SAWorldVoyager
Sep 29, 08, 3:17 pm
So I have just completed a return JNB-HKG on SAA in business and thought I would share the experience, some thoughts and a rant or two.
Firstly Voyager were brilliant we managed to travel group of 6pax in J, having only purchased one J ticket, got two free mileage keepers, an SAA credit card companion ticket, and two upgrades so that was fantastic. The only downside was that we were kept on standby until 24hrs before boarding on the return sector for one of the upgrades.
Checkin was really slow, SAA need to create a J only class queue, no Star alliance, no Voyager checkins, we were held up for nearly 20mins when all 4 desks were being blocked up by "we want an upgrade because........." Y pax on voyager silver/golds begging.
The Departure lounge J is disgusting, and really needs an upgrade quickly.
Boarding was fast in both JNB and HKG and we were actually airborne 3mins before scheduled pushback from the gate out of JNB.
Improvements: since I did the flight last in May, the overnight bags have improved quite considerably, and its nice to see SAA improving on this in a time of cost cutting. Meals too were improved and definately up to scratch.
On the downside the VOD has taken 10 steps back, they only have a few new titles, but now have added quite a large list of "favourites" (read old) movies on display. I saw 2 movies on the flights, as the others I had already seen on previous flights. I fear this could be a victim of cost cutting.
It is surely time SAA upgrade the seats, the stupid half moon steel foot rest, is of no value, flight was full both directions and nobody used it, it just seems to be a pain whilst you try to sleep. Also the seats were broken, massage function not working, and the electric movements kept getting stuck so you would press for the backrest to go down it would go down for a few secs, get stuck, then you press again until it gets stuck and repeat. Both directions a few of the pax VOD also didnt work, my seat 1A touch screen didnt work and 1C the remote didnt work, had to use the touch screen, however some people actually had dead screens so we were really quite lucky.
The crew going were lousy, but on the return they were brilliant, hit and miss I guess?
My last complaint is regarding the crew, when we were waiting for our luggage the first bags to come out were that of the crew, some time elapsed before J bags appeared, although no Y bags seem to come out ahead of the J's. In the running of my busisness I would terminate the employment of my tea lady if she served our staff ahead of our guests/customers, or even if a member of staff walked ahead of guest/customer through a door, surely SAA should instruct ground crew to off load crew bags last, and even if they are first keep them at the back as a sign of respect for the paying passengers.
I guess I have been thinking of this for a while, I travelled up from Cape Town a few weeks ago, and sat opposite the aisle of two SAA first officers, who were commuting to JNB for duty, they were quite loudly advertising the fact that the chose to live at the coast but work out of JNB, my point is this they choose to live at the coast, if I worked for a boss I doubt he would pay for me to fly to work from Cape Town if my job was based in JNB? This must be against there cost cutting startergy afterall the flight was full so I assume some paying pax were left behind. Secondly in uniform they should offer their J seats to paying passengers such as voyager plats, or large passengers who maybe uncomfortable in Y. Again as a businessman if I have a customer sitting in reception in perhaps one of the less comfy chairs and a staff member occupying one of the comfy chairs I would expect the staff member to offer up the nice seat.
Firstly Voyager were brilliant we managed to travel group of 6pax in J, having only purchased one J ticket, got two free mileage keepers, an SAA credit card companion ticket, and two upgrades so that was fantastic. The only downside was that we were kept on standby until 24hrs before boarding on the return sector for one of the upgrades.
Checkin was really slow, SAA need to create a J only class queue, no Star alliance, no Voyager checkins, we were held up for nearly 20mins when all 4 desks were being blocked up by "we want an upgrade because........." Y pax on voyager silver/golds begging.
The Departure lounge J is disgusting, and really needs an upgrade quickly.
Boarding was fast in both JNB and HKG and we were actually airborne 3mins before scheduled pushback from the gate out of JNB.
Improvements: since I did the flight last in May, the overnight bags have improved quite considerably, and its nice to see SAA improving on this in a time of cost cutting. Meals too were improved and definately up to scratch.
On the downside the VOD has taken 10 steps back, they only have a few new titles, but now have added quite a large list of "favourites" (read old) movies on display. I saw 2 movies on the flights, as the others I had already seen on previous flights. I fear this could be a victim of cost cutting.
It is surely time SAA upgrade the seats, the stupid half moon steel foot rest, is of no value, flight was full both directions and nobody used it, it just seems to be a pain whilst you try to sleep. Also the seats were broken, massage function not working, and the electric movements kept getting stuck so you would press for the backrest to go down it would go down for a few secs, get stuck, then you press again until it gets stuck and repeat. Both directions a few of the pax VOD also didnt work, my seat 1A touch screen didnt work and 1C the remote didnt work, had to use the touch screen, however some people actually had dead screens so we were really quite lucky.
The crew going were lousy, but on the return they were brilliant, hit and miss I guess?
My last complaint is regarding the crew, when we were waiting for our luggage the first bags to come out were that of the crew, some time elapsed before J bags appeared, although no Y bags seem to come out ahead of the J's. In the running of my busisness I would terminate the employment of my tea lady if she served our staff ahead of our guests/customers, or even if a member of staff walked ahead of guest/customer through a door, surely SAA should instruct ground crew to off load crew bags last, and even if they are first keep them at the back as a sign of respect for the paying passengers.
I guess I have been thinking of this for a while, I travelled up from Cape Town a few weeks ago, and sat opposite the aisle of two SAA first officers, who were commuting to JNB for duty, they were quite loudly advertising the fact that the chose to live at the coast but work out of JNB, my point is this they choose to live at the coast, if I worked for a boss I doubt he would pay for me to fly to work from Cape Town if my job was based in JNB? This must be against there cost cutting startergy afterall the flight was full so I assume some paying pax were left behind. Secondly in uniform they should offer their J seats to paying passengers such as voyager plats, or large passengers who maybe uncomfortable in Y. Again as a businessman if I have a customer sitting in reception in perhaps one of the less comfy chairs and a staff member occupying one of the comfy chairs I would expect the staff member to offer up the nice seat.