ACfly
Jun 2, 06, 3:46 am
For the last 12 months in Africa, I have been using British Airways (Comair) as my prefered carrier within South Africa. The BA (Comair) team is the best of all the BA stations that I have experienced. They treat BA gold cardholder very well here in South Africa. However, with less than 3 weeks left before my work assignment ends in South Africa, I decide to finally try SAA (and ramp up my LH Status miles, now that SAA has joined the *A). Overall, I am also very impressed with SAA domestic Business class offering.
Pictures can be found here:
http://public.fotki.com/ACfly/air_travel/saa_cpt-jnb_in_j_class/
SA 352 CPT-JNB
Aircraft: 744
Date: Sunday, May 28th
Flight Time: 1600-1810h
Duration: 2 hours
I purposely book this flight on Sunday because SAA will be flying the 744 from CPT-JNB and then onwards to LHR, and want to try the international configured J class. To my surprise, the F class section for this flight is also showing availability for seating for business class passengers. I call SAA reservation and ask if they could assign me a seat in the F class section. SAA prefers to give the F seats to their SAA Voyager Members first before all others passengers. The agent informs me that the flight is not full in J, and she assigns me 2A!! Hooray! I will get to test out the F seat on SAA, knowing that in the next few months all the 744's and F class will be eliminated from SAA's network.
One and a half hour prior to departure, I arrive at CPT airport. I am delighted to see that the domestic parking building is now fully operational, saving me some considerable time from not having to search for a parking spot. SAA has a dedicated check-in for what they call Premium passengers (Business class passengers as well as their Voyager FF members with Platinum, Gold, and Silver status). Unlike BA/Comair, SAA does not offer online check in or telephone checkin. As I walk towards the checkin desk, I see that SAA has put up new signs showing the Star Alliance symbol. The Premium section has 3 checkin counters, and given the time of day (1430h), there is no line up. The check-in agent is friendly and efficient and issues my boarding pass. I really like the design of the new SAA boarding pass - Blue color with various African symbols as watermarks. The boarding pass is certainly one of the most stylish boarding pass of any airlines that I have traveled on.
After clearing security, I head upstairs to the SAA Balboa Lounge for Premium passengers. At CPT domestic terminal, all of the various airline lounges are located on the second floor - and they include BA Terrace lounge, Premier Lounge, and SAA Balboa Lounge. I show my boarding card to the agent. She doesn't bother swiping the card as she sees the C class typed in bold on the front of the card and lets me in. My first impression of SAA lounge in CPT is it's bright as opposed to the BA Terrace Lounge located next door, which is quite dark. There are three tables scattered throughout the lounge with internet access, a long bar and a smoking room. The decor is what I would describe as Earthy. There's a nice unobstructive view of the tarmac
At the back of the lounge, there is a self serve coffee/tea station. The lounge has a very limited selection of food - prepackaged muffins, cookies and apples. For soft drinks/alcohol beverages and crisp/potato chips, passengers must go to the bar and request the drinks/snacks from the bar attendant. In this respect, the BA Lounges in South Africa are far superior. The BA Terrace lounge has self serve drinks from the bar and tonnes of food in the afternoon including a nice selection of finger sandwiches (egg/ham/cheese/tomato) and at least four selections of crisps, several selections of cookies, and my favorite the hot chocolate machine!
The flight is called about 30 minutes before departure, and I head down to the gate to board the bus to get to the plane. Usually I hate taking the bus to the stand (all passengers are bussed to their aircrafts for domestic flights out of CPT), but this time I am eager to see the big 744 from the ground.
I notice that that SAA doesn't enforce the carry on bag like BA. On BA, if you carry more than one bag, the agent at the door will ask you to tag the luggage even if you are in J cabin. The luggage is placed in a special compartment of the aircraft and the agent will hand you your bag upon leaving the plane rather than at the baggage carousel. I find this convenient when i fly to CPT (where I pick up my bag as I board the bus to the terminal). However, going to JNB, where the aircraft will most likely park at the pier, then I must wait to pick up my bag at the baggage carousel and there is no time saved as a result.
After climbing the stairs to the aircraft I turn left to the First class cabin. I am impressed by the spaciousness of the cabin and the seats. There are 11 seats in first class and they are very nice. I think Swiss also uses these seats for their First class. These seats are wider than the BA F seats and I really like the design of them. I also notice that the Ottoman can be electronically controlled to move back and forth. Unfortunately the ottoman cannot be used as a passenger seat. I seat is very comfortable to sit in. Other than the seat, the cabin looks a bit dated. There is a huge galley behind the F class section as well as the two dedicated F washroom. The bathrooms are disappointing for first class - they are the usual economy class washrooms.
There are only 5 passengers in the F class cabin on this particular flight. Prior to take off the cabin crew distributes newspaper and offers pre-boarding drinks (OJ, water or fruit punch). Shortly after take off the cabin crew hands out real size hot towels and commences the drink and meal service. Given this is a 1600h, the meal service is classified as a snack. However, for J passenger, this means a normal full mean without the dessert. I am really impressed with SAA use of full sized metal cutlery - none of this miniature sized version that BA uses. There are two meal choices: Vegetarian pasta or Chicken. On BA/Comair flight, J passengers are offered three choices: chicken, beef or vegetarian. I chose the Chicken option which comes with pasta and a salad. The weal is quite tasty.
The Cabin crew is extremely attentive for such a short two hour flight.
SA 369 JNB-CPT
Aircraft: 737-800
Date: Tuesday, May 31st
Flight Time: 1800-2010h
Duration: 2 hours
After a busy meeting in Pretoria, I rush back to JNB Airport to catch my flight back to CPT. I hate the drive to JNB as the traffic is always at a standstill. I return my rental car and walk to the SAA check-in counter on the domestic terminal. The three story JNB Domestic building is actually a very nice and modern terminal, unlike the International terminal. The first floor is for arrivals, the second floor houses shops and restaurants and the third floor is for departure. When there is enough time, I make a point of eating at the Ocean Basket Restaurant that specializes in fresh seafood which is located on the second floor. However, given the short time this time around, I decide to skip the restaurant and eat on board the flight. The checkin process at JNB Domestic is a mess - there are clearly not enough counters opened for this peak travel time. The premium class check in counters are located at the farthest most point in the terminal (unlike BA, whose checkin counters are directly located across from the security entrance). In addition to the three checkin agents for the premium class, there is a dedicated line for SAA Voyager Platinum members and even that line is busy.
Upon entering the line to check in, all passengers must weigh their baggage and are then issued a piece of paper telling them how much the bags weigh. Now, I am at a loss as to why they do this because the paper is never asked for by the check-in agent in the numerous times I have checked in on both BA and SA.
The agent is friendly and efficient in issuing my boarding pass - again, the boarding pass is the really nice blue colored ones.. I make my way to security and go upstairs to the SAA Balbao Lounge on the second floor. I notice that at the front of the lounge is the big Star Alliance Gold sign - and surprisingly, there are only three star alliance airline logos showing - Lufhansa, TAP, Singapore Airlines - it must be that these airlines are the only ones that fly to South Africa. I think it would be nice for SAA to show all of the logos for the airlines in the Star Alliance as a way to promote awareness.
The JNB Domestic Balbao Lounge is much bigger than the CPT one, and has a wonderful uninterrupted view of the planes. Again like the CPT lounge, food and drinks are limited to the bar and you must ask for the food at the bar. I am surprised to see that at this lounge they do provide sandwich wraps - but again i must request for them at the bar.
30 minutes before the departure time, the flight is called from the lounge, and I proceed to gate D1 - this time the plane is stationed at the pier, and so we do not have to board the bus to the remote stand. The aircraft for this flight is a Boeing 737-800. The seats are not as comfortable as the long haul J seats on the Airbus 346. They are, however the standard business class seats, and not the economy seats with the middle seat left open like BA. The configuration is 2x3, and economy is 3x3.
Again, drinks and newspapers are handed out prior to departure. At cruising altitude, the FA begins the drink and meal service. There are two meal choices - Beef or Vegetarian pasta. I chose the Beef dish and it is very tasty. After the meal service, the FA proceed with the tea and coffee service. We land in CPT 10 minutes early and I make my way home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Overall, SAA offers a very competitive J products for South Africa, and in some areas, I would say SAA is superior to BA/Comair..
SUMMARY:
What I like about SAA:
- More modern fleet. For flights within South Africa, SAA uses 737-800, 319, 346 (once a day CPT-JNB), and 744 (occasionally, but SAA will be retiring the 744 soon)
- Superior J seats to BA. In J, the 346 and 744 are the best seats amongst all the airlines flying in South Africa (including BA and Nationwide), and this is because the 346 and 744 are internationally configured aircraft - lots of space and very comfortable J seats. If you are fly J class between CPT-JNB, try to get on these aircrafts. The 346 flies at 1500h daily from CPT to JNB (and then flies onwards to FRA), and 1000h from JNB to CPT (and then flies onwards to LHR). The 744 flies sporadically on domestic routes (primarily from CPT-JNB), and then onwards to LHR.
- More frequencies within South Africa - I like the fact that SAA has flights very early in the morning (0600h) and very late at night (2200h). BA flights usually start a litlle later and end earlier.
- SAA offers real size hot towels amde of cotton and not the paper towels that BA uses
- J meals - full meal during non-dinner or lunch time. BA however only gives out beef jerkey snacks on flights outside of core meal times.
- Full size metal cutlery
- Allows passengers to bring on board 2 carry on items regardless of class.
What I don't like about SAA:
- Lounge food - limited selection
- Drinks/bar is manned
- No online check-in or telephone checkin
Pictures can be found here:
http://public.fotki.com/ACfly/air_travel/saa_cpt-jnb_in_j_class/
SA 352 CPT-JNB
Aircraft: 744
Date: Sunday, May 28th
Flight Time: 1600-1810h
Duration: 2 hours
I purposely book this flight on Sunday because SAA will be flying the 744 from CPT-JNB and then onwards to LHR, and want to try the international configured J class. To my surprise, the F class section for this flight is also showing availability for seating for business class passengers. I call SAA reservation and ask if they could assign me a seat in the F class section. SAA prefers to give the F seats to their SAA Voyager Members first before all others passengers. The agent informs me that the flight is not full in J, and she assigns me 2A!! Hooray! I will get to test out the F seat on SAA, knowing that in the next few months all the 744's and F class will be eliminated from SAA's network.
One and a half hour prior to departure, I arrive at CPT airport. I am delighted to see that the domestic parking building is now fully operational, saving me some considerable time from not having to search for a parking spot. SAA has a dedicated check-in for what they call Premium passengers (Business class passengers as well as their Voyager FF members with Platinum, Gold, and Silver status). Unlike BA/Comair, SAA does not offer online check in or telephone checkin. As I walk towards the checkin desk, I see that SAA has put up new signs showing the Star Alliance symbol. The Premium section has 3 checkin counters, and given the time of day (1430h), there is no line up. The check-in agent is friendly and efficient and issues my boarding pass. I really like the design of the new SAA boarding pass - Blue color with various African symbols as watermarks. The boarding pass is certainly one of the most stylish boarding pass of any airlines that I have traveled on.
After clearing security, I head upstairs to the SAA Balboa Lounge for Premium passengers. At CPT domestic terminal, all of the various airline lounges are located on the second floor - and they include BA Terrace lounge, Premier Lounge, and SAA Balboa Lounge. I show my boarding card to the agent. She doesn't bother swiping the card as she sees the C class typed in bold on the front of the card and lets me in. My first impression of SAA lounge in CPT is it's bright as opposed to the BA Terrace Lounge located next door, which is quite dark. There are three tables scattered throughout the lounge with internet access, a long bar and a smoking room. The decor is what I would describe as Earthy. There's a nice unobstructive view of the tarmac
At the back of the lounge, there is a self serve coffee/tea station. The lounge has a very limited selection of food - prepackaged muffins, cookies and apples. For soft drinks/alcohol beverages and crisp/potato chips, passengers must go to the bar and request the drinks/snacks from the bar attendant. In this respect, the BA Lounges in South Africa are far superior. The BA Terrace lounge has self serve drinks from the bar and tonnes of food in the afternoon including a nice selection of finger sandwiches (egg/ham/cheese/tomato) and at least four selections of crisps, several selections of cookies, and my favorite the hot chocolate machine!
The flight is called about 30 minutes before departure, and I head down to the gate to board the bus to get to the plane. Usually I hate taking the bus to the stand (all passengers are bussed to their aircrafts for domestic flights out of CPT), but this time I am eager to see the big 744 from the ground.
I notice that that SAA doesn't enforce the carry on bag like BA. On BA, if you carry more than one bag, the agent at the door will ask you to tag the luggage even if you are in J cabin. The luggage is placed in a special compartment of the aircraft and the agent will hand you your bag upon leaving the plane rather than at the baggage carousel. I find this convenient when i fly to CPT (where I pick up my bag as I board the bus to the terminal). However, going to JNB, where the aircraft will most likely park at the pier, then I must wait to pick up my bag at the baggage carousel and there is no time saved as a result.
After climbing the stairs to the aircraft I turn left to the First class cabin. I am impressed by the spaciousness of the cabin and the seats. There are 11 seats in first class and they are very nice. I think Swiss also uses these seats for their First class. These seats are wider than the BA F seats and I really like the design of them. I also notice that the Ottoman can be electronically controlled to move back and forth. Unfortunately the ottoman cannot be used as a passenger seat. I seat is very comfortable to sit in. Other than the seat, the cabin looks a bit dated. There is a huge galley behind the F class section as well as the two dedicated F washroom. The bathrooms are disappointing for first class - they are the usual economy class washrooms.
There are only 5 passengers in the F class cabin on this particular flight. Prior to take off the cabin crew distributes newspaper and offers pre-boarding drinks (OJ, water or fruit punch). Shortly after take off the cabin crew hands out real size hot towels and commences the drink and meal service. Given this is a 1600h, the meal service is classified as a snack. However, for J passenger, this means a normal full mean without the dessert. I am really impressed with SAA use of full sized metal cutlery - none of this miniature sized version that BA uses. There are two meal choices: Vegetarian pasta or Chicken. On BA/Comair flight, J passengers are offered three choices: chicken, beef or vegetarian. I chose the Chicken option which comes with pasta and a salad. The weal is quite tasty.
The Cabin crew is extremely attentive for such a short two hour flight.
SA 369 JNB-CPT
Aircraft: 737-800
Date: Tuesday, May 31st
Flight Time: 1800-2010h
Duration: 2 hours
After a busy meeting in Pretoria, I rush back to JNB Airport to catch my flight back to CPT. I hate the drive to JNB as the traffic is always at a standstill. I return my rental car and walk to the SAA check-in counter on the domestic terminal. The three story JNB Domestic building is actually a very nice and modern terminal, unlike the International terminal. The first floor is for arrivals, the second floor houses shops and restaurants and the third floor is for departure. When there is enough time, I make a point of eating at the Ocean Basket Restaurant that specializes in fresh seafood which is located on the second floor. However, given the short time this time around, I decide to skip the restaurant and eat on board the flight. The checkin process at JNB Domestic is a mess - there are clearly not enough counters opened for this peak travel time. The premium class check in counters are located at the farthest most point in the terminal (unlike BA, whose checkin counters are directly located across from the security entrance). In addition to the three checkin agents for the premium class, there is a dedicated line for SAA Voyager Platinum members and even that line is busy.
Upon entering the line to check in, all passengers must weigh their baggage and are then issued a piece of paper telling them how much the bags weigh. Now, I am at a loss as to why they do this because the paper is never asked for by the check-in agent in the numerous times I have checked in on both BA and SA.
The agent is friendly and efficient in issuing my boarding pass - again, the boarding pass is the really nice blue colored ones.. I make my way to security and go upstairs to the SAA Balbao Lounge on the second floor. I notice that at the front of the lounge is the big Star Alliance Gold sign - and surprisingly, there are only three star alliance airline logos showing - Lufhansa, TAP, Singapore Airlines - it must be that these airlines are the only ones that fly to South Africa. I think it would be nice for SAA to show all of the logos for the airlines in the Star Alliance as a way to promote awareness.
The JNB Domestic Balbao Lounge is much bigger than the CPT one, and has a wonderful uninterrupted view of the planes. Again like the CPT lounge, food and drinks are limited to the bar and you must ask for the food at the bar. I am surprised to see that at this lounge they do provide sandwich wraps - but again i must request for them at the bar.
30 minutes before the departure time, the flight is called from the lounge, and I proceed to gate D1 - this time the plane is stationed at the pier, and so we do not have to board the bus to the remote stand. The aircraft for this flight is a Boeing 737-800. The seats are not as comfortable as the long haul J seats on the Airbus 346. They are, however the standard business class seats, and not the economy seats with the middle seat left open like BA. The configuration is 2x3, and economy is 3x3.
Again, drinks and newspapers are handed out prior to departure. At cruising altitude, the FA begins the drink and meal service. There are two meal choices - Beef or Vegetarian pasta. I chose the Beef dish and it is very tasty. After the meal service, the FA proceed with the tea and coffee service. We land in CPT 10 minutes early and I make my way home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Overall, SAA offers a very competitive J products for South Africa, and in some areas, I would say SAA is superior to BA/Comair..
SUMMARY:
What I like about SAA:
- More modern fleet. For flights within South Africa, SAA uses 737-800, 319, 346 (once a day CPT-JNB), and 744 (occasionally, but SAA will be retiring the 744 soon)
- Superior J seats to BA. In J, the 346 and 744 are the best seats amongst all the airlines flying in South Africa (including BA and Nationwide), and this is because the 346 and 744 are internationally configured aircraft - lots of space and very comfortable J seats. If you are fly J class between CPT-JNB, try to get on these aircrafts. The 346 flies at 1500h daily from CPT to JNB (and then flies onwards to FRA), and 1000h from JNB to CPT (and then flies onwards to LHR). The 744 flies sporadically on domestic routes (primarily from CPT-JNB), and then onwards to LHR.
- More frequencies within South Africa - I like the fact that SAA has flights very early in the morning (0600h) and very late at night (2200h). BA flights usually start a litlle later and end earlier.
- SAA offers real size hot towels amde of cotton and not the paper towels that BA uses
- J meals - full meal during non-dinner or lunch time. BA however only gives out beef jerkey snacks on flights outside of core meal times.
- Full size metal cutlery
- Allows passengers to bring on board 2 carry on items regardless of class.
What I don't like about SAA:
- Lounge food - limited selection
- Drinks/bar is manned
- No online check-in or telephone checkin