Great video thank you. SAA used to be an amazing airline, they used to be better than the European airlines. Back in the day they had the African hospitality and the attention to detail. I really hope the new management can make the airline great again. I would love to fly from New York back to Johannesburg! I used to fly them all the time between SA and Brazil and they were always friendly, attentive and helpful
Delighted to see South African Airways return to African skies, hopefully as an initial step, before resuming "Inter-Continental" flights. Who can forget that iconic moment, when a South African Airways, Boeing 747 "Jumbo", was piloted by a skilled, even inimitable, "Laurie Kay" . Emblazoned with the words " GOOD LUCK BOKKE" under the wings, of the massive aircraft, it flew Low over the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, at the start of the 1995 Rugby World Cup when the "Boks" defeated the Mighty "All Blacks"..!!
Me too, the said in September they are going to reintroduce all their international flights including New York, Australia, DC Washington, London and many more. I prefer to fly SAA due to the flights being direct to and from Johannesburg.
will never happen again, as far as I know, if u do not fly for a year u lose your time slot to land at that airport and it can take up to 10 years before u can get it again, only reason SAA is flying again is that its owned by the government and tax payers money is used to keep it afloat, billions are pumped into the airline per year as its run by corrupt ANC comrades, it like the route from China to Jan Smuts airport that was sold to Air China a few years ago by a corrupt CEO as she received a significant kickback, it was the most paying flight for SAA, it was declared bankrupt in 2020--how can a bankrupt airline overnight come back, to think thy had a daily flight from Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich before 2020,in july 2019 I flew on SAA Munich Jan smuts and what an enjoyable flight, I use SWiss air Lufthansa for my flights between Germany and SA and it was my first time on SAA back then,the food was 5 star in comparison to Star Alliance flights,
Flew SAA in 2014 Joburg to JFK. A very long flight, especially in economy. The bathroom in economy was large and clean; food and snacks were decent; and the flight attendants were wonderful.
Well done. Really appreciate the way you knew to pause the narration for the take off and first stages of flight. Very informative without being verbose.. new subscriber 😊
Lemonade is not an equivalent of Sprite. We have Sprite too in South Africa. Don’t ask me the difference. 😂 Super cool video. I used SAA a few times as well but before the lockdown. I enjoyed flying with them. Actually, I have only used them on all my international flights
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked,
@@PatrickSheaAviation it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked,
As a South African I really enjoyed this video - glad to see SAA flying again. I was surprised that they didn't have Sprite at the airport or on the plane - this is a product that is easy to get in South Africa
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does a bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china and India route for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM , I flew SAA back in July 2019 Munich jan smuts airport, what a pleasant flight, and quality of food and friendly staff, flight was full booked both ways, they flew SAu Paolo, Usa flights daily ,all are gone just because of corrupt ANC comrades
SAA used to be an incredible airline to fly , if not The best in Africa. It's pretty sad that it took such a nose dive. I would love to travel back to SA on SAA , but there are going to have to be much bigger improvements to become comparable to Emirates, BA or Virgin before I do that. Hoping for the best.
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china and India route for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM , I flew SAA back in July 2019 Munich jan smuts airport, what a pleasant flight, and quality of food and friendly staff, flight was full booked both ways, they flew SAu Paolo, Usa flights daily ,all are gone just because of corrupt ANC comrades
@@andreipretorius92 any specific reason why you don't recommend British airways, will be interested to hear why,I've flown Lufthansa Swiss SAA air France. Only reason I prefer Swiss air is it's a close to direct flight, Lufthansa uses Boeing 747 and I don't like the bumpy flight, Air France uses 777 Boeing and it's worst flight I ever had,as the seat 💺 is so narrow and legroom is so small, Swiss air Airbus A340 stays best for me, only thing I'm scared of SAA is their technical maintenance department,I've heard scary thing's about their lack of professionalism I'd carryout their work
@@Palmstreet-u7x I flew British now in June from the US to SA. The food was very bland, service wasn’t the best and you end up with a long layover. The terminal where I flew out of, it was 7pm and Starbucks was closing and that was it. Nothing else there. For the same price rather fly Qatar, Emirates or Swiss
@@andreipretorius92 ok.yes I clean forgot about the long layover at Heathrow, that is what puts me off using ba ,well I flew Swiss air to South Africa in October last year and believe me the food was pathetic, Air France food was even worse now in May, luckily I took food with me on plane.i always heard Air France food was good, it's awfully,the bun for breakfast was rock hard ,
Terminal A is mostly busy in the morning and late Afternoon, as European, Asian and Middle Eastern Airways arrives in the morning and leave in late afternoon
Comment on 7:35 - Johannesburg OR Tambo (my local airport) International departures really only comes alive from around 5pm each day - most long-haul international flights leave during the evening - UA / DL / KL / AF / VS / BA (2 daily) / EK (3 daily) / QR (2 daily) / EY / LH / LX / EL / ET / KQ / etc - you were filming in the middle of the day, so not the busiest time.
SAA has been using Terminal B for both domestic and international flights for a very long time. I flew to Abu Dhabi in 2015 and had to check-in at terminal B.
Hope you enjoyed our warm and culturally diverse Johannesburg/South Africa. Thank you for choosing and reviewing my flag carrier! SAA has always been world class (if not better - even when flying domestic) - glad to see it still is.
Great video. Recently flew SAA and it was great as they are one of the reasons I am a pilot today. Just to answer a few questions, SAA only have checkin facilities as Terminal B in Jozi. This has been the case from before Covid. They do have a dedicated Business Class checkin but that has been closed since the pandemic. Secondly, on your arrival in Accra that was really inconvenient but generally it is the airport that assigns you parking stands so was likely not SAA's fault you had to slum it in the rain. Looking forward to the next one!!!
Another excellent review! I couldn't understand why you called an intra-Africa flight 'long haul' until you mentioned it was scheduled for 7 hours. I keep forgetting how large the continent really is. "Play the game of odds" with the de-boarding stairs had me laughing 😅
Also, Terminal B is used due to capacity constraints and costs related to using the facilities in Terminal A - EK, QR & MK also make use of Terminal B for check-in from time to time.
The last time i flew SAA was in 2003 From Windhoek to Cape Town and then in 2011 from Windhoek to Johannesburg but returning from Joburg to Windhoek on Air Namibia. Very nice memories✈️😊👌🇳🇦
SAA is really back they have announced flights to Brazil, (Staring 31st October) Peru, Argentina, Germany (Already in service) , Singapore, Egypt... they are working on Switzerland, Australia and USA in the next following months, you were not kidding when you said it is thriving again
An absolutely brilliant video! I have been waiting for this trip report to be done by an aviation trip reporter for a while now and you delivered a detailed, great video!
SAA has been in Terminal B for a long time. During Covid Terminal A was closed, and all airlines shared Terminal B. Some airlines are still there including Emirates, Qantas, Etihad and Ethiopian. Im sure in time more airlines will move back to Terminal A as other airlines come back. Will be interesting to see where Cathay Pacific will be placed as they used to operate from Terminal B, and will be heading back here later this year.
I have been on the TAAG flight from Joburg to Luanda in economy and it's not a great flight. I also walked through business class which did not look great. The food was bad, they had only one movie in the IFE which was Cleopatra. The old one with Liz Taylor and it kept re-setting. The male cabin staff were not polite although the females were a bit nicer. The seats are falling to bits. If your going to fly business or first don't spend a lot of money on it. Luanda airport is also pretty bad with about a two hour wait at immigration.
It’s good that they are coming back . And they should now concentrate more on long haul flights . Since they left , Airlink has saturated ALL regional flights and it’s now almost impossible to penetrate. But I’m seeing airlink moving international too if SAA is slow . Airlink was initially regional airline but it’s now evening going outside Southern Africa to countries like Kenya .
It will be interesting to see how the long haul market will shape the return of South African airways. I wonder what Airlink’s role will be in the SAA growth
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM ,,
I'm glad South African airways is back I hope it will have the high standards that it used to be I just hope that the corruption in top leadership doesn't corrupted down into a bankruptcy again. I wish the airways the best future,,🙏🙏🙏👌👍🏻🤞
It will be interesting to see what happens, but people already seem to be upset with how they are getting the money to return, so who knows how it’ll go 🤷♂️
I just wanted to say that I hope you didn’t take the part about them not wanting you to take pictures of the food personally. They added that policy a few years ago after a disgruntled customer posted a meal on a flight (it was bad because they ran out of Business Class meals and gave her an economy meal) and it trended for weeks in South Africa and abroad. Really hit their service reputation back then. But I’m glad to hear SAA still is known as a must-try airline and we should all hope they get back to their full strength soon 🤞🏾
It’s not necessarily just an upgrade to the fleet. These aircraft were around pre-Covid and now they are returning. Still exciting! It sounds like the A350s will be found on US and Australia routes to begin with, but nothing is confirmed yet
@@PatrickSheaAviation Interesting, pre-covid I travelled a lot on the continent, specifically from OR Tambo, and never saw an A350 with SAA livery. The use on those routes makes sense as they are long haul.
The Qantas 787-9 was coming in from Sydney, not Perth :) The Perth route only operates in the summer time on the A330-200. Syndey route is daily year-round
To be honest we would rather fly any airline internally and fly Emirates A380 internationally these days. Used to fly SAA in the 70s and 80s but after that period it started to go downhill fast. Will take a lot of convincing to fly them again
Great Video, however, how can you at the end blame SAA for what Accra rolled out at the Arrival in Accra. That as far as I know is not up to the operating Airline but the Airport.
I don't have to travel much these days but if I did it would take a huge leap of faith to book with SAA again, I have had some truly diabolical experiences on international flights with this airline. On the domestic side I think SAA is the only option now, they survived due to government bailouts which gave them an advantage over the struggling competition, a dreadful shame in my opinion because the least deserving airline survived.
SAA isn’t the only option on domestic, in fact they’re barely an option. Domestic travel is dominated by Airlink (no longer part of SAA), Safair and Lift.
@@RealPeetsRikeets I forgot about FlySafair, we used them last time we needed to get up north, didn't know about the other two though but anyway, it's a good thing and thanks for the heads up.
As a South African I flew with SAA once in 2020 just before the pandemic started and never again it was trash but maybe I’ll try business class one day.
For South African Airways they might as well do JNB-EWR since South African Airways will have a hard time finding a Star Alliance partner that flies domestic into JFK. If EWR South African Airways can simply transfer a passenger onto a United Airlines flight Terminal A EWR Air Canada cross border. I'm guessing you used a Star Alliance FFQ milage here like Mileage Plus.
It would make sense for Newark for the alliance reasons, but JFK and South African Airways have a long history. If anything, we may see both if the route is successful enough. In addition, they do plan on going to IAD, giving them a connection to United
@PatrickSheaAviation thank you for telling me about it but they should be doing like what their fellow African Star Alliance member Ethiopian since they have two operations in New York City EWR for UA Feed other no Star Alliance Feed JFK Terminal 8. For SAA European Star Alliance Partners it's LH🇩🇪 OS🇦🇹 TP LO having split EWR & JFK Operations. SN Brussels Airlines which is actually the successor to the Belgian flag carrier SABENA is JFK only EWR only Scandinavian Airlines. JNB-IAD on South African Airways can have a codeshare UA domestic section IAD-LAX/SFO.
I'm a South African and have flown SAA once before. Service and food were average and below what Ethiopian did. The fact that this airline kept popping up in the news headlines about going bankrupt and needing constant bailouts from the taxpayer, did not sit well with me. They have been operating at a massive loss for years, and the government refused to let experienced private sector people take over the running of it. So my (and my fellow South African) taxes kept this company afloat, which did not benefit me (or us) in any way. I really do hope that they can pull themselves back to their heydays and start making a profit instead of relying on government funds. Unfortunately, the only way I see myself flying with them is through reviewers'/UA-camrs eyes like yourself. I'm in no rush to book a ticket with SAA.
That’s interesting to hear. I know there’s some general disconnect between SAA and the South African people, and this was a great way of explaining it. I do wonder what life would be like for the airline if they only sold a slight majority share of the company
🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ How many millions could go towards helping Eskom to keep the lights on instead of trying to keep an airline alive? S.A.A owns something like 4 planes thats paid for...all the rest are rented...WHY? The entire world know that this country is bankrupt...now they want to brag with a resurrected airline? Its insane. 😣😤😨
Sometimes the aviation market brings about frustrating challenges. Sometimes they have a grander reason for supporting it, and sometimes not. But one thing that’s for sure, as passengers, we notice right away the signs of a dying airline and that can hurt not only the airline, but the country if that airline is a flag carrier or plays a larger role in tourism/business travel
Totally agree, soft product, food and presentation looks bland and boring and nowhere near a truly international airline. The crew uniforms have not changed since 1997! Such a pity, as South Africa has so many vibrant colour's and cultural designs to choose from.
I wonder if they’ll be able to rebrand once re-expanding. Then we can see if they can really evolve their product once they have a better cash flow. Remember that the airline almost went extinct only a few years ago, so they have quite the hill to climb
SAA will probably never be what they once were. They destroyed the good image they had and once people lose confidence in a company they will move to another more reputable airline
Alright now… everyone has different experiences. Of the 10 or so African airports I’ve been to you see people at each one of them offering to help you when you don’t need it just ask for a tip afterwards for basic things like pointing you in the right direction. People who aren’t familiar are often taken advantage of. “Colonizer Language” doesn’t seem to fit this one here
Thank You for your absolutely incredible review! We are glad to have had you onboard, and we can not wait for you to return.
Thanks! It was a great time!
Great video thank you. SAA used to be an amazing airline, they used to be better than the European airlines. Back in the day they had the African hospitality and the attention to detail. I really hope the new management can make the airline great again. I would love to fly from New York back to Johannesburg! I used to fly them all the time between SA and Brazil and they were always friendly, attentive and helpful
They do have a great past, and it’ll be interesting to see how they grow again, and if they can keep the SA population on their good side
I am actually south African so this was fun to watch
Awesome! I wish your flag carrier a successful return!
Delighted to see South African Airways return to African skies, hopefully as an initial step, before resuming "Inter-Continental" flights. Who can forget that iconic moment, when a South African Airways, Boeing 747 "Jumbo", was piloted by a skilled, even inimitable, "Laurie Kay" . Emblazoned with the words " GOOD LUCK BOKKE" under the wings, of the massive aircraft, it flew Low over the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, at the start of the 1995 Rugby World Cup when the "Boks" defeated the Mighty "All Blacks"..!!
Hope to see South African airways back at JFK New York soon. I always enjoyed seeing their aircraft.
Same!
Me too, the said in September they are going to reintroduce all their international flights including New York, Australia, DC Washington, London and many more. I prefer to fly SAA due to the flights being direct to and from Johannesburg.
will never happen again, as far as I know, if u do not fly for a year u lose your time slot to land at that airport and it can take up to 10 years before u can get it again, only reason SAA is flying again is that its owned by the government and tax payers money is used to keep it afloat, billions are pumped into the airline per year as its run by corrupt ANC comrades, it like the route from China to Jan Smuts airport that was sold to Air China a few years ago by a corrupt CEO as she received a significant kickback, it was the most paying flight for SAA, it was declared bankrupt in 2020--how can a bankrupt airline overnight come back, to think thy had a daily flight from Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich before 2020,in july 2019 I flew on SAA Munich Jan smuts and what an enjoyable flight, I use SWiss air Lufthansa for my flights between Germany and SA and it was my first time on SAA back then,the food was 5 star in comparison to Star Alliance flights,
Flew SAA in 2014 Joburg to JFK. A very long flight, especially in economy. The bathroom in economy was large and clean; food and snacks were decent; and the flight attendants were wonderful.
Awesome! I would love to try out that flight when it comes back
Well done. Really appreciate the way you knew to pause the narration for the take off and first stages of flight. Very informative without being verbose.. new subscriber 😊
Thanks! Glad you liked it
I remember seeing their old A340-600 at JFK...that was one spectacular aircraft.
Indeed! That was the first SAA plane I saw, also at JFK!
Lemonade is not an equivalent of Sprite. We have Sprite too in South Africa. Don’t ask me the difference. 😂
Super cool video. I used SAA a few times as well but before the lockdown. I enjoyed flying with them. Actually, I have only used them on all my international flights
This is exciting, I’m glad SAA hadn’t disappeared and is on the way back up! ✈️ 🇿🇦
Same! I had to get out to JNB and try it out. Hoping they have a successful return
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked,
@@PatrickSheaAviation it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked,
As a South African I really enjoyed this video - glad to see SAA flying again. I was surprised that they didn't have Sprite at the airport or on the plane - this is a product that is easy to get in South Africa
Hmm weird! When I asked for “Sprite” I was given the “Lemonade” although it tasted more like sprite than lemonade
they sell SA products mostly
SAA are also doing 3 flights a week from Tambo to Perth Australia again in the A340
So happy to see SAA making a comeback!❤🇿🇦
Agreed! Hope they can grow to pre-pandemic size soon!
SAA has been suffering pre-covid. No one wants to support the government. They have been making losses after losses.
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does a bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china and India route for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM , I flew SAA back in July 2019 Munich jan smuts airport, what a pleasant flight, and quality of food and friendly staff, flight was full booked both ways, they flew SAu Paolo, Usa flights daily ,all are gone just because of corrupt ANC comrades
SAA used to be an incredible airline to fly , if not The best in Africa. It's pretty sad that it took such a nose dive. I would love to travel back to SA on SAA , but there are going to have to be much bigger improvements to become comparable to Emirates, BA or Virgin before I do that. Hoping for the best.
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china and India route for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM , I flew SAA back in July 2019 Munich jan smuts airport, what a pleasant flight, and quality of food and friendly staff, flight was full booked both ways, they flew SAu Paolo, Usa flights daily ,all are gone just because of corrupt ANC comrades
I would rather fly SAA than BA for sure. They need the A350s back. Soon
@@andreipretorius92 any specific reason why you don't recommend British airways, will be interested to hear why,I've flown Lufthansa Swiss SAA air France.
Only reason I prefer Swiss air is it's a close to direct flight, Lufthansa uses Boeing 747 and I don't like the bumpy flight, Air France uses 777 Boeing and it's worst flight I ever had,as the seat 💺 is so narrow and legroom is so small, Swiss air Airbus A340 stays best for me, only thing I'm scared of SAA is their technical maintenance department,I've heard scary thing's about their lack of professionalism I'd carryout their work
@@Palmstreet-u7x I flew British now in June from the US to SA. The food was very bland, service wasn’t the best and you end up with a long layover. The terminal where I flew out of, it was 7pm and Starbucks was closing and that was it. Nothing else there. For the same price rather fly Qatar, Emirates or Swiss
@@andreipretorius92 ok.yes I clean forgot about the long layover at Heathrow, that is what puts me off using ba ,well I flew Swiss air to South Africa in October last year and believe me the food was pathetic, Air France food was even worse now in May, luckily I took food with me on plane.i always heard Air France food was good, it's awfully,the bun for breakfast was rock hard ,
Looks like the same seat type qantas uses, I enjoy the seat on qantas so would like this seat also!
Never flown Qantas but it’s on my bucket list
Terminal A is mostly busy in the morning and late Afternoon, as European, Asian and Middle Eastern Airways arrives in the morning and leave in late afternoon
Good to know!
Comment on 7:35 - Johannesburg OR Tambo (my local airport) International departures really only comes alive from around 5pm each day - most long-haul international flights leave during the evening - UA / DL / KL / AF / VS / BA (2 daily) / EK (3 daily) / QR (2 daily) / EY / LH / LX / EL / ET / KQ / etc - you were filming in the middle of the day, so not the busiest time.
SAA has been using Terminal B for both domestic and international flights for a very long time. I flew to Abu Dhabi in 2015 and had to check-in at terminal B.
Good to know! I wonder why. I guess because then they only need the one check in area
I also used the same terminal a few times when I flew SAA.
Hope you enjoyed our warm and culturally diverse Johannesburg/South Africa. Thank you for choosing and reviewing my flag carrier! SAA has always been world class (if not better - even when flying domestic) - glad to see it still is.
I did enjoy it! I’d love to try it again once they fully recover as well!
Awesome, so excited to see SAA back UP.
Same here!
nice video, great design: glad SAL has risen like a Phoenix! fond memories of flights from Europe via Johannesburg to Windhoek in BC
Awesome! I too am glad it came back from the ashes
SAA
@@emmanuelegote They possibly said 'SAL' as they may be Afrikaans (it's 'Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens' in Afrikaans).
Round 2 for ANC to feed at the trough
Great video. Recently flew SAA and it was great as they are one of the reasons I am a pilot today. Just to answer a few questions, SAA only have checkin facilities as Terminal B in Jozi. This has been the case from before Covid. They do have a dedicated Business Class checkin but that has been closed since the pandemic. Secondly, on your arrival in Accra that was really inconvenient but generally it is the airport that assigns you parking stands so was likely not SAA's fault you had to slum it in the rain. Looking forward to the next one!!!
Good to know. Thanks!
Great narrative voice Patrick Shea. Enjoyed this review.
Thank you!
Great video! I hope they restart their service to Brazil soon!
Sounds like GRU is in the next couple months plan for them. We will see what plane they bring, but it is rumored to be the a330
Another excellent review! I couldn't understand why you called an intra-Africa flight 'long haul' until you mentioned it was scheduled for 7 hours. I keep forgetting how large the continent really is. "Play the game of odds" with the de-boarding stairs had me laughing 😅
It’s always strange thinking how big these continents really are!
That seating material looks great. The little diamond pattern is interesting.
I do think it’s a great looking seat!
My favorite Airline reviewer ! I'm with you . The interior of the plane was very cool
Thank you!!
Great video and beautiful selection of music. I was hoping to see some credits
Thank you! I don’t remember the exact songs, but I get all of my music royalty-feee from Epidemic Sound
Amazing sunset 🌅 in SA 14:00
Now they have added a new route from Cape Town to São Paulo (Brazil)
I saw that! It’s great seeing airlines grow their networks
Also, Terminal B is used due to capacity constraints and costs related to using the facilities in Terminal A - EK, QR & MK also make use of Terminal B for check-in from time to time.
Another great review Patrick. Glad you dodged the lightning 🌩️😮
Ha! Thank you!
@@PatrickSheaAviation My pleasure!!
Can't wait for SAA to fly to Perth Australia again. I have always enjoyed flying with SAA.
The man in orange showed African “hospitality” just cause he heard your accent…..😂…..always expecting a tip
At our local airport,there is only one lounge,it is for (ALL) airlines,regardless if it be first class or business class✈
The last time i flew SAA was in 2003 From Windhoek to Cape Town and then in 2011 from Windhoek to Johannesburg but returning from Joburg to Windhoek on Air Namibia. Very nice memories✈️😊👌🇳🇦
SAA is really back they have announced flights to Brazil, (Staring 31st October) Peru, Argentina, Germany (Already in service) , Singapore, Egypt... they are working on Switzerland, Australia and USA in the next following months, you were not kidding when you said it is thriving again
With a little help from the government, but it’s great to see the return
An absolutely brilliant video! I have been waiting for this trip report to be done by an aviation trip reporter for a while now and you delivered a detailed, great video!
I’m glad you liked it! Thank you!
1st....shout out to Mr O Shea back in the Motherland.....great video. Keep up the great work
Ha! Thanks man!
SAA has always used Terminal B for check-in.
Great review Sir🙌🇿🇦
Thank you!
SAA has been in Terminal B for a long time. During Covid Terminal A was closed, and all airlines shared Terminal B. Some airlines are still there including Emirates, Qantas, Etihad and Ethiopian. Im sure in time more airlines will move back to Terminal A as other airlines come back. Will be interesting to see where Cathay Pacific will be placed as they used to operate from Terminal B, and will be heading back here later this year.
Only time will tell I guess. I’m excited to see aviation all around the world make its recovery
A good TR, i enjoyed watching that , that i thought it was me who was flying.
Glad you like it! Thank you!
Awesome!! Love it
Yes! Thanks!
I have been on the TAAG flight from Joburg to Luanda in economy and it's not a great flight. I also walked through business class which did not look great. The food was bad, they had only one movie in the IFE which was Cleopatra. The old one with Liz Taylor and it kept re-setting. The male cabin staff were not polite although the females were a bit nicer. The seats are falling to bits. If your going to fly business or first don't spend a lot of money on it. Luanda airport is also pretty bad with about a two hour wait at immigration.
Sheesh that’s a hell of an adventure. I’d still love to try it out if I can find a good deal! But I haven’t heard the best things about it so far
It’s good that they are coming back . And they should now concentrate more on long haul flights . Since they left , Airlink has saturated ALL regional flights and it’s now almost impossible to penetrate. But I’m seeing airlink moving international too if SAA is slow . Airlink was initially regional airline but it’s now evening going outside Southern Africa to countries like Kenya .
It will be interesting to see how the long haul market will shape the return of South African airways. I wonder what Airlink’s role will be in the SAA growth
it is all a falsy that SAA is on its way back, few people know that when an airline stops flying a specific route for around 376 days that airline loses that time slot and must reapply for that route and it can take up to 10 years to get it back, how does bankrupt airline that's declared bankrupt in 2022 overnight reemerge solvent again---easy, because SAA is owned by the government taxpayers money is used to bail it out, billions are used to bail it out, to think a corrupt CEO of SAA sold the Jan Smuts Beijing route to Air china for money, she received millions in return, to think SAA flew daily before 2020 the route Jan Smuts airport to Frankfurt and Munich and those flight were full booked, yes Airlink has bASICALLY TAKEN OVER, GOOD FOR THEM ,,
I Like The SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS Business Class Cabin On A330-300.Great Trip Report
Thank you !
Awesome review.
Thank you!
I'm glad South African airways is back I hope it will have the high standards that it used to be I just hope that the corruption in top leadership doesn't corrupted down into a bankruptcy again. I wish the airways the best future,,🙏🙏🙏👌👍🏻🤞
It will be interesting to see what happens, but people already seem to be upset with how they are getting the money to return, so who knows how it’ll go 🤷♂️
I just wanted to say that I hope you didn’t take the part about them not wanting you to take pictures of the food personally. They added that policy a few years ago after a disgruntled customer posted a meal on a flight (it was bad because they ran out of Business Class meals and gave her an economy meal) and it trended for weeks in South Africa and abroad. Really hit their service reputation back then. But I’m glad to hear SAA still is known as a must-try airline and we should all hope they get back to their full strength soon 🤞🏾
Good to know! Thanks!
Interesting to learn SAA is upgrading the fleet. They'll most probably be rented like the A330s. I wonder what routes will operate the A350s?
It’s not necessarily just an upgrade to the fleet. These aircraft were around pre-Covid and now they are returning. Still exciting! It sounds like the A350s will be found on US and Australia routes to begin with, but nothing is confirmed yet
@@PatrickSheaAviation Interesting, pre-covid I travelled a lot on the continent, specifically from OR Tambo, and never saw an A350 with SAA livery.
The use on those routes makes sense as they are long haul.
SAA's A-350 was leased from Air Mauritius. COVID 19 played havoc with air travel and the A-350 was returned to Air Mauritius!
Well it’ll be back soon! Sounds like we should see it at JFK shortly
Interesting that they have somehow been resurrected itself from the ashes - I will need to do some investigating now - great video
Thanks! It’ll be interesting to watch it re-grow
❤❤ your commentary
All SAA operations, domestic and international, moved to terminal B before Covid
Good to know! Thanks!
Nice flight review.
Thank you!
Enjoyed my ✈ with SAA on 18 June 2023 after 3 years.
Good to hear!
so proud,its about time
Awesome! Now let’s hope they can start to return to where they were before their struggled
The Qantas 787-9 was coming in from Sydney, not Perth :) The Perth route only operates in the summer time on the A330-200. Syndey route is daily year-round
Not the same SAA. Now it's
To be honest we would rather fly any airline internally and fly Emirates A380 internationally these days. Used to fly SAA in the 70s and 80s but after that period it started to go downhill fast. Will take a lot of convincing to fly them again
Used to be on par with BA…. Hmmmm not so sure anymore
Yea… we will have to see if it improves as time goes on and they continue their improvements
Thats weird cant fill the food. But can the lounge
Yea I’m not quite sure why, but I just did as I was told 🤷♂️
Great Video, however, how can you at the end blame SAA for what Accra rolled out at the Arrival in Accra. That as far as I know is not up to the operating Airline but the Airport.
Well the airline can pay for jetbriges or remote stands so it is on the airline in that sense. Can’t blame them for the weather though
Lets see how high the airline can rise as I found the SAA brand and its reputation very lacking in the past.
Well it takes a lot to return from bankruptcy so hopefully they’ll be forced to put some effort into it!
I don't have to travel much these days but if I did it would take a huge leap of faith to book with SAA again, I have had some truly diabolical experiences on international flights with this airline. On the domestic side I think SAA is the only option now, they survived due to government bailouts which gave them an advantage over the struggling competition, a dreadful shame in my opinion because the least deserving airline survived.
SAA isn’t the only option on domestic, in fact they’re barely an option. Domestic travel is dominated by Airlink (no longer part of SAA), Safair and Lift.
@@RealPeetsRikeets I forgot about FlySafair, we used them last time we needed to get up north, didn't know about the other two though but anyway, it's a good thing and thanks for the heads up.
@@rhodaborrocks1654I flew lift with pleasure!!!
I do not hink I will ever fly saa ever again
As a South African I flew with SAA once in 2020 just before the pandemic started and never again it was trash but maybe I’ll try business class one day.
Well who knows, maybe their revival will bring better things!?
I look forward to working at SAA again. In Jesus Name Amen
Looks like it could use a deep cleaning.
It seems that around aviation, since the Covid-cleaning protocols were relaxed, some airplanes have been getting dirty
Amazing ᴠʟᴏɢ❤❤
Thank you!
For South African Airways they might as well do JNB-EWR since South African Airways will have a hard time finding a Star Alliance partner that flies domestic into JFK. If EWR South African Airways can simply transfer a passenger onto a United Airlines flight Terminal A EWR Air Canada cross border. I'm guessing you used a Star Alliance FFQ milage here like Mileage Plus.
It would make sense for Newark for the alliance reasons, but JFK and South African Airways have a long history. If anything, we may see both if the route is successful enough. In addition, they do plan on going to IAD, giving them a connection to United
@PatrickSheaAviation thank you for telling me about it but they should be doing like what their fellow African Star Alliance member Ethiopian since they have two operations in New York City EWR for UA Feed other no Star Alliance Feed JFK Terminal 8. For SAA European Star Alliance Partners it's LH🇩🇪 OS🇦🇹 TP LO having split EWR & JFK Operations. SN Brussels Airlines which is actually the successor to the Belgian flag carrier SABENA is JFK only EWR only Scandinavian Airlines. JNB-IAD on South African Airways can have a codeshare UA domestic section IAD-LAX/SFO.
QANTAS 787 would have been from Sydney not Perth. Still waiting for the direct PER JNB flights to resume.
Interesting. I had thought it resumed seasonally. Good to know
It’s not Johannesburg International Airport (JIA) - it’s O R Tambo Airport.
Lets hope.
We do have SPRITE . I am not sure why it’s believed Lemonade is our equivalent to Sprite. It’s generally found everywhere 😅
Well when I asked for “Sprite” I was given “Lemonade” each time, so idk man 🤷♂️
@@PatrickSheaAviation mhhhh I don’t know about that but I can assure you… Sprite is a very very common thing here. Much like Coke 🥲😅
The best years 70s 80s and early 90s then down down hill
He finnesed you with that tip broer
Lol he ain’t even get a penny from me. Been there, seen that
At 26:53 the dude across from you is flipping you off.
I fear for my safety...?
I'm a South African and have flown SAA once before. Service and food were average and below what Ethiopian did. The fact that this airline kept popping up in the news headlines about going bankrupt and needing constant bailouts from the taxpayer, did not sit well with me. They have been operating at a massive loss for years, and the government refused to let experienced private sector people take over the running of it. So my (and my fellow South African) taxes kept this company afloat, which did not benefit me (or us) in any way.
I really do hope that they can pull themselves back to their heydays and start making a profit instead of relying on government funds. Unfortunately, the only way I see myself flying with them is through reviewers'/UA-camrs eyes like yourself. I'm in no rush to book a ticket with SAA.
That’s interesting to hear. I know there’s some general disconnect between SAA and the South African people, and this was a great way of explaining it. I do wonder what life would be like for the airline if they only sold a slight majority share of the company
🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ How many millions could go towards helping Eskom to keep the lights on instead of trying to keep an airline alive? S.A.A owns something like 4 planes thats paid for...all the rest are rented...WHY? The entire world know that this country is bankrupt...now they want to brag with a resurrected airline? Its insane. 😣😤😨
Sometimes the aviation market brings about frustrating challenges. Sometimes they have a grander reason for supporting it, and sometimes not. But one thing that’s for sure, as passengers, we notice right away the signs of a dying airline and that can hurt not only the airline, but the country if that airline is a flag carrier or plays a larger role in tourism/business travel
Baobab Lounge - pronounced BEI-OH-BAB
Yeah the getting out in the middle of a lighting storm…. 😮 no thanks
Ha! Exactly!
Still don't understand why you check in terminal B...then come back to terminal A afterwards, too much walknig
It was new for me too. A lot of people in the comments have shared their background and explanations for it thankfully
5:31 TAAG
Totally agree, soft product, food and presentation looks bland and boring and nowhere near a truly international airline. The crew uniforms have not changed since 1997! Such a pity, as South Africa has so many vibrant colour's and cultural designs to choose from.
I wonder if they’ll be able to rebrand once re-expanding. Then we can see if they can really evolve their product once they have a better cash flow. Remember that the airline almost went extinct only a few years ago, so they have quite the hill to climb
Will never fly them again. SAA simply has not been the same it was years ago.
SAA will probably never be what they once were. They destroyed the good image they had and once people lose confidence in a company they will move to another more reputable airline
Yea, it’ll be interesting to see how they approach those issues. I know a lot of locals are unhappy with the way they were able to come back
Ivan they were up then they got f----ckup.
Unfortunately SAA will never be able to resume their UK US EU routes…..all the money has been stolen.
Only African destinations for the future 😢
JFK is on their horizons. We should see it soon. Not sure about Europe exactly though
@@PatrickSheaAviation love to know where they will steal the money from for the annual landing fees…..🙄🤔
Until the next corruption scandal.
Back after using 90 billion of our tax paying money,so please do not make out that this is good.
Will never fly them again. Pay back the 50 billion of my taxpayers money that was stolen
South Africa is very dangerous.
I wonder
According to who , where did you get your information?
No, thanks. I wont support this government any longer.
I don't like these Airbus I still prefer Boeing but the new planes..
no thx i will rather walk if i have to
Yo, this guy has an annoying voice!
Hell yea! Don’t stop there. Keep goin
“Which is normal in African airports”. Ummmm, no it’s not. Been to Africa ally and never has happened to me. Colonizer language.
Alright now… everyone has different experiences. Of the 10 or so African airports I’ve been to you see people at each one of them offering to help you when you don’t need it just ask for a tip afterwards for basic things like pointing you in the right direction. People who aren’t familiar are often taken advantage of. “Colonizer Language” doesn’t seem to fit this one here
@@PatrickSheaAviation folks wanna get tips anywhere around the world. Just say no and move on. Not make it part of your “experience “.
Too much talkative