South African Aviation news in 2007 |
Somebody once said that a week is a long time in politics (those who were at the Polokwane ANC convention can no doubt relate), well it can be just as long in the airline industry...we've therefore resisted the urge to write our 2007 wrap-up until the new year (happy new year by the way!).
January |
It wasn't only in December that Nationwide Airlines made news headlines with SouthAfrica.TO; as early as January we reported on Nationwide dropping free meals from its economy class menu, and in the process morphing into a low cost airline. |
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March |
In the eleventh run of the Amazing Race, the contestants find themselves at Johannesburg's Tambo Airport, and in an amazing stuffup Air Tanzania accidentally issue two contestants with somebody else's ticket. |
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April |
The inaugural cheap flights survey, with Mango airlines offering the cheapest flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town (R499). |
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May |
SAA come with their begging bowl and are given a handout of R1.2bn from taxpayers to keep them afloat. Alec Erwin gives Erwin 2 years to get their act together (a surprising aside was that Erwin mentioned that flights to Port Elizabeth are "marginal"). |
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May |
Mango airlines advertises R1 flights and their website crashes as people flood to it to purchase tickets, causing a great deal of unhappiness. |
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May |
We expose how Avis car rental endangers lives. |
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May |
Mutiny amongst the cabin crew on board on SAA flight forces the pilot to turn back, on a flight from Washington to Johannesburg. |
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June |
We explain how it's possible to travel incognito through ACSA's security checkpoints, and get laptops through unchecked. |
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June |
SAA's lack of focus amongst its board is exposed, as well as its weaknesses in logistics, accounting, marketing and pricing. |
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June |
Flights are delayed as a result of a rare day's snowfall in Johannesburg. |
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July |
Kulula airline decides to exclude airport taxes from their headline flight prices. |
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14 Aug 2007 |
1Time Holdings lists on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. |
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August |
To every alcoholic's dismay, South African Airways announce that they are no longer going to be serving alcoholic beverages before noon. |
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September |
We expose Mango Airline's deceptive "fly Mango for less than R90" advertising (where you have to buy a return flight which is substantially more than R90). |
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November |
South African Airways' only female captain pulls a handbrake turn in an Airbus on the Cape Town Airport runway. |
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November |
Nationwide Airlines flight CE 723 loses an engine while taking off from Cape Town Airport. |
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November |
Smuts Ngonyama wins Kazakhstan's man of the year award, for forcing a lady (Sharmalee Maistry) to disembark a flight and give up her seat for him. |
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December |
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December |
SouthAfrica.TO overtakes Flight Centre in popularity, as measured by Alexa (an independent rating agency). |
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December |
ACSA's couldn't care-less staff change the welcome board at OR Tambo International to read "F&&& You". |
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Thank you
From a personal point of view 2007 has been fantastic for SouthAfrica.TO - we've seen compound growth in web traffic on a monthly basis, clearly demonstrating the need for a site which exposes the cheapest flight prices in South Africa. Our website is now more popular than Flight Centre South Africa, 1time airline or Nationwide airlines. All this is not just thanks to us, but also to you, our loyal readers. We wish you only tailwinds and blue skies in 2008.
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