SAA – show up or pay up

SAA has introduced
a special ‘no-show’
fee from May 1 for
customers who do not arrive
for their scheduled flights
on time.
Tlali Tlali, spokesperson
for SAA, says no shows have
been “a constant headache”
for the airline. SAA would
previously cancel or forfeit the
customer’s airline ticket in the
event of a ‘no show’ and the
ticket was then refunded. Now,
passengers will pay a no-show
fee as well as a change fee,
but will not have to complete
a “new transaction”, he said.
The airline will now charge
a dedicated fee, which will
vary from market to market.
No shows on domestic routes
will incur a fee of R570 for
economy class and R1 140
for business class per ticket.
On international and regional
routes, fixed amounts will be
implemented depending on
the destination. “In some
cases, the fixed amount, plus
a change fee, plus upgrade to
the next higher fare, will apply,
whereas on other routes only
fixed amounts will apply,”
Tlali says.
With the introduction of
this fee, SAA is merely
implementing rules that put
them on an even footing with
other airlines, says Geraldine
Boshoff, marketing manager
of Sure Travel.
She says the consequences
for travel agents will be
minimal. The agency that
issued the original ticket
will only be involved in the
refunding or reissuing of the
ticket when there is a no
show. She adds, however,
that travel agents will need to
inform their clients with every
ticket issued that no-show
fees apply. “Agents must
ensure that their clients know
that boarding gates close
early and that they must be on
time and that flights must be
cancelled in good time if they
are not going to travel.”
Travel agents can’t be held
responsible for no shows,
says Yvonne Horak of Cape
Gulf Travel. “Once a ticket has
been issued and paid for and
is in the possession of the
passenger, the travel agent
has no control on whether
the passenger reports for his
flight or not.”
SAA joins a long line of
airlines that are deriving
major benefits from these
lucrative fees. In the US,
where no-show fees are
standard, the US Department
of Transportation reported
that reservation change fees
generated nearly US$3bn
(R35,9bn) in 2014, up 6%
compared with the previous
year.