South African Airways tackles Credit Card Fraud in its Voyager Centres

South African Airways has changed requirements when dealing with upgrade taxes and verification process in a bid to mitigate cases of credit card fraud at its Voyager Centre.

South African Airways call centres will no longer be required to request credit card authentication from clients in the form of a copy of the back and front of the card together with a copy of the customer’s identification document. The airline is currently also in the process of developing a systematic payment verification process to further ensure the prevention of any fraud incidents in the future.

South African Airways Voyager

In 2010 there were several instances of FlySAA agents experiencing issues of credit card fraud when using their clients’ cards for SAA Voyager upgrade taxes and verification processe. In recent weeks, issues of credit card fraud have resurfaced, with agents complaining that their clients had experienced credit card fraud shortly after the agent had sent through the client’s ID information and a completed form with all their personal details, including address and the back and front of the credit card.

According to the head of SAA Voyager, Manoj Papa, “We view these incidents in a very serious light and have initiated various investigations in this regard. We have a dedicated team of specialists reporting to our head of security focusing on such issues. Within the business unit, we have also set up a team of specialists to look into such cases from an operational level and to assist on all investigations, the review process and to implement necessary preventative measures,” 

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South African Airways launches Flights to Beijing

For the first time in its 78 year history, South African Airways  has launched flights to China. South African Airways will be servicing the Chinese capital, Beijing with three weekly flighs on an Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft . The flights will be departing Johannesburg on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for a 15 hour non stop flight tothe Chinese capital.

 The launch of the Beijing flights follows a strengthening in ties between South Africa and Beijing. South Africa is China's largest trading partner on the African continent and also a partner in the BRICS bloc that also includes Brazil, Russia and China.

South Africa sees the launch of the Johannesburg-Beijing flights as establishing JNB as a hub connecting the other BRICS countries, particularly Brazil. Chinese airlines have not been quite as enthusiastic as their government in following the money trail into Africa. Many South Africans however feel their country is increasingly falling under the influence of Beijing in a partnership that's unfairly skewed towards the latter.

But for South African Airways, after 78 years of being shut off from China, it's an historic moment to savour. Africa's most awarded airline can finally fly to Beijing with love.

South African Airways: To Beijing with Love

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South African Airways, 1990

In 1990, South Africa was starting a slowish democratization process (which would still last for several years)

This 1990 timetable includes international services flown by SAA, plus many connections to other destinations in Europe and the Americas. Airlines such as TAP and Olympic were flying to Johannesburg, and also Sabena and UTA were flying between Kinshasa and South Africa. 

The world was different back then: Two countries that no longer exist: Zaire and "South West Africa" (SWA) which is Namibia today. 

Post Courtesy: Airline Memorabilia
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South African Airways: To Beijing with Love

The Politics of aviation
During the colonial days, particularly in the period from the mid 40s to the early 1960s, South African Airways expanded very rapidly offering services across the African continent from Cape to Nairobi, Khartoum to Cairo but things soon changed after independence as many newly independent African nations denied South African Airways the use of their airspace as a protest against apartheid.


Like most of South Africa, South African Airways has been haunted by the history of the country. During the aparteid, the airline was banned from almost all African countries forcing the then management to adopt a very long range strategy for intercontinental flights, a situation that was easened by the arrival of the jet age as the airline was able to acquire aircraft with longer range capabilities. South African Airways is now one of the few international airlines that fly to all the six continents on the planet, partly due this this legacy.


Most of its flights were concentrated in Europe, a few Asian countries, Australia, South America and North America. Then also known by its Afrikaans name Suid Afrikaans Lugdiens, the then "pariah airline" never developed a route network in continental Africa and in many parts of Asia.  In Asia, one of the many country's that were not very welcoming to SAL was Communist China. Across the vast continent, the airline only flew to HongKong, and Taiwan with whom the apartheid regime maintained very close ties .
This postage from a bygone era shows the launch of South African Airways flights to Taipei in 1980: Note that the use of Afrikaans.

South African Airways c.1980: Launch of Taipei flights: Courtesy The Timetablist

Of course after  30 years, the roles are now reversed. Aparthied has been dismanted and South Africa, along with other African countries,  now enjoy very cordial ties with Beijing and both countries are also members of BRICS, carving up a new global political and economic bloc.

In 1999, South Africa and China signed a bilateral services agreement paving the way for the two countries to open the airspace to each other but it has taken South African Airways 12 years to launch flights to China.

The first-ever direct service between China and South Africa was officially launched on April 27, 2007 by China Eastern Airlines. Unlike their governments, Chinese Airlines have been slow to follow the money trail into Africa. On the other hand, some other African airlines have have been servicing the Chinese market for decades. Ethiopian Airlines for example has been flying to China for 30 years while Kenya Airways launched Guangzhou flights in 2008.

The launch of South African Airways flights to Beijing at the end of this month will be very symbolic. It not only marks the end of an era but also cements the relations between the two countries that are now working hand in hand to shape the world through BRIC. South African Airways management recognizes this historical significance, regarding the Beijing-Johannesburg route launch as way to connect China to Brazil, the other BRIC member and one of the more assertive emerging powers.

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