SOUTH African Express
has announced that it
will take to the skies
again on August 23, three
months after the SA Civil
Aviation Authority grounded
the airline because of safety
concerns.
However, agents report
that the airline still hasn’t
honoured its promise to
refund passengers.
Shannon Riley, travel
consultant at Sure Etnique
Travel, says it has been
communicating with its
sales rep regarding the
30 or so outstanding
refunds from its office and
has been advised that
the backlog amounts to
over 15 000 unprocessed
refunds. She adds that
while SAX has processed
refunds with clients, BSP
refund applications remain
untouched. “We look like the
bad guys.”
Nicolene Van Blerk, BSP
team leader for Club Travel
says that Club head office
is currently waiting for more
than 100 refunds to be
processed for passengers
affected by the grounding.
“As there has been no
communication regarding
the individual refunds, we
have requested that SAX
or SAA release a generic
circular explaining the delay
and the time frame that
clients can expect going
forward. No communication
has been forthcoming,” says
Nicolene.
Since early July, TNW has
been asking SAX when
agents can expect their
refunds. No answers have
been given.
Still space for SAX?
While SA Express says it
will resume operations on
August 23, competitors
have snapped up most of
the carrier’s routes and
the airline’s reputation has
taken a knock.
Travel Counsellor Tanya
Edwards told TNW that while
she might sell SA Express
again, it was shocking how
many of its aircraft were
declared unsafe. “How
did it get that far?” she
asks. When the airline was
grounded the CAA also
suspended the Certificates
of Airworthiness of nine of
the 21 aircraft it operated.
Within days of SAX’s
grounding, CemAir had
increased capacity
between Johannesburg
and Bloemfontein; begun
operating a direct service
between Cape Town
and Hoedspruit; and
launched flights between
Johannesburg and Kimberley
as well as between
Johannesburg and Richards
Bay. All of these were SAX
routes.
Airlink also began
operating on SAX routes
together with SAA as part
of a ‘relief schedule’. At
the time SAA requested
that Airlink take over these
routes for an entire system
range (one rolling year).
Rodger Foster, ceo and
md of Airlink, told TNW
that the airline had strong
forward sales of this
inventory (over 100 000
forward bookings) until June
2019, as per the original
intervention request.
“As at present, we have
had no sight of any of
SAX’s ‘return to business’
planning, there has been no
consultation and, despite
several requests, we have
had no indication from SAA
that Airlink should terminate
our franchised services
on any route. Therefore,
Airlink has no intention of
discontinuing any of the
services that we currently
offer.”
Rodger also says it is
“inconceivable” that SAX will
be the only carrier on any
route again, save possibly
for Lubumbashi in the short
term. “In all other instances,
competitors filled the void
left by SAX almost overnight
and it is unlikely that these
competitors will relinquish
what they have gained in
SAX’s absence.” He says
while this route is operated
by SAX, SAA aircraft are
used.
In response to a TNW poll,
60% of agents said they
would not feel confident to
sell SAX on its return.
David Pegg, md of Sure
Viva Travels, told TNW
that he expected to see
consumer resistance to
SAX flights and that SAX’s
return would result in overcapacity
on certain routes,
which could result in SAX
dropping prices and make it
difficult for private airlines to
compete.
TNW asked SA Express for
comment, but no response
had been received at the
time of publishing.
