South African Airways to return to PER

[jase05]

Article from ch-aviation outlining SAA’s plans and saw that they have planned to return to PER by the end of March this year. Will be interesting to see if any announcements are forthcoming but good news hopefully
MEL was also mentioned but that seems a way off

South African Airways details new A350 long-haul plans

South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has long-term plans to reintroduce A350 operations to resume most long-haul routes it was flying before the Covid-19...

www.ch-aviation.com

 

[Mwenenzi]

Given there (poor) financial position would any suppler of services (fuel etc) would be better to accept only folding cash in new clean bills (not fakes). Read of FT only 7 airworthy aircraft

South African Airways - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Sprucegoose]

As a former SAA Plats I have done my fair share of long haul with these guys. They don't excite me as an airline, but good and lighthearted moments are possible. So while not my first choice, being government owned and not a nimble government at that, please don't expect CX/SQ service, but if the value is there, I won't rule them out. They used to run a good premium lounge in JNB but haven't returned for a while, so I expect the accountants to have hacked away into that corpse.

 

[Mattg]

Just imagine all the Velocity award availability if SA resumes PER-JNB flights! There were almost no reward seats available on QF.

That said, with no flights scheduled yet, I'm not sure I see this happening by the end of this month.

 

[jase05]

Just imagine all the Velocity award availability if SA resumes PER-JNB flights! There were almost no reward seats available on QF.

Having never flown with them, can you advise if their J product is any good?
I wouldn’t mind trying them out if they had award availability.

 

[Mattg]

Having never flown with them, can you advise if their J product is any good?
I wouldn’t mind trying them out if they had award availability.

It used to be OK (not special, but lie-flat I believe). That said, who knows what aircraft they'll be using for this route - they currently only have one A330-300 in their fleet (the rest are A320s) and will probably use a leased aircraft for this route which could come from anywhere.

 

[jase05]

It used to be OK (not special, but lie-flat I believe). That said, who knows what aircraft they'll be using for this route - they currently only have one A330-300 in their fleet (the rest are A320s) and will probably use a leased aircraft for this route which could come from anywhere.

From the article (no idea who they are leased from)

To start with, the state-owned airline plans to use its leased A330-300s to launch two long-haul routes – to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (Brazil) and Perth International (Australia) - by the end of the current financial year ending March 31, 2023, he said on a recent Travel News Weekly webcast.

 

[Guvner]

Having never flown with them, can you advise if their J product is any good?
I wouldn’t mind trying them out if they had award availability.

Flew J MUC-JNB on the A340 a few years ago and it was fine. I’d be more than happy to fly them again. Their domestic J on the A330-200 was actually really nice. I was quite surprised. Back then their lounges left QF’s for dead.

 

[Mattg]

From the article (no idea who they are leased from)

To start with, the state-owned airline plans to use its leased A330-300s to launch two long-haul routes – to Sao Paulo Guarulhos (Brazil) and Perth International (Australia) - by the end of the current financial year ending March 31, 2023, he said on a recent Travel News Weekly webcast.

The line at the bottom of the same article suggests it might be an A350. (Which would probably be good news.)

He said by April 2023, the fleet would consist of ten A320-200s, one A330-300, and another wide-body (A350) for intercontinental routes.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Having never flown with them, can you advise if their J product is any good?

Lower your expectations and be happy. It's not SQ/CX/EK/AY or even QF. My dislike for Merlot was born flying SAA, it tasted like you were drinking dirt - a tad unfair and unnecessary given the excellent wines the country produces.

I wouldn’t mind trying them out if they had award availability.

Clearly, points are the best value; being bankrupt for some time SAA has cut many corners, so I wouldn't rush to waste your hard-earned cash.

it used to be OK (not special, but lie-flat I believe).

Agree never special; good lengthwise but not that flash width-wise. Think Skybed MK1.5? No real privacy so if you had a neighbour you always hoped for someone attractive!

article suggests it might be an A350

The 350 would be the best outcome, even the basic birds have more comfortable technology, i.e. reduced sound, flight stability systems, mood and time zone lighting and increased humidity which all assist in offsetting long-distance travel wellness issues.

 

[ThePointyEnd]

Having never flown with them, can you advise if their J product is any good?
I wouldn’t mind trying them out if they had award availability.

They used to be entirely acceptable, and had lie-flat beds. Food and wine both good. And as a free bonus, nothing to do with Qantas.

 

[Scarlett]

Note of course that SAA remains a company in turmoil. Their fleet seemingly changes by the day as do the staff numbers, in line with their evolving financial stability (or not).

I personally would not be getting on their aircraft for a few years yet, irrespective of how comfortable they might be. I have no confidence in their procedures, their safety management system or their company culture at this time. YMMV.

 

[Sprucegoose]

They used to be entirely acceptable, and had lie-flat beds. Food and wine both good. And as a free bonus, nothing to do with Qantas.

I believe you are mistaken, SAA had much to do with Qantas, including joint commercial arrangements and codeshared flights!

Microwaved pies 2 hours from JNB make NP look quite reasonable and not acceptable for a J class fare that was exorbitant.

If you flew them from Perth then you would have been ferried into the Qantas Lounge.

https://www.iasc.gov.au/sites/default/files/4656.pdf

SAA codeshare ruling flawed, says Qantas - Travel Weekly

Qantas has criticised the airline regulatory body for refusing to grant long term approval for its codeshare with South African …

www.travelweekly.com.au

 

[HS-TQE]

QF and SA were originally partners on the corridor. SA subsequently switched to VA, which lasted untill both carriers' Administration/Bankruptcy filings.

 

[Flying Fox]

Have flown SA in J and I thought that it was pretty good with regards to the cabin, seats and food. Probably better than QF in some respects. They did give me a chipped wine glass which when I pointed this out to the FA wasn't met with any form of apology and was replaced under duress.

The FAs in J seemed very stroppy to me so the service was only OK if not cold.

 

[justinbrett]

QF and SA were originally partners on the corridor. SA subsequently switched to VA, which lasted untill both carriers' Administration/Bankruptcy filings.

With BA (Comair) gone the field is open for QF and SA to get back together. QF is currently interlining with Airlink but I don’t think there’s much of an agreement there (similar to how QF sometimes includes UA flights to certain destinations)

Not impossible for regulatory approval, considering QF and LA are approved to codeshare on SCL routes.

 

[Sprucegoose]

With BA (Comair) gone the field is open for QF and SA to get back together

The commercial imperative (always) needs to be stronger than the regulatory hurdles, which you say are probably not insurmountable and are historical.

 

[AIRwin]

By year end?

SAA aims for long-haul return by year-end, sets sights on aircraft order

Revamped South African Airways expects to embark on a wider fleet expansion once its strategic investor is on board, as it prepares to resume international widebody flights by year-end

www.flightglobal.com

 

[HS-TQE]

As for the Strategic Investor, would that be the 'Takatso Consortium' (Japanese Private Equity) that was reported back in 2022.

Takatso Buys A 51% Stake In South African Airways For $3.16

The Takatso Consortium has picked up a 51% share of South African Airways for pocket change as questions swirl details of the deal.

simpleflying.com

 

[Scarlett]

As for the Strategic Investor, would that be the 'Takatso Consortium' (Japanese Private Equity) that was reported back in 2022.

Takatso Buys A 51% Stake In South African Airways For $3.16

The Takatso Consortium has picked up a 51% share of South African Airways for pocket change as questions swirl details of the deal.

simpleflying.com

Does this one fall into the “a fool and their money are soon parted” concept?

I genuinely can’t fathom why any private equity or company would go anywhere near the amusingly named ‘SA regulatory environment’…