Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Schedule Change: SA207 JNB-IAD Arrives Earlier!!!

Looks like SA207 will now depart at JNB at 650p and arrive IAD at 625a. :) (The old schedule had a departure time of 1045p, arrival time of 1020a.)

This makes absolute sense from the customers' viewpoint, as the plane will arrive just before the work day begins, so passengers can go straight to work after the plane lands. ^ (That's one less work day I'll have to take off for my vacation to South Africa!!!)

Yep. Got the call from SAA of a schedule change. They've changed it back, if you will, to the old sked'ed departure and arrival times (or at least approximately to the old times).

Wonder why they did it?
The staff wants to go home earlier in JNB?
Trying to sync up the enhanced security checks staff for the JNB-IAD and JNB-JFK flights to have them on site for a little less time (less ZAR)?
Something with Dakar? (Though I know some, if not all, of the JNB-JFK flights are now non-stop).
Too many Voyager Plats were missing 9:00 a.m. meetings in and around WAS?

As an aside - @SAAUSA are you listening? - keep at it and keep up the good work Debbie, Vicky, Todd and Hayden in Florida.

They're working on my, my wife's and my kids (three different records locators/PNRs . . . sorry) need to adjust our CPT-JNB flight to meet the earlier departing JNB-IAD flight. The pack in Ft. Lauderdale is moving the ball well.

Looks like SA207 will now depart at JNB at 650p and arrive IAD at 625a. :)

You obviously have not been at IAD customs at that time of the morning.

It is when EZE,KWI,DXB,GRU,ACC/LOS all arrive - all within 20 minutes - if you are the 5th or 6th plane deplaning to get to the customs hall - the lines are out of this world, especially the visitors line - imagine being in line behind 500+ people.

You obviously have not been at IAD customs at that time of the morning.

It is when EZE,KWI,DXB,GRU,ACC/LOS all arrive - all within 20 minutes - if you are the 5th or 6th plane deplaning to get to the customs hall - the lines are out of this world, especially the visitors line - imagine being in line behind 500+ people.


rankourabu's signature line certainly indicates far more international travel experience then me. But, I've got to say (touch wood), that in all my years arriving on SA207 into IAD at approx that hour (admittedly arriving on US passport so I'm not in the visitors line), as well as picking up coach and business class friends arriving on that same flight (both with US and non-US passports), I (or they) have never really experienced a massive delay in clearing through Immigration and Customs.

Again, just my experience and you're observation that the arrival time change BACK to that early hour may cause a reversion for SAA pax to long lines. But, I've never seen it.

I wonder why SAA would choose to switch it's arrival BACK to that time when there are so many problems with so many int'l flights arriving within minutes of each other. You'd think that they'd try and pick (withing the range of available landing slots) a time that puts their PAX into immigration / customs at a "quieter" time.

I wonder why SAA would choose to switch it's arrival BACK to that time when there are so many problems with so many int'l flights arriving within minutes of each other. You'd think that they'd try and pick (withing the range of available landing slots) a time that puts their PAX into immigration / customs at a "quieter" time.

Maybe landing slots at that time are cheaper? Who knows? :D

I've only arrived from KWI and EZE in the morning - as well as SA this February. Luckily for the SA arrival, we were first to get there, but one could see the lines forming behind us, as more planes arrived.

Arriving from KWI and EZE, we were about 4th/5th plane in, and the connecting area was a total ZOO. Thank gawd for Global Entry!

However, these are all connecting customs experiences - maybe the arrival customs (IAD seperates connecting vs arrival) does not have as many people - as most people are on connections off these flights?

However, these are all connecting customs experiences - maybe the arrival customs (IAD seperates connecting vs arrival) does not have as many people - as most people are on connections off these flights?

And all my (and others I've dealt with) experience has been with IAD as the final destination. I've never been through the connection immigration/customs end of things.

Anywho... @SAAUSA is still working on my issue. It's Labour Day in SA so the US folks are still ... waiting ... for ... a ... response ... from ... SA.

Interesting discussion, to say the least :-) We certainly appreciate the positive feedback...

As many of you may know, a large portion of our Washington-passengers are connecting from/to other cities throughout the US, Canada or the Caribbean. By re-timing the arrival of flight SA207 into Washington, a whole new bank of connections become available, making the transfer and onward journey quicker and more convenient.

United Airlines, for example, offers a large number of flights around 8:00AM which gives passengers enough time to clear customs and immigration at IAD and still make their connections without rushing.

As you can imagine, many passengers are affected by this change and the rebooking will take considerable effort, however our team of highly skilled customer service agents are working diligently to ensure everybody is offered the best option available.

Hope this helps answer some questions.

Regards,
SAA North America

Thanks SAAUSA for the update. I travel to South Africa a few times a year on business and have always enjoyed the service on SAA, in both business and economy class. I am pleased with the new IAD schedule and earlier arrival, as this will allow me to make easier connection back home to Florida.

SAAUSA,

I'll be coming in on December 8th and have just changed my connecting United flight to LAX to a 9:05AM departure. I should have no trouble making that, right?

You obviously have not been at IAD customs at that time of the morning.

That's right. I've been there only once in the afternoon. Hasn't IAD expanded its FIS facility anyway? Regardless, I have Global Entry. :D

Is this a seasonal change? I see from doing some searches next year that the flight schedule is this new one on Saturday, but the old 10:45pm departure on Sunday.

I thought that was a bit strange.