13 December 2005 - Could I have some Cheese with my Wine?
To Whom It May Concern,
This letter serves to formally detail the highly disappointing and terribly disgusting level of service experienced when traveling on Flight SA347 from Johannesburg to Cape Town on the afternoon of the 11th of December 2005.
Particularly in regards to the way my lost baggage claim was handled.
Yesterday afternoon, I checked in my baggage (2 bags, 1 x 15kg suitcase, and 1 x 3kg back pack) at Johannesburg International Airport, on Flight SA347 to Cape Town.
This all went according to the usual check in procedure. I received my boarding pass from the check in assistant and proceeded to board the plane.
Once I had found my seat detailed on my boarding pass, I was told by the person next to me, that his seat was double booked, and that he had taken my seat.
Not wanting to cause any issue I accepted that and took the open seat next to him. As more people boarded the flight it soon became evident that the seat I was now sitting in was also double booked as another passenger arrived at the seat with the same seat number printed on his boarding pass.
A family also arrived at the row of seats that I was sitting in only to produce another boarding pass, with the same seat details.
An airhostess came to ask me for my boarding pass, which I handed to her she then told me that �My Wife� had found an available seat closer to the front of the plane, and that I should join her. To which I replied to the airhostess that I am NOT married, and that she has the wrong person.
None of this havoc or musical chairs worried me too much, although it was the tip of the iceberg of the BAD service experienced yesterday.
My fellow passengers and I joked how SAA is supposedly our National carrier, this situation really did reflect very poorly in the ability of SAA staff to be professional and organized. It took over 15 minutes for this issue to be resolved. It was resolved by allowing certain people the luxury of sitting in business class.
Upon arriving in Cape Town, I waited at the luggage conveyor to collect my luggage. My larger suitcase was collected by me, I waited, and waited until the sign reading SA347 on the conveyor went out. I luckily was able to find an airhostess who was on Flight SA347 to confirm if all the baggage had been offloaded. She confirmed it had, and that I should take the issue of my missing backpack up with baggage services.
So off I went to baggage services. To find a queue of about 15 people, and only one person behind the counter.
Eventually I get to the front of the queue, and I explain my story. The man behind the counter (Theo) I gave him my missing bag�s tag information, as detailed on my boarding pass. He looked up on the computer and explained that my bag had been put on another flight. I must also make a point of detailing that his attitude and lack of caring for a passenger�s loss of personal items caused me and others in a similar situation to become more irate.
He then gave me a piece of paper and a telephone number (021 936 2202/3) to call should I want to find out when my bag would be arriving, as he could not tell me.
Theo also made an explicit promise to me, that I would be contacted as soon as my bag arrived. I requested that this lost baggage case be marked as urgent, for details you will learn further on in this letter.
I had to tell him to call another person to assist him, as the queue of people had grown again to another 20 or so people.
I also had to ask him (Theo) why was there so much missing baggage. He responded by saying the following� and I quote.
�It is a result of the fuel shortage in Cape Town, that planes cannot bring all the luggage in to Cape Town.�
This did not make complete sense to me, and I had to ask 5 additional questions to him to discover that it was a result of overloading planes with fuel to make return journey�s without having to re-fuel in Cape Town, luggage was therefore left behind to be brought to Cape Town on later less passenger concentrated flights. On top of this he also informed me that it was mainly SAA affected by this problem.
NOW!!!
The fact that SAA are the most affected airline by this problem is very disappointing.
Why was I not informed / warned upon check in that there is a chance my luggage will possibly not make it to Cape Town.
There is no signage or information given to passengers who�s bags were kept back IMMEDIATELY upon arriving at Cape Town airport.
If I was informed before hand I could have easily carried this 3KG back pack on to the flight with me, and avoid a massive inconvenience.
This was a know problem to SAA. Why were more staff not made available to assist with dealing with the problem.
In this back pack, were personal items to the value of +/- R5000, including my house and car keys. Meaning! I could not get in to my house nor gain access to my car.
Luckily I had arranged for a relative to collect me from the airport. I had to go back to their place and put them at an inconvenience, while I waited for my bag to arrive and for someone to contact me, I was this whole time under the impression that it would be able to be delivered to me, as soon as it had arrived, so as to avoid me the cost and major inconvenience in traveling 60km�s to and back from the airport to collect my bag.
My flight arrived in Cape Town at 17:10, by 19:30 I still had not heard from anyone at SAA. So I decided to try and call the number given on my piece of paper. (021 936 2202)
It was answered by an absolutely useless, irritating and informative IVR, saying that my call will be answered. I held on the line from 19:30 till 21:30 with no answer. Whilst holding from my cell phone I tried every single SAA number listed in the telephone book. Not 1 was answered every single one was on an IVR message. This infuriated me more, and at 21:30 I asked my relative to please take me back to the Airport in hope that I would find my bag.
I arrived at the airport at about 22:00, and proceeded to the baggage services counter.
I again found a queue of people, all with missing luggage. AND again only one person behind the counter. (Theo)
Now I was more than just a little bit irate.
I decided to casually walk around to the area behind the counter.
Not once was I stopped by any security. I found a back room of lost property, where still there was no staff or anyone to assist me.
This struck me as a major security risc, as anyone could have walked behind there and either planted a bomb or just happily helped themselves to another person�s luggage.
I being the honest and moral person I am continued to look around to find someone to help me.
I then noticed a door open to an outside area, where I could see someone in a yellow jacket. I proceeded to walk outside to find a pile of luggage lying on the tarmac.
I asked if I could try and identify my missing back back, which by some miracle in my opinion happened to be there.
I informed the lady there that it was mine, and on face value she accepted that. Technically speaking I could have taken anyone�s bag.
I also informed her that this whole debacle was unacceptable and that I would like her to please make a note of my extreme dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
I was also extremely unhappy with the fact that my bag was lying outside on the ground, in a pile of bags.
So I picked up my bag, and left the airport. Upon arriving home I then found the front pocket of the back pack to have a small rip in it, this naturally made me angry all over again.
I have lost a HUGE amount of trust and respect for SAA, a carrier I until now held in the highest regard, I have for many years only flown on SAA.
I really and truly feel that all the inconvenience, cost, and drama, could have easily been avoided.
I will not let this issue stand uncompensated.
If need be the details of my experience I will ensure is published in as many national publications as possible.
I am in the process of booking 2 flights towards the end of the month.
My decision to fly with SAA as result of this experience will affect my purchase.
Next year I will be making 3 international flights and at least 12 local flights.
Is this business that SAA are prepared to lose. On top of the bad publicity?
I hope my sentiments are heard loud and clear.
I expect to be contacted within 24 hours of me sending this letter.
Following which I will be going to the press with my story.
Yours Faithfully,
The Gemsbok