We have family in South Africa, and we went to visit them a couple years ago. South African Airways and Delta are the two main airlines that fly to South Africa, and SAA was a good bit cheaper when we went, so that's who we flew with. The next time we go, I definitely plan to use them again. In-Flight Accommodations The flight had a wide variety of movies and tv shows from which to choose. A lot of the movies were bigger name movies, and they were free to watch. We ended up watching Men in Black, The Incredibles, and The Amazing Spider-Man, so they had a wide variety of types of movies as well as a good combination of older and newer movies. The good on the flights was great as well. They had a few different choices of meals at each mealtime, and they were very generous with the snacks and drinks. We could go back to the galley and get small sandwiches, chips, and drinks pretty much anytime we wanted at no extra cost.

utlegospam

USA

Traveling a great deal for work purposes means racking up airlines miles. As a result, I was able to use my Star Alliance miles to book a flight from London Heathrow to Johannesburg for a personal flight. Service South African AIrlines offers service to a number of major international airports globally and a number of regional airports throughout South America. In-Flight Accommodations The business class in-flight accommodations on my South African Airlines flight were as expected from a major international carrier. The seats were extremely comfortable and I was able to sleep for at least half of my twelve hour flight. The food and beverage selection that was offered on my South African Airlines flight were decent. There was a full beverage cart and was offered my meal by a flight attendant personally due to the fact that I had slept through one of the meal offerings. The price of the flight was represented in some of the bonus in-flight accommodations offered.

internashley

USA

South African Airways is the best airline in the African region. Have a great reputation in the region. Superb choice for tourists and South Africans commuting inside the Republic of South Africa and also for those who wish to discover the rest of Africa to great safari destination countries such as Botswana, Namibia, or Malawi . I have used South African Airways during my stay there in 2006 and also in recent years for a vacation to Cape Town, which was delightful. South African Airways is the pride of RSA and also the pride of Africa. As someone who was raised in the RSA I could vouch that. In-Flight Accommodations Great food choices including South African wines. Typical in-flight services that you would expect from any airliners such as in-flight movies and music. The flight attendants are attentive and willing to service passengers in need i.e. mothers who needs help with calming their babies.

Jokorare

USA

The staff are always pleasant and helpful. Check in is painless. The inside of the plane is clean and the on board entertainment makes a long trip much easier. Flight attendants are still "nice" even after several hours. The gift bags (face mask, ear plugs, etc.) are a blessing when I've forgotten these things in the past. Service Genuine smiles are nice. In-Flight Accommodations Slightly wider seats would make a long trip a little easier.

mrsamerica71

USA

In late 2009 I flew from JFK to Johannesburg then on to Cape Town on SAA.  From what I had read in reviews I was expecting a bit more than the typical air transport that one experiences in American domestic air travel.  What I experienced was just another bus ride, albeit a long one from New York to South Africa. The plane was a little dirty...no big deal, the food was typical airline food...nothing out of the ordinary, and the onboard service was nothing to write home about.  Just another flight.  On the positive side, they were always on time.  The seat back entertainment system worked well, and we landed in one piece, which is always the best part of any flight.   I found the domestic air flights within South Africa to be quite a bit nicer, but still nothing to get too excited about.  The real downside to traveling SAA was the fact that I had my luggage riffled through on two occasions.  Once losing a computer power cable, and the second time just having my clothes tossed around a little.  No major theft, but still somewhat of an irritation.  I'd fly them again should the need arise as they have a great route system.....I just wouldn't get too excited about it.   

steve9631

Bellingham, WA

The planes are decent but their customer service is not just poor but downright scary.  My daughter tried for 4 hours to get her flight changed in ZA but kept getting put on hold and having the phone connection drop.  I then tried from the US.  The first time I was told that their systems were down so try again later.  When I did get through I was told that to charge me for the additional fee I had to FAX them a copy of my credit card, a picture ID, and a form with all sorts of personal information.  Can you say perfect ID theft?  I would not use SAA until they leave the 1980's and join us in the 21st century.  It makes we wonder about their maintenance and other systems.

Billium1953

Mason, OH

For my first fligth to Johannesburg, South Africa I was not really looking forward to being stuck on an airplane for 18 hours, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how quickly the time went by... They have an excellent inflight entertainment system with tons of movie choices to make the time go by. There was plenty of food/snacks/drinks and in the end I ended up still having the candy bars and granola bars I had brought on board just in case. The staff was super friendly and really went out of their way to assist. I'd DEFINITELY chose them again. ANYTIME!!! Some of our domestic airlines could stand to learn a lot from South African Airways - I've been on 5-hour flights across the US that seemed like an eternity compared to this experience. GOOD JOB!!!

downloadthis

New York, NY