Baddest airline EVER!!! REFUND PROBLEMS

Dear South African Airways,

I am writing to formally express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the handling of my flight booking (***), originally made on 29 April 2025.

In July 2025, my husband expressed interest in joining the trip and suggested we drive instead.

I contacted SAA via email on 15 July 2025 to enquire whether the flights could be refunded. Your team responded that the tickets were non-refundable but could be rescheduled before 1 April 2026. I followed up to ask how to proceed with rescheduling but received no further response. Importantly, no request for a refund was ever made.

From July until 11 September 2025, I received no communication from SAA regarding any changes to the booking. On 11 September, I received a reminder email confirming our upcoming trip—clearly indicating that the booking was still active.

However, on 18 September 2025, I was shocked to receive an email stating that my booking would be refunded within 7–10 days. This was completely unexpected and contrary to your earlier communication. I immediately contacted SAA and spoke to several operators, none of whom could assist. One operator confirmed that the flights were still showing as available.

On 28 September 2025, I received yet another reminder of our upcoming trip, reinforcing my belief that the booking remained intact. In the week leading up to our scheduled departure on 4 October 2025, I phoned SAA daily to confirm the booking, and each time I was assured that everything was in order.

Upon arrival at the airport on 4 October, I was informed at check-in that there was a problem with one of the children’s bookings. After explaining the entire situation to two different staff members, I was told, “Sorry ma’am, it was processed,” and instructed to rebook and repay for the same flights—at a cost of R6,280.42.

This unexpected expense brought the total cost of the trip to R12,560.84, solely due to SAA’s unilateral decision to refund my original booking without my consent or request.

I am extremely disappointed in the lack of accurate communication and the unprofessional manner in which this issue was handled. SAA failed to notify me of any refund process and proceeded without my authorisation. This is unacceptable for a company of your stature.

I respectfully request that SAA take full responsibility for this error and refund the amount of R6,280.42, which I was forced to pay again due to your internal mismanagement.

I trust that you will treat this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.

Kind regards,

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