IRRESPONSIBLE CREW & FILTHY PLANES - AVOID SOUTH AFRICAN AIRLINK!
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- Опубліковано 4 сер 2023
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This is a comprehensive Flight Review of Airlink.
Class: Business
Route: Johannesburg (JNB) to Cape Town (CPT)
Plane: Embraer 195
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What do you think of Airlink's Performance? Also, follow me on instagram.com/gotravelyourway for daily updates!
Hey josh! It would be great if you flew Nepal Airlines once again, except this time in economy class. It would make my day !
Looked pretty ordinary Josh to be honest, I know this is your passion and always love your honesty on all your trip reports. Does it get lonely at times with all these flights by yourself? I know when I travel by myself especially long haul I miss not having someone close to me to talk to about the experience .
if you fly to windhoek its the best flight ever with airlink if not thats there problem
"These customers are SO BOTHERSOME! How can we get rid of those pesky patrons??!"
Josh knows how...now.
Flight was not meant for these people..probably not for thousands of years but likely not ever. The fact they even have a plane is an amazing feat of nature
As a South African ,this is what we deal with everyday, the attitude they give us its like they are doing you a favor. sad😢
Yes, this is standard SA service now.
The lack of cleanliness and hygiene is poor and service standards have dropped everywhere.
With a 30% pass rate at school/university, what the hell do you expect? I am EMBARRASSED to be South African at the moment! These clowns have a LOT to learn!!!🤔
Yebo we all know why all this is happening😬
it is what it is
Exactly!!!
As a South African this is terrible customer service in which we South Africans have been accustomed to. We need to have a deep look into ourselves as a society. Unfortunately it stems from the leadership of our country that has filtered into our people. From Johannesburg to Durban, to Cape Town...we ought to be embarrassed and wake up
America is just as screwed.
Not in the airline industry, though...
@@georgemartin1436bullshit, in the US they are professional. Why would even mention the US?😂
@@rabbe5475 I see your point.
I'll exclude the airline industry.
Nothing to do with leadership. It's their bad character
I think it's a deeply rooted cultural, economical and legal issue. It's difficult to fire poor employees and the lack of competitions on the market. It's also difficult to fire people in Japan, but their culture somehow supported good customer service.
As a South African i'm glad that you gave your honest review and didn't sugarcoat anything... we need more of these kind of videos even from South Africans, the people running these domestic airlines should be named and shamed
As a UK aircraft cleaner and ground crew, I’d be embarrassed and ashamed if I’d left an aircraft in that state, especially if we had a couple hours to do it.
Lol. Sadly in SA. THERE IS VERY LITTLE PRIDE. so feeling ashamed is not part of their vocabulary.
just remember the country is run by black people,very few white people have work in comparision to black people
Well, the country used to have standards untill, you know, the UK and many others hammered us to hand over our nation to these communist barbarians. Try living with these people, all minorities are to them is a scapegoat, a thing to put knives in, as well as the ones changing their diapers and wiping their noses.
Anybody or anyone surprised? If so at all. Come alive! It is the NEW South Africa.
2004. Air Zimbabwe. This is an exact duplication. It took Airlink 18 years. But they finally made the regression to par. And if this is their public image. Then. Was it through millenia. That a team is only as strong as it's leader. Thus. Can anyone imagine the pedigree fuckup behind the public's view. E.g., possibly in the aircraft maintenance division. And areas of critical importance.
Moreover. A fish rots from it's head. So is it from ANY governing direction.
Thank you most kindly for this eye-opener!!!
@@antonhuman8446 but just remember bee 🐝🍯 and affirmative action caused this,do you ever see any white people still having work in this industry, it's 99 % only black people having work in the industry at airports all over South Africa,I've flown so many times since July 15 between Germany and South Africa and at Jan Smuts airport one hardly sees any white people working there,I've been once to Durban airport and there's the same,99.99 % Ard only ethnic groups working there', even at Avis car hire at King Shaka Zulu airport, do can we expect any better service
The behavior of that check in agent at 1:20 was UNACCEPTABLE! Normally I can overlook bad service but that was ridiculous. Talk about a horrible first impression. Hopefully the marketing team/upper management sees this video and gets rid of that guy immediately. I am so happy I never chose to fly Airlink!
I’d have taken his name and mailed the video and a complaint to the airline.
@@mikoto7693yes he is definitely exposed now and should be relieved of the job so others with more enthusiasm can do the job
South Africa is about to go tits up. The blacks are so enraged by the whites, they forgot it was the whites who kept it running. Look at the power cuts and the slow decay
I agree. The less we say the more people gets way with it
Nd this rude and shameful behavior continues without any repurcussion
I hope they see the video and contact you
Having lived in South Africa for a few years, customer service culture-wise on how the check-in staff/cabin crew didn't prioritize you over personal pleasure isn't just an airline thing. It really is across all industries, no matter if it's in a fast food restaurant, government office, just anywhere in general. I'm not saying most customer facing staff is like that, but seeing that behavior isn't surprising.
welcome to South African Airports .... normally you do get a friendly smile at the end though .... I must say my Airlink "plane" experience have been better. Aircraft has always been clean. I am not sure what can be expected from "first class in a small plane like that ... personally I think it is a rip off but then one have the choice to fly first class or not ... I Have used Airlink a lot flying to Namibia after SAA, SA Express and Air Namibia went bankrupt and will fly with them again.
How did you get your boarding pass that you dropped into the toilet dude . I hope that you didn’t give it to anyone else to touch 🤮
realy enjoyed my flight. Fetched with a wheelchair very attentive friendly. person taken to a clean airgraft. All tbe personel were kind and frendly very helpfull. I enjoyed the free koffie .
thanks Airlink for a stress free flight.
On the nail. A fish rots from it's head.
I AGREE
As a South African I'm extremely embarrassed. This is how we have to put up with in this country now. Customer service is not a big focus anymore. Hope they look at this and see how embarrassing it is for them. 😮
Airlink is not owned by Government leave South African government alone its a private entity
Embarrassment is a human emotion; not applicable to this situation.
rot@@damonmelendez856
Electricity service isn't a big focus anymore either seemingly.
i have never flown on SAA domesticly yet, but i have flown so many times on lufthansa from Jan Smuts to frankfurt and Swiss air Jan smuts and Zurich , so in july 2019 i looked for cheap flights from SA to Germany and found on Google flight the cheapest flights was funny enough SAA for Jan Smuts and Munich, so i booked it, i boarded the flight with much apprehesion and being scared of the quality of the pilot due to BEE and affrimative action, what a surprise upon boarding,, the friendly flight crew astounded me, from take off until the crew were released to get up and start serving drinks i chatted to the flight crew sitting in front of me, what a nice lady, the plane was clean,, the quality of food was best i have ever had, in comparison to the bad quality food on Lufthansa and Swiss air, ok this was all before SAA was declared "bankrupt",
Josh,
I follow your reviews religiously and your reports are always fair and unbiased. As a South African I am deeply embarrassed to watch this. I have flown Airlink extensively for business and have to agree to the lack lustre customer service. Some flights are better but i have had a few shockers.
It always seems like staff are doing one
a favour not realising that farepaying customers are the reason why they are there in the first place.
Unfriendliness and offering minimum standards of customer service by the check-in agent comes as no surprise. Social chattering and looking at their smart phones are a bigger priority for sure.
Very few industries in this country know anything about customer service. I can only hope management sees this review and introduce changes. The filthy planes is absolutely unacceptable. Again staff who are paid to do this job are neglecting their duties. In a country with over 30% unemployment one would think even cleaners would be happy and proud to do a job properly.
Your next flight on South African airlines will be interesting to see. However I’m not holding my breath. That is a whole new disappointment awaiting you. I might be biased because taxpayers money is used to prop SAA up. Good luck! Once again thank you for your channel and great reviews
As a UK aircraft cleaner and ground crew, I would be very embarrassed if I left any plane I cleaned like that!
We used to fly only with Com-air but have not travel since before for Covid. That is the new norm in SA dirty and must say not all are unfriendly. Sorry about your bad flight
i have never flown on SAA domesticly yet, but i have flown so many times on lufthansa from Jan Smuts to frankfurt and Swiss air Jan smuts and Zurich , so in july 2019 i looked for cheap flights from SA to Germany and found on Google flight the cheapest flights was funny enough SAA for Jan Smuts and Munich, so i booked it, i boarded the flight with much apprehesion and being scared of the quality of the pilot due to BEE and affrimative action, what a surprise upon boarding,, the friendly flight crew astounded me, from take off until the crew were released to get up and start serving drinks i chatted to the flight crew sitting in front of me, what a nice lady, the plane was clean,, the quality of food was best i have ever had, in comparison to the bad quality food on Lufthansa and Swiss air, ok this was all before SAA was declared "bankrupt",
Most clear-headed South Africans are hugely embarrassed with a great many issues.
That agent who checked you in, I used to work with him at OR Tambo International
As a South African this is endemic of our country - people act like they are doing YOU a favor and you should be thankful they are there. It happens across the board from retail shops, grocery stores and even restaurants. Thanks for an honest review
Even the gov have EXACT SAME ATTITUDE...
@@marcushim1315 To be fair ALL governments act like that!
Government departments are worst of the worse
As a South African, this makes me very sad. Nothing new unfortunately. Lots of things in this country that used to be something to be proud of, now sucks. Luckily it is still a beautiful country. Looking forward to your SAA review.
Plenty of other people, in other nations, feel the same way about their own countries at this point.
This happens when you hire the people by skin color not by skill.
@@anonim9999 I've always believed that people should be hired and promoted based upon ability and effort.
That's considered CRAZY TALK now. I worked in a field that concerns public safety...but now you basically MUST hire a "diverse" person...and they don't know $HIT! "How many moons are there around the Earth? Twelve??? TWELVE???" Yes.
@@anonim9999 shocking to hear hiring of a race of people who are the majority in their own country is not advisable, just when you think the world has run out of low iq dingleberries.
@@anonim9999voetsek
The funniest thing is that here in good ol' US of A, you can pay $1500 for a first class ticket for a 4-5hr flight, and you still won't get lounge admittance... you have to buy the annual membership, which runs anywhere between $400-$600 or pay per visit. Only when you fly international business or first class is when you get a complimentary lounge pass... and even not every international destination qualifies. For example, most Caribbean destinations are excluded...
A first class ticket on Alaska Airlines will give you access to Alaska Airline’s first class lounges
@Andrew-fq3gm not on American, Delta or United... unless you either have a paid lounge membership or travel overseas.
USA and European business class seems to have different philosophies. Beginning with naming, domestic USA first class is comparable with Rest-of the world Business. In Europe business class always comes with lounge access, priority boarding and luggage handling, but on the other side, the seat itself may not be so different from coach. In a narrowbody you may find the central seat blocked and that’s it! Maybe throw some 10cm (4”) of seat pitch. Maybe that’s the reason why Europeans traveling in business like to board last, not first. Also the ability to change itinerary is something business travelers may pay a premium for, but the leasure traveler don’t find value in.
@luiskp7173 Most of my business travel is done in Asia, and I go out of my way to get there on either Asian or ME carrier. Intra-Asian travel is great... comfortable seats and lounge access no matter how short the flight is.
Mr Cahill
As a south African Apologies for the horrible experience and I hope they see this review and make improvements on the airline.
Great Video and as a Cabin Crew I can confirm that all doors/galleys need to be "manned" at all times. Quite a safety hazard and don't even get me started on the curtain and the crew gathering in the back, giving us a bad reputation. However what I found most shocking is the fact that you messaged the airline and educated them on all the shortcomings and they left you on "Seen" - that is worrying and shows how little they care. Airlink is to be avoided!
Do doors always have to be manned even in the air?
Don't talk about it! I MAY be able to sneak in there and find FREE SNACKS while it's unmanned!
Galleys need to be manned. Doors don't have to be manned when in the cruise. As cabin crew, you should know this.
This is not a law
@@lloydbrock2711galleys don’t need to be constantly manned either - otherwise one or two crew operation on smaller aircraft would be impossible.
Josh a little optimistic with “ it can only get better from here” 🤣🤣
I'll cut him slack THIS time only. Probably his first time in SA so he doesn't know better . . . 🤣
😂😂😂😂 hahaha my sentiment exactly
😁😅😆I'm laughing with you sir!🤣🤣
🤣😂
My son flew with Airlink very recently and had a good experience. I will check the airline out for myself in coming weeks and decide what I think of them. So sorry that you had to experience such bad service. South Africans are more than capable of providing excellent service.
I flew Airlink from JNB to MUB and then to CPT and after that back to JNB, I had to say all three flights were great. Nice staff, very good food service. Over all really nothing to complain. Would fly whith Airlink anytime again!
I flew Ryanair/Buzz from Poland to Canary islands (>5h flight!) and the crew also spent their best time ever in the rear galley. As I sat in the 1st row I could basically cook myself a dinner and make some coffee for other passengers 😁No one would notice.
Ryanair is so chaotic 🤣🤣
so did you make coffee for the other passengers? :)
Well u get what u paid for 😬
Hope the little UA-camr whining here read this comment. He is berating world class services and quite oblivious to how stupid he really is. Strikes me as someone who wouldn’t know good service if it slapped him the face.
"sh*t-show" is the best description!
As a South African I would never set foot on Airlink & SAA.
SAFETY RISK, CORRUPT, LAZY PATHETIC SERVICE.
I'm glad your checked luggage was not ransacked as a welcome gift to South Africa.
As a former pilot for SAA, I left the airline and the country in 1999, I wholeheartedly second your opinion.
They're not the same airline though, I hope you do know that? Airlink and SAA are two separate airlines & not the same entity
@@akiechhabra6300 Yes, they are 2 separate entities & both are equally crap.👎
@@brandonw7195 "looking ridiculous" you should calm down 🤣 Did you not watch the review @Joshcahill? What stopped a passenger of trying something stupid by fiddling with the unattended doors mid-flight?( & before you get a fit & your panties all wet, I know it's impossible to open the door mid-flight). The blatant disregard for Safety SOP's & common sense is an OBVIOUS safety concern. Why won't I answer? Who said SAA & Airlink is the same company?
@@brandonw7195 YOU might want to check your facts before commenting and looking ridiculous. Look at the crash of flight 8911 on 24 September 2009.
Sorry Man but we do not employ the best applicants we have a forced racist employment practice. Also no competition and no service culture.
Training Training Training
They don't even employ south Africans
I've never been to South Africa. But I bet that how a country is run is pretty much reflected in how its airlines' customer service fares. Generally, clean airplanes and welcoming ground crew/flight attendants belong to carriers from countries that pay attention to what matters as far as customer experience is concerned.
I'm from South Africa, you're right
Fly SAA next time white people have started blaming government
Yup U are not far off my Mon Ami... But in Africa service is not their priority... If not today then tomorrow... Is the attitude... Who cares, they still get their paycheck at end of the month. I would hate to see how they handle a crisis on board... Hahaa. Bonne Voyage...
Very few Africans take up jobs due to a feeling of passion for their chosen career. They take any job just for the pay. And do just enough to stay employed.
Having said that with the new labour laws it's virtually impossible to fire an employee. And the lazy bastards know this.
Precisely, the country is poorly run
as a South African I don't fly any of the airlines owned by the govt
The oldest operating A320 is actually a Fly One A320 (JY-JAC) with serial 0029. First flight made in January 1989!
if anyone working as a ground steward would behave like this in other countries, they would be fired.. but some airlines I guess do not care about the fact that customers are Key to running a successful business
In the UK the check in staff wouldn’t make the 3-6 month probation period behaving like that. And if they later regressed to such behaviour they’d face disciplinary proceedings, retraining and heavy supervision.
As a former manager I always blame the manager or team leader or who over is in charge of the people doing the wrong things. So the flight manager being a nice lady is still not good enough. Crew would not be inconsidered and piled up if the flight manager did do her duties. Culture of any company goes from top to bottem. So my guess is that Airlink management also doesn't care.
The boarding pass in the toilet was quite a good representation of your experience. 😊
Indeed 😂
Did you really take your boarding pass out of the toilet ?? Just curious
Thank you for your honest review, Josh. I have flown them between Walvis Bay & Windhoek, Namibia and Cape Town (only option) in the last 14 months and have been impressed by the friendly cabin crew and tasty catering! Pity you had such a crap experience on Airlink. Hope better flights will follow. ;-)
Made the same experiences. Unfortunately many people in South Africa are no longer motivated at work and service gets worse. Sad for such a nice country
The woman at the lounge was behaving like a prison matron
and the guy at the check in like a screw!
I think that's just how the lady speaks 🤣 but the check in guy was rubbish
I really felt bad when you dropped your boarding pass in the toilet, Josh. I'm not certain if I would have fished it out; I think I would have asked for a new one at my destination. At the very least, I think I would have boiled my hands after doing the deed!
Josh, you're one of my favorite You Tubers and I follow all your reviews. You're a straight shooter and call it like it is. I flew Airlink just yesterday from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and it was an awesome experience from check in to landing at home. I am posting this video on their Facebook page. That check in agent was an absolute disgrace but as mentioned here elsewhere, service levels across many industries in South Africa is shocking.
The way the your neighbour looked over at your meal at 8:30 has me in stitches Bahahahahaha
Im a proud South African who flies regularly. However, I try to avoid SAA and AirLink as much as possible. In my own experience, Kenya Airways ranks higher than most. AirLink staff are like former waitering staff judging by their conduct. I'm sorry for your lacklustre experience and I sincerely hope AirLink watches this and ups their game.
They never will. That part where you said "AirLink staff are like former waitering staff judging by their conduct." 😁😄😆Truly, made my day on that one!
I have never heard of an airport lounge that had a time limit before…..and especially unacceptable for businesses class passengers.
Also there are also no good excuses for bad customer service or a dirty plane.
Okay, airlink added to my blacklist!
Yup in SA there's a time limit in most lounges
As a South African I feel ashamed as how our country does not show how proud they are especially with some airlines they should show people they care
I am honestly embarrassed I am flying with them right now on my way to Johannesburg what a absolute shock.
Hi Josh. As a South African, I must ask you if you really feel safe flying on SA Airways tomorrow with their track record of mismanagement, corruption and constantly being bailed out of bankrupcy by the government? I wouldn't trust some of the pilots' qualifications, nor would I trust the quality of the plane maintenace. Have you tried Safair before? I'vbe flown on Safair a number of times between Cape Town and Jhb and it's always been quite pleasant and professional, even in economy class.
Yup flysafair are pretty good. Recently flew them from Cape Town to Durban. No complaints at all.
No surprise FlySafair is good..
The same thing happened when I traveled SA Airlines from Lagos to J’burg. The curtain between the business and economy sections was folded to one side about mid way into the flight with no crew in sight. It seems they have gotten use to taking their customers for granted.
So glad someone is finally exposing South African customer service
Weird- I was with my friends from Germany in South Africa and we thought that the airlink trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town was exceptional compared to regional European travel.
We flew Airlink from joburg to east london last September, my husband is in a wheelchair, the ground staff were wonderful, the plane was clean and the flight attendant was an angel...
I flew CemAir from Johannesburg to Cape Town and back. They were great. Clean planes, excellent service and friendly cabin crew. I’d recommend trying them next time.
As a South African I always flew Airlink. This is a shock as I always found them exception. They did not have business class pre Covid debacle when everything shut down. I am very disappointed I them now. So much has changed in the last 5 years as far as internal air travel goes. Airlink used to be the smallest airline doing short hops. Was the only airline to fly George / Durban direct.
I think you should give airlink another chance. As a South African, I apologise for the filth. But their other aircraft might surprise you. It’s not that bad I’d say. I wouldn’t say avoid airlink.
Josh: "It can only get better from here"
*Gets kicked out of the business class lounge in the next scene* 😄
Spoke too soon 😂😂
Should listen to the woman, she advised he was approximately 30 mins early and would have to pay R70 to go inside. This guy is literally a flying Karen😂
This is a very honest review. l had a medical emergency and had to miss my flight to Boston enroute Joburg. Went to their offices to enquire and wished l never had - they are super rude!
I have always had a good experience with Airlink but this was an absolute shocker. That check-in agent needs a little corrective action.
Strange. I flew business class on Airlink four times in June (Two domestic, two international). We were always directed to the Slow Lounge, which I thought was among the nicer lounges I have been to. Foung the service in business class super friendly, abd the catering was very good for relatively short flights.
He's complaining that he arrived too early in the lounge and wanted to finish all the food and drinks 😂😂. He's paid to whine and nagging
Unfortunately in South Africa with the indigenous folks, it’s all about getting that salary for the least amount of work while being protected to the hilt by labor unions. There is zero pride about workmanship or service that is benefitting others.
Yeah crew going to the rear galley is a pretty common thing especially with short haul airlines . I work for a UK based short haul airline and once we’ve completed all the services we go to the rear and have a cup of tea. We do cabin walk throughs every 10 mins to make sure everything and everyone is alright . Once we had our cuppa we then go through with another drinks service etc .
i flew on airlink at around the same time. from johannesburg to bulawayo and had a relatively good experience. had three flights in total with them and had a good experience.the bidvest lounge debacle was weird as i was allowed access into the SLOW lounge well before 2 hours before my departure time. sucks that you had this experience. also flew this same route from jnb-cpt. funny enough i flew on an ex belavia emb. back from bulawayo.
As a South African i say welcome to my world. This kind of service is all over South Africa. Since the ANC government took over they have managed to destroy our country 😢
I think the problem with the lounge access is that many banks offer lounge access even for economy passengers. The lounges became overcrowded and I think they are restricting the time to reduce the number of people. Otherwise you'll get people camping in the lounge for hours while consuming unlimited food and drinks.
This experience was totally the opposite of all of my experiences with Airlink so far. I have been flying with them on a regular base, also in business class. I consider Airlink to be the best domestic carrier in SA. Never had a filthy plane, bad service on board or any safety concerns. As far as lounge access, you must be able to get into the lounge within that timeframe so someone obviously screwed up. I am more then happy and comfortable to hop on an Airlink flight any time soon. Shame your experience was this bad and I hope the airline takes notice of this to improve their product and service. But, coming from a regular customer, this is not how Airlink usually operates. I would still definetely reccommend them.
@@wagmiorngmidefinetely not :) just my own experience
Airlink are by far the best in SA at the moment - very rarely delayed and the staff very friendly and accomodating. The check-in agent set the scene for the whole review unfortunately. For the grand total of $5 he could have gone into the lounge earlier. The SAA lounge is nice but that’s about it - Airlink is privately owned and this is not indicative of the 4Z experience. The whole curtain thing sums this channel up 😂
@@luketb3980 you are the epitome of a south african who is so use to bad service, that it is the norm. If you feel your (i hope is legitimate and not via government tendors or even worse, an eskom employee) hard earned money should be wasted on shoddy service where you must be thankful for them even acknowledging your existence (which personally based on your comment i would also ignore you), well, carry on my deluded rainbow son, your the minority here. And besides, why are you even commenting anyway if you dont like the channel? Troll much? Or do you have nothing better in your pitiful life to complain about?
@@jinmi7832not true, I have watched so many of his videos, what you said is not true at all!
Hope the right people see this it is also the staff attitude that is so disgraceful shocking!
Having flown Airlink at least twenty times a year for eight years both Business Class and Economy I was so surprised by this review as I’ve only had great experiences except once. I guess it’s that one time that can make or break a review but I think it’s very sad and strange that this happened to you as everyone knows you are a Travel Blogger
I can't agree I regularly fly Airlink and many other Airlines. Airlink is an expensive poor show.
I’ve flown with Airlink 10 times in the past 3 years and I’ve never had a bad experience. Although they can be pricy they provide great crew, tasty food and comfortable seats for hops around Southern Africa. Airlink has actually switched to another lounge called Slow which is by a long shot the best domestic lounge company in South Africa so if you fly business with them you won’t have to deal with the time constraints. I definitely recommend flying Airlink and if you’re ever in SA I think it’s worth giving them a try.
That does not negate Josh's experiences of bad service and a filthy airplane.
Perhaps you are biased for some reason?
@@bee7549 I use airlink all the time n never had a bad experienced too
experienced that issue with the lounge, (though the lounge in Cape Town under South African pre-revival was also time limited - not something you expect when you're flying with status) one thing with AirLink that was better than before is the use of jets into places like WVB - it used to be little ATR sized prop planes under South African and they'd regularly leave luggage behind due to capacity issues. I used AirLink while South African was still out for the count, so maybe srevice was better while they were still fresh and trying to capture marketshare.
Thanks so much for posting this video Airlink is starting operations in Malawi and as a Malawian resident it’s good to know more about the airline
Delta has a three hour access policy to their lounge and while most US airlines will close the curtain, they are generally not enforcing access to the front lavatory. I was told once by an American Airlines flight attendant they are not supposed to challenge passengers on this issue and it’s pretty common for economy class passengers in the first few rows (generally premium economy) to use the front lavatory. I guess one could argue that most of them are frequent fliers with status or paid extra for those seats…
Actually many airport lounges around the world have similar restrictions. They don't want passengers just sort of squatting there for hours.
I flew Airlink in 2018 as they were among the few to fly to MQP. Both flights were pleasant (one in an RJ85, the other in an E190) and not unsafe at all, crew seemed professional and attentive.
I also think that the check-in personnel at JNB belongs to the airport, if they are the only choice, what can you as an airline do?
The lounge experience was FUBAR for sure...
Hi Josh, Never been to South Africa, or flown Airlink however horrible is the first word that came to my mind when I saw your video, Starting at the check in counter, this is unacceptable by any airlines standards and Customer Service standards, In other countries he would have been in trouble with the line manager, in others he would have been fired on the spot. The business lounge policy is nothing more than a bad joke, I have never heard of such a thing in my life, you pay for the lounge, you should be allowed access at any time early, late doesn't matter. What a rip off. Finally the lack of safety and cleanliness, I'm sorry if I hear such a disgrace for an airline. I will never want to fly them.
He is misrepresenting 90% of the video trying to score a commercial point.
Service on the old SAA (pre-business rescue) was appalling. The crew cocooning in the back galley was commonplace. I use a wheelchair. Once left for an hour on the plane in Joburg, 10:00pm. The crew had all left, cleaners only onboard. With their help I finally got my own wheelchair to the gate … and swore I would not fly with them again. I’m sticking to that. Good luck!
The lounge access timing is common now a days, I experienced the same in Sharjah and chennai airport this week. Then lounge reads 3hrs prior to departure which seems logical as the checkin only opens 3hrs prior but for the transiting passenger with longer transit, can’t.
I’ve been watching Josh for a while now. He’s accurate. I’ve actually changed flights due to his critique. Too old to travel in a shit show anymore. As a backpacker all those years ago I’d be happy in cargo.
i flew airlink a few years ago and had a lovely experience, so I decided to book another flight with them in September. Watching this video I am now questioning my decision.
What a horrible airline!! The guy at the check-in counter… how unprofessional.
I am curious to hear if the airline reached out to you or if the airline actually paid attention to negative reviews
To think that I once applied for a job here, as an experienced customer service consultant. I was rejected for this 😂.
I flew to Namibia with Airlink 3 months ago, staff was very helpful and friendly at the booking in counter, food was good, the aeroplane was spotless and cabin crew also very friendly.i will defiantly fly with Airlink again.
I’m Portuguese and flew several times with Air Link with no complaints about aircraft and cabin crew. But handling in OR Tambo is terrible.
If you are in a connection arriving in OR Tambo in another airline, most likely your luggage will stay at Johannesburg and won’t fly with you.
OR Tambo sends everybody to the same passport control, either you are arriving in Johannesburg or taking a domestic flight. So, if you don’t have much time to connect, it’s very likely that you will miss your flight. Security personnel may allow you to come to the priority desk, but immigration ladies may threaten you to send you back to the end of the cue.
Last August I arrived in OR Tambo from Dubai and had a 2 hours connection for Hoedspruit. I was allowed to go to the passport control priority desk, the lady treated me like trash and a porter took me to the boarding gate. But my luggage was left in Johannesburg
I cannot fault the lounge receptionist...she was just enforcing procedure. But that dude at check-in... he was just outright unprofessional with his zesty self!!!
There is no excuse to time limit a lounge like this.
When I lived in RSA 1974 to 1976, we looked forward to flying. The service was great, they even gave us kids toys ❤
1974🎉
I nearly died flying to South Africa from Perth Australia. We had done the big haul to Perth, then to Johannesberg. I then had to take a small propella plane to fly south down to Richard Bay which is about 1 hr north of Durbin.
There was thick fog and the runnway could not be seen, we nearly wing tipped twice and when we finally landed the whole lot of us got up and clapped to the pilot! As there was no air tower at this small airport. I had actually landed at this airport several times over a two year work time in Richards Bay in the late 80s.
Try flying in Canada ancient prop planes between cities no food or drinks - scary
All lounges in SA have a time limit - due to peeps sitting there for ages eating and drinking the lounge dry. The cost for 30 mins etc is so minimal (like under R200 in any other currency = peanuts!), that if I am early I pay it!
I totally agree with you ! You pay more for the perks so you should get the perks !!
Josh. Welcome back to SA. AS A South Africa, this is the level of service you get on SA. The food is from outside sources, otherwise that would have been shocking as well. I will NEVER fly saa or airlink. But as I fly ever so often, although i do not in any, sense work for any airline, I use Fly Safair.
Hey at least the lounge staff was extremely clear and concise.
They're no wrong about Airlink being the best in South Africa. The fact that Airlink is the best you can get speaks volumes...
Shocking. Such a shame that Comair is no longer there
Flew with airlink from Eswatini 🇸🇿 to Johannesburg and thought it was great
Being on time, cleaning, and professionalism are completely optional in South Africa
I´m pleased to let you know that in many airlines, it is not mandatory to staff all galleys at all times, as long it is possible to to check that no customer is tampering with the equipment (opening the curtain for example).
Especially when the cabin manager has to brief something during the flight, it is common practice to leave one galley unstaffed for a certain amount of time. Obviously from the safety perspective they still need to check the toilets every 20-30 Minutes, and in an ideal world they also should be approachable for Business class customers.
However, especially on those rather short flights, many business class customers just want to be left alone, they even get annoyed if you approach them too often.
I had 4 flights with them in this month (domestically) and I've had a good experience, clean, no real delays, every time surprised with the food quality. Better experience with them compared to Safair that I flew with in previous years. BTW (in majority of lounges in South Africa there is a 2 hour limit unfortunately)
I travel with them all the time n never experienced what he's experienced
I had 8 local flights with airlink this year and also had not experienced any of these issues. I have never experienced delay. Unfortunate that he had this experience. And yes all local lounges have a 2 hour limit. This is standard. Just came from the US, where I took 4 local flights, and Airlink was much better than Delta. It's also quite standard to not have in-flight entertainment for such short flights.
Thanks for that review. That check in agent treated you with no respect at all. And the price you paid, I agree, you weren't treated like a business class traveler, other than the meal. I hope that someone from Airlink has watched this video and they can sort out their issues.
Well in the US I must sadly say that’s it’s very common for the First Class flight attendant to leave the First Class galley and cabin unattended. In fact on smaller aircraft it’s part of the service plan. I know on a lot of EMB 175’s and similar sized aircraft, there are only 2 cabin attendants on board, so after the First Class attendant finishes their service they are supposed to go back to the economy class section to assist with service in the back. And yes, I’ve sadly seen them go back to visit and chat too. But it’s definitely not a rule in the US to have a cabin attendant stay in the First Class cabin for the entire flight. Not that I wish it wasn’t a rule as I’ve sometimes had trouble getting a follow up drink etc, haha.
Not the guy opposite also goosenecking your food😭🤣 why was he interested? 🤣🤣
The meal presentation was very good. The crew need improvement in service but more importantly in safety. I remember having a constant crew around on some of great airlines that constantly made sure i had a drink or checked to see it i needed anything all through the flight. i even felt sorry for them as they were on their feet for the full duration of the flight sometimes 8 hours or more. The CEO needs to clean that plane and every plane. He needs to hire someone who knows what clean means, just like they check the top hotels. The CEO has no clue. He needs to travel on airlines that are successful to see how it is done. Or better still, he should hire Jose to teach him the ropes.
A disgrace for our country. 😢
SAD SAD SITUATION..
.AND GONA GET WORSE....
Agg man. Yall talk like Europe is this wonderful, place clean with no bad service....the whole world os like this.
There’s a reason a fraction of people left SA for Australia in 94🤔. I’d like to believe they saw this coming.
Hi Josh,
I’m your newest subscriber coz of your fair analysis and honest reviews. As a neighbor to South Africa (I’m from Eswatini, formerly Swaziland), I’m truly embarrassed by the bad customer experience you got in the airport. Totally unacceptable for an airport we pride ourselves in in this side of the world.
The dirty plane you flew in honestly surprised me coz I have flown with Airlink about 20 times, all pre-pandemic times, and they were ultra clean in all instances. I really hope they get to watch this and redress these issues you highlighted straightaway. I wasn’t aware actually that they now have two classes in those relatively small Embraers, impressive.
As for the food, I’m happy you enjoyed it, you never go wrong with our culinary experiences in Southern Africa.
Outside the flight review, I’m happy you also mention the beauty of the destinations as well: South Africa and the entire region is amazing beyond words.
Now, from the short sponsored segment, I was surprised to discover that airfares for the same route differ in price based on economy variations, wow, that’s a first. I’ll use a VPN next time I’m booking a flight, although my bank app may detect unfamiliar payment location, will cross the bridge when I get there😊
Keep up the good work
Definitely an airline to avoid. Check-in and aircraft cleanliness appalling. Hope more attention is paid to aircraft maintenance and safety. Great video. Thanks
In 2002 I flew on a South African Airways 747 from JFK to Johannesburg. The hard product and crew were top notch.
They weren't broke in 2002.
@@ChineseKiwiexactly
Flew SAA 747-400 First Class (When they were just about to ditch First Class). CPT-LHR. Awful service, awful meals..shared the exact same wine list as Biz Class. A very forgettable experience.
Things have changed a tiny bit in the SA economy since 2002...
That guy at 8:32 is me when I realized I should've ordered something different off the menu 😂👀
The guy at the reception is definitely getting fired
Glad your food was delicious and at least one of the staff was pleasant and the loo was okay. I always fear losing my boarding pass. I think that you are probably right about poor safety training and implementing. Sounds like a scary flight with an inattentive crew both on the ground and on the plane. The cabin manager sounds lovely. Sad.
I usually put my boardingpass, together with my passport, in my backpack when I don't need to show it somewhere. That way, I won't loose it so fast and it would certainly not end up in the loo xD
I’m similarly paranoid with my passport, boarding pass, wallet and phone-keeping them in a leather pouch worn under my t shirt against my chest.
Such a shame the guy at the check in desk seemed totally disinterested
Yes, what an idiot
Proudly South African here and am happy about your honest review 👏👏 they must IMPROVE!!!!!
Standard South African service. Everywhere. As a South African, Not surprised but embarrassed.. even us we cry about customer service in every single thing here 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
As a South African in Europe this made me nostalgic... i miss my country so much and i love it despite all of its flaws
Lord you sound like me! I feel the same and I live here! When I travel abroad and return to SA, I want to kiss the ground. I am always so happy to be back. I guess we have learned over the years to put up with the crappy service. It's everywhere. Appears to have started out in government departments and spilled into the private sector (SA Airlink is privately owned). Workers simply ride rough shod over their bosses with protection from their unions. But the bad ones in the private sector are definitely the exception, not the rule. Our people are amongst the friendliest in the world and the direction some conversations take will have you cackling for hours, of course with the retelling of the tale.
In saying all that, I had a similar experience flying SAA as Josh had with Airlink a few years ago ex Johannesburg to Frankfurt. Aircraft was filthy, though the crew were really nice and kind. I will safely say that I will not fly SAA again. I am a germaphobe.