At long last, there is light at the end of the tunnel for South African Airways, the beleaguered flag carrier of South Africa. The South African government has announced plans to sell a majority stake of the troubled airline to a private African investment consortium while still maintaining minority control of the airline. South African […]
South African Airways Under Investigation For “Extraordinarily Dangerous” Takeoff
South African Airways (SAA) is under investigation after a flight crew miscalculated the weight onboard a cargo flight and nearly stalled the aircraft during takeoff. While automatic safety features onboard saved the day, the close call raised many concerns, including the fact that it took over three weeks for SAA to report the incident to […]
Review: South African Airways A330 Business Class
My Africa trip included 10 flights, but my journey from Johannesburg to Accra onboard the South African Airways A330 in business class was easily my favorite flight. SAA truly impressed me with its comfort, service, and dining onboard. This airline has so much potential. South African Airways A330 Business Class Review After arriving from Cape […]
Review: South African Airways Premium Lounge Johannesburg (JNB)
The South African Airways Premium Lounge in Johannesburg is actually quite nice and was a very pleasant place for me to spend four hours between flights. With good coffee, a wide selection of food, and comfortable seating, it proved to be a very productive time for me. South African Airways Premium Lounge Johannesburg Review Location […]
Review: South African Airways A320 Business Class
My flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg on South African Airways was originally scheduled with an Airbus A350-900, but swapped at the last minute for an A32o-200 instead. While I missed out on a lie-flat seating, the A320 business class journey on SAA was pleasant enough. South African Airways A320 Business Class Review After spending […]
Review: South African Airways Lounge Cape Town (CPT)
I arrived at Cape Town International about two hours before my flight to Johannesburg, leaving me plenty of time to check out the South African Airways domestic lounge in Cape Town. While the survival of SAA remains an unresolved issue, the issue is not with its product, which remains not only adequate, but nice. South […]
Insanity: South African Airways Receives Huge Bailout
During a time in which even once-healthy airlines around the world are fighting for survival, South Africa just injected a whole lot more cash into South African Airways. Is this simply doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a result, the definition of insanity? Or is it even worse considering the current […]
South African Airways Is In The Hands Of One Man
Pravin Gordhan desperately wants to maintain a national carrier in South Africa. As South Africa’s Minister for Public Enterprises, the key to a new or revitalized airline rests in Gordhan’s hands. One Man’s Effort To Save South African Airways There’s still uncertainty over the future of South African Airways. Last December, SAA was placed into Business […]
South African Airways Lives To See Another Day After Court Forces It To Keep Flying
A South African Labor Court has ruled that South African Airways must continue to operate, handing a victory to union who sued to halt the carrier’s shutdown. South African Airways entered business rescue in December. Business rescue, by its very name, suggests rescue, not dissolution. But after stalled progress with union, mounting debt, COVID-19, and […]
The Demise Of South African Airways Is Truly A Tragedy
South African Airways is certainly poorly run, but its demise would be a huge loss to travelers. My recent trip on SAA is a testament to that. Reports have emerged that the South African government will provide no further financial lifeline to South African Airways. If true, there’s a strong chance that SAA will be […]
First Impressions: South African Airways A330 Business Class
I recently had the chance to fly South African Airways onboard the A330-300 in business class from Johannesburg to Accra. It turned out to be a very pleasant flight experience that greatly exceeded expectations. South African Airways is operating under “business rescue” protection with an outside administrator imposing severe austerity measures on the beleaguered carrier. […]
South African Airways Placed In Business Rescue: What Does That Mean?
South African Airways will receive a bailout even though all parties deny it is a bailout. But what does this mean for the airline and its customers? I sort of asked this question already in a post last week, but as more news has emerged about SAA’s rescue plan, I want to revisit the question. […]
South African Airways Survives…But Now What?
South African Airways (SAA) will survive…at least for now…thanks to another government infusion. But will the government finally force the carrier to change? Let’s zoom right into the text of statement from South Africa’s Department of Public Enterprises, as shared by Flight Global: “SAA therefore, cannot continue in its current form…The airline group will now […]
South African Airways On The Brink Of Collapse
South African Airways is facing collapse and liquidation as it desperately tries to raise capital to pay staff salaries and other operational expenses. Blaming the recent strike for its “sudden deterioration” in cashflow, South Africa’s flag carrier now faces a daunting task: raise two billion rand ($135MN) over the the next few days or shut down. […]
Too Little, Too Late? South African Airways Reaches Deal To End Strike
The week-long strike appears almost over at South African Airways, though the damage has already been done and the beleaguered carrier finds itself in a very dangerous position. Dangerous position is relative term. South African Airways (SAA) has been in a dangerous position for many years, after reporting losses for seven consecutive years. And while […]
South African Airways May Dismember Itself To Survive
South African Airways just received its first Airbus A350…and another government bailout. But this one comes with a few more strings attached, at least potentially. Among them: explore selling off its SA Express subsidiary. There was never much doubt that South African Airways (SAA) would receive another infusion from the government. After all, the government […]
Why Does Ethiopian Airlines Want To Invest In South African Airways?
Ethiopian Airlines is open to the idea of investing in South African Airways. In fact, it sees it as part of a broader strategy to save aviation in Africa. Not only has South African Airways (SAA) not reported profit since 2011, it is not reporting anything this year…as it scrambles raise cash, it has delayed […]
South African Airways Says Latest Cash Injection Is Not Enough
South African Airways is expected to shortly receive a 5.5 billion rand ($376 million) infusion for the new fiscal year. But the beleaguered carrier says that is not enough to keep the lights on. SAA has debt of 12.7 billion rand ($868 million), of which about 3/4 of that is so-called legacy debt while 1/4 […]
South African Airways Denies Three-Way Split
South African Airways is denying a report that it will split into three units. News surfaced yesterday that beleaguered South African Airways would split into three separate entities, one for domestic, one for regional, and one for international flight routes. South African Airways CEO Vuyani Jarana was quoted as the source for this news: We are […]
South African Airways Turns To Emirates For Help
Cash-strapped South African Airways has turned to Emirates in a bid to turn around its dire financial situation. I’ve written about South African Airways several times, but stopped recently because I was just writing the same thing, over and over. Another debt deadline, another bailout. The carrier continues to hemorrhage cash and post massive losses. […]