South African Express -- never again!
Oct 28, 2019, 6:59 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: RSW & HDS (Naples, Florida & Hoedspruit, South Africa); frequently flying via JNB, EWR, IAD, ORD
Programs: UA Platinum, Star Alliance Gold, Hilton Silver, AA
Posts: 396
South African Express -- never again!
DH and I have been living in South Africa for three years now and have had many occasions to fly South African Airways, Airlink, and Express. While all have been far from perfect, based on our most recent experience we have decided we will never fly South African Express ever again. They make absolutely no effort to communicate with their customers.
On Friday Oct. 25 we were scheduled to fly nonstop from Hoedspruit (HDS), our home airport, to CPT on SAExpress. When we purchased our tickets online there were of course less expensive options which involved a stop in JNB en route, but we chose to pay more to fly nonstop to CPT.
Our flight was scheduled to depart HDS at 13:00 and to arrive in CPT at 15:40. While there was another, later flight we could have chosen, we selected the earlier one because upon arrival in CPT we were planning to pick up our rental car and drive to Franschhoek, so we wanted to arrive with plenty of time to arrive at our destination before dark.
We checked in at HDS at 11:30AM, were advised that our flight would be delayed by 45 minutes (sigh), but then were surprisingly called through security into the boarding area at 12:00. Once in the boarding area, there is no access to food or drinks, nor is there any SAA or SAE staff available, only contracted security staff. The boarding area became increasingly crowded as we waited because there were 3 flights to JNB and 1 additional flight to CPT all scheduled to depart around the same time period, one after the other. The temperature was 39 degrees C -- 102 degrees Fahrenheit -- and there is of course no air conditioning. For three hours we sat in that hot, stuffy waiting area, dripping with sweat, only to watch as every flight scheduled to leave after ours -- including the one other scheduled nonstop to CPT which was supposed to leave later -- was instead called to go ahead and board and take off before ours. No announcements were made about our flight during those three hours. When I asked one of the security staffers why they were boarding later flights prior to ours, he said that our plane had arrived late but was now waiting on the tarmac. I asked when it would board and he said he didn't know because he does not work for SAE. Passengers for our flight were in foul humor because it was so hot and crowded in the waiting area, we were so late, and no one was telling anyone anything. Calls to SAE were fruitless as I just sat on hold for 20+ minutes before giving up. They finally boarded our flight at 15:00, and it was over 40 degrees Celcius -- 108 degrees Fahrenheit -- inside the cabin because the plane had been sitting airless on the hot tarmac for so long. When boarding, we were told that our reserved seats -- 3A and 3B -- had been reassigned due to a change of aircraft. Of course they seated us in the rear of the plane. We finally took off at 15:30, 2 hrs and 30 minutes behind schedule, with all passengers soaked to the skin with perspiration. We tried to joke amongst ourselves as we noticed plastic pieces of trim falling off next to certain seats -- it was like an omen.
Then just as the aircraft's wheels left the ground, the flight attendant made an announcement, saying that our flight to Johannesburg would be about 40 minutes long. "What?!" Every passenger in that cabin absolutely lost it. We were not supposed to be going to Johannesburg! She said they had to make an unscheduled technical stop to refuel and change crew in Jo'burg. Then they gave each passenger a packet of crisps. We had not eaten since breakfast! If they had bothered to tell their passengers that the flight would not depart until 3pm we would have made sure to have lunch at the airport before going through security. At no point did a single employee tell us we were flying to JNB rather than CPT until the plane was actually in the air.
Then they began beverage service and turned off the seat belt light. We immediately hit severe turbulence and the beverages went airborne, soaking me and other passengers -- cups and bottles flying, wine dripping from the overhead bins, etc. They abruptly halted beverage service and nothing else happened until we were on the ground in JNB. By now we were sweaty, hair-skin-clothes-bags reeking of spilled wine, bedraggled, and fuming. There was zero confidence among the passengers that we would actually be proceeding to CPT. After waiting a while on the tarmac they finally began refueling around 16:30, and onboarded new pilots. We did eventually take off for CPT and arrived shortly after 8pm, more than four hours late, and had to drive in the dark and rain to our final destination.
Bottom line: I would literally rather drive to CPT (and we have done it many times) rather than fly SAExpress ever again. At least then we would know where we stand during the journey and have control over our own destinies rather than being treated like chattel subject to the whims of the braintrust running this so-called airline.
On Friday Oct. 25 we were scheduled to fly nonstop from Hoedspruit (HDS), our home airport, to CPT on SAExpress. When we purchased our tickets online there were of course less expensive options which involved a stop in JNB en route, but we chose to pay more to fly nonstop to CPT.
Our flight was scheduled to depart HDS at 13:00 and to arrive in CPT at 15:40. While there was another, later flight we could have chosen, we selected the earlier one because upon arrival in CPT we were planning to pick up our rental car and drive to Franschhoek, so we wanted to arrive with plenty of time to arrive at our destination before dark.
We checked in at HDS at 11:30AM, were advised that our flight would be delayed by 45 minutes (sigh), but then were surprisingly called through security into the boarding area at 12:00. Once in the boarding area, there is no access to food or drinks, nor is there any SAA or SAE staff available, only contracted security staff. The boarding area became increasingly crowded as we waited because there were 3 flights to JNB and 1 additional flight to CPT all scheduled to depart around the same time period, one after the other. The temperature was 39 degrees C -- 102 degrees Fahrenheit -- and there is of course no air conditioning. For three hours we sat in that hot, stuffy waiting area, dripping with sweat, only to watch as every flight scheduled to leave after ours -- including the one other scheduled nonstop to CPT which was supposed to leave later -- was instead called to go ahead and board and take off before ours. No announcements were made about our flight during those three hours. When I asked one of the security staffers why they were boarding later flights prior to ours, he said that our plane had arrived late but was now waiting on the tarmac. I asked when it would board and he said he didn't know because he does not work for SAE. Passengers for our flight were in foul humor because it was so hot and crowded in the waiting area, we were so late, and no one was telling anyone anything. Calls to SAE were fruitless as I just sat on hold for 20+ minutes before giving up. They finally boarded our flight at 15:00, and it was over 40 degrees Celcius -- 108 degrees Fahrenheit -- inside the cabin because the plane had been sitting airless on the hot tarmac for so long. When boarding, we were told that our reserved seats -- 3A and 3B -- had been reassigned due to a change of aircraft. Of course they seated us in the rear of the plane. We finally took off at 15:30, 2 hrs and 30 minutes behind schedule, with all passengers soaked to the skin with perspiration. We tried to joke amongst ourselves as we noticed plastic pieces of trim falling off next to certain seats -- it was like an omen.
Then just as the aircraft's wheels left the ground, the flight attendant made an announcement, saying that our flight to Johannesburg would be about 40 minutes long. "What?!" Every passenger in that cabin absolutely lost it. We were not supposed to be going to Johannesburg! She said they had to make an unscheduled technical stop to refuel and change crew in Jo'burg. Then they gave each passenger a packet of crisps. We had not eaten since breakfast! If they had bothered to tell their passengers that the flight would not depart until 3pm we would have made sure to have lunch at the airport before going through security. At no point did a single employee tell us we were flying to JNB rather than CPT until the plane was actually in the air.
Then they began beverage service and turned off the seat belt light. We immediately hit severe turbulence and the beverages went airborne, soaking me and other passengers -- cups and bottles flying, wine dripping from the overhead bins, etc. They abruptly halted beverage service and nothing else happened until we were on the ground in JNB. By now we were sweaty, hair-skin-clothes-bags reeking of spilled wine, bedraggled, and fuming. There was zero confidence among the passengers that we would actually be proceeding to CPT. After waiting a while on the tarmac they finally began refueling around 16:30, and onboarded new pilots. We did eventually take off for CPT and arrived shortly after 8pm, more than four hours late, and had to drive in the dark and rain to our final destination.
Bottom line: I would literally rather drive to CPT (and we have done it many times) rather than fly SAExpress ever again. At least then we would know where we stand during the journey and have control over our own destinies rather than being treated like chattel subject to the whims of the braintrust running this so-called airline.
