This is not only about how they look inside, these refurbished aircrafts also have thechnical issues, on Feb 12-13, SAA208 (refurbished Iberia 340) was cancelled for two days in the row. I heard that the windshield got cracked on the way from JNB to Dakar, the crew didn’t want to proceed to JNB, but got pushed by HQ, by the time the flight arrived to IAD, the windshield was shattered. They ordered a replacement from SA which came next day, but didn’t fit because the Iberia’s 340 are older models, so that had to contact the Airbus that provided the right windshield. I can’t guarantee this is all truth, but heard it from SA staff.
Originally Posted by
gcuk
I flew on the refurbished Iberia 340 in business (ZS-SXG) and it was a perfectly acceptable standard. Seats aren't quite horizontal but I had a great sleep between Perth and Johannesburg. Economy now has seat back screens so little discernable difference between these two aircraft and the rest of the fleet. If I refused to fly every airline that had crumbs on the trays, I'd have very limited travel options so moral of the story is we all have our preferences and SAA is one of the airlines I'm happy to fly.