AirNam rakes in extra cash from SAA strike

AIR Namibia is among the regional airlines that are benefiting from the strike that has grounded Africa’s major airline, South African Airways (SAA).

Air Namibia’s flights to Johannesburg, Frankfurt and London have been full since the weekend, as passengers who had booked seats on SAA had to make other arrangements after the airline cancelled all its regional and international flights. Air Namibia’s Operations Manager, André Compion, said the local airline was accommodating SAA passengers on its flights, and SAA hired an Air Namibia aircraft for the Johannesburg-Windhoek route on Saturday.Compion told The Namibian that Air Namibia was benefiting financially from the SAA strike because its flights were now fully booked.Another advantage was that Air Namibia could expose new passengers to its service quality and possibly add them to its regular customer base, he said.A local travel agency contacted for comment said the strike had caused major disruptions for some of its customers, who had been unable to find alternative flights in time and thus missed important meetings.But a spokesperson for the agency said SAA was assisting in every possible way to accommodate passengers elsewhere.The SAA strike, which started on Friday after a deadlock in pay negotiations, saw travellers queuing for hours in long lines at airports, while others slept among piles of baggage.SAA ground and cabin staff are demanding an eight per cent pay hike, while SAA management has offered five per cent.The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and the United Association of South Africa called the strike to push demands for an eight-percent increase.SAA spokesman Onkgopotse JJ Tabane was quoted by the Sapa news agency as saying the airline had sent eight planes to collect stranded passengers at various international destinations.The report said SAA had appealed to passengers to postpone travelling with the airline until normal operations resumed.Air Namibia’s Operations Manager, André Compion, said the local airline was accommodating SAA passengers on its flights, and SAA hired an Air Namibia aircraft for the Johannesburg-Windhoek route on Saturday.Compion told The Namibian that Air Namibia was benefiting financially from the SAA strike because its flights were now fully booked.Another advantage was that Air Namibia could expose new passengers to its service quality and possibly add them to its regular customer base, he said.A local travel agency contacted for comment said the strike had caused major disruptions for some of its customers, who had been unable to find alternative flights in time and thus missed important meetings.But a spokesperson for the agency said SAA was assisting in every possible way to accommodate passengers elsewhere.The SAA strike, which started on Friday after a deadlock in pay negotiations, saw travellers queuing for hours in long lines at airports, while others slept among piles of baggage.SAA ground and cabin staff are demanding an eight per cent pay hike, while SAA management has offered five per cent.The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union and the United Association of South Africa called the strike to push demands for an eight-percent increase.SAA spokesman Onkgopotse JJ Tabane was quoted by the Sapa news agency as saying the airline had sent eight planes to collect stranded passengers at various international destinations.The report said SAA had appealed to passengers to postpone travelling with the airline until normal operations resumed.