South African Airways Reviews

We have a 4-year-old son and we need to get home. We are now told our tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable. We have emailed various departments in SAA only to have various staff either ignore us or simply refuse to help us. SAA now says we have to pay penalties of R10000. We don't have this kind of money. Please help us get home.

On my last trip to Namibia on May 22, I flew from Bangkok to Johannesburg via Thai Airways and from Johannesburg to Windhoek via SAA, both on business class. My trip to Windhoek from Johannesburg required me to obtain a SAA boarding pass at a transit counter check-in at OR Tambo International Airport, while both of my staffs had gotten their boarding passes in Bangkok. I was a bit surprise that when I approached a business class/Star Alliance Gold counter check-in, a lady at the counter just pointed at me to go to economy counter - without any greeting, smile nor asked me any question. So I had to explain to her that I was traveling on business class and I needed to obtain my boarding pass, only until then that I had gotten some services.

On the way back to Bangkok on June 14 via SA 73 with ETD at 07:15 am, it was my understanding that for international traveller, we need to check in two hours prior to departure. We arrived at Windhoek Airport at 04:55 am and we were the first persons to arrive at the business line check-in. There were two lines for economy class check-in, with two passengers on one line and three passengers on the other. By 05:25 am, there was no SAA representative who had arrived at the counter yet. At that time, I had to go to the toilet, but I told my staffs to stay in line.

At the time which I had come back, there were still two economy counters opened and it was approximately 05:30 then. My staffs had informed me that they think the SAA ladies wanted us to move to economy line, but at that moment, there were already many passengers queuing to be served. I decided to walk to one lady and advised her that I was on business class. She then told me to wait for other staffs to come and serve. By 05:36, one lady showed up. Then the lady at economy counter informed her that I had been waiting. She took a couple more minutes at the counter before she called me to her counter. By then another lady came into a counter next to her.

I handed her three of our passports and tickets, advised her that we need to check our luggage through to Bangkok. She then asked me whether all three of us were on business class. I informed her that only I was, but the other two were my staffs and they could not speak any English. Right then, this lady decided to say I was supposed to be checking-in at economy class, not business class. At that moment, I tried to explain to her the situations and I have been doing this all over the world. She then said I did not have to tell her how to do and she knew her job very well. She had also mentioned that she had been told to do this, and I was supposed to go and check-in at economy class.

At that moment, there were a big queue of passengers in economy line waiting for check-in and I still had to go clear my rifle with the police. I decided to keep my calm and talked to her politely. She then turn to her colleagues and spoke in African in front of myself. I have absolutely no idea what she was saying, but from her gestures and from what had happened, I could easily figure out that she was telling her colleagues that I was the only one on business class, watch how she would handle and sorted me out.

She told me with unpleasant tone that she would check in for us only this time. Next time, we all have to go to economy class to check in. She then started to work on the computer. After a while, there were two more passengers on business class line. As she did not acknowledge me on checking all the luggage through Bangkok, I decided to tell her again. She immediately showed me one of the tags that it was checked through to Bangkok and rudely said she knew what she is doing. When she started to attach this tags to the bag, I asked her to please attach an orange priority tags to the bag as I was on a business class and a Star Alliance Gold Card member. She plainly decided to ignore me.

So I decided to ask her again and told her that I do really need this orange priority tags in Bangkok, otherwise my bags will be greatly delayed at Bangkok Airport. She then told me that she had already attached SAA Premier Class tag and they are virtually the same thing. (My last trip departed from Harare, Zimbabwe in April 2013, even though we were all on economy class (no business class), all of our bags had this orange priority tags attached as I was a Star Alliance Gold class member without asking. Actually anywhere.)

When we were at the gate to board the plane to Windhoek, I then noticed that my boarding pass did not show my Frequent Flyer membership number (**). During this check-in, I decided to ask the lady to please correct with this matter. But what she had said to me was "Why did I not check it properly?" This was rude to me, so now it was my mistake to not check for it, not her colleague in Johannesburg even though it was in SAA computer system. And yes, I did not get this issue solved.

The first bag we had checked in weighed 27kg. Second bag weighed 19kg. And the third bag weighed 29kg. She said this bag was overweighed, and I should have checked this bag under in my name. I decided to tell her that our allowances were two pieces per person with 30kg weight on each and please check our tickets again. That was so much for knowing her job and so much for knowing what she was known she was doing. Forth bag, the last one, weighed 17kg.

Please believe me, during those times in front of her counter, she had threatened me at least five times about the fact that we had to go to economy line to check in or to check my staffs' bags. She kept saying that we were wasting other business passengers' times. The worst thing was I had to "BEG" her to finish checking us by saying "PLEASE" at least six times until it was over and done with. She had surely made herself seemed more superior and tried to tell her colleagues how to handle and sorted us out.

Why would an airline who has recently earned 24 out of 25 points from customer satisfactions survey from check-in counter want someone who does not have a service mind with bad attitude or perhaps does not even work at all, and most of all letting her servicing in business class? I must say that all transit immigration officers at OR Tambo International Airport have a much better service minds and attitudes as they were always smiling and greeting travelers, and they were government officers from public services, not a corporation or profit making organizations. Please kindly advise me. Should I go and check-in at economy counter for my next trip with SAA? If your answer is yes, economy. I will respect the answer and I will do so in the future with SAA.

Our 9-year-old then realized that she had left her little purse containing her iPod Touch back in the plane. We immediately rushed back onto the plane, and found 3 employees with uniforms marked "Security" on the plane. There were no other passengers. We told them that our daughter forgot her little purse on the plane, and one lady asked us to describe it, which we did. I noticed her exchanging glances with a man, also wearing a security uniform. She pointed to the floor near the plane's front exit, and said that a crew member had found the purse, and had handed it over to her.

When my daughter opened it, her iPod Touch was not inside. We informed the lady about this, and she and the other security personnel she had earlier exchanged looks with said that nobody opened the purse. We insisted that the iPod Touch had been in our daughter's purse, but this made no difference. At this time, the head of security came along and asked what the problem was. We explained, and he immediately asked the lady who showed us the purse why the correct procedure had not been followed - when passengers' property is found, apparently it should immediately be handed over to the head of security. The lady had no answer to this, only saying that a crew member had found the purse, and that all the crew had since left the plane.

We made a formal report to Baggage Services at Oliver Tambo Airport, but of course all they could do was document the complaint. I know it was just an iPod Touch, but the idea that the crew or the security personnel could steal from a child is particularly despicable. The irony is that it is also password-protected, so I doubt that the thief would even have been able to unlock the iPod Touch. It's the loss of all our daughter's pictures which she took, and messages from her friends, that really upset her.

My recent history: Travelling from Singapore to Sao Paulo by South African Airlines, I checked in my luggage in Singapore and when I arrived in Guarulhos (after a scale in Johannesburg), I was surprised that my luggage had not arrived on the same flight that I came. After long hours of complaint to the company, I finally received my luggage in the next day after 2330H (when the company promised to deliver it by 1800H). However, when examining the luggage (with the witness of the person who delivered the luggage), I noticed that the lock had been broken and the suitcase opened. Thus, I decided to check its contents and found the lack of two Mont-Blanc pens (which cost approximately USD1,000). I contacted the company and requested the return of the stolen items or the corresponding value. After a long journey of countless emails and phone calls, I finally got the answer that the company will not reimburse for the stolen items. Thus, I come to ask publicly to South African Airlines to return the value that was stolen from my luggage.

It is interesting to note that with the exception of the stolen items, the other contents of the luggage were intact, in the exact position in which I had arranged before traveling. Since the pens were placed in the bottom of the suitcase, I suppose that the luggage passed through some type of x-ray which helped the burglars to identify the exact position of the pens, which then could be removed without even changing the position of the other items, thus presenting an evidence of a well-organized scheme of theft.

After my long argument, she agreed to check for some vacant seat. When we got one, she went and told a gentleman sitting next to that seat, "This lady is creating problem and so she is required to sit here." In front of other passengers, she humiliated me. When I told her she should not talk to me like this, she pointed finger and said I should keep quiet. Since the gentleman was having lunch, I told her to let me know once he finished and I could go and sit. She never came to inform me. All 4 hours, I was sitting in a miserable position. I have developed serious pain on my lower back and neck. I would be returning to Johannesburg on the 7th. I strongly recommend that some action be taken against this lady, as if she is the crew leader.

What would her juniors learn? She insulted me in front of passengers and hence, I have gone through a lot of mental stress along with physical. Moreover, she is speaking against the company that has employed her and asking me to file case. If by Friday, actions are not taken against her and I do not receive any apology, I would be sending notice and I may even have to inform media about SAA service.

Unless action is taken and this investigated by SAA, ie, by cctv or lie detector tests for those on shift for SAA flight 234 from Joburg to Durban at 20.50 on 23rd of December, I will never fly SAA again!

I do realize and understand that SAA is not liable for any loss or damage to luggage but it is clear that someone had intentionally opened my luggage, gone through my personal belongings and stole my earrings. I have traveled with Mango, Kulula one time previously and my luggage was never tampered with. It is extremely frustrating and annoying to know that we cannot travel with SAA with a clear conscious and knowing that our belongings are safe. Our luggage needs to go from the check-in desk onto a conveyer belt and into the plane. It is no one's business to open and go through our luggage. If the SAA staff cannot be trusted, please provide free luggage wrapping.

Details: While I can walk some, I have a condition where I dislocate joints very easily. I dislocated my right knee while going through security at Denver International Airport. Thus, I was already in pain starting out on my long journey from Denver, Colorado to Johannesburg, South Africa. When I got to New York, I had to go through security again. I explained my condition, but TSA staff there did not listen, and they promptly dislocated my right hip. Now I was basically incapable of walking at all. The wheelchair attendant, according to SA policy, left me at the empty gate 2 1/2 hours before my flight, with no wheelchair and no way to move from my seat (please note that I do realize that I need extra care and attention in security, and thus I deliberately booked enough time between flights).

I was okay, until I had to go to the restroom desperately. I yelled over to a couple waiting in the next area. Luckily, they did not think I was insane, and they immediately went to find someone in charge. That person said that SA policy is to abandon disabled people at the gate, without a wheelchair or any way to move from their seat. However, they said that just in this one emergency, they would recall a wheelchair so I could go to the restroom.

I waited, in increasing agony and distress, for half an hour, but no one showed up. My dilemma - do I soil the only clothes I have on the inside and thus wallow in my misery and soil for a 15 hour flight? Or, do I make my clothes filthy on the outside by crawling on the ground to the restroom, which was only 200 feet away? Not willing to make other passengers suffer, I asked the couple to watch my bags and started crawling. As the floor tile was slick, I dislocated my right shoulder while moving my body one painful arm length at a time. I was half way there when the wheelchair attendant showed up about an hour after my first frantic call for help. Now I was in the middle of the hallway, with no way to get into the chair. We grabbed a box and I hauled myself up, dislocating my right elbow in the process. Finally, success, I made it to the bathroom and the inside of my clothes were clean for the flight.

Thus, by the time I got to the Jo-berg flight, I had a dislocated knee, hip, shoulder, and elbow on my right side. This made the 15-hour flight almost unbearably painful. However, Thulani ** and Emmanual ** of Swiss port (073-466-8515) met me at the Jo-berg airport. They saw how exhausted and how much pain I was in. They did not abandon me, but they stayed with me to make sure I actually got on the correct shuttle to the hotel. They made it possible for me to recover without their help. I would have collapsed and been vulnerable to any kind of crime. Please thank them profusely and sincerely. They did note that they were not supposed to stay with someone that long. Please understand that their doing so may well have saved me from a prolonged hospital stay and indeed, may well have saved my life. They deserve a special commendation for their initiative and clear thinking and their humanity.

Moreover, the next day I continued my journey to Port Elizabeth. Grace left her post and helped me to the handicapped waiting area, where I got help and I was able to wait for my flight in comfort and in close and accessible proximity to a restroom. Please thank her as well (Grace, last name unknown, manning the premier class ticket line November 23, 2011 at 7:30 am).

Leaving someone abandoned at an airport gate may be your policy, but it is truly unconscionable. Please work with other airlines at other airports to institute a handicapped waiting room for all flights at all airports. Thus, we can check in electronically, the airlines know we are there, and we can meet basic human needs. You can even charge an extra fee for this. I’ll gladly pay it!

Two months after I returned, I finally received a reimbursement check for my purchases in South Africa of only $375, citing that according to their "system" my luggage was only lost for 5 days. I was shocked at how unconcerned and irresponsible one company could be towards their customers. So now I will be wandering the internet looking for any forum to tell my story and warn people about the evil ways or South African Airways.

Also, I should mention that on my flight, they forgot to bring headphones on the plane. Anyone who did not bring their own was not able to watch the in flight entertainment. They also did not bring enough food so instead of having your choice of a meat or vegetarian dish, you got whatever was left over. Altogether a pretty disappointing experience.

Is there a loophole in the SAA website in presenting the consumer an error when submitting the credit card payment and allowing them to try another credit card yet in the end charge both credit cards and create two separate reservations for the same person? When a complaint is submitted, they end up trying to keep part of the money, in my case $300. When I contacted the airline refund department immediately after the booking, they refunded $1,059 of the $1,359. I m still missing $300.

After I questioned the additional $300, the response can be found below. Note that I am not cancelling one reservation for personal reasons; it was a duplicate error. I am still keeping one reservation.

"The refund amount of $1,059.22 is correct, and no additional refund is to be refunded. Please allow me to explain our position regarding canceled reservations and refunds. Promotional tariffs require approval by the governments of countries to which they apply. To advertise and market these airfares, an airline must enforce the rules or face discipline or fines by the regulatory bodies. Consequently, by cancelling this ticket, we are not able to counteract the rules and the cancellation penalties applies. A wide variety of fares were available for the journey planned, the discounted one chosen had a cancellation penalty. So that there could be no misunderstanding, the tickets indicated that restrictions apply. Additionally, it is for situations like these that we recommend all our valued passengers to purchase travel insurance.

The SAA staff really were the biggest bunch of lazy staff I've ever came across. Not only would they answer any question in a brusk and downright rude way, but they were also nowhere to be seen on the entire flight. No one came around with a drinks tray asking if we'd like something to drink or snack on. If we did use the call button, the attitude was just so unbecoming that my neighbor next to me, who was a stranger, and I would look at each other wondering if we were imagining the displays of apathy and rudeness.

Also, the toilets. Oh my. For staff who don't seem to be doing anything during a 10-hour flight, is cleaning the toilet once every few hours too much to ask? It was disgusting. Worse than a public toilet in a public park in the worst neighborhoods of South Africa. I am so disappointed that this is the level of service SAA provides and that they are totally okay with it. Now, I have another return flight which I am really not looking forward to. Next time, I will just pay that extra few thousand rands and fly Emirates. What I would really like is to complain directly to SAA, but there doesn't seem to be a medium to this online? I guess I will have to go directly to their offices when I am back home.

Check-in Online: Why does SAA offer online check-in if there are no special drop-off luggage counters at the airport? I almost missed my flight because even after performing the online check-in procedure, I had to be in the same line at the airport as all the other passengers. I asked the attendant why they don't have special drop-off counters as all other airlines and she said that she had no idea that such counters existed.

Seating: I chose my seat online while checking in (45 K) and confirmed this when I received my boarding pass at the airport. I got to the boarding gate and the attendant told me that the seats were canceled and no passengers were allowed to seat in the 45 row. I asked the reason and she had no answer. I was allocated a different seat at the back of the aircraft and to my surprise when I boarded the flight, I saw passengers seating on the 45 row. Why was I bumped off my seat if I carefully selected 45 K on the online check-in and was confirmed on my boarding pass?

Special Meal: As usual, with all my trips in many different airlines, I always request a Moslem Meal (MOML) well in advance. I did for my SA 052 flight as well. The hostess served everyone a meal and I asked for my special meal. The answer was, "no sir, you didn't request any special meal". I showed the confirmation and she insisted that "no sir, you didn't request a special meal otherwise, they would have loaded on this flight" (typical SAA). I'm looking forward at SAA's response.