FS_FRA

Flight SA261
FRA – JNB
Departure scheduled 20:45, actual 21:05
Arrival scheduled 08:30, actual
Seat 2A, Premium Class
Aircraft A340-600

Checked in late, actually pretty late, as I was the only one in the check-in area on this 90% full flight to JNB….the flight was scheduled for 20:45, I checked in at 19:50, with pre-boarding called at 20:00. Difference here to the usual LH attitude was that the agent didn’t bat an eyelid and was friendly throughout. First good experience on SA so far this time. More to come.
After I received my boarding pass I asked to have my seat for the JNB-CPT leg changed, as I had checked to config of the flight and knew that this was a 747-400 with only 2 classes sold. So I asked if the seats in row 1-3 were available, sure enough – got 3K in First for the short 2 hours to CPT. But more about that later.

I proceeded through security (which was unusually thorough for FRA this evening) and bought the last items on my list of things I had to bring from duty free. As boarding had been called by his time I made my way to gate B48 without going the SEN lounge – some may argue that it’s not a loss…..
As a Premium Class passenger I was invited to board at any time when I checked in and at the gate the agents were keeping economy class boarding back, allowing C passengers to board at will. This is something LH really has to get sorted! Unusually for FRA this actually worked in a more or less orderly fashion. So, on it was down the long finger to 1L – I always am amazed at the size of the A346, and even more so of the size of the engines. I was greeted by name by a very friendly purser (Marc Alexander, I think) and shown to my seat. And what a seat it is: SAA have won the recent Airtrax award for best business class seat and I now know why. The seats are individual pods configured 2-2-2, with 7 rows. The seats convert to full flat (180°) beds and include all of the settings including massage that one could want. In the seatback of the seat infront there is a little cabinet in the base (I put my shoes in there), a hole with the nice Delsey amenities kit, a coat hook and two large pockets for magazines etc. The amenity kit included a full size toothbrush and all of the usual creams/lotions etc. What was nice is that they had a pair of large socks with a non-slip surface on the bottom to use during the flight. These almost felt like house-shoes.
IFE consisted of a large pull out screen with AVOD, games, etc and the great camera views (which, thanks to in-seat power, I am watching Zambia on while I am writing this report)
As I sat down I was offered water, orange juice or sparkling wine (strange, as for the rest of the meal they were serving champagne). Sparkling wine it was, and very nice too. Next the menu was presented:

Premium Class
Welcome
Welcome on Board. We are here to ensure that your time with us will be relaxing and pleasurable.
The service is designed around the individual, giving you the freedom to decide what you want to eat, when it suits you best. Good food takes time to prepare, and as meals are individually prepared please allow 30 minutes if your choice includes a hot dish.
We trust that you will enjoy the selection and hope that it will contribute to your pleasure and comfort on this flight.
On occasion, high demand for a specific item may mean that your first choice may not be available. We apologize if this is the case and hope you will fond your second choice just as good.

Wines and champagne
Enjoy your meal with the fine wines featured on today’s flight. South African wines have been produced for abut 350 years and measure up to the highest international standards as their performance at International competitions continually proves.
South African Airways’ wine-selection process is world renowned. Our wine selection showcases the finest South African wines chosen by highly respected panel of South African and International judges in an annual blind tasting. Over 1000 entries, including award-winning wines from some of South Africa’s top wine estates, were submitted for the 2004 tasting.
Of these entries, between 60 and 70 wines were selected for the 2005 on-bard listing. Choose from youthful and succulent white wines full of their natural vitality or from reds that reflect the sunshine of Africa.
The Champagne selection focuses on single-vineyard producers whose grapes are sourced from 100% Grand Cru sites. Only 17 of the 324 communes of Champagne district in Franc have been so classified.
With such a wide variety of wines and Champagne, every flight promises a sense of discovery. Our in-flight magazine, Sawubona, offers you details of our current wine and Champagne selection.

Dinner
Light
Enjoy as either a starter or a light meal
Salmon Carpaccio
Accompanied by marinated zucchini, garnished with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Or

Seasonal Salad
Offered with the choice of a vinaigrette or yoghurt-paprika dressing, topped with feta cheese and olives.

Hearty
Grilled Beef Filet
Served on a fruity pineapple relish, accompanied by roasted vegetable and Western potato wedges.

Roasted Chicken Breast
Served in a creamy jus, accompanied by broccoli, red capsicum and saffron-basmati rice.

Fried Salmon
Gratinated wih cheese, served with an oriental sauce, accompanied by snow peas, carrots and fried rosemary potatoes.

Vegetarian
Basil ravioli, turned in green pesto, topped with a red capsicum julienne.

Cheese Plate
A selection of Fine Cheeses
And crackers served with Port wine.
Bavaria Blue Cheese, Camembert, Cream Cheese with Pepper.

Temptation
Chocolate Ice Cream
With an exotic fruit or vanilla sauce, complemented by roasted almond flakes and a wafer.


Express (If you need more time to work or rest, we recommend our express service – asset menu served all at once)

Seasonal Salad
Offered with a choice of vinaigrette or yoghurt-paprika dressing, topped with feta cheese and olives.

Salmon Carpaccio
Accompanied by marinated zucchini, garnished with shaved Parmesan cheese

Cheese Plate

Breakfast
Full Breakfast will be served 90 minutes before landing

Selected Fruit Juices

Sliced Fresh Fruit

Natural or Fruit-Flavored Yoghurt

Cereal

Main Course
Spinach Quiche
Offered with hash brown potato and light tomato sauce, accompanied by fried bacon, mushrooms and a Nueremberg sausage.

Or

A selection of Cold Meats and Cheese

Bread Basket
Filled with an assortment of breads and pastries, served with butter and preserves.

Light and Fast (Served 60 minutes before landing)

Natural or Fruit-Flavored Yoghurt

Sliced Fresh Fruit

Bread Rolls and Pastries
Served with butter and preserves.

Hot Beverages
Filter Coffee
Decaffeinated Coffee

Ceylon Tea
Earl Grey
Rooibos
Chamomile
Green Tea with Mint
Jasmine Green Tea


A full bar service was offered, which I didn’t partake in as I was enjoying the champagne too much.

Champagne:
Champagne Luis de Sacy Brut Grand Cru N/V
In 1633, the Sacy family first settled in Verzy, where vineyards have existed since 700AD. After the battle of Hapsburg in 1697, Pierre-Louis Sacy was honored with distinction by Louis XIV and became Louis de Sacy. Today, Alain Sacy, the 12th generation descendent of these proud winegrowers, cultivates and produces the superb Louis de Sacy Champagne. The Champagne is composed of 3 different cultivars selected from Grand Cru areas: 40% Pinot Noit, 20% Pinot Meunier and 40% Chardonnay. It offers a bright, golden body, endowing the palate with a fresh citrus flavors, a hint of redcurrant and a slight rosemary scent.

Wines (might have been more):
Red
Joubert-Tradauw “R62” – 2001
Joubert-Tradauw Private Cellar is a small, family-owned boutique cellar with the emphasis on quality and exclusivity. Joubert-Tradauw “R62” is a classic Bordeaux-style blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, grown and produced in the heart of the Tradauw Valley, near the beautiful town of Barrydale. The wine is handcrafted, naturally fermented and bottled, unfiltered for aroma and extra character.

Groot Constantia Pinotage 2002
The Groot Constantia Estate was established in 1685 and lies in the heart of the breathtakingly beautiful Constantia Valley outside Cape Town. Winemaker Boela Gerber says this Pinotage shows a character of red berry flavors, strawberries and red cherries. It has a smooth texture and a well rounded finish. Pinotage is a South African varietal, created by crossing Hermitage and Pinot Noir vines.

White
Bouchard Finlayson - Crocodiles Lair / “Kaaimansgat” Chardonnay 2003
Bouchard Finlayson is a small winery located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, near Hermanus. The 2003 Chardonnay vintage has proved to be one of the best in the Cape in recent times. Winemaker Peter Finlayson describes this vintage as being enormously complex, gloriously mouth-filling and ripe with hints of exotic fruits.

After we reached cruising altitude the purser came around to discuss our meal wishes. All choices were marked down on a large sheet with orders being taken for dinner and breakfast.
I choose the Salmon Carpaccio as a starter, with more champagne. As a main I had the Filet, with the superb Pinotage and finished off with a cheese plate.
For breakfast I chose the Light and Fast option, preferring to sleep as long as possible in those comfy flat-beds.
To round things off in the evening while flying over North Africa I had a coffee with Amarula, a South African cream liqueur similar to Bailys.

Overall the food was good. The starter was delicious and obviously individually plated and arranged on board. The Filet was medium and not dry at all. Only the pineapple relish was a new flavour I don’t generally associate with beef filet. Again this appeared to have been plated and arranged on board. No pre-packaged stuff here! The only thing that I would comment on negatively was the size of the portions. The started was tiny, and the main was OK, but not enough to really satisfy.
Drinks were kept topped up and small bottles of water handed out regularily.

Service was good, very friendly and efficient.

After dinner I took a walk around this looong bird. Y looked awful in comparison to C  but still better than what LH has on long haul. Given an exit row or similar seat I would probably survive a 12 hour flight reasonably well.

Upon returning to my seat I received a nice duvet and large-ish pillow and setup the flat-bed. Had a quick look at the airshow, played some Age of Empires on my laptop and fell asleep! Slept through almost till breakfast, this is very unusual for me, considering my 1.93m height. In this case I was able to stretch out and slept comfortably. The only minus point would be the width of the seat and the fact that in the full flat position your head is a little lower than your feet. This can be adjusted though.

Breakfast was rather uneventful, but for a change the fresh fruit were actually fresh and tasty. Soon after the cabin was cleared for landing and we made a gentle descent into JNB.

More to follow....

onedog

Thanks for the very thorough start to your trip report. Waiting for more...

FS_FRA

Flight SA323
JNB - CPT
Departure scheduled 10:00, actual 10:15
Arrival scheduled 12:10, actual 12:00
Seat 3A, First Class
Aircraft 747-400

Arriving at JNB is always a hit and miss thing as far as the speed of immigration and customs are concerned. This time, although I was one of the first off the plane there were only 2 queues open for non-SA residents. By the time I got to the front of my queue I could see why things were taking a little longer than usual...the immigration officer was reading a car magazine while working, and dicussing the purchase of a new car with a colleague of hers sitting in her cubicle. Always worthy of a laugh....I know some of might say "well this is Africa afterall" but considering the fact that SA is trying so hard to be considered a 1st world country the impression given when entering it can sometimes be a little off-putting.

One nice feature of transfering at JNB with SAA is the quick drop facility outside of customs. All that you need to do is walk accross and hand your bags in at the counter. NO need to drag them accross to domestic - this is one of the major design flaws of JNB: the lack of a direct connection between international and domestic terminals.
I went to the domestic millenium lounge for a quick shower. The SAA lounges are really nice. I didn't have much time to enjoy it, but there were several showers, no queues!, and ample food / drink offerings. As SA has very strick smoking laws the lounges are all non-smoking and have a separate smoking lounge seald off from the rest of the area. Very pleasant indeed.
After a quick shower in the SAA domestic lounge, I boarded this unusual flight to CPT. As this was a 3 class 744 on a 2 class route, I got a seat assigned in the First cabin. Lovely Millennium configuration First Class seat it was too on this short 2h trip to The Mothercity. What was a little annoying was the attitude of the cabin attendants who were very casual in a South African way. Sitting in a First seat being called “bud” is a little strange! Some late boarders held up the flight and as I was sipping my pre-departure Grapetizer Red (sparkling red grape juice – delicious!) Ronnie Kasrils, minister of water affiars and forestry, strolls into the cabin apologizing to the crew about keeping them waiting. It was quite a strange experience sitting next to Mr Kasrils, as he does have quite a history.
After the seatbelt sings went off, we were offered a full bar service and a snack. The bar service was good, the snack was unfortunately quite a letdown compared to the Premium Class meals I have enjoyed in the past on domestic SAA flights. It consisted of a warm chess and bacon panini and a fresh fruit salad. Not bad, but not up to scratch. The evidence of SAA’s cost-cutting measures showing here? The rest of the flight I spent writing on this report and snoozing in the really great First sleeper seats. The Ottoman at the end of the “suite” is a great addition and really makes the seat very comfortable. Or as Mr Kasrils and his guest showed, it’s perfect for an impromptu face-to-face meeting too.

Arriving in Cape Town is always a great event, as the pilots do try to fly the route that crosses False Bay and then gives a wonderful view of the city and Table Mountain before landing.

As this was a domestic flight on a full 744, baggage delivery was terrible, with quite a long wait before my bags appeared on the conveyor belt. Priority stickers did help to make them appear amongst the first (and well before a LH HON passenger next to me…the status maybe hasn’t trickled down to SAA in CPT yet  ) I really wonder how CPT will manage to cope with at A380 which is slated to land here in future.
Of course arriving like Mr. Kasrils did, being picked up at the stairs by a MB S-Class with driver and someone to carry his bags, has a certain appeal too.

More to follow.....

Fliar

Thanks for writing this up. Looking forward to the rest!

PresRDC

Great report. I too managed to snag an F seat on a SAA CPT-JNB 744 flight. A great seat indeed!

I've seen pictures of those A346 J seats on airliners.net and they look great.

FS_FRA

Thanks!

I would have to experience the real long-haul F service before I would shell out the extra miles / cash for a flight in "old" F vs. new C/J, to be honest.

tomashi

Very nice report!

SAA seems to be the better choice on the FRA-JNB route! I´m sure the A346 is far more comfortable than the old LH 744. Food and wine also sounds appealing!

Seat 2A

I gather that SAA's First Class seat is the same one as introduced by Swiss Air a few years ago. It looks quite nice. As does your report. I look forward to reading more from you.

CApreppie

Nice trip report on SAA. Look forward to further posts. I can't wait till SAA is a full fledged member of *A for redemption and earning purposes.

FS_FRA

Thanks! Always nice to get a positive review from the master of trip reports

Havn't flow Swiss for about 12 years...and then not in F either....but Airliners.net has some good pics of the seats:
The SAA business seat looks like here . The first seat like this .

I would say the only thing that needs improvement on the seat is the height of the table when it is in the dining position. I am quite tall and even for me it felt like the table should have been 10cms lower.

Cheers,
Floris

FS_FRA

I would have to agree. SAA beats the rest hands down on all fronts for that route. The "Sahnehäubchen" will be for SAA to be a full member of *A asap!

FS_FRA

Flight SA262
CPT- FRA
Departure scheduled 18:35, actual 18:45
Arrival scheduled 05:30,
Seat 5A, Premium Class
Aircraft A340-600

A lovely two weeks spent in Cape Town with my family it was time to head back to the wintry climes of Frankfurt. As I had to get some VAT back for some purchases I arrived at the airport 3 hours before the flight, fully expecting the process to be as tedious as ever. Much to my surprise it took only a few minutes with the SARS agent efficiently handling the procedure. Check in hand I went to a very empty check-in and tried to get a seat further forward than 5A…no such luck. Oh well, 5A in a plane of 7 rows is OK too.
I went through security, which was as efficient as it gets in SA, and headed into the nice and relatively empty International departures terminal at CPT. As I had time on my hands I did some last minute shopping and then headed to the SAA lounge. The lounge is split into two areas, one for C passengers and one for First passengers, SAA Plat and more. I headed into the C lounge which is nice enough (better than the LH SEN lounges in FRA !) and then thought to ask where I could get into with my SEN card. Off to the front-desk where a nice agent told me “Oh, well if you have the SEN card you are invited to use our First lounge”… so off I went. The main difference is that food/drinks are served to you at your seat and the quality of the offerings is of a higher standard. Internet terminals etc. are on offer too. It was interesting to see that the cockpit crew for our flight was also using the First lounge (I recognized them later on boarding) Strange, I always thought crews are not allowed in passenger areas?
Boarding was called and this is where the nice boarding experience of FRA was unfortunately not repeated. No priority boarding as we all had to use busses. What I don’t understand is that the aircraft was parked at a finger, but we still boarded through off the tarmac?
Once on the plane all was well with the same friendly greetings and I was shown to my seat 5A.
Several passengers around me from a little German sports car manufacturer were playing seat-shuffle, hoping to get seated next to each other. I mentioned to the chap next to me that these flights are always 100% full in C and he should wait until “boarding completed” is called before moving. He wouldn’t listen and changed seats 3 times before ending up in his original seat in the end….
A crisp glass of pre-take off champagne was offered and the amenity kits handed out. Menus were then handed out and we taxied to take-off.

Dinner
Light
Enjoy as either a starter or a light meal
Seafood Duet
A combination of baked butter fish coated with fresh herbs and a salmon rose, accompanied by a pickled cucumber relish.

Or

Seasonal Salad
Offered with a choice of creamy pesto or coriander and citrus dressing.

Hearty
Impala Medallions
Seared loin of Impala, seasoned with dukkah* rub, complemented by a Pinotage reduction, served on green pea puréewith Rooibos-marinated pumpkin batons and Williams potato.
* a North African spice blend compromising coriander, cumin, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, sesame seeds and crushed pine kernels.

Chicken Supreme
Whole, pan-fried chicken breast with a sun-dried tomato and mango stuffing, seasoned with paprika; set on a Cape gooseberry and Van Der Hum sauce, with a butternut risotto and a selection of autumn vegetables.

Salmon Trout
Grilled Chilean salmon trout, baked with a herb crust and complemented by a creamy lemon-thyme sauce, accompanied by savoury yellow rice and a vegetable roesti.

Vegetarian
Potato Gnocchi
Tossed with whole cherry tomatoes and roasted butternut, in a Parmesan velouté.

Cheese Plate
A selection of Fine Cheeses and crackers served with Port wine.
Fairview Blue Rock, Nikki Bel Camembert, Nikki Bel Cheddar

Temptation
Mango and Vanilla Ice-cream Cake
Garnished with an Italian wafer.


Express (If you need more time to work or rest, we recommend our express service - a set menu served all at once)

Seasonal Salad
Offered with a choice of creamy pesto or coriander and citrus dressing.

Seafood Duet
A combination of baked butter fish coated with fresh herbs and a salmon rose, accompanied by a pickled cucumber relish.

Cheese Plate

Breakfast
Full Breakfast will be served 90 minutes before landing

Selected Fruit Juices

Sliced Fresh Fruit

Natural or Fruit-Flavored Yoghurt

Cereal

Main Course
Cheese Omelette
With grilled streaky bacon, a tomato and onion concassé and ranch potatos.

Or

A selection of Cold Meats and Cheese

Bread Basket
Filled with an assortment of breads and pastries, served with butter and preserves.

Light and Fast (Served 60 minutes before landing)

Natural or Fruit-Flavoured Yoghurt

Sliced Fresh Fruit

Croissant, Muffin, or a Bread Roll
Served with butter and preserves.

Hot Beverages
Filter Coffee
Decaffinated Coffee

Ceylon Tea
Earl Grey
Rooibos
Camomile
Green Tea with Mint
Jasmine Green Tea


Again I was amazed at the slow ascent of the A346, with the plane seemingly taking forever to reach cruising altitude.
With the seat-belt lights off, warm towels were handed out; the tables were laid with table cloths. Nuts and drinks were offered by the 4 crew members working in the Premium cabin. I chose the lovely Luis De Sacy Champagne again - didn’t get any worse since the previous flight
Setting the seat in cradle position - massage on - I waited for the meal orders to be taken.

A full bar service was offered, which I didn’t partake in as I was enjoying the champagne too much.

As on the previous flight, the meal choices were marked on a sheet. I chose both the Seafood Duet and the Salad to start, followed by the Impala. Having experienced in the previous flight that the starter portions were on the small side, the combination of the salad and the starter was perfect. Both were served at the same time allowing me to pick between them. Nice.
The main course was very tasty and the amount was OK. I forgot to write down the wine and champagne offerings. I changed to a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon for the main and stuck to that.

With the sun setting to the west and 10:45h to go to FRA - desicions to be made:…continue the report, choose a movie to watch, read a book….hmmm….

The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful, I missed breakfast choosing instead to sleep to the last possible moment as we were scheduled to arrive at around 5am! We were well onto the approach into FRA when the FA asked me to set my seat in the landing position.

I arrived relatively relaxed and headed into the SEN lounge for a quick shower. For a change I only had to wait 15 minutes for the privilege.

I was surprised that customs was not manned when I went to get my luggage and headed out to the taxi ranks. This is very unusual for a flight coming from "the dark continent". Usually there all customs counters would be manned. Maybe it was just that I was there a little later since I had taken a shower?

All in all a very nice SAA experience and definitely my choice of airline on that route until LH upgrades their C product to the new C seats. In fact, with the reports of the service and seating on LH which are more often that not average, I might well say that SAA has the best product out there on this routing.

PresRDC

Great report again!