SAA has initiated a boutique service onboard its Joburg to London flightpath. This comes as part of its turnaround strategy, which seeks to realign the airline as an internationally-focused competitor. The strategy aims to compete on service delivery on designated international routes, SAA CEO Vuyani Jarana explained to Tourism Update.
Jarana further explained to Tourism Update that if competitors have four flights on a route and SAA only has one, for example, he wants to ensure that SAA’s flight fills up first. This will be achieved based on the service and value the flight will offer its passengers.
SAA is placing a large emphasis on improving the touch-points for customers with the airline throughout the travel process, from the time they purchase the ticket to the time they arrive at their destination.
The onboard improvements are centered around the Premium Class cabin. Customers who are part of the Voyager Platinum and Lifetime Platinum programmes will also be privy to value-adds. These will be available whether these customers are flying economy or business class.
The boutique service, coupled with the newer A330-300 aircraft, will hopefully attract customers to SAA’s flight option first, Jarana told Tourism Update. The service is currently in its trial phase on the London flightpath. Plans to expand to more international routes are looking hopeful.
Among those additions to the service offerings are priority boarding for premium-class customers and personalised on board trolley-less service in premium class, where tray tables are set. Families with children will be given entertainment packs at boarding gates and dedicated premium- and economy-class check-in counters. Once in London, SAA staff members will be available to walk premium customers to the arrival and departure fast-track lanes.
Zuks Ramasia, SAA’s General Manager of Operations, told Toursim Update that customer feedback revealed the main problem areas were with touch-points on the ground rather than in flight.
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