British Airways versus SAA

South African Airways

British Airways

Check-in queues

For silver and gold class there is usually a short wait. Immediate check-ins are rare. Sometimes there is a long wait, with SAA staff faffing about raising the tempereateure.

Check-in is generally shorter than for SAA, but on our BA flight from Durban to Cape Town there was a long check-in queue.

Aircraft architecture

Seats in front of emergency exits and in the last row of the plane don't fold back, while seats in front of them do fold back.

Seats in front of the emergency exit and in the last row DO fold back.

Meals

SAA require you to recheck your special meal order 2 days before your flight. SAA don't guarantee provision of special meals for flights booked within 48 hours of your flight.

Mixed reviews of SAA's food - 18 Nov 2007 flight review included a tasty chicken pasta (with great herbs) and a protein-rich vegeterian meal (egg and peas), however previously we were beginning to think that SAA had perfected the art of tasteless vegeterian cooking.

Ordered Asian vegetarian and got a roll with cheese & cucumber on it (wtf) on 31 Jan 2009. Discoverd that SAA no longer serve tomato cocktail.

Vegeterian meals are often served as standard, and are far tastier than SAA vegeterian meals. BA could improve their vegeterian meals by including legumes in them.

British Airways kiddies meals are better than SAA's - BA provides 2 small rolls, crisps, dried fruit, chocolate and a fruit juice, whereas South African Airways provides one large roll, same as the adults get, which is harder for the little ones to handle (31 Jan 2009 review).

Family friendliness

SAA make no attempt at placing babies, daddies & mommies together. They need to be asked, and then still get it wrong.

All times we've flown with them, British Airways have placed the 3 of us together. On one occassion our baby started crying, and the BA Air Hostess brought her some baby playing cards to cheer her up.

Flight booking system

Difficult to find their cheapest flights.

Shows an array of flight prices over different dates, making it easy to find the cheapest flights (although they don't have the best flight booking system in the industry).

Marketing

No online affiliate marketing program. No special offers.

Online affiliate marketing program with commission junction. Special terms to SAA Voyager members to convert to BA.

Noise levels

Haven't noticed undue noise levels.

Very loud noise levels experienced when sitting in the row just behind the wing on a BA Durban to Cape Town flight.

Profitability

Made a long string of losses which will take time to make up.

Comair makes profits benefiting shareholders.

JM

Please explain how you can say BA "makes profits benefiting shareholders" when they posted a £401m loss in May 2009?

Xavier

Wayde, you didn't tell us where to contribute the requested info. For starters, SAA was the only airline I've flown (since 1977) where the stewardess was wider than the trolley, chewed gum the ENTIRE 2-hour flight (with her mouth open) and climbed onto an old ladies arm rest in order to reach something in the overhead compartment...not very lady-like and I thought they had to be tall enough to reach there.

Wayde

Hi there. . . I am currently doing a third year final research project in varsity. I am comparing SAA to BA on a few components such as marketing, Prices, customer relations etc and would appreciate personel experience comments, please inform. Regards.

dan

http://www.dontflysaa.com/