA again, but only for the flat bed.

South African Airways review by Mark Purcell
7 April 2006

JFK-DKR-JFK Economy Mid-March Airbus 340-300e. Booking and seat selection on SAA's web site went smoothly, but e-mail questions to customer service took days or weeks for a reply. Check-in a bit slow as is seems everyone but me were baggage overweight and therefore having to transact for extra charges. Boarding was a bit chaotic but satisfactory. Relatively on time departure out of JFK, although I agree with earlier posts about the patchwork nature of that airport---allow extra time for navigation and confirm terminal location with SAA as mine was changed without notification a week before my departure. Despite some earlier warning posts about seat pitch, my 6'2" frame was comfortable with the legroom. although huskier builds will find seat width problematic. FA's JKF-DKR were more present and available than on the return leg, but that may have been due to clock time of flights. My IFE console into DKR has an isolated minor problem, but no glitches upon return. Meal service and quality was satisfactory both ways, but I would still grab a bite before boarding. Departure DKR-JFK was delayed due to extra carry-on security check at boarding that did not occur with an international carrier that departed out of the same gate previously (this should be construed as an observation rather than a complaint). Baggage handling OK both ways. All in all, I think I may a wise choice and would patronize SAA again for my next visit.