Delayed twice by SA Airlink flying from Bloemfontein to Johannesburg - 5th Dec 2017 - The rating scale of HelloPeter is not providing a category for such pathetic service, I was forced to select 1 star on their rating scale!

I have been scheduled for a flight on SAA flight at 17:00 from Bloemfontein to OR Tambo. On arrival to check in I was informed that our flight has been delayed to 17:50. This was ok as delays does happen for SAA from Bloemfontein as I frequent this route. The clerk offerred me a voucher of R90.00 to use at the Mugg & Bean.

When I prepared for boarding I noticed that our flight was delayed again till 19:20. When questioning the SAA representative at the boarding gate he blatantly ignored me and instructed me to stand aside as he had to board people going to Cape Town. I then asked him what the reason is for the delay and he indicated that he is not at liberty to provide me with any information, although he is working for SAA, and that I am to go to the SAA ticket desk to enquire. I had to go through the security/customs gate again. When I approached the SAA ticket desk I was informed that the manager was not present as he already left, this was after 17:00.

When I enquired from the clerk at the SAA check-in desk I was informed that our plane was down-graded to a smaller plane as there were not enough planes to attend to the booked schedule for the delay. This was as a result of engine malfunction of planes earlier in the day.

I have been inconvenienced by SAA twice today. I have family members whom are collecting me at OR Tambo and they are waiting for me to confirm when my flight is taking off to meet me at the airport. This lack of proper management by SAA and communication with their patrons are unacceptable. An earlier flight scheduled to leave at 13:00 this afternoon from Bloemfontein to OR Tambo has been delayed and the people only left at 18:00!

I implore of SAA to get their house in order and manage their airplanes, bookings and maintenance of flights better. The economy is suffering at the expense of their incompetence and lacking managerial s****s as we ordinary folk are ignored and not taken seriously. We paid for this service and we cannot even ask our money back! I am undertaking not ever to fly with SAA again until I can observe a marked improvement in this *********** airline. This, on the contrary, was a prestigious airline not many years ago. An airline that providing a world-class standard, only to have been down-graded by inefficiencies, incompetence and pathetic management. I am disgraced by the South African Airways and I am ashamed to be associated with you as a South African. There were a couple of international visitors here today from the Netherlands. They had a flight to OR Tambo with a connecting flight to their country. None of them were offered any assistance to communicate with the connecting airline to inform them of the delay or offered any form of compensation.

I am ashamed today to be called a South African. Not only is our government failing us, but even our national airline!