This Tuesday on Special Assignment we ask: is South African Airways in trouble with its customers? Is service up to scratch or is it driving customers away? From flight delays to baggage theft, rude staff, lost voyager miles and inefficient call centres – the complaints and allegations are varied and many.

South African Airways admits they are dealing with a problem. But they say it is one of perception rather than a genuine crisis with customer care. SAA recently joined the global flight network Star Alliance. This they say is the root cause of the problems customers have been experiencing in recent months. They were forced to adopt a complicated new electronic booking system, which led to call centre backlogs, long check-in queues and overbooked flights.

But many passengers disagree, saying the problems are endemic to the corporation. They complain about the way staff view and treat passengers – as a necessary evil rather than valued clients. We interview a range of disgruntled, angry passengers and investigate their complaints. We also look at how angry and unhappy passengers can in the long run affect SAA’s bottom line and how important it therefore is to take complaints seriously.

Destination Unknown is written and produced by Anneliese Burgess-King.          

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