Passengers still stuck after SA Express grounded

SA Express passengers hoping to spend the long MayDay weekend with loved ones are expressing frustration on social media platforms as they await details of how the airline will resolve their interrupted commute.

SA Express was gounded for safety reasons on Saturday afternoon. A number of passengers took to twitter to complain:

Paul Sigutya ‏@paul22166: #SAExpress passenger situation poorly handled. Still stuck at #EASTLONDONAIRPORT

#WeAreAfrica ✊ ‏@iAmThatGuy__: #SAExpress is hopeless. Arrived at the airport hour early only to be told all flights have been grounded & they're trying to 'sort it out'

@TeamANC ‏@mmkubayi @TeamANC: Retweeted Bo Mbindwane I'm stuck in Bloemfontein and told it's operational without further explanation@flysaa @flySAExpress #SAExpress

While others went to Facebook:

Thandos Mampondo Mtolo - This is BS‚ bn stuck in EL for almost 4 hrs.

Francois Pretorius - SA Express‚ please give some more detail on the delay. Flying Cape Town - East London. I need to make alternative arrangements. Thanks

Stranded

One passenger stranded at Cape Town airport when the news broke was still stuck there on Saturday afternoon.

“I haven't been contacted about refunds and when we asked about alternative flights they suggested that we look at using another carrier‚” the passenger‚ who did not want to be named‚ said.

The airline said on Saturday afternoon it would do everything possible to accommodate passengers as closely to their original flight schedule as possible.

The passenger told of how SA Express passengers were already checked in for a flight from Cape Town to East London and were still stranded hours later while they waited to hear whether they would be offered alternative flights or refunds.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) on Saturday suspended SA Express’ Air Operator Certificate‚ with immediate effect‚ due to concerns over serious safety hazards that pose a risk to the crew‚ passengers‚ and the public.

“It is critical to note that this suspension is precautionary and taken in the interest of safety and preventing incidents that can be catastrophic‚” the aviation authority said of the SAX grounding.

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The passenger said he checked in just before 7am for an 8am flight from Cape Town to East London and then proceeded to the lounges to relax before a 7.35am boarding call.

“We were turned around and told the flight was delayed to 9am. The same thing happened when we came to the board gate at 8:35‚ this time saying it would be at 10 am. At 9:35 we were told the flight was 'delayed'.

“It was then communicated to us‚ after hundreds of passengers had begun to lose their patience (not via a public announcement or a general communication but only on direct request to generally useless airline staff)‚ that the airline had forgotten to do their application with the Civil Aviation Authority to fly today and consequently all SA Express flights were grounded‚” he said.

He said passengers were told that a meeting was taking place and that authorisation would be given soon. “The meeting‚ we were told‚ would end at 11. At 12pm nothing had happened. People were missing their children's hockey games‚ dearly departed funerals and their life long friends nuptials as the airline failed to take any action. We weren't offered alternative flights‚ nor refunds.

“We were told to wait patiently 5 hours after arriving at the airport. Madness. In lieu of attending my dear friends' wedding in East London I was given a meal voucher for Mugg n Bean.

“To add humour to the already ludicrous situation‚ at 12:30 the passengers of SA Express were all asked to report to their respective gates‚ everyone's mood changed as they phoned their loved ones to say that they were finally boarding and that the situation had finally resolved itself. The passengers were asked to calmly and orderly make their way onto the buses. The buses‚ usually used to transport passengers to awaiting aircraft‚ seemed a good omen after so much toil.

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“But no‚ SA Express had one last laugh for us. Purely by virtue of the fact that we were near the bus's door‚ we overheard the 'passenger assistants' discussing how the real plan was to drive the passengers around the airport‚ to the baggage loading area so they could then collect their luggage. When I explained this to my fellow frustrated (would be) travellers‚ some embarked while others‚ nervous to take such news‚ simply sat there‚ hoping for the best‚” the stranded passenger lamented.

MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa became one of the first passengers to be stuck in transit as a result of the SA Express airline being grounded due to safety concerns.

"We are now stranded at the airport without any explanation from SAExpress Management‚" he tweeted. And in a Facebook post‚ he added: "Things are falling apart - the centre cannot hold."

When the reason for the cancellation of flights became clear‚ the United Democratic Movement (UDM) Chief Whip in Parliament commented: "#SAExpressGounded - I must say that some of us who sit in the PC on Public Enterprises saw this coming."

In mid-April‚ SA Express executives appeared before parliament’s select committee on public accounts (Scopa).

Scopa members expressed concern about the lateness and quality of SAX’s financial statements‚ which contained material misstatements‚ and their failure to meet nearly half their targets.