Two crews were talking right in front of me without really paying attention to me, and I found that a bit rude of them. I would have preferred them to be more professional and quiet.
I had a very good experience from boarding to arrivals.
Boarded almost 48 hrs later after a scheduling change on my initial flight that was not communicated either by kayak of SAA.
I had booked a ticket for a 6:40 am departure in July 2025, but it appears there was a change to 8;00 am, which meant I missed my connecting flight which departed 10 m minutes before I landed. I had seen this problem only the previous day and try to resolve it with South African air, but they are very uncooperative on the phone. All they could say was all flights were fully booked and I ended up buying paying $2,000+ to secure a ticket for my family to ensure we got out of South Africa by Monday, which am currently pursuing with the airline.
South African Airways on the outside, a very old shabby Qatar Airways plane on the inside
The food options were beef or veg, No alternatives for Hindus, that don't eat beef...
Flight was on time Seats ( business class) are terrible- you keep on slipping down as it doesn’t lie flat Food service is like economy class. Meals ( still wrapped in plastic) are just dropped in front of you
Flight was cancelled with no notification until I reached the check-in desk at the airport. I also got downgraded and they lost my luggage.
Very bad, Linda the hostess was very rude all the time
First row in business class is terrible - no storage space with video screen folded down between seats. Entertainment system didn't show flight info...
The following is a review for a flight from Johannesburg to Washington, DC with a connection at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and refueling landing at Rome, Italy. The flight was provided by Ethiopian Airlines. There were two of us: me and my wife on this flight. Everything was on time. Enough legroom between the seats, I was able to stretch my legs and sleep for at least some time during the 14 hour second flight (19 hours in total for both flights). Very decent meals that included two lunches and one breakfast on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington and one lunch on the flight from Johannesburg to Addis Ababa. The lunch choices were beef, chicken and fish, I think the vegetarian option was available as well, accompanied with beans. The breakfast was a choice between egg and pancake, accompanied with a fruit salad. The egg breakfast was awesome, it came with a scrambled egg and a sausage. However, my wife mentioned unusual taste of the pancake breakfast meal, by all means those were not pancakes. What wasn't good: Externally initiated commercials on the infosystem screens, you couldn't turn the screen off. These commercials were accompanied by loud and annoying music, transmitted through the entire cabin. Obviously, there was no escape from this music as well. Additional moment: on the flight from Addis Ababa to Washington, DC, we landed at Rome for refueling. This was totally fine and it was in the flight itinerary. But, the flight attendant asked me to straighten the seat while we were at the steady position during the refueling. I can't rationalize this order except that some people just like to be a boss of some kind. Keeping the light lit in the economy cabin while keeping it dimmed in the first class also didn't improve my and my wife's feelings. Overall, the services were very good and the flight, despite its longevity, went on very smoothly.
The crew were amazing. They should improve the inflight entertainment
Food was really not appealing. There was a blocked sink in the toilet. Toilet is cramped and the wall between the 2 toilets are not secured properly.
The use of a domestic carrier without entertainment was disappointing and a let down
Plane was late with no information or announcement … had to walk up n downstairs.., had not communicated this … and ppl had suitcase to carry .
It might have nothing to do with the airline but the only problem was the long waiting for baggage claim at Entebbe
My entertainment screen wasn't working and they couldn't fix it.
It is just ok, the sits are very uncomfortable, the temperature too low and there weren’t blankets. The food is mediocre and there are no screens to watch movies.
The check in staff was amazing. Best customer service! The plane was old! My entertainment on the first flight didn't work at all, in my seat or in the seat next to me. The bathroom doors were old and troublesome. One of the bathrooms, the whole sink panel was broken. Everything felt old and falling apart. The airline stewardesses were amazing and quite hospitable. When there were delays, they kept us well informed. Transit was GREAT! I wasn't sure how I would make it to my next flight in 1 1/2 hours but the security lines were short and efficient. The C gates in Addis Ababa were CROWDED! That whole space downstairs was too crowded and challenging to manuever. I usually fly Ethiopian within Africa and was interested to see how the experience would be intercontinental. Overall, I would choose it again if it was cheaper than Delta/Air France or Lufthansa/KLM. I wouldn't make it a first choice if the prices were the same because the planes are so old! The food and entertainment also weren't as good. Good selection of movies but as I mentioned, on the first flight they didn't work at all (I slept so it was okay) and the 2nd flight it was glitchy. All in all, I didn't hate it but it would be a first choice only if it's cheaper.
I've never been served three bread courses in a single meal before. Was really impressed by the novelty of that.
