SAA183 Friday 18 November

[makeapullup]

Anyone got any info on the B738 flight from HKJK reference weight, aircraft change and lengthy delays. About 15 people asked to volunteer to stay behind - no takers, eventually all baggage off loaded! Don't airlines work this out before hand? And this all after the B738 came instead of an A319.

[captain cumulonimbus]

Hi there.

Just a WILD,uninformed guess,but perhaps it had to do with uploading at the last minute extra holding fuel for the anticipated very adverse WX at FAJS on friday evening?

I'd rather sample the multifarious splendours of the Java Coffee House at HKJK than end up human fishpaste somewhere near WIV due to fuel starvation:cool:

Cheers guys,Cb

[makeapullup]

Cb - makes sense. Would they (pilots) tell the pax this?

[fluffyfan]

The truth is more shocking...................and all in the name of saving money by the esteemed leadership team at SAA.

The 737-800's that SAA have can have a Max TO weight of 79 015 kg.

However in the highly evolved minds working at flight ops, they decided to reduce the certified Max TO weight of most of the 800's to 71 000kg, this is just a paper exercise, this in the name of saving on landing fees (which are calculated according to weight)..............hence not able to carry the baggage.

Wonder whats more expensive, saving on landing fees or finding a way to get 157 passengers baggage to them half way across Africa??

[African Tech Rep]

In case it’s needed I can confirm Fluffy is correct – it’s a note on the CofA and SAA I was lead to understand specially requested SACAA to put this limitation on so that they could benefit from lower landing fees.

[makeapullup]

Hi there. Not being clued up as far as airline lingo goes, does this mean that the overweight (and therefore the baggage offload) was a forgone conclusion? SAA knew before departing for HKJK that they wouldn't be able to take everything back?

Cheers

[Coleman Myers]

Hope they don't swap the 738 for the 320 on that route - they are getting rather good at updgrading me to 2D ... !. Shame SAA has fallen into the hands of some clueless wonders. While we are on it, Home Affairs need a kick in the behind ... 35 minutes to find an officer to stamp me out last week despite a sign claiming 24 hour assistance (and advertising two numbers that rang into infinity)

[fluffyfan]

makeapullup

No they did not know, otherwise an aircraft with a higher Max Take Off Weight (MTOW) would have gone there........they were expecting a much smaller load, but hey this is Africa and things change fast here with no real explanation.........

[captain cumulonimbus]

That sounds totally ridiculous.I can,in theory,see the benefit of the continuous landing fees savings,but really,how much will it cost to get all these bags where they need to be,not to mention the loss of (invaluable) goodwill here.

As to MAKEAPULLUPs question of would the pilot be the one to tell...i doubt it.More likely he would be informed by ops and pass on an order to the chief steward/ess to request (charmingly) that fifteen valued guests sod off pronto.

I can see the overall sense but in this individual instance we see how inflexibility leads to stupidity.

Cheers,Cb

[spacedaddy]

Frankly I believe that SAA should have told the passengers that their luggage would not be traveling with them but then they would have had to care for them there. I guess that they could have endorsed the tickets over to other airlines and let them travel with their luggage but then they give away the revenue. No telling what went missing this way there or here. You gotta love the service oriented National Carrier. G*D I get sick of them.