Johannesburg - Hundreds of SAA passengers left stranded for a day in Port Elizabeth at the end of the Easter weekend have complained of sub-standard treatment from the airline company.
According to Beeld newspaper, passengers attempting to fly back to Gauteng were left stranded at the airport from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon after dense fog delayed flights.
In addition to the fog, there was also a problem with the instrument landing system on the main runway.
Azaad Kassim, the airport manager, said the problem with the landing system would not impact on flights, but fog and strong winds had posed a landing hazard.
Passenger Isobel van den Heever, 50, of Hartbeespoort Dam, said SAA's attitude to its customers had infuriated them all.
“In all my life I will never fly SAA again.”
Van den Heever and her extended family, including two young children, first heard about the delays when they arrived at the airport on Sunday afternoon to catch their 8pm flight.
“Why could they not have sent a simple SMS? Here we sit. The passengers of other airlines are being kept up to date by SMS,” she said. They were eventually told to come back for a 6am flight on Monday morning, but by 1pm they were still waiting for a flight.
Many of the stranded passengers eventually managed to catch a flight back to Johannesburg around 3.45pm on Monday. - Sapa