SAA hits back, joins price war

SOUTH African Airways (SAA) has joined the domestic airfare price war which was initiated by kulula.com and Nationwide recently to pre-empt the entry of South Africa’s newest low cost carrier, 1time. At R199 to Durban and R299 to Cape Town, SAA claims it is offering ‘all the frills at no frills fares.’ In addition to these fares, SAA claims it will continue to offer the lowest available fares throughout the year. The R199 and R299 one-way fares between Cape Town and Johannesburg, Johannesburg and Durban, Cape Town and Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg and George are available on Tuesdays and Saturdays for bookings on SAA's website, flysaa.com. The return fares, available on specific flights, are R399 between Durban and Johannesburg, R593 between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban and Johannesburg and George. Passengers must travel between January 24 and August 31, 2004. All fare prices stated above are based on a return trip. The fare prices shown during the web booking process include all applicable taxes. “When a major airline like SAA faces direct competition, you'll find that we offer competitive if not identical fares,” said a statement from the national carrier. (Miguel de Sousa)