Thanks to the original poster for this thread - I presume it was intended to stir up debate?
Passengers are not interested in the number of pilots or how new the planes are - the majority cannot tell the difference between a 732, a 738, a 320 etc and really do not care. They do care about is how they are handled on the ground & when aboard & seat pitch on long hauls.
In marketingspeak there are the 2 terms "enablers" & "differentiators" Enablers get you onto the field, differentiators allow you to win the game. You cannot win if you are not on the field. In the airline game, enablers are frequent reliable service and good attitudes to customers. Skilled pilots are taken as an enabler, not a differentiator. A major differentiator is the handling of disputes & the experience of many is that SAA is far behind in this respect.
I had a fight down to the wire with Viljoens office some years ago and their stubbornness was unbelievable - defend the company position to the death, never concede anything, the company is ALWAYS right.
In contrast, BAComair seem to say "Lets see if we can give this idiot what he wants, make him happy, get him out of here and get on with our lives" The result is that BAComair passengers return, inspite of the odd imperfections in service.
Although BEE is identified as an SAA problem, my tangle with SAA had no BEE types involved.
When criticising SAA, no-one is having a go at the flight crews - I think I am right in saying they are universally respected among colleagues.
Incidently, an airline pilot is the last profession that is shown any respect at all by the general public - when did you last hear anything positive said about a lawyer, doctor or accountant?