Mango Airlines
reviews and complaints

Dear complaints on sunday the 4 oct 15 at 18h00 - I arrived at durban airport to take a flight to johannesburg and realized that I had incorrectly booked my flight from johannesburg to durban instead of dbn to jhb. I accepted the error and explained that the booking was done in haste to attend a funeral, but was most appalled to be told at mango desk that the ticket could not be changed for the flight leaving at 19: 10 as it was fully booked - I was placed on standby and at 18:45 was then surprisingly informed that a seat is available and I could get on the flight but had to buy a new ticket costing r1018. Further more I was informed that the my existing ticket could be changed for the next day at penalty of around r400, since I needed to be on jhb before monday 05 oct, I had no choice but to purchase a new ticket. I fully accept the penalty charge, however could not understand why I could not be charged a penalty for my original ticket and be given the seat on the 19:10 flight. This has resulted in me forfeiting r 988.11 and paying an additional r1018 for a new ticket. Furthermore the personnel at the desk tells me that the check in was closed early to accommodate the standby customers - this then was the cherry on top as it seems very clear that mango manipulates the situation to charge customers additional ticket prices. I found this situation to unethical and smacked of deceit and manipulation of unsuspecting customers. Will take my business elsewhere in future.

On the 18th September 2015 OR Tambo to PE I was advice by ur lady to rush for boring gate and those ladies refused me to enter claim to be late with 2min and sent to mango help desk. On my arrival I was penalised and I booked other flight with him price. 21 September 2015 PE to OR Tambo 1 8h00 flight was late with 30min and they say sorry to us and they don't refund us. Mango it's unfair.

The flight was scheduled for 16h30. As I entered the airport at approx I5h35 I received an SMS that the flight is delayed and rescheduled for 18h15. Then another SMS that the flight is due to depart at 19h45 then another SMS due to depart at 19h00. I had to call the call centre to confirm exactly what time the departure flight is. This inconvenience has cost me the loss of time which is equal to money, I have meetings in Johannesburg this evening which has to be moved also the additional cost of the parking at the airport. It is service like this that forces one to use other providers even if the cost is higher. I will ensure that our corporate bookings do not go to Mango. I await your response and suggestions on how you intend to regain my loyalty to Mango

thank you,
Francois Marais, Cell: [protected]

I have never been so annoyed with an airline as I am today! Mango Airlines is a joke! Our flight to Durban (JE274) was due to leave at 19.30 (27 September 2015) so we got to OR Tambo International Airport at 18.30. When we arrived, we saw that our flight had been delayed by an hour and a half (20:50). We didn't get an SMS or anything. So we went to the customer services desk and told them. The lady there phoned the relevant people to tell them that customers were not informed of the delay. All of a sudden, we got an SMS with the time 20.35 (different to what the board said). So we went to have something to eat and then went to check in at 19.30. We stood there waiting while all the Mango staff chatted and were on their cellphones. Eventually we got some attention and went to check in. My boyfriend and I got seats apart from each other and when I asked about it, the woman raised her voice at me telling me the plane was full. When I said we were there early, she raised her voice at me again. So I said "can you stop give me attitude" and she once again raised her voice at me shouting "Am I giving you attitude?". When I asked for her name, she pointed out her supervisor and called her over. I then told her I want to report this woman for having no manners or client etiquette. The woman attempted to shout at me again saying "Tell me what I said" before her supervisor cut her off. I am so angry and have been so inconvenienced! Please people, DO NOT FLY MANGO! Not only does Mango ignore their customer complaints on their Facebook page, they also don't respond to hello peter... Does that not say something!? I wish that I could say it ended there but the boarding gate printed on our boarding pass was incorrect and they did not even announce it! We waited at the wrong gate for half an hour. The flight eventually took off at 21:00 and we arrived in Durban at 22:00. This is completely unacceptable. You book an earlier flight as you have work the next day and after some terrible service from the ground staff at OR Tambo, you still get home after 11pm on a Sunday. I will not be flying with Mango ever again!

I booked a flight on the 19 august 2015 with mango airlines and i did this booking online payed with fnb cell point and the money was debited from my account but when i called the mango call centre for my booking reference number i was told that my booking was unpaid in their system, but the money was gone from my account debited by mango airlines. So i was told to email bank statement and id copy but still until today i havent received my money from them and i phone their refunds departments and no one ever picks up the call. I am wasting my airtime here. I send emails no response. So i dont know whether i should open a case at the police station because it will be a month now and still nothing. They are quick to take the money but now cant pay it back!

I want my money mango airlines.

To whom it may concern

I flew with Mango yesterday (11/09/2015) after a business trip, I was notified the day before that my flight had been delayed by a whole hour and a half (JE272 to Johannesburg) which was acceptable because I had been told in advance, I was not happy because I did not have a reason as to why it had been delayed more than 24 hours in advance but at least I was notified through my colleagues as I did not get a message or email from Mango stating any delay, I was not the only from what I heard from other passengers. The following day it got delayed by another half hour (departure 19.15), this was acceptable because I was notified in advance ( not me but my colleagues and not my number or email). Once I got to the airport I had asked that my bag be put in fragile as I had items I did not want damaged in my bag, Everything was fine until boarding time, Which only happened half an hour after the said time (19.45) of which we weren't informed, which means I stood for more than half an hour in a line with no indication of what was happening. After boarding took place we then proceeded to circle the airport for another 20 minutes so we ended up leaving after 20.00 which is about an hour after the said time of departure. Note that they did not let us know and therefore the people who had come to pick me up had to then pay additional parking fees thanks to their negligence. Once I arrived at OR Tambo International, I was devastated to find that my bag was in even worse shape than the bags which had not been put in fragile, it was wet which means it had been in the rain for a substantial amount of time if it was still wet after the trip and it was extremely dirty like it had been thrown on the floor. I got no apologies from Mango for the unknown delay or for the treatment of may bag nor did any of us get any sort of compensation (such as a free beverage, instead we were expected to still buy condiments in the plane). The items that I wanted to protect from getting damaged were in the end damaged and now I have to replace my bag and the items damaged at my own expense besides the exuberant parking fees I already had to pay and the inconvenience I had to go through.

I have a flight booked from PE to JHB on the 3 August, which i payed R593 for. I need to change my flight to November. When i went online to change the ticket to the new date (7 November) the cost of the ticket is now R877, plus i would need to pay in a penalty of R300, which i am full aware of... I double checked the price for the same date and time on [URL Removed] and the ticket price was R494? I called Mango to ask how can the ticket prices be different? So now to change my ticket i need to pay a total of R1177 for my ticket that should only cost R493 plus R300 penalty (Total R793)... No other airline does this as i changed my other flight with flysaair, where the ticket costr was the same all i had to do was pay in the penalty! Mango is daylight *******! So if i change my flight i will know that every other person on the flight just payed R493 for their flight and i payed R877 pl, us R300 penalty for my flight. Why the **** must i pay more and still pay a penalty for my flight? I am seriously not happy with Mango and their service! I fly at least once a month with Mango and then i get this kind of service! This is ********! I dont have this problem with the other Airlines! I might as well cancel and lose my money on my ticket cause Mango has a 100% cancellation fee and purchase a new ticket cause i will save money if i do it that way, i will pay more to just change the bloody ticket! WTF! How does that even work!

I had a flight from jhb to pe on the 22/05/2015, there was a accident en route and I was 10 min late for my flight (I drove 350km) to get to the airport. The lady by the name of gugu was so reude and just told me you're late and you have to go to guest counter, even a worst nightmare, got there only to be told by a even more rude lady by the name of dinana that I will have to pay a new amount which is the equivalent of the purchase price of the ticket I already bought, being a bit upset and out of breath as I had to run from long parking stay a km away, I specifically asked her if it guarantees me a flight on the next plane she said yes. I asked her if she was sure that I wouyld get it and she said yes, she then abruptly told me that you can't miss the flight as you are here already. I then went for breakfast and returned only for her to tell me oh you on standby as the flight is fully booked so there's no guarantee that you will get a flight. I asked for a manger and along comes sedibeng not much customer service from her either. I suggest mango hires a independent person to evaluate their customer service as it is non existant. I am still at the airport waiting for mango to get me a seat. Worst service ever... Suleyman. [protected]@gmail.com

I am a first time traveller and was on my way home from Cape Town airport. I have not been to this airport and never boarded a plane from there. Upon arrival to the airport I had about 50mins to spare before my flight. New to travelling and alone I made my way to mango check in. Stood in a line like everyone else. The lines did not seem to be moving and I started panicking so I went to an open teller whom I asked about my flight because I stood in line for quite some time with people checking in for flights to durban and Johannesburg. I explained that I am new to travelling and I am lost without a clue on where to go or what to do. The lady who I was made to believe was a supervisor told me that the gates are closed and I should go to mango tickets sales and rebook. I pleaded for them to let me on the plane as she advised that it had not left yet but boarding is closed. She was very insensitive to the fact that I am new to flying and to the airport and again instructed me to go to the ticket office. When I asked where that was she said around the corner and carried on looking at the pc. Asking people standing in line where I should go I eventually got to the ticket office and the lady behind the counter was on her cellphone. I waited as she explained that she had a customer in front of her and ended her call. I explained my situation again. She wrote down a slip with an amount for a stand by flight and did not explain anything further except that she can't help me I will have to pay the fee for a new ticket and wait to see if I can fly on standby. This would cost me more than my original ticket. Mango airlines have pathetic services and are insensitive to passengers new to flying. Unprofessional and cold. I was then assisted by a different airline who helped me and calmed me down enough to get on the plane. This experience is by far the worst experience of my life. I will never use or recommend mango to anyone. Let alone first time flyers. There is no refund or exceptions made for people who are new to travelling and with the staff at the Cape Town airport I doubt it will ever change. If anyone can assist me on how to take this further I would greatly appreciate it.

I am most disgusted at the call centre agents that are linked on the [protected] optional 2 number. Having called in to enquire as to why the rates when booking directly with Mango Airlines are much more expensive when compared to Flight Centre Travel I was addressed by an absolutely rude lady who told me the service fees was 100.00 and I told her but flight centres service fees are 215.00 and how come when booking directly thro mango the flights are not cheaper. She was absolutely rude and cut me off without even giving me an explanation. The unfortunate part about all of this is that I work for South Africa's leading carpet manufacting industry with it being Pietermaritzburg second largest employment companies. I am responsible for all the bookings with all Airlines and I will never allow my travel agencies to use Fly Mango again.

On the 5th december 2014, I booked 2 tickets for myself and my daughter in law for the 1st february 2014 from johannesburg back to port elizabeth on the 10:05 flight. After catching the gau train we had more than an hour to check in. Due to the queue not moving for 15 minutes I asked a lady in mango uniform if someone could assist us as the line was not moving and we were flying to port elizabeth. To begin with she was very unhelpful and told me if we had not checked in online we must stand in the queue. That was no problem! We waited and waited and having just 45 mins left we finally had a turn at the check in desk. We have never experienced such rudeness and such blatant racism, we were told the flight had been closed and she was saying uuummmhhh aaaahhhh, no I can't help you. What the hell! We paid for our flights and it is not our fault that you have ###, unprofessional, ignorant people working for mango. We then went upstairs where 2 pilots tried to assist us, then apologized for the ground staff. After this we ran to the mango desk to find out why we were not able to board. I don't believe for one minute that the gate had been closed for the flight at that stage, nor was it our fault. We had to then had to pay a further r1480.00 to fly in the afternoon, here too the lady was most rude. It's a case of your white and we can now treat you badly. Never ever will we fly mango again unless you compensate us for this shocking behaviour. I will further more tell every person in every way possible about your bad service, so we do expect you to come back to us. I am not an irresponsible child and do not treat other people of any colour without respect, and nor am I over the wall old either. What goes around comes around. You caused us a lot of stress as we live 4 hours from port elizabeth and as 2 women still had to drive that distance on our own at that time of the day. I am not holding my breath and actually thinking someone will respond to my letter, as I do believe your company policy is that you don't give a ###, cheryl emslie

Hi there

On thursday morning at about 5:30am on the 11th december 2014, I went onto the mango website to book a flight for myself from cape town to johannesburg.
Upon doing so I booked all my details through to the payment waiting for confirmation. The system throws out an error message and I must try again. I tried to check if I could still wouldnt load the flights so I exited the page. I went to work then and booked a lfight with kulula for the same day.

During the course of the day I received an email from mango with a booking confirmation. Which when I opened it was for the flight that I tried to book that morning that gave me an error message. As soon as I got the email I called. I spoke to nolizwe and explained the story to her. She said they would send my query to their it department and I would get feedback in 48 hours. By monday I should be able to get feedback. Upon receiving feedback today 17th of december 2014, I am advised that there isnt any refund that can be done because according to it the confirmation was received so there was no error on their part. She said that they can give me a credit voucher less the cancellation fee. It will be valid for three months and if I have not found a flight in that time I can request for an extension.
I advised the consultant that I am not willing to accept this because he confirmation was received and that is why I called in the moment I received it. The it department only checked if the confirmation was received and they did not check for errors on their website. I asked to speak to a manager because I will not accept this and it was not a fault from my part. She said her manager was not available she would get her to call me back.

At 10:47am I get a call back from the consultant advising me that she has spoken to her manager and they are going to give me the voucher for the full amount without the cancellation fee being deducted and with an extension of one year. I advised I am not willing to accept this because I will not be flying for 3 months, 6 months or the next 3 years so I want my full refund back as this was not a fault of my own. I asked to speak to her manager. I spoke to her manager this morning who advised of the same. Again I explained the same and informed her that I have already booked a flight on the same day because there was an error on the website. I refuse to accept any thing less f she cannot help me I wanted to speak to the next manager higher. She said there is no manager higher than her and she has advised me of the solution. I explained I do not need a voucher I am in this situation because of their website and I need this to be sorted out if she cannot help me I will take this as high as I can. I also requested the report from it because they have not checked if their website has a fault the only thing they checked is if the confirmation was sent to me. It was received that is why I called in.

She then advised me to send an email explaining everything.
I want this matter and I want my refund for the full amount because this is a fault on your website. If it wasnt for your website I would not be in this situation. If this is not sorted out I will report this matter on every social network and take it up with the ombudsman as well.

Kind regard
Nikita naidoo

As a regular passenger of mango airlines, I really would like to bring this under the attention of senior management.
My wife booked a flight online for departure from durban to johannesburg on sunday the 30th of november. She also did online checkin on the day prior to departure.
When we arrived at the airport on sunday morning we made our way to the bag drop off counter, arriving at the counter we notice that there was a long que, as the hostess helped the people in the que in front of us, I noticed that not one of them that was in the que checked in online, they just didnt want to follow the que for the non online checkin passengers.
When it was our turn I lodge my complaint to the hostess asking what is the purpose of online check in if the other passengers that did not check in online using the bag drop off to check in.
Regards.
Kobus niemann
She couldn't provide me with a proper awnser.
Please make sur the the hostesses at your bag drop of counter send those passagers to the counter where they are supposed to check in.
I also feel you must have an hostess on the floor asking to see the passengers boarding pass and if they can't show one the hostess need to send them to the counter where they are supposed to be. It is very annoying when you do the effort to do online checkin, and when you get to the airport you have to follow a que that take 30 minutes to check in instead of the five minutes it is suppose to take.
Needless to say but all the passengers in the que was indians so was the hostess.

My family and I took a mango flight on 18/10/2014 at 15:00 at o. R tambo airport going to king shaka international airport in kwazulu-natal. We always fly with mango as it is the best and most affordable airline ever. But there was a flight hostess named monique on duty that afternoon at our 15:00 flight. When we entered the plane monique was making some or other very stupid joke with the other air-hostess an indian lady and we didn’t know what they were laughing about? The indian lady didn’t do anything wrong as she was much more professional than monique. I prefer the air-hostesses to be friendly when you enter the plane etc. But don’t laugh out loud in front of customers boarding the plain, as we really didn’t know what the joke was all about? Monique was looking straight at the customers busy boarding the plane whilst making her very stupid joke! Did we enter a circus or a professional airline as there is a place and a proper time for a joke?! The guy also on duty that day during our flight coming to ask us if we would like any refreshments were extremely unfriendly! It really didn’t seemed to us that he knows anything about customer service? He doesn’t smile and he doesn’t seem to be eager to serve anybody with a positive attitude? He was even pulling his face when we were asking for two sparkling waters? What the heck is wrong with him and how can such an unfriendly person become an air-hostess serving paying customers?!?!?! Aren't air-hostesses suppose to be very friendly?! He is most definately in the wrong line of work, he shouldn't work with people / paying customers at all!

Then I am positive it was monique who made the announcements in the plane and she was talking so very softly and nobody could hear anything that she was saying! It really didn’t seem as if she was in die mood to talk properly at all. One could clearly see that she just wanted to get it over and done with. Except for the indian lady, the other two air-hostess’es were terrible! May you please consult with them as those are the first air-hostesses that we have ever come across from mango airlines with such very bad attitudes. It they are not made aware of their wrong doings, they will not improve in the future! We only had a problem with monique and the african guy assisting for that flight.

On the [protected] myself and 2 others went to or tambo to return to cape town, our flight je165 was meant to leave at 18:30. Everyone boarded and we were all ready to go, unfortunately the plane we were on had technical issues so we were all told to get off and that there would be a 20-45 minute delay, nothing more was said, we were left in the dark in regards to which gate we would need to wait at and a time. Eventually we got told to wait at some gate, where people waiting for a kulula flight to durban where queued. After waiting there for a long time we decided to go find out what was happening only to be told that we had to go to another gate downstairs, after 4 hours of waiting, and trying to make plans for a lift for when we eventually arrived in cape town, we finally boarded at 21:00 and arrived at 23:00 on a sunday, we then only arrived at home at 00:00. Mango then sent us a voucher of a whopping r250 for 6 hours of time wasting.

My flight was booked for the 18th of September in advance. The flight departure time was 20:00 pm, on the itinerary it stated to be at the Airport of departure an hour, when i got to check-in at 19:00 they said that i've missed my flight and that i have was supposed to be there 1 hour, 30 minutes prior to 19:00pm. I fins this very hard to believe, its either that they were over-booked or they have sold my ticket to someone on stand-by, further they refuse to refund my payment. I have not experienced such terrible service before, i have flown before so i know how the airlines work according to the times. Mango Airlines is highly unprofessional and i will take it further than just lodging a complaint. I do not recommend this airline to any other person wanting to travel!

Request of refund

I feel utterly dissapointed at mango airlines that i had to pay an extra r1378 - 00 on friday 18 th july due to the flight i missed due to mango airlines faulty baggage conveyor. I flew from durban to johannesburg je 242 on the above date, the plain left durban at 06 45 and was to arrive at 07 55 but arrived at 08 05. This incurred us to miss the flight to cape town at 08 45, due to late arrival of plane as well as 2 almost 15 minutes delays at the bag carousels, to which we missed our plane to cape town. This leaves 30 minutes so now we missed already when we left the carousel.

I then spoke to front desk who did not want to listen to my excuses and i must pay if i want a flight, that was it and final, then i tried to speak to ms butomelo, the supervisor who i explained and she was adamant that i must pay. According to her you have to be 1 hour prior to the flight for checkin, now the question is the flight from durban to johannesburg is 06 45 to 0755 then the next flight leaves joburg at 08 45 arrives 1100 am in cape town. This is 50 minutes before check in, so how does one book in 1 hour before when the change only allows 50 minutes, then she is lying together with mango for their check in times to be 1 hour when the change over is less and this i feel is false advertising as i did explain to miss butomelo.

We then had to literally lick ###, we were put on standby for flight to cape town at 10 55, we proceeded to boarding gate at 10 25 waited for whoever till 10 47, told nothing, boarded at 10 55 original departure time, then delay then left at 11 10, then waited again due to traffic in holding area, left only at 11 45 departing arrived in cape town at 13 58, due to these loss of times i was billed a loss of earnings due to airlines delays and bad services,

This flight was almost 3 hours, now what happens, i arrived 6 mins after the check in, no fault of mine but was penalised, what happens now, i need to be reimmbursed due to bad service from mango airlines, as this fault lies with the airlines.

Will await truthfull response

Mr b. E. Williams [protected]

On the 19th July 2014 we were due to leave OR tambo airport at 12:55pm(take off) we got to the check in counter at 12:30 after returning our rent a car. There is 2 adults and 2 kids so as a family it is easier to pack one bag with all our clothes. We went to Disney on ice as well as the dinosaurs. We hardly had been shopping so the suitcase was basically the way we went to JHB from PMB. We got to the lady at the check in counter at 12:50 ( take note this is 5 mins before take off and the queue is still got about 40 people to check in) the women proceeds to tell us that our 1 bag for 4 people is over weight and that we need to unwrap it go downstairs buy a new bag and re wrap the bags by this time its 12:55 (take off time). I went to complain at mango ticket sales to be told I can pay excess baggage but now they have closed check in so its too late. We had to go and re book tickets with BritishAirways for R5500 later...so just to let you all know we will never ever mango airlOn the 19th July 2014 we were due to leave OR tambo airport at 12:55pm(take off) we got to the check in counter at 12:30 after returning our rent a car. There is 2 adults and 2 kids so as a family it is easier to pack one bag with all our clothes. We went to Disney on ice as well as the dinosaurs. We hardly had been shopping so the suitcase was basically the way we went to JHB from PMB. We got to the lady at the check in counter at 12:50 ( take note this is 5 mins before take off and the queue is still got about 40 people to check in) the women proceeds to tell us that our 1 bag for 4 people is over weight and that we need to unwrap it go downstairs buy a new bag and re wrap the bags by this time its 12:55 (take off time). I went to complain at mango ticket sales to be told I can pay excess baggage but now they have closed check in so its too late. We had to go and re book tickets with BritishAirways for R5500 later...so just to let you all know we will never ever mango airlines and I will proceed to name and shame this company to ensure they lose more customers the way we were treated!

I sincerely hope the management team read about this as I think the way in which Mango airlines has conducted in unsafe practices needs to be addressed urgently. Upon boarding my flight from Cape Town to JHB there was a slight delay with the boarding procedure. Eventually, a few minutes post the boarding time, one of the staff members announced that there was a dent on the wing of the plane caused by a bird which had struck it either during take off or landing, I am not certain but that is besides the point. Mango airlines' solution was to "call the guys in JHB and see if it is still safe to fly" now those of you reading this, what do you think "the guys in JHB" would say, in order not lose a fully booked flight, bearing in mind a dent on the wing and the speed at which the plane travels?

Eventually I left as I refused to board a defect aircraft so I went back out to the Mango help desk and requested my ticket to be transferred to the next day as I refused to pay to board a defect plane. While this was happening the front desk manager seemed to try and composed himself as if to hold back his patronising and sarcastic tone as I requested my flight transfer.
These were the words he used "I would get on the plane if it was me" "I understand you are scared" "It;s gonna be hassle getting your bag off the plane now". Now normally I would have got back onto that plane once they had cleared it for take off, but the very fact that some ### tried to press me into having had paid for the ticket and over and above that, try and manipulate me into boarding a defect aircraft was unacceptable and unethical. I then had to pay a difference in the fare fee in order to transfer my flight.

So lets summarise:

Consumer pays for ticket.
Airline announces a defect with the plane.
Airline announces that it is ok to aboard a defect plane.
Consumer refused to board a defect plane.
Airline staff tries to patronise and bully the consumer to board a defect aircraft.
Airline makes the consumer pay extra to change flight even though consumer had nothing to do with the defect aircraft, but the consumer must pay just so that he can board a "safer" flight.

In closing, I would like to just say, F*** YOU mango airlines. I will do everything in my power to make sure that the people in my immediate network, clients and associates will hear about this and I will make sure to cast doubt over their decision before they even consider flying with your ### fleet and pathetically uneducated staff

I have recently discovered credit card fraud that someone purchased on my personal company credit card. How is it possible to let someone fly on mango airlines without producing such credit card. I have seen several statements that mango airlines have made to the effect that it was a prerequisite for the traveler to produce the credit card prior to boarding the flight. I would like to put mango airlines to the test as to whether their security checks are actually done or not.