South African AirwaysReviews of flysaa.com

Appalling, hostile customer "service" from every SAA representative we spoke to at O R Tambo, including the supervisor our issue was escalated to. We missed a flight connection due to the disastrous passport and security queues inside the transit area. Every legal source I have consulted indicates that, because this was sold as a single ticket on the same booking reference, SAA should have rebooked me onto the next flight for free, but they made us exit the transit area (another hour in passport control in the reverse direction!) and then pay a whopping fee to get the next flight, which was the following day, so we also had to pay for a grossly overpriced hotel. I could almost forgive this if even one member of staff had shown basic levels of courtesy or showed that their business class customers were in any way valued, but in fact they were united in their hostility and outright refusal to assist in any way. Unfortunately I imagine SAA will not be bothered about the many negative reviews as they simply do not care. We will be voting with our feet and avoiding them for the rest of our lives. By far and away the worst airline I have ever used.

I cancelled my flight on 31 March 2026 to fly out on 7 April and the South African Airways refund team send me an acknowledgment email also advising that they will process my refund in 60 days but I am still chasing the refund today 22 July 2026. I went to South Africa early this July on another carrier and asked face to face at the airport to get my refund back but I was passed on from one person to the other since night time I arrived to the following morning and later that following morning was given a piece of paper with typed phone numbers and asked to call. (i will be uploading acknowledgement emails and the paper with phone numbers here soon). I have called this refund phone number several times and am being told that it is a wrong number/department as i end up in the it section not refund section. I keep being passed on from on person to the other. I HAVE COMPLETED THE ONLINE REFUND FORM SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL THEY ARE YET TO GIVE ME MY REFUND BACK. I WILL FOLLOW THIS UP UNTIL I GET MY MONEY BACK.

I have not travelled with SAA for many years and recently took a return flight to Sao Paulo. Overall the service was poor compared to the many other carriers I have used. The planes are very obviously old e.g no USB charging points. Staff are unfriendly on entering the plane and the food inedible. To top it all my luggage did not arrive on my return home. I found the person dealing with lost luggage friendly but unprofessional. Several of us with lost luggage were crowded into a back office / store room at ORT and asked to give personal information in front of all other passengers. Clueless. I won't be flying SAA again if I can avoid it. On landing ar ORT one notices a large fleet of new SAfair planes on the apron with not a single SAA plane in sight. That says it all.

I was honestly so impressed with the amazing experience going to jhb and coming back to Cape Town with South African airlines. Friendly helpful staff, took time to have a quick chat with me. Lovely to get free drinks and a snack. Flew on time both ways. Will most definitely recommend them. I dont usually comment but felt I needed to.. Ruth Crump

They cancelled my flight few hours before the departure It happened more than 2 months ago, and now i'm still waiting for my refund ! I even tried to send them an email to know why is it taking so long. Still no answer for the moment. Never book anything with them !

Very very poor service….would not ever recommend this airline…id rather walk

Customer service at ticket sales in King Shaka Airport - A lady named Nomvu was extremely rude (bare in mind I’m in crutches with a broken foot), refused to give me a wheelchair for my Dad to wheel me around airport - whilst there were literally 20 wheelchairs available next to the ticket counter. Her extremely sour attitude proceeded to tell me that their phones “weren’t working”, then she was using the phone to call another division 5 minutes later. We needed help with tracking down my suitcase that was lost on SAA yesterday and I was told it would be delivered by today to Durban. The baggage claim counter had told me to come up to Ticket Sales to help - yet Ticket Sales was telling me to go back down to baggage claim. (Bare in mind I’m hobbeling around on my crutches & broken foot - and not allowed a wheelchair). We went up & down between the 2 counters twice. Still no suitcase - still no hope. Got to love South Africa :(

UPDATE: 2nd July, the supervisor called me to assist with moving my flight to one that accommodates dogs. Thanks. 1 Star – Broken Process & Poor Customer Service I have never experienced such a frustrating process with an airline. Months before my flight, I contacted SAA by email, reached out to multiple departments, copied senior staff, and made numerous phone calls to confirm whether my booked flight could accommodate my dog. I either received no response or was told pet requests could only be processed 24 hours before departure. I even explained that my employer needed confirmation before booking my work travel, yet my emails were ignored. After months of trying to obtain answers, I was only informed days before departure that my flight could not accommodate pets. I was then told I would need to change my flight and could be liable for the change penalty. When I escalated the matter, the supervisor repeatedly interrupted me, spoke over me, and argued with me instead of trying to resolve the issue. I even had to ask for an opportunity to finish speaking. My concerns were dismissed rather than investigated. My frustration is not that a particular aircraft cannot transport pets. It is that SAA's process lacks transparency, customers receive inconsistent information, emails go unanswered, and customer service fails when assistance is needed most. This entire situation could have been avoided if SAA clearly indicated which flights accommodate pets before customers book. Very disappointing. I expected far better from South African Airways.