South African Airways scoops coveted customer satisfaction awards

South African Airways (SAA) has been named Best Airline Africa for the twelfth consecutive year. Feedback from SAA’s customers also ensured SAA walks away with the Best Airline Staff Service Africa award for the third time. The awards were presented at the Skytrax World Airline Awards ceremony in London yesterday.

According to Tim Clyde-Smith, SAA’s Regional Manager for Australasia, the airline is delighted that customers continue to rate their experience with the airline so highly: “The fact these awards are directly based on customer surveys makes them the benchmark of airline excellence,” Tim said this week.

“Our customers are the heartbeat of SAA’s business, and with excellent customer service as one of the five strategic objectives of our long-term turnaround strategy, Gaining Altitude, being rated so highly proves we are on the right track, “he said.

The awards are based on a global consumer satisfaction survey conducted each year by Skytrax, an independent aviation research organisation. This year, the survey elicited responses from 18 million business and leisure air travellers from 160 countries, covering more than 200 airlines, from the largest international airlines to smaller domestic carriers. The online survey is open for a 10-month period, giving passengers an opportunity to rate their experience in the air and on the ground. It measures satisfaction across 41 key performance indicators of airline front-line product and service including check-in, boarding, on-board seat comfort, cabin cleanliness, food, beverages, inflight entertainment and staff service.

“SAA is the airline with the most awards across Africa. In January we retained the Skytrax 4-Star Airline ranking, for the 12th year in a row. SAA is the only carrier on the African continent to achieve this high level 4-Star Airline rating, which certifies the good quality of the service we offer across all travel categories.” Tim concluded.

For more information on SAA flights and reservations please call 1300 435 972 or see www.flysaa.com.au