APPALLING EXPERIENCE ON FLIGHT SA 547

Good day, I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the unacceptable experience my family and I endured on Monday, 24 November 2025, while travelling on SAA flight SA547 from OR Tambo to Durban. We were a group of eight family members, including my 9-year-old son and nephew, both of whom were flying for the very first time. Unfortunately, what should have been a memorable and exciting experience turned into an extremely distressing and traumatic one. To begin with, although I received a WhatsApp notification regarding the gate change, upon arriving at Gate D1 there was significant confusion among passengers as the flight did not appear on the flight information display system. Despite our scheduled departure time of 11:20, no SAA staff member informed us of any delays. We eventually began boarding, only to be kept waiting inside the aircraft while it was still being refuelled. The flight ultimately departed at 12:45. The take-off was exceptionally rough and frightening. We and other passengers were screaming, and both my son and nephew were visibly traumatised to the point of crying. I travel frequently for work, and I have never experienced such a disturbing take-off before. Furthermore, no vegetarian snacks were available, and when we enquired, the air hostess responded in a rude and dismissive manner. From my seat near the window, I was equally shocked to witness how baggage handlers were throwing passengers’ bags with no care whatsoever. Upon arrival, we discovered that all eight of our bags were completely wet, along with the contents inside. We were forced to have all our clothing laundered at our own cost. My mum’s chronic medication was all damaged and wet. I called SAA Customer Service on Monday (24th Nov at 16h06) and spoke to a consultant named Mpho to lodge a formal complaint. To date, I have not received any feedback nor an acknowledgement regarding the matter. Our children were so traumatised by the experience that they did not even want to board the return flight. This level of service and negligence is entirely unacceptable. I hereby request a full explanation of what went wrong, why passengers were not kept informed, and how SAA intends to compensate my family for the trauma, inconvenience, and damage to our belongings. I expect a prompt response. Kind regards,
Safeera Muslim ***