South African Airways: what is the flight like from SP – 11/29/2023 – Tourism

After a hiatus caused by the pandemic, Brazilians now have seven weekly flights to South Africa, all departing from Guarulhos Airport.

This recovery is recent. Latam reopened the route in September, connecting São Paulo to Johannesburg on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. And since the 31st, South African Airways has added another four, two of them connecting the city of São Paulo to Johannesburg (on Mondays and Thursdays) and another two whose destination is Cape Town (on Tuesdays and Saturdays), an unprecedented stretch.

Among members of the South African hotel sector, the resumption of direct flights connecting the two BRICS member countries was seen with some excitement. South Africa, which had been receiving around 10 million tourists from all over the world per year in the pre-Covid period, received 5.7 million in 2022. But just last month, the number of Brazilian arrivals in the country more than doubled compared to the previous period.

The report followed the inaugural flight of South African Airways, between São Paulo and Cape Town, on October 31st. The plane, an A330-300, was received in Guarulhos with celebration and singing by a committee made up of members of the African country’s consulate, in a ceremony that included the cutting of a banner. Once boarded, there was a delay of around two hours due to paperwork regarding the flight plan, but the trip itself was short — it took around 7:30 hours to fly.

The seat was in economy class — the recline and space between the seats seemed to be the standard among airlines of this size. In business class it was possible to notice that the seats reclined 180%, although they were not as private as in the executive area of ​​a company like United Airlines, for example, more isolated from each other.

In the onboard service there was a generous offer of doses of Amarula and South African wine to all passengers, and even those who sat in economy class received a so-called amenities kit with a toothbrush and toothpaste — a rarity nowadays . Another high point: the food was well served, with a choice of meat, chicken or vegetarian, always accompanied by rice, bread and salad; equally hearty breakfast, with a British feel (tomatoes, sausages, potatoes).

The entertainment options, however, left a little to be desired — with less than four dozen titles, the film selection was somewhat meager and a little too old. Also unappealing series choices: There were a handful of episodes here and there from sparse seasons of “Friends” or “Two and a Half Men” and not much else. The flight map was also missing, which was not operating either on the way out or on the way back, via Johannesburg.

With the company, a round-trip ticket between Guarulhos and Cape Town in economy class starts at US$634.00 (around R$3,091).

The Brazilian leg is the first extension of the South African leg outside its continent of origin. In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, the company suspended all its operations. The airline, which was already facing financial problems, then plunged into a severe crisis, which only began to be overcome in June 2021, when the South African government decided to give up 51% of the company to a private consortium.

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Documents required to visit South Africa

Brazilians do not need a visa to enter the country, but must present, in addition to their passport, a printed version of proof of vaccination against yellow fever, preferably in English. It can be obtained from the Conecte SUS portal.

The journalist traveled at the invitation of South African Airways