South African Airways, established in’34, is South Africa‘s largest domestic and international airline. SAA was one of the first national airlines in the world.Modern day SAA has hubs in Cape Town and Johannesburg. It is owned by Transnet, a public transport company. Two percent of the stocks are held by SAA’s 9,000 employees.

It serves 31 cities in 25 countries, carrying more than 7 million passengers per year. Recently a member of the exclusive Star Alliance, the connection vastly extended the number of destinations SAA flies to. Skytrax, the British experts on aviation ratings, declares SAA one of the best international airlines in terms of products offered and service standards. Employees receive intensive advanced training programs to help SAA maintain its reputation for excellent customer service.

SAA is a leader in the airline industry. They are called so because of their consistent ranking as number one in terms of performance, revenue, safety and many other categories. It is also called as Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens by Afrikaans.

The first cities served in’34 were Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. Flights to Kenya, Uganda and British East Africa signaled SAA’s entrance into the international market. The airline was essentially shut down during WWII, but in’45, SAA achieved a long-time goal by opening its route to Europe with its first flight to Bournemouth.

The SAA brought the 707 to it’s airline in the’50′s. It was the next one in line, after the UK, to operate a pure jetliner flight. These jets would finally start to fly non-stop to the UK and it’s European neighbors within two years. Then New York was added as a stop in’69. The fleet now claims a fleet of more than 45 aircraft.

SAA’s loyalty program, Voyager, has nearly 2 million members. Members can earn airmiles on SAA as well as for flights with their partner airlines and Star Alliance members. SAA backs up its commitment to customer service by investing millions each year on in-flight entertainment. Passengers may choose from more than a dozen movie channels, video games, music and travel information.

Business and first-class passengers are pampered even more. Business class offers the best business flat bed seats in the industry, according to Skytrax. They can also enjoy the Boabab Lounge at Johannesburg, which offers workstations complete with computers, faxes and printers. SAAs Cyclad Premium Lounge in Johannesburg was voted the third best in the world in a Skytrax survey in 2002.

South African Airways offers lots of great features in their first class cabins. The beds could well be the widest in the industy, being 29 inches wide. They lie flat at’0 degress. Each seat has an ottoman that can be controlled electronically. There are also big, private televisions with on-demand audio and video. So kick back in those comfy seats and enjoy a show!

Large private television screens with audio-video-on -demand are standard here as well.Business class travelers find generously wide, fully adjustable seats with an adjustable headrest and pneumatic lumbar support.

In economy class, passengers may choose from two main courses accompanied by fine South African Wines while they also enjoy private televisions with audio-video-on-demand.

With the largest maintenance facility in Africa at Johannesburg, safety is a priority for SAA. The airline handles its own maintenance while offering maintenance services to British Airways and Air France.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for South Arica’s leading Flight comparison portal, which includes SAA amongst others.