SAA YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF

Item: SAA
Rating: 1
Author: Ingrid van der Velden

I have been waiting for a response from Phidelia Ndwandwa to my complaint case number ***4 since 14 April 2016. I was a business class passenger on flight SA089, seat 5A, from Abuja to Johannesburg on Wednesday 30 March 2016. SAA made me wait in Abuja, Nigeria for 4 days before I could get a flight home. Wednesday 30 March 2016 07h55 boarding gate opened for the flight due for takeoff at 08h40. Shortly after 08h40 the captain informed us there would be a short delay as we were waiting for one of the government planes to take off. After an hour delay we began to taxi to the runway, but before reaching the runway the captain informed us there was a problem with the hydraulics and he had requested a tow truck to take us back to the parking bay where the damage could be assessed. Tow truck arrived but it immediately broke down and the captain had to request another one. 11h00 Business class cabin crew then began handing out water to economy passengers, this was the first refreshment they received. No food or drinks to anyone prior to this. 11h10 second tow truck began towing us back to our bay. On arrival we were told to disembark immediately and return to the terminal. I had now been on the plane for more than three hours. Upon entering the terminal we were met by the SAA airport manager, and she informed us we would all have to go back to immigration before we would be allowed to proceed. I told her that as the aircraft had not taken off, we had not left Nigeria and couldn’t possibly go to immigration to re-enter the country. I further informed her that in a situation such as this all the passengers needed to be taken to a central holding area until it was determined which flight SAA would put us on for Johannesburg. She continued to argue with me for several minutes, then asked security what she should do. They told her I was correct and that we had to proceed upstairs, which we did. Business class passengers returned to the business lounge, economy class waited in the departure hall. Shortly thereafter s****s of paper were brought to us and we were asked to write down our name, aircraft seat number and telephone number. One passenger requested the passenger manifest but was told they didn’t know how to get it. 13h00 Tebogo Tsimane from SAA informed us that a decision would be taken in the next half an hour. 14h00 we were informed by Tebogo we would be taken to the Hilton hotel for the rest of the afternoon while they attempted to have the scheduled Lagos flight diverted to Abuja to collect us that evening. Alternatively SAA would send up another aircraft from Johannesburg to collect us. 15h10, bottles of water were taken out of the business lounge for the economy passengers. Up until this time no food or drink except 1 bottle of water on the plane had been given to passengers. 17h00 our passports were collected and retained by immigration and we boarded a bus to the Hilton hotel without our luggage which had not been released. 18h00 arrived at the Hilton hotel to find our flight crew had been there since 14h15. 20h12 I received a call from Joy Onyeadi of SAA informing me I was on a flight at 02h00 and I had to be in the hotel lobby at midnight. 00h00 waiting in the lobby. 00h07 informed that the flight from Lagos could not be diverted to Abuja. 00h30 informed that SAA was not sending up another aircraft to collect us and there was no flight at 02h00 but it had been postponed to 17h00 on Thursday. Thursday 31 March 2016 09h00 Some passengers were informed they could fly to from Abuja to Lagos and catch flight to Johannesburg. I was not informed. A group of passengers and I requested confirmation that we would be put on a flight to Lagos plus confirmation there were seats available from Lagos to Johannesburg and Mr Tebogo Tsimane informed us that “connecting flights are not SAA’s problem”. 10h00 (approximately) we requested our luggage from the airport. 12h00 (approximately) told to go to the airport and collect our luggage ourselves. 13h20 room key cards had expired and the Hilton hotel staff refused to extend them as they had been informed by SAA that we were now departing and our flight was leaving at 15h00. Large group of anxious passengers shouting at Hilton staff at reception. 13h48 SAA confirmed with the Hilton we would be staying one more night and key cards extended. 15h00 (approximately) told our luggage was being delivered now. 22h00 some passengers luggage, including mine arrived at the hotel. I had now been in the same clothing for two days without any assistance from SAA! Friday 1 April 2016 07h00 found a letter under my hotel room door to say we were departing for the airport at 10h00. 10h00 waiting in lobby and told there was no flight. 17h30 I was informed by other passengers that SAA had set up a meeting room in the hotel to relay information. No-one from SAA had told me! 20h00 (approximately) Saw Tebogo from SAA and he informed me there was a flight departing at midnight and asked if I wanted to be on it. I rep**** yes. 21h00 all flight crew from the Wednesday flight checking out of the hotel to return to Johannesburg. Passengers were not allowed on the flight. 22h00 (approximately) found a letter under my hotel room door to say we were departing for the airport at 05h00 on Sa****ay. Flight leaving Abuja at 08h40. Sa****ay 2 April 2016 05h30 departed for the airport. 08h15 difficulty in getting a boarding pass as the system had not been amended during the past four days by SAA staff and it showed we had all already flown out of Abuja. Told that this flight was overbooked and not enough seats for everyone! 09h05 boarding gate opened for our flight which was supposed to depart at 08h40 and I boarded the plane. 09h45 (approximately) commotion and shouting at door to aircraft. The same SAA airport manager who told us to go through immigration again was insisting that the flight crew put extra economy passengers into business class. Senior flight attendant told her they didn’t have sufficient food for everyone and it would cause a problem with business class passengers. SAA manager insisted and additional economy passengers boarded at 10h16 to sit in business class! In short - 1. The SAA airport manager at Abuja has no idea of how to manage as demonstrated by her continual lack of knowledge. 2. I had to wait at Abuja airport for the whole day on Wednesday 30 March while SAA staff had to find out what to do with the passengers. 3. A passenger manifest was not obtained by SAA staff to determine who would be sent to the hotel and who could be accommodated on other flights. 4. To have to wait in the hotel lobby at midnight on Wednesday and only told after midnight that the flight that wasn’t happening is unacceptable. 5. NO SAA staff communicated with me on a regular basis. I received only one phone call the entire time. I had to find out information from other passengers. 6. I had to wear the same clothing for two days before my luggage was brought to the hotel. No assistance was given by any SAA staff. 7. The Hilton hotel was not kept informed by SAA of our flights, hence a lot of upset passengers who were told to vacate their rooms on Thursday 31 March. This caused me extreme stress. 8. Why was a SAA meeting room set up in the Hilton hotel on the afternoon before our departure and not on the first day we arrived? 9. I paid for a business class air ticket. SAA has no right to dump economy passengers in business class as if it was a Joburg taxi. The events of the four days between 30 March 2016 and 2 April 2016 for a business class passenger on SAA are unacceptable and I request feedback on how SAA is going to resolve the matter as I suffered stress, discomfort and unhappiness due to your incompetence.

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