Menu
Login
This complaint was actually originally submitted directly to SA Express (with a copy to SAA) via the SA Express website on 22 January 2011. Aside from receiving acknowledgment and a reference number for my complaint (Incident No: [protected]). I have tried emailing, repeating my complaint, etc but to no avail.
On 1 December 2010, our family of 7 flew out from George on SA 1506, via Johannesburg and onto Rome. Our baggage was checked in all the way through to Rome. Within our party of 7, 4 of us traveled business class and 3 traveled economy class on the international flight. There was no mention made at George check-in regarding any “excess” in that there are NO business class flights from George anyway and the staff there knew that we were flying business class internationally.
We returned on 11 January 2011 and once again our party of 7 (4 business class, 3 economy class) checked in at Buenos Aires from where we flew to Sao Paulo to connect with SA 223 to Johannesburg and then SA 1505 to George. When we checked in in Buenos Aires, once again there were no query on our baggage and our luggage was checked in all the way through to Johannesburg.
When we then collected our luggage in Johannesburg however and checked in for SA1505 to George, we were informed that there was NO AGREEMENT between SAA and SA Express and ALL 4 OF US WHO HAD TRAVELED BUSINESS CLASS WITH 30kg of baggage now had to pay excess baggage of 10kg each to fly to George! This amounted to over R 3 000-00 and nothing we said made any difference, the duty supervisor at Johannesburg was not interested! SA Express do NOT OFFER business class to George and we have never had this problem before. We are absolutely stunned at such treatment and feel completely ripped off.
On Friday, 28 August 2009, I travelled on SA Express to Bloemfontein and back. Initially when checking in, the initial boarding passes (both) indicated window seats. As I am in a wheelchair, I had to go back and query why I was given window seats due to difficulty getting to the seat. My boarding passes were then changed to aisle seats. On my flight to Bloem, I sat in the aisle seat.
However, on my return flight to Johannesburg, I sat in the aisle seat booked for me. I was then asked by the air stewardess, Natasha, to move to the window seat. She was aware that I am disabled, and showed her my boarding pass with an aisle seat booking, but still persisted to make me move to the window seat, besides my difficulty. Her reason for this was that I could not jeopardise an able-bodied passenger in an emergency (CAA regulations), however CAA regulations clearly don't give a continental about disabled passengers shoved in the corner. It would be more difficult for anyone to help me from an window seat in case of an emergency, but the CAA, like many other companies have ignored disabled people.
I would appreciate the logic behind this absurd regulation, and a written apology.