South African Airways
South African Airways, established in 1934, is South Africa's largest domestic and international airline. SAA was one of the first national airlines in the world.Modern day SAA has hubs in Cape Town and Johannesburg. It is owned by Transnet, a public transport company. Two percent of the stocks are held by SAA's 9,000 employees.
Employees receive intensive advanced training programs to help SAA maintain its reputation for excellent customer service. It serves 31 cities in 25 countries, carrying more than 7 million passengers per year. Recently a member of the exclusive Star Alliance, the connection vastly extended the number of destinations SAA flies to. Skytrax, the British experts on aviation ratings, declares SAA one of the best international airlines in terms of products offered and service standards.
One of the top airlines in the business is the SAA. The SAA, or Suid-Afriaanse Lugdiens in Afrikaans, is always ranked as the top performer, safest and money making airline. There are also many other catagories in which they rank high.
The first cities served in 1934 were Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Flights to Kenya, Uganda and British East Africa signaled SAA's entrance into the international market. The airline was essentially shut down during WWII, but in 1945, SAA achieved a long-time goal by opening its route to Europe with its first flight to Bournemouth.
SAA introduced the Boeing 707 to its fleet in the 1950's jet age. SAA was the first airline other than the UK to operate a pure jetliner flight. SAA jets started flying non-stop to the UK and other European cities only two years later. The airline began flights to New York in 1969. Now the fleet of SAA includes some 50 aircraft.
SAA's loyalty program, Voyager, has nearly 2 million members. Members can earn airmiles on SAA as well as for flights with their partner airlines and Star Alliance members. SAA backs up its commitment to customer service by investing millions each year on in-flight entertainment. Passengers may choose from more than a dozen movie channels, video games, music and travel information.
Business and first-class passengers are pampered even more. Business class offers the best business flat bed seats in the industry, according to Skytrax. They can also enjoy the Boabab Lounge at Johannesburg, which offers workstations complete with computers, faxes and printers. SAAs Cyclad Premium Lounge in Johannesburg was voted the third best in the world in a Skytrax survey in 2002.
South African Airways offers lots of great features in their first class cabins. The beds could well be the widest in the industy, being 29 inches wide. They lie flat at 180 degress. Each seat has an ottoman that can be controlled electronically. There are also big, private televisions with on-demand audio and video. So kick back in those comfy seats and enjoy a show!
Business class travelers enjoy most comforts during their travel. Starting from the fully adjustable seats with an adjustable headrest and pneumatic lumbar support to the large private television screens with the audio-video-on-demand.
In economy class, passengers may choose from two main courses accompanied by fine South African Wines while they also enjoy private televisions with audio-video-on-demand.
The main priority for SAA is the safety of the passengers and it is clearly visible through its largest maintenance facility in Africa. Apart from handling its maintenance, SAA also offers maintenance services to British airways and air france.
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