SAA may abandon local flights

Diplos said:
I think they're the only local carrier that will transport weapons and ammunition. I have a flight booked in April for Huntex, so hopefully they continue for a while still or make another suitable arrangement.

From an economic perspective I understand the logic - just need many more flights from the other airlines to make up for SAA's regular flight schedule.
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All carriers do, if you arrange it prior to traveling. I think they need 7 days notice.
 
A bit of a slap in the face of local to taxpayers, seeing as how we continuously have to bail them out.
 
BBSA said:
They must drop Mango also, it is not fair that private companies must compete against a government subsided entity.
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If it doesn't make a profit, 100%. If they can do it without relying on government then leave it, can be an additional revenue stream.
 
meh...I say go for it.

In my heart I want SAA to be successful. Even if it's just for international flights.
 
deweyzeph said:
Does anyone still fly SAA locally?
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Yes I do, around 30 times a year.
They are the only operator that flies to some of the local cities from EL.
If all the airlines drop in-flight service and low costs then it will be a good thing.
 
I have not yet set foot on an SAA plane, including Mango, the past 10-15 years. I only fly Kulula locally and then a variety of International carriers, such as Emirates, Virgin or BA, when I travel abroad. I really am afraid of SAA's hints towards AA action appointments and relaxation of requirements needed for pilots to fly their planes.

I am not afraid to die, but I will not willingly place myself on the spot by increasing my chances. I rather pay the extra money and know that if I die in an aircrash, it will not be on a SAA plane.
 
Hitchcock said:
I have not yet set foot on an SAA plane, including Mango, the past 10-15 years. I only fly Kulula locally and then a variety of International carriers, such as Emirates, Virgin or BA, when I travel abroad. I really am afraid of SAA's hints towards AA action appointments and relaxation of requirements needed for pilots to fly their planes.

I am not afraid to die, but I will not willingly place myself on the spot by increasing my chances. I rather pay the extra money and know that if I die in an aircrash, it will not be on a SAA plane.
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I hate those planes. Feels like the wings are going to come off any time. But for local they are just the easiest and less painless to deal with.
 
Pitbull said:
I hate those planes. Feels like the wings are going to come off any time. But for local they are just the easiest and less painless to deal with.
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I cannot help but to mistrust the South African Government and all other semi-government organizations and parastatals. I will not be surprised if they do not properly maintain their aircraft and cut corners in saving on expenses related to servicing aircraft.

I feel much safer in the aircraft of another carrier, to be honest.
 
Ockie said:
lol. Why? All our LCC's flies the 737.
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Dono, It just feels so small :o

They only carry what? 160 passengers? It's small in relation to the bigger 747's
Dono, I hate flying in general, flying in such a small plane is just worse.
 
Pitbull said:
Dono, It just feels so small :o

They only carry what? 160 passengers? It's small in relation to the bigger 747's
Dono, I hate flying in general, flying in such a small plane is just worse.
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lol. Nah....those wings are very very strong. Dont worry. But it can be very scary to see those wings flex and the engines bumping up and down on the wing. Last time me and my sister flew to Cape Town to visit my mom we flew with Kulula. It was a overcase and rainy morning. As we were climbing out of Joburg and going into the clouds we hit bad turbulence. I was sitting at the window on the wing and that wing was flexing up and down like mad and the engine bobbing up and down. That is the first time that I actually got scared and feared for my life on a plane....and comparatively speaking that turbulence was nothing compared to what other planes sometimes experience.

So dont you worry...those wings are designed to do that. If they did not flex like that, they would actually get damaged.
 
Beri said:
try SAA express...... like sardines in a tin.
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The wife loves skydiving. The planes they fly in makes me cringe at the though of just getting in them (Which I haven't till date) I comfort myself with the fact that at least they can jump out when things go wrong. The kids and I just watch them take off and wait for the wife to land safely. No way in hell I would go up in that piece of shyte :D
 
Ockie said:
lol. Nah....those wings are very very strong. Dont worry. But it can be very scary to see those wings flex and the engines bumping up and down on the wing. Last time me and my sister flew to Cape Town to visit my mom we flew with Kulula. It was a overcase and rainy morning. As we were climbing out of Joburg and going into the clouds we hit bad turbulence. I was sitting at the window on the wing and that wing was flexing up and down like mad and the engine bobbing up and down. That is the first time that I actually got scared and feared for my life on a plane....and comparatively speaking that turbulence was nothing compared to what other planes sometimes experience.

So dont you worry...those wings are designed to do that. If they did not flex like that, they would actually get damaged.
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Yep, I remember back almost 20 years ago. A flight from Cape Town to JHB on SAA. We needed to leave Cape Town urgently and there was no more local flights available that night. At an additional fee we could board an international flight that landed there earlier and was about to leave to JHB. So, up we went into a 747. It was raining like mad, and as we got into the air, we started hitting turbulence.

All I remember is that the plane shook like mad, we had continuous updrafts and downdrafts where the plane feel downwards and also shook up upwards. Lightning was striking upwards and downwards, it was amazing to see. People inside the plane grabbed and held small bibles which was located in the seats in front of you at the time. They were screaming, some were crying and praying. Some luggage compartments opened and some things fell out. It was chaos. Nothing was served the 2 hour flight as the turbulence went on the whole flight. I though we were going down that night, but we eventually landed. I also remember the people getting out and waited for the pilots and they were cheered when they came out. Luckily no one got hurt, but that incident had me fear flying for some time!
 
SAA: We will continue to fly all SA routes

Cape Town - A discussion around global trends where airlines within the same stable allow their low cost carriers to operate short haul flights and the premium carriers to operate long haul flights has been taken out of context and South African Airways has no plans to give up its domestic services or short haul flights, the airline has confirmed.

Considering that the average break-even fare for domestic and short-haul flights was R1700, while Mango's was below R900 - a Times Live report stated that Acting SAA CEO Nico Bezuidenhout said it was a no brainer what consumers would choose.

In January, Bezuidenhout also noted that SAA's domestic routes were loss-making, while the regional routes were profitable.

Also see: SAA may give up its domestic service

SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali told Traveller24, the comment was made in context of a discussion, referencing the aforementioned trend taking place globally, but as it stands no decision on the matter has been taken.

When asked if implementing this trend formed part of SAA’s 90-day turnaround strategy, Tlali said, “This is not the case at all. There is no decision by SAA to pull out of its domestic market and short haul routes.

“The SAA Group, which comprises SAA and Mango as well as airlines like SAX and Airlink that carry the SAA code, will continue to service all South African network points optimally and efficiently.”

"I do know that the acting CEO made reference to trends elsewhere in the world and the issue was cited in the context of this trend,” Tali said.

SAA is currently in the last stretch of its 90-day turn-around plan, set to culminate at the end of March 2015. It has seen the airline making rapid headway after assembling a “War Cabinet” to tackle its many financial challenges, including the culling of unprofitable routes, maximised code shares and the review of legacy fleet contracts.

However as SAA prepares to stop its loss-making Beijing route in the first week of April, it remains unclear when the codeshare with Air China will kick in. The airline said it is re-accommodating passengers via Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong through its own network and codeshare partners.

Connections from Joburg via Hong Kong are also offered by Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar - with travel time varying between 16h 40m and 18h 10m.
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http://traveller24.news24.com/News/Flights/SAA-We-will-continue-to-fly-all-SA-routes-20150224
 
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