SAA deploys Airbus A330-300 on Washington DC route

South African Airways (SAA) has introduced its new Airbus A330-300 wide-body aircraft on the three-times weekly route between Washington, DC Dulles International Airport and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport via Dakar, Senegal.

 

In a statement issued today, SAA’s Executive Vice President, the Americas, Todd Neuman, said: “We are excited to introduce the Airbus A330-300 on the Washington, DC route to offer our customers a new and innovative Premium Business Class product and, a spacious and enhanced Economy Class cabin,” said Neuman.

According to him, the A330-300 has strong passenger appeal, which will enable SAA to continue providing a high-quality customer experience and the world-class service that has earned the airline Skytrax 4-Star rating for 14 consecutive years.

The latest and most advanced model of the Airbus A330-300 offers an increased maximum take-off weight of 242 tons and has an extended range of up to 6,350 nautical miles.  This superior combination of payload and range will enable SAA to expand its route network in Africa and beyond.  The A330-300 compliments SAA’s existing Airbus fleet of wide-body A340-600, A340-300, A330-200 and narrow-body A319 and A320 aircraft.

The interior design of the aircraft will surely provide a comfortable environment for long-haul travel with warm, neutral colors, textures and finishes that are inspired by the airline’s African culture and heritage.  In SAA’s seating configuration, the aircraft has the capacity for a total of 249 passengers, with 46 seats in Premium Business Class and 203 seats in Economy Class. 

With the launch of this new aircraft, SAA has introduced an upgraded Premium Business Class product that offers staggered seating in a 1-2-1 configuration, which provides every passenger the convenience of direct aisle access. 

The Premium Business Class seats recline into 180° flat-beds and offer increased privacy to provide customers with a restful flight.  Gourmet meals, award-winning South African wines, an improved on-demand entertainment system with extensive programming, noise cancelling headphone and PC power / USB ports available at every seat further enhances the inflight experience for SAA’s Premium Business Class customers.

SAA’s Economy Class customers will enjoy the spaciousness of the cabin with newly designed slim-line seats in a 2-4-2 configuration that offer spacious legroom and extra personal space.  Each seat is equipped with a USB port and access to PC power ports, an on-demand entertainment system with 10” screen to view, movies, television shows, interactive games or audio programming with over 170 music selections.

 

The experience for Economy Class customers also features a selection of freshly prepared meals, coupled with complimentary South African wines and bar service, and an amenity kit to freshen-up during flight.

South African Airways (SAA), is South Africa’s national flag carrier and the continent’s most awarded airline, serving over 75 destinations worldwide in partnership with SA Express, Airlink and its low-cost carrier Mango.

In North America, SAA operates daily nonstop flights from New York-JFK and direct flights from Washington D.C.-IAD (via Accra, Ghana and Dakar, Senegal) to Johannesburg. SAA has partnerships with United Airlines, Air Canada and JetBlue Airways, American Airlines and Virgin America, which offer convenient connections from more than 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada to SAA’s flights.

The airline also announced that from June, 2017, it will introduce daily service with the A330-300 on its Washington -- Accra, and Johannesburg.