SA Express takes on Airlink

[Deanw]

I fly the CPT - GRJ route about twice a month and appreciate the extra choice in flight times. Often fly out on the one airline and back on the other.

Always good seeing FB in the cockpit when I board.

[Ray W]

Just a heads up folks - when flying these routes and you want to change a flight you cannot change from one airline to the other. In other words if your original booking was on SAX both ways you can't change one of the legs to fly on Airlink and vice versa.

[henkhugo]

but I booked on SAA - why would Joe Soap in the street have any reason to know its operated by SAX or airlink other than reading the ticket after it is issued?

[Ray W]

but I booked on SAA - why would Joe Soap in the street have any reason to know its operated by SAX or airlink other than reading the ticket after it is issued?

Henk, when you're booking on line and you choose your flights the screen will show you "Flight operated by ..........." This shows you who the operator is. remember that SAA on the website is only acting as agents for SAX & Airlink.

[jetstream31]

It also shows which aircraft the flight be operated with when booking on the SAA website.

[evanb]

I don't think this is an issue with SAA, but rather Airlink.

[Deanw]

Just a heads up folks - when flying these routes and you want to change a flight you cannot change from one airline to the other. In other words if your original booking was on SAX both ways you can't change one of the legs to fly on Airlink and vice versa.

Thanks Uncle Ray, I'll bear that in mind.

[henkhugo]

I think it only showed "operated by" once the ticket has been purchased?

[nugpot]

I think it only showed "operated by" once the ticket has been purchased?

The easy way to know which of the alliance airlines you are on is to look at the flight number:
SAA: SAxxx
SAX: SA1xxx
Airlink: SA8xxx

[Ray W]

I think it only showed "operated by" once the ticket has been purchased?

Nope - look closer next time you make a booking

[Ray W]

I think it only showed "operated by" once the ticket has been purchased?

The easy way to know which of the alliance airlines you are on is to look at the flight number:
SAA: SAxxx
SAX: SA1xxx
Airlink: SA8xxx

Theres also the SAA Codeshare flights internally - they are SA2xxx

[henkhugo]

I'll check next time.

I see the SAX flight tomorrow morning is full. How is the 7am airlink flight doing?

[grjplanes]

Generally the morning flights CPT-GRJ is fuller...before SAX on the route Airlink used to upgrade the morning flight to AR8 a few times. The morning GRJ-CPT I guess is not all that great.
In the afternoons the GRJ-CPT is doing better again, the 14:30 and 14:45 departures get early business travellers returning as well as connecting to international flights. The later-afternoon CPT-GRJ on the AR8 is possibly the one struggling most.
Airlink is however increasing CPT-GRJ to 4 daily on weekdays from 2 June, bringing total to 6 daily, however the afternoon AR8 flight changes to ERJ on Mo,Tu,We...while the Th,Fr,Su stays AR8...so a net increase of 47 seats per week...schedules still leaving open option to upgrade on morning flights as well as Mo-We afternoon...
Also more afternoon choice, instead of the current 15mins apart from GRJ (14:30 SAX and 14:45 Airlink) to more spread options:
13:00 Airlink
14:30 SAX
15:25 Airlink

In other words if your original booking was on SAX both ways you can't change one of the legs to fly on Airlink and vice versa

What you do get at the moment though is quite often a few mixed bookings:
06:20 CPT-GRJ SAX
14:45 or 18:10 GRJ-CPT Airlink

or

07:15 CPT-GRJ Airlink
14:30 GRJ-CPT SAX

...in this latter scenario where first leg was Airlink and second leg SAX, can the passenger then change to later Airlink flight?

[Swampdonkey]

Well Grjplanes, why don't you also report on on time dispatch reliability?

[grjplanes]

Well Grjplanes, why don't you also report on on time dispatch reliability?

Because that wasn't the question

Flights by both airlines is however operating relatively on-time all the time.
Both leave pretty much within a 5-minute range from scheduled departure from CPT. From GRJ unfortunately SAX tends to leave up to 15-mins early in many cases (which could indicate a lower load sometimes), and with the current 1-hour scheduled time even arrive up to half-an-hour early into CPT...however from April the scheduled time is changed to more realistically 50 and 55mins.
Airlink is very much on-time basically all the time, of course bar weather related problems. Leave GRJ luckily not much more than 5-mins early.

SA Express did however experience problems the last 2 days with the afternoon flight delayed 1h15 on Tue and 2h30 yesterday...this was already showing late since early the morning, so was anticipated. Had similar issues two or three time before in the last 3 months as well. With the longer scheduled times and longer turn-around times they do however make up some of it...yesterday leaving CPT 2h33mins late, arriving back 1h47mins late.