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3rd quarter 2012

In partnership with a bank, Mango plans to allow air tickets to be printed from ATMs.

June 2012

Mango plans to make a decision about starting flying to Mauritius.

8 May 2012

Mango Airlines' and South Africa's first flight with WiFi, takes off from Lanseria Airport. Sadly, 115 people connected with multiple devices & a burning desire to test the system proved too much, and only about a third of the passengers managed to connect. YouTube, adult content sites & peer-to-peer downloads are not allowed.

Vodacom is partnering with WirelessG to provide the service. The initial charge is R50 rand for uncapped access for the flight (or a one day pass, valid for 20 hours, for R90), or R1 per minute. The system uses satellite-based connectivity to offer speeds of up to 4Mbps.

"In a highly competitive market where everything tastes like chicken, it's important to taste like beef. Innovation is a cornerstone of our business along with sustained affordable fares that are relative to the prevailing market." said Mr Nico Bezuidenhout, Chief Executive of Mango Airlines.

Mango Airlines in-flight wifi

2012

In 2012, Mango Airlines will become the first South African airline to offer wifi internet on its flights. The announcement came after approval was granted in October 2011 by the South African Civil Aviation Authority.

“In a digital world, being online makes a significant difference in terms of business and social connectivity. In an increasingly time-poor world, imagine the productivity potential of in-flight connectivity, socially connecting through Facebook or Twitter en route to Cape Town or, for that matter, surfing the net.”  saod Mango Airline's Communications Officer, Hein Kaizer.

Pricing hasn't been revealed yet “The idea is not to charge per megabyte but rather provide uncapped access for the duration of the flight on a fixed-fee basis and to make it on a par with international trends in terms of in-flight as well.” said the Executive Marketing for Wireless G, Elize Ferero.

1 Apr 2012

Gareth Cliff, a 5FM DJ, ticks off Maropeng as part of the Mango Bucket List competition:

1 Mar 2012

Passenger can now print their boarding passes for Mango flights, at home. Baggage drop-off points for Mango passengers will be clearly indicated at airports.

29 Feb 2012

Book & fly Mango Plus before 29 Feb 2012, and win a 20% discount off your next Mango Plus flight.

5 Feb 2012

All telephonic & online credit card bookings now require the physical card or a copy thereof as well as a copy of the cardholder’s ID document to be presented at check-in.

1 Feb 2012

Mango Airlines happy hour - R325 between JNB & DUR, JNB & Bloemfontein

27 Jan 2012

Buy a Mango voucher for R50 & get R200 of selected flights

27 Oct 2011

Press release from Solidarity: "Trade union Solidarity today warned that if airline company Mango does not set about the wage negotiations at the company in earnest immediately, it will bring the airline’s flights to a halt. The trade union and the company crossed swords again today during a conciliation meeting at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in Benoni. Solidarity was issued a strike certificate following the meeting.

According to Ilze Nieuwoudt, Solidarity spokesperson, wage negotiations with Mango have not gained momentum since August, after the company had initially indicated to the trade union that it was not prepared to listen to any wage demands. Solidarity subsequently declared a dispute with Mango and referred it to the CCMA to force the company into negotiations. “Mango initially undertook to implement an interim wage increase of 5,6% until a wage agreement was reached, at which time the difference would be implemented retroactively up to the agreed increase. However, this offer was withdrawn unilaterally earlier this week, which was the last straw for Solidarity’s members at the company,” explained Nieuwoudt.

Nieuwoudt said that Solidarity had signed a recognition agreement with Mango in 2010, giving the trade union bargaining power to negotiate on its members’ behalf for, among other things, wage increases. Solidarity represents the vast majority of Mango’s pilots.

“Mango employees are tired of waiting for the company to deal with issues that have been outstanding for months. Apart from the wage negotiations that are being delayed by Mango, a dispute regarding the employees’ contracts has been dragging on since March,” said Nieuwoudt. “All Mango employees work on a contractual basis and therefore do not receive medical and pension benefits. Mango employees are therefore not remunerated on nearly the same level as employees elsewhere in the industry.”

Solidarity will approach its members for a mandate for a possible strike. The trade union has warned that passengers and booking agents should bear the possibility of a strike by pilots in mind when booking flights for November and December. “Solidarity is, however, still set on reaching a wage agreement and will again meet with the employer on Wednesday, 2 November in order to seek a resolution to the dispute.”"

14 Oct 2011

Mango Airlines temporarily dissalows 3rd party bookings with Edcon (Jet & Edgars) cards, where the cardholders are not on the flight: “Due to recent irregular activity around this payment method we have had to introduce stricter procedures, temporarily. While this may present an inconvenience at this time, I believe that our prudent approach will serve to better protect our Guests." says Mr Nico Bezuidenhout, Mango Chief Executive Officer

2 Jul 2011

For the 3rd year in a row, Mango is the official airline of the Vodacom Durban July. The first race of the day is the Mango MR 82 Handicap (sounds a bit close to 1time's MD82 aircraft). Mango “high flyer’ scouts photographed trend setting couples, some of whom won prizes.

1 Jun 2011

From 1 June 2011, Mango Airlines is operating 3 weekly flights between Cape Town and Lanseria Airport. Mango Airlines' Chief Executive Officer, Nico Bezuidenhout said that “Lanseria is the second route launch for Mango in the past year, (JNB-Bloemfontein eas the other). Growth is a priority on our agenda following a successful post-launch period. Demand has significantly increased across all routes and the introduction of a second presence in Gauteng will further strengthen Mango’s value proposition. We continue to offer the widest distribution and payment method network to our Guests, and operations from Lanseria will further cement Mango’s commitment to its mandate of making air travel more accessible and affordable to South Africans.” 

Departing from Lanseria for Cape Town at:

05:55
11:55
17:50

Departing from Cape Town for Lanseria at:

08:35
15:05
20:40

Saturdays departing from Lanseria for Cape Town at:
06:30
13:15

Saturdays departing from Cape Town for Lanseria at:
09:30
16:15

Sundays departing from Lanseria for Cape Town at:
06:30
12:10
17:50

Sundays departing from Cape Town for Lanseria at:

09:20
14:50
20:40


25 Nov 2010

First Car Rental & Mango run a competition to win Mango flights or car rentals or or 3 nights accommodation for 2 at Hotel 64 on Gordon in Durban.

10 Sep 2010

Mango Airlines sponsors the Soweto Wine Festival (other sponsors were City Press, DSTV, San Parks, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, Pick 'n Pay, Samsung & Vodacom).

3 Sep 2010

Cheapest daily flight prices for Mango Airlines in October (Mango fever), including R288 flights from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein & Durban.

2010

Mango aims to become the first South African airline to offer in-flight internet connectivity later in 2010, subject to Civil Aviation Authority approval processes. Mango has extended its association with G-Connect to include the in-flight service, which it says will cost less than R1 per megabyte.
 
“Mango’s focus this year is not only on enhancing service delivery to our Guests,” says CEO Nico Bezuidenhout, “but in the continual exploration of innovation and ancillary revenue opportunities. The launch of web-connectivity on board our aircraft not only underpins Mango’s business objectives but allows travellers, in particular our business Guests, to leverage a priceless commodity – time.” Bezuidenhout says that Mango’s Internet service will be operational across its fleet of new generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Mango will follow a similar rollout process as America’s low cost Southwest airline.
 
Carel van der Merwe, CEO of WirelessG says: “G-Connect strives to be an innovative product within the telecoms space, but with our first in-flight partnership with Mango, we are able to take this one step further and provide a low cost Internet service for local flyers as well. There are no sign-up costs to get a G-Connect account and no contract tie-ins, which makes this a viable option for all Mango Guests. Your G-Connect account then allows you stay connected through a shared wallet on the ground, or in-flight Wi-Fi in the air, paying only for the services use."
 
The satellite based technology will deliver high speed Internet at altitude. “In fact, the cost of data transfer is more affordable than many bandwidth offerings on the ground,” says Bezuidenhout. Several airlines, including cost Southwest, have made connectivity at altitude available globally with great success. Bezuidenhout adds though that Mango’s service will be moderated to exclude access to potentially offensive web content. “In order to ensure the comfort of all our Guests on board, content that should be accessed in privacy will not be available.”
 
Subash Devkaran, Senior Manager: Aircraft Certification Division of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) adds: "The application for and availability of wireless Internet on board commercial airliners is welcomed by the CAA. We do believe installation of this system would facilitate business efficiency in South Africa, thereby contributing to enhanced economic growth in the country."

12 Apr 2010

Mango Airlines start operating Johannesburg - Bloemfontein flights, with a price of R545.

3 Oct 2009

Mango launches the Mango Air Race competition.

4 Jun 2009

Mango Airlines announces a partnership with UNICEF, whereby airlines guests on the website will be provided the opportunity to donate to various initiatives (related to UNICEF's work in youth development through sport initiatives).

20 Apr 2009

 

Dec 2008

Mango run a special whereby a boarding pass purchased during December allows you to buy 2 Nu Metro tickets for the price of one (during selected hours).

1 Dec 2008

Mango TV, in-flight entertainment, is launched.

25 Oct 2008

To celebrate their birthday, Mango offer 20,000 tickets for half price.

13 Oct 2008

Mango are perhaps not as fresh as they like (they've been advertising themselves as being "South Africa's freshest low cost carrier"), as they offer specials which must be booked by the 12th October, on the 13th October.

1 Aug 2008

Mango announce that for the month of August they will be offering 10% discounts to passengers who carry less than 15kg of luggage (for their next flight).

1 Aug 2008

FNB customers can purchase Mango flights through their mobile phones.

22 Jun 2008

Mango, Sixt & Tempest Car Hire team up and run a stall at Canal Walk in Cape Town.

22 Apr 2008

Mango introduces a new payment method - via POLi, internet banking and debit cards - which allows secure transactional banking online. To make use of this you must have first subscribed to online banking at your bank.

22 Mar 2008

The 2145pm Mango Airlines flight from Durban to Cape Town is cancelled at the last moment, as the pilot would otherwise exceeded his maximum allowed hours for the days. A woman who had trained for months for the Two Oceans Marathan was in tears as she knew she wouldn't make it in time for the race the next morning. One angry man kicked and smashed the door leading to the apron, resulting in riot police with sub-machine guns arriving on the scene.

21 Mar 2008

Mango Airlines run a special with Shoprite Checkers - cheaper flights for those who book in via the money market counters at Shoprite or Checkers stores. At the same time Mango runs a competition to win free Mango flights, Tempest Car Hire car rentals and accommodation with Southern Sun.

29 Feb 2008

A Mango flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg had to turn back to Cape Town International Airport, after a flight system warning alerted the crew of a technical problem.

4 Jan 2008

Mango wins the SouthAfrica.TO 2007 award for cheapest flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, and cheapest flight from Durban to Cape Town.

1 Jan 2008

Mango Airlines give away 2 return tickets in a New Years day competition.

26 Nov 2007

Mango Airlines tickets are made available at Checkers and Shoprite stores in South Africa, resulting in the Shoprite Group being the first retailer in South Africa to sell airline tickets (they had previously been selling bus tickets).

14 Nov 2007

Mango offers 5000 one-way flights for R169 all inclusive, the same price as they offered flights for when they started a year before (but all flights had to be booked as part of a return voyage).

Sep 2007

Mango Plus is introduced

21 Sep 2007

Mango airline's deceptive advertising - Mango airlines advertises flights for R90 but you always end up paying more.

15 Nov 2006

Mango airlines' first flight ever, from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport to Cape Town International Airport. Just before 0600, flight JE 123, the first Mango airlines flight taxied down the OR Tambo's runway and took off for Cape Town.

Nov 2006

Mango's initial sales price for Johannesburg-Durban and Johannesburg-Cape Town tickets is R169. In response, Kulula lowers its fare price to R168 and 1time to R165 for a limited number of seats.

Nov 2006

In a preemptive attempt to limit the impact of an online backlash from consumers, Mango registered domain names like neverflymango.com, mangosucks.com, vrotmango.com, rottenmango.com, neverfly-mango.com, mango-sucks.com, vrot-mango.com and rotten-mango.com.

Mango Airlines' holding company, South African Airways (SAA), was bleeding business to the other low-cost airlines (Kulula.com & 1time airline) and therefore decided to set up its own low-cost carrier. South African Airways initially code-named Mango Airlines TULCA - an acronym for "The Ultimate Low Cost Airline ".

First Catering and Mango Airlines plane