[BCool]

After experiencing an extraordinary number of issues of high severity with regards to two flights on South African Airways (25Dec17 and 06Jan18), I am working with my credit card company and the US DOT to obtain a refund of the purchase price for two tickets. The issues are outlined below, as written in a letter to SAA.

1. Outbound Flight (SA204)
a. Check in
i. Website errors
1. Repeated attempts to check-in using FlySAA.com after 10:40 on 24 Dec 2017 (24 hours prior to the flight) failed without adequate explanation. I called your customer service line (800-722-9675) and was told to simply try again in 90 minutes. Another online check-in attempt 90 minutes later resulted in the same error.
ii. Misinformation / lack of communication
1. In addition to not allowing me to check-in online, your website stated that the departure would be delayed; however, I received no formal notification of such delays via text, phone, or email at this time.
2. Other resources (Google Flight, and FlightAware) stated that my flight had been cancelled.
3. I again called your customer service line at 12:30 on 24 Dec 2017, and was told that I was being switched to another flight, with the same departure date and time, and they would check us in at the airport.

b. Delayed notification of repeatedly-delayed departure
i. At 17:43 on 24 Dec (less than 17 hours before departure), I received a text message stating that departure is delayed over 13 hours, to 22:00. This was quite upsetting, since our families had rearranged a significant number of schedules and events based on a morning flight on Christmas Day.
ii. At 12:07 on 25 Dec (less than 10 hours before revised departure), I received another text message stating that departure is delayed another 30 minutes, to 22:30.
iii. At 21:52 on 25 Dec, I received another text message stating that departure is delayed another 45 minutes, to 23:15.
iv. The gate crew at JFK did not make any announcements of further delays or of expected boarding time. In fact no announcement was made when it commenced; people simply began crowding the gate when they saw boarding passes being scanned.
v. At 23:47 on 25 Dec (over 30 minutes after the last scheduled departure time), I received another text message stating that departure is delayed until 23:48. That statement is accurate: I received a text stating that our flight would be departing in exactly one minute.
vi. After several minutes on board, the captain made an announcement that we would be delayed further until an “unruly passenger” could be removed from the aircraft. No staff members displayed any sense of urgency to remove the passenger, and no security personnel boarded the aircraft to remove the passenger. The boarding door did not close until 00:08 on 26 Dec.
vii. We had arrived at JFK to check-in at 18:00 that day, as directed by SAA; these delays caused us to be in the airport terminal for more than six hours.

c. On-board issues
i. Equipment
1. Power
a. No seatside power outlets (via USB plug or otherwise) were available. We expected a top, global airline to provide power for small electronic devices on a 13-hour flight costing nearly $2,000 per seat; especially since I normal experience such an “amenity” on budget domestic flights of one hour.
i. The recording that plays while “on hold” for your customer service (reference paragraphs 1.a.i, and 4.d and subsequent below) message states that every aircraft has USB ports on-board flights from the US to SA.
b. At the very least, notify your passengers when they purchase the ticket that they are expected to bring backup power sources.
c. If 1.c.1.a is not systematically feasible, passengers should be notified in the gate area that they should utilize in-gate power sources to recharge; especially when many have now been in the airport more than half a day due to your delay.
2. Seating
a. No personal ventilation control was offered at the seats. Again, this “amenity” has been on most commercial jets for decades. Providing blankets is not sufficient for those who may not wish to “wear” one for 13 hours, or whom may be allergic to the material, or for any number of other reasons.
b. I was assigned a different seat at check-in than I selected when purchasing my ticket. Upon arrival at my seat, a posted placard notified me that I must place my hand luggage in the overhead bin. I should have been notified of such a restriction upon check-in, as my hand luggage contained valuable and fragile items that were not packed in a suitable manner to be jostled about with other bags in an overhead bin.
ii. Personnel
1. I asked an SAA flight attendant for a napkin or tissue. His response was a curt and loud, “Bathroom!” while pointing to the lavatory. If SAA was concerned about customer service, a more proper response would have been, “You can find a tissue dispenser in the bathroom,” etc.
2. When flight attendants began serving drinks, the first three commonly-available spirits I requested (rum, then gin, then cranberry juice) were not available. The flight attendant was not even aware of what she did have available, and at this point was pulling random bottles out of the cart and announcing their contents. After we found that the cart did have vodka, I was told that I could not have two bottles. Consequently, I assumed that spirits would be offered again later during the flight; they were not. We expected a top, global airline to offer more than one drink on a 13-hour flight costing nearly $2,000 per seat; especially when many passengers have now been in the airport more than half a day due to your delay.
3. Upon lowering our tray tables for the meal service, we found both to be covered with crumbs. The trays had not been cleaned after the previous flight.

2. In-Country Issues Caused by Outbound Flight Delays
a. Time of day
i. The delays caused us to arrive near midnight local time. There were no restaurants open in the airport, and no alternatives provided by SAA. Though I understand additional meals for all passengers were not onboard the aircraft, it would have been great customer service if SAA even said, “An SAA representative will have additional airline meal dishes on the cart in Baggage Claim.”
ii. We were forced to spend $136.00 USD on a hotel in Johannesburg, since our planning place of lodging was closed for the evening.
b. Lost time and cost
i. The delays caused us to miss one night of lodging and two safari drives, which resulted in $600.00 lost.

3. Inbound Flight (SA203)
a. Check in
i. Website errors
1. Repeated attempts to check-in using FlySAA.com 24 hours prior to the flight once again failed without adequate explanation.
ii. JNB check-in counter
1. After arrival at JNB more than two hours prior to the flight, the SAA check-in agent tagged our checked luggage (two suitcases and two large souvenirs packaged in bubble wrap) but informs us that he can’t accept our luggage at this time, and consequently we need to wait “over there for 10 minutes” before dropping our luggage and proceeding through JNB security.
2. Ten minutes later, the SAA agent tells us we need to wait another 20 minutes while the “captain checks whether there is room for more luggage.”
3. Twenty minutes later, the SAA agent tells us that while there are seats available for us on standby, there is still no room for additional luggage.
a. We were put on “standby” because we were not allowed to check in online (reference paragraph 3.a.i).
b. At this point in time, we know that the baggage of family members who took this same JNB-to-JFK flight several days prior, but whose baggage never arrived at JFK with the passengers, is on our flight. This, presumably, is the reason for the lack of cargo capacity for the passengers not yet through security. Why should our flight be negatively impacted by weather delays or personnel errors days ago?
c. Why is adequate luggage capacity not available for passengers who purchased tickets six months in advance and were never given an opportunity to state how many checked bags we wanted at the time of purchase, and/or at the check-in we were similarly not given an opportunity to do?
4. Ten minutes later, the SAA agent tells us that the issue is now weather-related.
5. The SAA agent finally accepted our checked luggage less than an hour before scheduled departure (21:35) and promises to call the gate and hold our flight. We sprint to security, and again from security to the gate, in hopes of arriving before the boarding door closes (50 minutes prior to departure for international flights, as stated on your website).

b. Departure issues at JNB
i. An airport representative stopped us in the jet bridge, saying our hand luggage was too big to carry on. This luggage conformed to the size and weight requirements on your website, and fit in the overhead bin of the exact same plane on our outbound flight. The hand luggage was filled with fragile items, which were then damaged by being tossed about in the cargo hold.


ii. Though departure was scheduled for 21:40, the boarding door was not closed until 22:00, and we did not take off until 22:16.

4. Post-Flight Issues
a. Delayed disembarkation
i. Upon landing at JFK, the captain informed us we would be waiting on the aircraft 40 more minutes until a gate would be available. After 50-60 minutes, the captain informed us of an additional delay; and repeatedly informed us of further delays, each of a different length. We were kept on the plane on the taxiway for five hours before being allowed to disembark via stairs and be bussed to the terminal.
1. If a gate was never going to be available, why were the stairs and busses not made available sometime during the first four hours? Or at least two hours after landing, at which time the remaining food and water had run out and the bathrooms were beginning to be used for trash storage?
2. Why was the flight even allowed to take off from JNB? Certainly JFK knew prior to our departure that it had, and would continue to have, a large enough backlog of aircraft and a shortage of gates.

b. Delayed baggage
i. Checked baggage arrived at the baggage claim carousel in unpredictable tranches, with delays of 20 minutes between each tranche. There were no airline representatives, or even generic airport baggage representatives, present to let passengers know if their bags were going to arrive in minutes, or days.

c. Damage
i. One of the large souvenirs we checked as baggage was damaged. An airport representative at JFK inspected the damaged parcel and created File Reference, then informed me I needed to contact an SAA representative (either three stories above our current location; or via phone) to complete the claim and obtain reimbursement for the damage.

d. Inability to file claim for damaged baggage reimbursement
i. 08 Jan 2018: The next business day, I called 800-722-9675. I was on hold for 30 minutes, before anyone answered. After another five minute hold, I was told that “the Baggage Department” would call me back the same day. I received no callback.

ii. 09 Jan 2018 at 12:54 EST: I called 800-722-9675 again to inquire when I should expect the Baggage Department to contact me, and was told, “They usually call back in the same day. Someone should get back to you today.” I received no callback.

iii. 12 Jan 2018 at 13:45 EST: I called 800-722-9675. During an 18 minute hold, I noted one message instructing me to call 800-722-3734 or 718-917-6258 “for information about New York flights.” After the 18 minutes, someone answered “Hello?” and hung up. I tried the -3734 and -6258 numbers; both calls went to an answering machine for Harmon Aviation and said nothing about SAA or JFK flights. I called -9675 back, and was on hold another 40 minutes before someone answered. This very helpful representative told me where to download a “Passenger Property Claim” form from the SAA website, and instructed me to fill it out and email it to FLLBAGCLAIMS@FLYSAA.COM for processing.
1. Why did it take over a week, and speaking to three different SAA employees, before I was directed to this form?
2. Issues with “Passenger Property Claim” Form
a. At four pages, this form is unnecessarily long.
b. This form is unnecessarily redundant.
i. Flight number twice on Page 1
ii. “From” airport twice on Page 1
iii. “To” airport three times on Page 1
c. Page 3 identifies a police affidavit as a required document. Why would I file a police report for a damaged bag?
d. The requirement for signing before a Commissioner of Oaths (called a Notary Public in the United Stated) is unnecessary. We checked our luggage with an SAA representative in JNB, where two separate SAA representatives inspected them and deemed them appropriately packaged (considering the contents and weight) and undamaged. One checked luggage arrived damaged by SAA at JFK, where an airport representative confirmed the damage. Why must I now go to yet another party and pay him/her to confirm that I am signing the claim form for the damage that was verified by an airport representative?
e. The form does not instruct the user how it should be submitted. Though a Johannesburg address appears on the form, it is not clear whether that is simply for information purposes or if the form and supporting documentation should be submitted to that address. Further, in 2017, posting actual hardcopy documents to a physical address should not be the sole method of communication for an international company.
i. There appears to be no simple way to file a complaint of any kind on flysaa.com.

iv. 12 Jan 2018 at 16:22 EST: Note (1) on Page 3 of the “Passenger Property Claim” form states that the complaint must be made within seven days from the date of receipt of the damaged baggage. Considering this, after speaking with the representative noted in paragraph 4.d.iii, I took unpaid time off from work and hurried to find someone to validate my signature on Page 4, and emailed form and required information at 16:22 EST to fllbagclaims@flysaa.com; the email bounced back with the message, “Your message couldn't be delivered to fllbagclaims@flysaa.com. Their inbox is full, or it's getting too much mail right now.”

v. 13 Jan 2018 at 10:03 EST: I again emailed the form and required information to fllbagclaims@flysaa.com; received the same “undeliverable” message. How are passengers supposed to file claims if SAA will not receive the claims?

vi. 13 Jan 2018 at 10:05 EST: I called 800-722-9675. The representative forwarded me to an automated message telling me to leave a message or call two other numbers (888-725-3522 or 718-360-8927). I left a message.

vii. 13 Jan 2018 at 10:12 EST: I again emailed the form and required information to baggageservices@flysaa.com as per your website; received the same “undeliverable” message. How are passengers supposed to file claims if SAA will not receive the claims?

viii. 19 Jan 2018 at 09:24 EST: I again emailed the form and required information to baggageservices@flysaa.com and fllbagclaims@flysaa.com; received the same “undeliverable” message.

ix. 19 Jan 2018 at 09:31 EST: I called 888-725-3522 and 718-360-8927; both numbers were answered by a pre-recorded message saying the “voicemail box is full.”

x. 19 Jan 2018 at 09:33 EST: I called 954-769-5023 (your U.S. Customer Care number). The call was answered by a pre-recorded message saying the “voicemail box is full” and instructing me to call 954-769-5095 “for baggage claims.” I called that number and left a voicemail. I then called the -5023 number again, whereupon another pre-recorded message instructed me to email customerservice@flysaa.com.

xi. 19 Jan 2018 at 09:40 EST: I again emailed the form and required information to customerservice@flysaa.com and saausa@flysaa.com; received the same “undeliverable” message.

xii. 25 Jan 2018 at 17:52 EST: I again emailed the form and required information to baggageservices@flysaa.com, fllbagclaims@flysaa.com, customerservice@flysaa.com, and saausa@flysaa.com; received the same “undeliverable” message.

xiii. At this time, we have still received no callback from “the Baggage Department,” and the claim form remains not received by SAA.