Tried & Tested

South African Airways A340-600 business class

26 Feb 2008 by Tom Otley

FIRST IMPRESSIONS I arrived at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International airport at 1800 for my SA234 flight at 2110. I was earlier than I had intended, but with rolling blackouts sweeping the city, knocking out traffic lights and causing huge jams, I had been advised to take no chances. The SAA desks are at the far right of the long departures terminal, and the business check-in has to be accessed beyond the queue for economy. There is a fair amount of work taking place at the airport, partly preparing it for the Gauteng rail link which will, in its first phase, connect the airport with Sandton, and eventually provide a connection between the airport, downtown Johannesburg and Pretoria. I had my luggage weighed and was given a slip which I took to the check-in desk. Here the luggage was tagged and I walked through to security, and past immigration. Once airside, I took the escalator down to the SAA Baobab premium lounge, which is opposite that
of British Airways.

THE LOUNGE It was extremely busy, partly because silver, gold and platinum Voyager card holders (SAA’s frequent flyer programme) flying both domestically and internationally are welcomed, along with gold card holders with Star Alliance. But it was also because of flights leaving for Dubai, New York, Harari and Frankfurt.

I was lucky that when I entered the lounge someone got up to leave, so I was able to catch up on work. Wifi is available at a charge (£6 for two hours), but the connection kept dropping (perhaps because so many people in the lounge were trying to use it). Flight announcements were made in the lounge, but the sound was distorted and so I had to keep checking the information on the screens. Drinks and snacks were served from behind a bar.

BOARDING The announcement for boarding was made at 2025, and on leaving the lounge I went up the escalator to the main concourse. The flight was boarding from Gate 5, but the signs above my head pointed Gates 1-4 in one direction, and Gate 6 upwards in the other. So I walked straight between them towards the shops, and found Gate 5 tucked behind some duty-free. We had our boarding cards checked, and were handed a security card which we were told we should hand back just before we got on the plane. There was then a large and fairly chaotic queue, which got more so when we were separated into UK passports and all others. It took about another 20 minutes to get everyone else on board, but we were then informed there would be a wait because a cargo container had become stuck inside the plane. We eventually took off an hour later, but the staff were helpful, serving drinks to passengers and taking coats.

THE SEAT The new fully flat-bed seat has been installed on all SAA’s A340-600 aircraft and has a pitch of 73 inches. There is a power supply for laptops (two-pin European-type plug required), individual reading lamps, adjustable lumbar support, armrests which flatten with the bed, and good-sized pillows and duvets for sleep. The amenity kit contained a full selection of items including a shoehorn – very useful if you take your shoes off during the flight then find your feet have swollen.

THE FLIGHT Once we were safely on our way, the in-flight entertainment began with the same selections as had been available on the flight earlier that week (throughout the plane), and the meal service started, with a choice of either a one-serving express meal or the more drawn-out affair.

I went for this, since I wasn’t tired, and had four delicious courses. There was a choice of two white and two red wines, as well as more champagne and liquors or spirits afterwards. The cabin lights were then dimmed, I reclined my seat, and had no problem getting six hours’ sleep, waking only when an announcement was made for breakfast. There was a choice of fruit juice, cornflakes, muesli and yoghurt, and continental breakfast or omelette, and again there is an express version for those who want to sleep longer and be served later. The pilot announced we should be on the ground at about 0710, allowing for a ten-minute wait before landing at Heathrow, but as it turned out we were in the stacks for nearer 30 minutes, and landed at 0740.

ARRIVAL There was no queue at immigration, but I used the IRIS machine and my bags arrived quickly. I then met my driver from SAA – if pre-booked there is a free chauffeur transfer to within 55 miles of Heathrow (you pay a rate beyond that).

VERDICT Excellent. The lounge was very busy and the boarding could have been better organised, but once on board it was very good. And of course, with a flat-bed, instead of 30 minutes’ sleep on the outward journey, I had six hours and so could function the next day without feeling I was in a TV programme of my life.

PRICE A typical return business class fare from Johannesburg to London costs £3,352.

CONTACT flysaa.com.

Tom Otley

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