SAA South African Airways Passenger Reviews and SAA Customer Trip Reports

South African Airways customer travel guide

South African Airways Passenger Trip Reviews

South African Airways Economy class seat reviews

South African Airways 4-Star Airline ranking

South African Airways Business class seat reviews

South African Airways Passenger seat tips

South African Airways Aircraft Seat Plans

JNB-CPT. The flight was full, yet the cabin crew worked fast and efficiently. A small sandwich and a piece of cake were served. Beverages were also available including a bottle of water. I am 1.94m tall and I could stretch my legs, thanks to the 34'' seat pitch. IFE only displayed the flight information on the short flight.

Johannesburg to Heathrow - delayed for 4.5 hours. Staff at the gate were either ill informed or chose to give intentional mis-information. There was a problem with a catering supplier. Rather than addressing the problem, they allowed the problem to linger for over 6 hours, causing huge inconvenience to many passengers. Not only was I delayed, but missed my flight. Once onboard, we were offered a flimsy and insincere apology.

Cape Town to London. Nice touches made the 12 hour flight bearable: lots of drinks rounds through the night - bottles of water and cartons of juice, refresher towels handed out prior to breakfast, and complimentary hand cream in the lavatories. Crew were excellent, very attentive and service with a smile.

London to Cape Town. Online check-in worked well, no queues at bag drop, lots of desks open and plenty of staff. Boarding well organised, and departure on-time. Pristine cabin on new A330-200. Legroom was good, even when the passenger in front reclined. Seats were quite firm, although this was easily remedied with a couple of extra cushions. Warm welcome from Cabin Crew. Comfort bags handed out. Excellent bar service, choice of 3 entrées for dinner, which was excellent in quantity and quality. Hot Breakfast equally good. Large 10 inch personal TVs and a wide selection of movies and TV shows on demand. All-in-all an excellent flight.

JNB-BOM-JNB Business Class. SAA Baobab lounge quiet due to mid morning departure. Good choice of snacks and drinks offered. On time departure. Pre-take off drinks offered. Food of good quality and quantity. Seat very comfortable which converts to a lie flat bed. Padded mattress and duvet provided. Cabin crew pleasant, kept the cabin tidy and offered refreshments., BOM-JNB: On time departure. Did not have dinner due to departure time. Again cabin and bathrooms tidy and clean. Landed early. Entertainment on demand adequate with a good selection.

NBO-JNB-NBO in Economy Class, B737-800 both ways. Both flights on time with friendly and efficient service from the cabin crew. I had pre-ordered a low-carbohydrate meal. Out of Nairobi, this request was carried out. On the return flight, again I received a tray with cake and crackers and the main course was a serving of white rice and beans. The cabin attendant seemed to have absolutely no idea what the problem was. IFE consisted of the same movie on both flights, even though the inflight magazine advertised different movies into and out of Johannesburg on the 737.

LHR-CPT-LHR economy class. Southbound flight was excellent, thanks to the professional and enthusiastic cabin crew. Informative announcements from the flight deck helped. The return flight was not up to the same standard, service was adequate, they did the minimum, with no enthusiasm. Overall though a good experience and SAA remain my preferred carrier on this route.

Sao Paulo to Johannesburg. Not very friendly staff (two male flight attendants), dinner was pushed to be finished less than 2 hours after take-off, after five passengers, no beef only chicken and salmon. Did not notice any staff walking around the cabin during the night, no beverages were offered. Breakfast also done in a rush just before landing. Nobody helped with bed linen etc. Quite sour service.

I was seated in 7D. I found the seat very comfortable and spacious. Staff were extremely courteous and well groomed. The paid attention to our requests with a smile. The food was tasty and very good. Although it was a 16 hrs 20 mins flight, the time passed quickly. The lie flat bed was very appropriate and the blankets helped make the seat softer.

LHR-JNB-RCB-JNB-MQP-JNB-LHR. All flights on time. A330 on international legs, leg room fine, IFE and service good. Dash 8s and RJ85s on internal flights. Very good service on these short sectors, top marks for SA Express, juice, water, beer and snack on 1hr 15 min flight.

JFK-CPT via JNB return. Equipment was Airbus A340-600 for all legs of the trip. Economy class. Plane was about 70% full both ways on JFK-JNB portion, fully booked for CPT-JNB legs. Cabin crew very professional. If the flight between JFK and JNB were full, I think the experience would be unbearable. The food was good; water, wine and beer constantly on offer. Very tight connection on the return through JNB, but SAA staff jumped through hoops to make sure all NYC bound passengers made it to the flight in time. In all cases luggage was already on the carousel by the time I got to it.

Booked on a direct flight to Cape Town from LHR. They changed it to go via JHB saying flight was off. I suddenly found flight was back on and demanded to be put back on the direct flight. They declined. They did put me back on the direct flight to Cape Town, they also put us in First Class Lounge as a gesture of goodwill. Cabin Crew are polite but nothing more.

Johannesburg-Durban return. Flew first in a brand new 320-200 Airbus and return on a rather dull 737. This short flight time allows for a quick snack and drink. Adequate service, plane on time and good and clear communication from the flight-deck.