South African Airways (SAA) the leading airline on the African continent, has yet again confirmed its place amongst the top airlines in the world with a 4-Star ranking, in both economy and business class, for the 15th consecutive year.

“SAA is proud to have maintained quality levels on all the services we offer - in our home market, across the African continent and internationally. This has been a particularly difficult year for the industry, but we still maintained a world-class product and service standards to our customers, making this 4-Star Airline ranking well deserved,” says Zuks Ramasia, SAA General Manager Operations.

The ranking was done by aviation experts Skytrax, whose name is associated with Quality Excellence throughout the world by the air transport industry, after detailed product and service standards audits throughout the airline, and included SAA’s new Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The process is not connected to any customer ratings.

A 4-Star Airline rating signifies airlines providing a good standard of product and staff service across all travel categories, including cabin seating, safety standards, cabin cleanliness, comfort amenities, catering, tax-free sales, reading materials, in-flight entertainment, and staff service.

“This prestigious award takes pride of place amongst the host of awards we collect annually. We regard awards as valuable affirmations that we offer our customers quality across a range of product and service-delivery areas,” she said. “SAA employees have demonstrated singular loyalty and resilience over the eight decades the airline has been operating. We thank them for their dedication, hard work and commitment which allowed us to maintain this 4-Star rating.

“Even though this ranking is not connected to customer feedback ratings, we would also like to thank our customers for their continued loyal support,” says Ramasia. “Awards demonstrate that the airline can rightfully stand its ground as one of the leading airlines in the world, despite challenges. Awards also engender a sense of pride in the airline from customers and airline employees alike and serve to inspire and motivate us. Customers can continue to expect a high quality of product and service from us,” says Ramasia.