SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports

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SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  15 March 2010 by R Crisell   (South Africa)

PLZ-JNB. Check-in fast, trouble-free and on time, cabin crew friendly and efficient. Seats comfy for short flight, good food and somewhat limited in-flight entertainment a bonus over other domestic carriers, all at a reasonably competitive price - will definitely fly SAA again.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  10 March 2010 by David Hammond   (USA)

JFK-Dakar-JFK. A340-300 Business Class was fairly good. Dinner marginal in quantity but good in taste. A bit too "gourmet" for the duration of the flight to hold you over. The seating was pretty good and pitch adequate. At seat video screens in the armrests with moving map and numerous video selections. The legrest was slightly too short and the overhang off the footrest was a bit annoying. Your feet are literally up against the back of the pod in front of you when flat. I found a few pretty good positions while in the seated position (not laying down) at a very reclined angle and had basically no problem passing the hours. Lounges were fair in JFK and Dakar.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  10 March 2010 by Alan Lawrance   (UK)

Heathrow Economy Class to J'burg in what can only be called an ancient plane. While one recognised that most passengers would wish to sleep through the flight my nearest inflight entertainment screen was at least 12 metres away. The crew were not discourteous, yet they were keen for us to go to sleep as quickly as possible and did not encourage a second drink. The return flight was in Business Class. Cape Town lounge was much appreciated, but the flight was disturbed when my wife and I were "told" we had ordered special diets - we hadn't. We insisted on the normal menu and were told only if there was sufficient! Unfortunately the stewardesses didn't wish to believe that we hadn't ordered special dietary meals and came close to calling us liars. It was an insulting experience.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  9 March 2010 by J Lynde   (USA)

Joburg to Lagos business class overnight flight. While the space was ample and the service was quite good, the seats on these older 747s have only the very slightest recline, making it extremely difficult to sleep. I would not have spent the extra to purchase a business class seat had I known I would be sitting up all night.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  5 March 2010 by A Gross   (Australia)

PER-JNB return. The outgoing flight was good, satisfactory food, relatively attentive flight crew and speedy meal service. The return leg was poor, check in took at least 45mins. Food almost inedible, staff uninterested, and a number of IFE units inoperative.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  4 March 2010 by M Simons   (UK)

LHR-MUC-JNB Business Class. Pleasant lounge at T1. Boarding the LH flight to MUC a bit of a mess as aircraft not connected to jetty and had to trudge down six flights of stairs and then across the tarmac - more like Ryanair. MUC-JNB in A340. Food and drink of reasonable quality although was warned that first choice meal may already have run out as the order was taken. Average selection of movies with limited choice of latest films. Seat was flat and quite comfortable although no privacy from the passenger seated adjacent.No arrivals facility at JoBurg airport which is a big let down.Return flight check in and boarding was a shambles - painfully slow c class check in and the multiple problems in retrieving booking. Unable to issue boarding pass for MUC-LHR. SAA lounge at JoBurg small and cramped (currently re-furb) with very limited selection of rolls and drink.Staff at the gate used no priority boarding and ignored passengers repeatedly. Passengers then herded in to jetway while they completed cleaning the aircraft. Very attentive and professional cabin crew. On arrival at MUC was able to use shower facilities and freshen up. Arrived at LHR - again no jetty and this time across wet tarmac again and climb up the stairs. Bags off quickly. Scores a six primarily based on cost of ticket.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  26 February 2010 by D Damrau   (Singapore)

Cape Town to Johannesburg in Economy. Pleasantly surprised. Efficient boarding. Excellent service - with full meal and free wine/beer during the two hour flight. Absolutely no complaints. Baggage retrieval a bit of a wait, but this is "normal" for JNB.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  15 February 2010 by A Mode   (Australia)

Perth to Johannesburg in January. Codeshare flight with Qantas from Sydney. Had to check in again in Perth which was very slow. Some passengers allowed to use Business class check in but the rest waited for up to an hour. Flight departed on time and the plane was comfortable and clean. Staff were indifferent and stayed hidden in the shadows. One had to be careful not to have an arm dislocated as they thundered with the food carts. The flight was mostly comfortable and the toilets were reasonably clean for a very full flight.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  8 February 2010 by K Naidoo   (South Africa)

JNB-DUR-JNB Economy Class. Economy Class great, flown on regional routes and no complaints. Check in fast, staff friendly, cabin crew efficient and friendly. Downfall, SAA has changed catering on domestic routes. Dinner used be a full meal now all you get is a sandwich or wrap. Meals no longer provided on trays. For a short flight this is ok but on longer ones unacceptable considering the price of the ticket!

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  8 February 2010 by Marina Kelly   (Australia)

PER-JNB, CPT-PER with SAA. PER-JNB flights were on an A340-600, which had good inflight entertainment and leg room. Seats a little narrow, but not uncomfortable. The service was quite good, and food largely edible. A word of warning - watch the check-in staff tag your luggage. Mine wasn't tagged in Cape Town, and arrived back in Australia 4 days after I did. Otherwise, I was happy with the product SAA offered and I would fly them again.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  1 February 2010 by Hirofumi Suda   (Japan)

HKG-JNB . Seats very comfortable for 13hrs flight, and cabin amenity included toothbrush, eye-mask, and socks. The service though indifferent, was quite professional. Food a little bit disaster - the quantity was good but the quality of main dish, specially the Chinese option was not so good. Entertainment good (A340-300) with various choice of AVOD programs. All in all, good value for money, which was 30% cheaper than Cathay Pacific.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  20 January 2010 by R McCarthy   (South Africa)

JNB-Perth. Disappointing old plane on the trip. No PTV entertainment and showing kids movies on the main TV. Food edible but uninspiring, seats cramped and uncomfortable. Staff were nice enough though not very present. Flight back better but only because the staff were more pleasant. Check in at Perth a complete disaster and took a couple of hours as the staff didn't know how to use the 'new' immigration system. Not sure how SAA warrants 4 star status. Overall, nothing special but nothing really bad either.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS customer review :  20 January 2010 by M Sims   (UK)

Heathrow to Cape Town return. Flights excellent with friendly crew on both trips. Outbound had a family from hell on board who had tried bucking the system with an over-age child utilising a parents lap which was against the regulations. Despite the rudeness of the father to the Cabin Manager, he dealt with the problem with firmness but great customer care. Plenty to eat and drink - first time for us on SAA and won't be the last. Have to give a 10/10 for the desk staff at SAA Cape Town who were so friendly and helpful-check in took less than 15 mins-a record for us.