A Trip Report: South African Airways, International + Domestic (August, September 2016)

A Trip Report: South African - international + domestic

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

South African Airways (SAA) is the flagship airline of South Africa, but it is known well beyond Africa.  Since 2006, the airline is part of the Star Alliance network and operates direct flights in the U.S. from New York or Washington, D.C. to Johannesburg.  Reading up on SAA’s history, I was intrigued to try them out.  During apartheid, the airline was put on restriction from certain countries but has worked on rebranding its image.  Since that time, SAA has become well-known in the U.S. as one of the only African airlines to fly directly, allowing for easy connections and transportation to and from the countries.  Lately, South African has been in the news for the financial woes but this made me more intrigued to fly the airline.  I was able to fly SAA a part of a Star Alliance connection flight from America to South Africa.  I flew United from New Orleans to Houston, Lufthansa from Houston to Frankfurt, and then was able to pick up SAA to fly from Frankfurt to Johannesburg (the same route happened on the reverse as well).

I had booked the trip through a travel website (since I was connecting on various airlines)

so when I received my SAA confirmation, I went to the website manage my booking.  The website itself is easy to manage, but how you manage your booking depends on your flight booking.  My booking on SAA was done as a Lufthansa code-share, so I was not able to fully manage my booking.  I was able to update my contact information and frequent flyer number; however, I was not able to add a special meal or other such services.  I knew someone who had also booked a flight on SAA to fly from DC to New York to Johannesburg and then direct back to DC, and had booked it through a travel website but their flights were booked as SAA codeshares so she had more options to manage her booking.

While I was unable to preselect a seat on the outbound, my friend had the option to preselect a seat for a fee ($17 each way) or select a seat for free at check-in 24-hours prior to flight time.  For my seat selection, I could choose my seats 24-hours prior to my flight time or a seat would be provided to me at the airport.  No matter which way you booked, or how the flight was coded, it just seemed better to call the reservation line to confirm all the booking details.  I had downloaded the SAA app as well as through that app I was access all the features such as manage booking and flight status.

My flight was scheduled to take off from Frankfurt at 8:45pm and, after at 10h40m flight, was scheduled to land in Johannesburg at 7:25am.  I had received my boarding pass when I check in New Orleans, but I had a long layover in Frankfurt so I had left the airport.  When I returned, I went to the SAA check-in counter to reconfirm my boarding pass, reconfirm my seat, and ensure my luggage had been transferred.  The check-in desks open 3 hours prior to the flight, so after waiting in line for a bit I spoke to someone who confirmed all my details and I went to the boarding area.  For long-haul flights, SAA utilizes the Airbus A340-600.  Our plane had arrived that morning from Johannesburg (review of that flight later on) and was towed to the gate about an hour prior to departure.   Boarding commenced around 8pm, and since the load was light we were on-board fairly quickly.  There was no method to the boarding process, they just opened up the gates and people went through at their leisure. 

The plane itself looked fairly old, from the old PTV screens to the old seat layout.  The seats were in a 2-4-2 layout, and were already pre-reclined.  The seat pitch was also very nice and comfortable, so this plus the pre-recline provided a log of legroom for the seat.  The entire plane was divided into 4 sections, with the first section dedicated to the Business Class and the last three sections dedicated to economy class.  Given the light load, most passengers in the front section had at least 2 seats to themselves.  Each seat

came with its own PTV, which was very small, out of date, and was not very responsive.  The seats did not have any USB ports or other charging mechanisms.  While the seats and legroom were comfortable, the plane was definitely showing its age with the PTV, the AC control, and other airplane features.  While boarding was being completed, the attendant came around and handed out serviettes as well as amenity kits.  The amenity kits contained standard items – socks, eyeshades, and toothbrush – but it was a nice gesture.  Each seat contained a blanket and a pillow, and in the seat pockets were headphones, the airline magazine, plus the duty free magazine. 

About an hour after take-off, the service cart came down the aisle and drinks plus crackers were served.  After drinks, dinner was served.  I had ordered a special meal so those were delivered first, but the options for the main meal were chicken, beef, or vegetarian option.  It was nice that SAA provided so many options to cater to various dietary types.  The vegetarian meal that I had on-board was actually one of the best airline meals ever – it was extremely tasty.  Additional drinks were served along with dinner.  Tea and coffee were served after dinner, and water was given out when the trays were being cleared.  Afterwards, the lights were dimmed so that passengers could get some rest.

For those passengers who were awake, the PTV offered some movie and TV selections.   The choices were limited, the movies were about 1 year old, the screens were sometimes not responsive, and the screen was small; however, at least the option was available.  Water was available in the galleys, but no additional snacks were provided in the flight.  About an hour prior to landing, the lights came on and breakfast was served.  Again, with breakfast drinks were served as well as tea and coffee.  The food for both the dinner and breakfast were decent and substantial enough to fill you up.  We landed generally on time and taxied to the gate. 

My return flight, from Johannesburg to Frankfurt, as well as my friend’s flight from New York to Johannesburg followed the same general pattern.  The aircraft type, the older feel of the plane, the limited movie and TV selection, and the food options were all similar to my flight.  My friend’s return flight from Johannesburg to Washington, D.C., was operated by a newer A340-600.  The newer plane had the same PTVs with a similar limited selection, a tighter seat pitch, USB ports available, and the seats weren’t as comfortable as the older planes.  Overall, flying an older plane with SAA had its benefits and drawbacks.  The benefits were the bigger seat pitch which allowed more legroom, and that is important on a long-haul flight.  The negatives were the older PTVs, the older seats, the lack of USB ports, and the limited entertainment section.

I also had an opportunity to experience SAA domestically, from Johannesburg to Durban. I was originally scheduled to fly Mango Airlines, but I changed to an earlier flight operated by SAA to experience them domestically.  The flight was a short 40-minute flight and was operated by an Airbus A320 with a 3-3 seat layout. This newer plane had pre-reclined seats and had a nice seat pitch.  There were no PTVs or USB ports, but there were overhead screens which showed variety programs and newspapers were available at the check-in counter.  Even though it was a short-flight, drinks and a sandwich/snack were served; I have only seen this type of full service on a short flight on Middle East carriers before.  It was a pleasant short flight.

Based on my two international and one domestic flights, I would fly SAA again for short and medium-haul flights.  The seat comfort, pitch, and on-board service seemed perfect for a short to medium haul flight; however, based on this criteria I am not sure I would choose them for a long-haul flight.  While I enjoy the generous seat pitch, I would prefer USB ports and a better entertainment selection. 

Trip Report: Flying LCC's in South Africa - Mango Airlines and Kulula.com (August, September 2016)

Flying LCC's in South Africa:  
Mango Airlines & Kulula.com (Aug/Sep 2016)

comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

Fly low cost has it perks and challenges, but low-cost carriers are so wide spread and now cover destinations that the main carriers do not serve (or have leased out this route to their LCC partner).   When flying domestically within South Africa, the majority of the flights were operated by low-cost carriers.  There are two dominant LCCs in South Africa – Mango Airlines and Kulula.com.  Mango Airlines is the low cost arm of South African Airways, while Kulula.com is part of ComAir which is a part of British Airways.  We were flying between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and between Johannesburg and Durban and on both sectors the most convenient, and cost effective option, were on low-cost carriers.  I wanted to try both options so we choose the following: Mango for Johannesburg to Cape Town; Kulula.com for Cape Town to Johannesburg; and Mango for Johannesburg to Durban and return.

My experience with LCCs is that it’s better to book earlier in order to get the cheapest fare, as usually prices continue to increase from there.  Because I am based in the U.S., I used a U.S. based travel website to book the flights.  I used this method for 1) to ensure that my credit card was charged in US dollars, thus eliminating any international transaction fee and any currency conversion fee; and 2) booking through this method also allowed me to pair Mango on the outbound and Kulula.com on the return all on one ticket.  I used the same method to book the Johannesburg to Durban flight, even though both sectors by operated by Mango.  I have previously done this when booking international travel, and usually this works out fine in terms of price and convenience – but it did not work this time in terms of price.  In the time between flight booking and flight departure Mango had many sale fares.  The price for my Durban flight dropped at least three times, but because I had booked through a third party I had no recourse in terms accessing the sale fares.  Another issue I came across is that as Mango is a low-cost arm of South African, so the flights can either be booked directly through Mango or as South African Airways operated by Mango Airlines.  My flights were booked as the later, so any changes or modifications that needed to be made were done by South African rather than through Mango. 

Both Mango and Kulula operated a similar low-cost model.  This meant that they both offered lower fares than their competitors, both charged for pre-assigned seats (free seat selection was available at check-in 24-hours prior to your departure), and both offered a basic on-board service with buy on-board options.  They also both operated the same aircraft, Boeing 737-800s.  What was different about these low-cost carriers was that included in your ticket was a small carryon plus 20kg of checked baggage.  Most low-cost carriers usually charge for checked baggage, so the fact that these were included was a nice bonus (and even though my luggage was below the allowance, the attendants were not that strict about the luggage adherence).  Despite the similarities, each airline offered a unique flight experience; some good, some bad.

Our first flight was with Mango Airlines from Johannesburg to Cape Town, with a flight time of 1hr 45mins.  We checked into our flight 24-hrs prior and were able to pre-select our seats at no cost.  There were a lot of choices and we were able to get two aisles in rows 3 and 4.  Even though it was a domestic flight and you only needed to be there 1 hour before departure, we were extra cautious and arrived 2 hours early.  There was no one in the check-in line and we were able to easily and quickly drop our bags off and head through security to our gate.  Boarding started 30 minutes prior to departure, and Mango used both the forward and rear doors to board – those seated in the back boarded through the back door via the stairs while those in the front boarded via the jetbridge.  This allowed for faster boarding ensured all passengers were boarded and ready to go in time for our scheduled departure.

On board, Mango offered a very nice product.  The color scheme made the plane looked new and fresh, and the plane was relatively clean so it provided a good first impression.  The seats were very comfortable – they were slim-line seats but had enough cushion to provide a decent seat for the flight.  The seats were also pre-reclined which allowed for great legroom; in fact the legroom was one of the best I have ever experienced on any airline.  I am tall (6’1) and the leg room was definitely enough for me – I had room to spare even. 

As it is a low-cost carrier, the on-board service was sparse.  Mango operates a buy on-board product, so if you wanted anything from water to food it had to be purchased.  Snacks and drinks were always available, while food availability was dependent on the flight time.   To pass the flight time, the airline did show some variety programs (prank shows) on the overhead screens, had their airline magazine available in the pocket, and offered free newspapers at the check-in counter.  Other than this, it was up to you to provide your own entertainment.  Wifi was available at a charge, but I did not try it out.  Overall, Mango provided a decent low-cost experience.  They offered inexpensive fares and for that low fare you got a decent product with comfortable seats and above average legroom.  It was a pleasant experience on-board Mango. 

On our return trip, we decided to try kulula.com from Cape Town to Johannesburg.  The flight time was again 1hr 45minutes, and 24-hrs prior we checked in and selected our seats at no-cost.  We arrived at the airport early and again there was no line so it was quick and easy to drop off our bags and head through security.  The scheduled time for boarding and the flight came and went, but we were in line with no announcement from the airline.  There were other flights that were delayed and taking off at the same time, and apparently the airline cannot operate two flights at the same time (or that are how it appeared); because only after sending off that flight did they start the boarding process for our flight.  The airplane was parked at a remote stand, so we boarded the buses at

the time our flight was supposed to take off.   The buses took us to the remote stand where we boarded our flight.  On-board, the plane was dirty and the seats were worn out.  The slim-line seats had little to no padding and made it a very uncomfortable flight.  Even though the seats were pre-reclined, there was no legroom at all in between the seats; my knees were literally hitting the seat in front of me.  It was an extremely uncomfortable and tight seat.  The on-board service was similar to that of Mango’s in that they had a buy on-board product, they showed some variety programs (again, prank shows), you could read the airline’s magazine (if you could find it), or you could get the free newspaper at the check-in counter.  Overall, it was not a pleasant experience with kulula.com given the uncomfortable and tight seats.  Also, the plane was dirty and the seats looked worn out.

I was able to experience Mango Airlines again from Durban to Johannesburg (I was also supposed to take it from Johannesburg to Durban, but I changed my flight to experience South African Airways domestic product – and the review of that flight can be found under South African Airways).  This flight was only 45 minutes but the experience, and the seat quality and pitch, were the same as my earlier flight on Mango.  Overall, it was a pleasant experience. 

In the end, flying two different LCC's in South Africa was very interesting.  Both carriers are associated with legacy carriers, something that you do not see very often, and both include free checked luggage and free newspapers as part of their offerings.  Despite these similarities, their on-board products are very different.  Flying on-board Mango does not feel like a LCC as they provide comfortable seats and ample legroom, but they only offer buy on-board so this reminds you of their LCC model.  Flying on-board Kulula.com and you feel like you are flying the 'stereo-typical LCC' with cramped and uncomfortable seats.  Both offer low-fares and are mostly serving the domestic South African market, so whichever you take - happy flying :)

A Stay Report: InterContinental Johannesburg Sandton Towers (August 2016)

A Stay Report: 
InterContinental Johannesburg Sandton Towers
comment below and let me know your thoughts :)

When I was looking for a hotel in Johannesburg, I was looking for a hotel that was close to public transportation and was within walking distance to services and restaurants.  The InterContinental Sandton Towers, located in the Sandton area, covered all these bases.  It was close to the Sandton Gautrain station - both walking distance and had shuttle access - and it was connected to the Sandton mall with restaurant and other services.  Based on my previous experience with InterContinental in other countries, I decided to book this hotel.   I had booked two stays in the hotel - both stays were for 3 days, but the first stay was done by regular payment while the second was done using points. 

The hotel is located in the Sandton area and is connected to the Sandton Mall and the Sandton Convention Center.   From the airport, you can take the train to the Sandton station and either walk through the mall or request a shuttle to pick you up.  You can also arrange transportation through the hotel for a fee.  Prior to my arrival, I communicated with the hotel regarding airport transfers and communicating with them to arrange transport very easy and convenient.  The first time I arranged transport, the hotel messed up and no arrangements were made.  I then spoke with the Manager so the second time the transportation was there and everything went smoothly.

The hotel is located in a posh area and from the outside looks very nice.  You enter the hotel into a large lobby.  The hotel is laid out in a triangle, with rooms on 3 sides and an open lobby atrium.  While this makes the lobby and the hotel feel bigger, it also allows noise to travel.  On the first floor were the check-in desk, the concierge desk, the porter, and the restaurant/bar.  Even though there were 4 check-in desks, service was not always available.  Overall, service at the hotel was lackluster – it was there, but at a minimum.  The concierge desk was also next to the check-in desk, but it was only staffed sometimes – and when it was not staffed the other agents were not that willing to provide information.

As I said, I had two stays at the hotel.  The first stay was not on the club level, while the second stay was.  Both rooms were laid out in a similar fashion with the only difference being size; the club level room was bigger and more spacious but it provided the same amenities as the non-club room.  As you entered both rooms, there was a hallway that led you into the main room.  In the main area, along the wall was a stand that held the fridge/minibar on the bottom and the tea and coffee station on top.  Next to that was corner desk that went along both walls.  The desk also contained a ledger next to the coffee stand on which the fruit plate plus water and glasses were available.  Above the ledger was the TV, and below the TV was a console with a variety of AV plugs.  In the non-club room, this was the only place a plug adapter could be placed; in the club room this was the only place that had a USB port.  Both room had a lack of plugs and USB ports available.  We had a room with two beds and the beds were located across from the TV and next to each bed was a night stand.  The non-club room did not have a lot of space so the two beds were pushed next to each other resulting in one big bed (these could be pushed somewhat apart).  As the club room had more space, the beds were evenly apart and looked like two separate beds.  The beds themselves were very comfortable and provided a nice and comfortable rest. 

In both rooms, the closet/storage was inside the bathroom.  As you entered into the bathroom, you entered into the closet area which had drawers on the bottom and hangers up top.  There was also a stand with storage on the bottom and a safe on top in the closet.  Further into the bathroom were a sink, a shower, a tub, and a toilet behind a separate door.  The bathroom was very big and spacious, and had a lot of storage space and shelves on either side of the sink and in the closet.

The hotel was a full-service hotel so in addition to the restaurant on the first floor, the hotel also contained a gym and a small pool on the mezzanine floor, a business center on the 27^th floor and a club lounge.  The business center was basically one computer and a printer in part of the club lounge; and the club lounge was divided into two sections.  One section had the computer and chairs while the other section had the food for both breakfast and drinks.  The section with the food only had 6 tables, which was fine during the weekday but got really busy for drinks on the weekend.  The breakfast was the same for both the restaurant downstairs and the club lounge upstairs.  The gym was very big and offered a wide variety of equipment for a really good workout.  The pool was somewhat small, given the large size of the hotel, but most guests just went out to suntan rather than to swim.  The hotel also provided direct access to the mall and convention center, through a door on the 10^th floor.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the InterContinental; however, it was not as good as some of the other InterConintental's I have stayed out.  Some of the positives include comfortable beds, comfortable rooms, nice service on the club level, and great location.  Some of the negatives included lack of plugs, lack of USB ports, and somewhat lackluster general customer service (although the General Manager, Mr. Chandresh Sigh was very good and very responsive)