Trip to South Africa via SAA on coach class, customers beware:

I travel to South Africa two to three times a year on business and to visit family. The last trip in May ‘09, roundtrip, was a nightmare both ways.

This was a flight from Dulles Airport to Johannesburg. The time on the plane, from takeoff to landing, was 18 hours because of an hour plus stop in Senegal. It was an Airbus with seats no bigger than seats in a Volkswagen bug. I was surprised that an airliner would allow people to be crammed in such a small space for so many hours.

Between your seat and the back of the seat in front of you there was approximately 2 feet. When the food was served, the stewardess’ refused to ask the seat in front of you to raise their back so that you would have some room to move your arms to eat. The return trip was not much better.

It is obvious the SAA is cramming passengers into these Airbus planes. Ask to speak to the Cabin Manager, forget it, he just wont come back to coach. Ask why they are still showing films from last month, the response is a shrug.

I suggest that anyone traveling to South Africa consider other carriers that are more concerned with passenger comfort than squeezing an extra few rows of seats in their planes.

Richard Israel
Florida, USA

On 25 Setember 2007 I purchased a ticket from the SAA hub at JHB Airport for an amount of GBP586. The ticket was a fully refundable one way ticket from London to JHB, leaving on 13 January 2008.

I subsequently cancelled the ticket via the London SAA Office and was given a reference number for the refund. I was told that I could only claim the refund from the SAA hub at JHB Airport - notwithstanding that I am currently resident in the UK. I was visiting family in South Africa recently and on 1 April I went to the SAA hub to claim my refund. I was told (a) the reference number given to me was incorrect and (b) I could not claim a refund from the SAA hub. I was given a contact number and told that if I called that number my refund would be arranged. When I returned to London I called the number I was given which turned out to be the incorrect number - it was actually for SAA's General Counsel. I was given another number to call.

When I called the number I was given I was told that the London Office of SAA was who should arrange my refund and I was given yet another number to call. This number turned out to be a fax number!!! The London Office of SAA insist that I have to claim my refund from SAA South Africa.

I have called the number they gave me (customer care) 5 times and still have not spoken to anyone who can help me. It is now 7 months since I purchased my ticket and 3 months since I first tried to claim my refund with no luck. Notwithstanding that I am South African and a Silver Voyager Membner, I will never fly SAA again and will never recommend it to anyone. This experience has left me anything but "proudly South African"!