With SAA confirming that the airline has cancelled nearly all its domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for Friday, November 15, and Saturday, November 16, 2019, passengers who booked on those flights may be in panic mode.
We don’t blame them as travelling to a destination is meant to be a happy time, not one marred with uncertainty and stress.
SAA Spokesperson Tlali Tlali revealed that only flights operated by South African Airways will be affected. All flights operated on partner airlines, including SA Express, Mango, SA Airlink and all codeshare partners, including flights operated by our Star Alliance partner airlines will not be affected.
Tlali revealed that these flights can be identified by their flight numbers: SA 1000 –1999, SA 2000 –2999, SA 7000 –7999 and SA 8000 to 8999.
Tlali also said SAA will operate flights from selected outstations on Friday, November 15, 2019, back to SAA’s base, OR Tambo International Airport.
Regional flights, which will operate on Friday morning, will return from Maputo (SA147), Lusaka (SA067), Harare (SA025), Windhoek (SA073), and Accra (SA210).
International flights, which will operate on Friday evening, will return from Frankfurt (SA261), New York (SA204), Munich (SA265), Hong Kong (SA287), Perth (SA281), Washington (SA210) and London (SA235).
Here are 5 things you should do now:
Check the status of your flight:
If you have booked with SAA, head over to their website at
If cancelled, book another flight:
The airline may rebook you on partner airlines if there is space. If you can amend your travel dates, they will change it to the most suitable date. However, do not assume that the airline would make the changes, rather speak to an airline representative to clarify the details.
Consider other airlines:
If you have to fly on those dates, consider other airlines. Depending on the booking, the airline may reimburse you the ticket fee, which you could use to book another airline.
Check your travel insurance policy:
Find out whether your travel insurance (if you have taken one) covers strike or labour disputes. If it does, ask a representative to elaborate on what is covered.
Check the airline’s social media and newsfeed:
With technological advancement, you could monitor the status of your flights in the comfort of your own home. Sometimes the parties may reach a resolution and flights would resume as normal.