After dropping several hints, South African Airways (SAA) has announced the revival of its flight service between Johannesburg and Perth. Kicking off on 28 April 2024, it sees the return of SAA to Australia following a three-year suspension of the service.
The new flight is important in different ways to both SAA and Perth. It marks the second interoceanic route for SAA, the first being to Brazil. For Perth, it re-establishes direct connections to South Africa.
The flight will initially operate 3 times per week, using A340-300 aircraft. These aircraft are configured with 253 seats, including 38 Business Class and 215 Economy Class seats.
- Flight SA280 will depart Johannesburg on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 20h55, arriving in Perth the following day at 12h20.
- On the return journey, flight SA281 departs Perth on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 14h40, arriving the same day at 19h35 in Johannesburg.
Frequent Flyers
The return of SAA sees another Star Alliance member returning to Perth. This opens up options for members of Star Alliance programs such as Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or Air Canada Aeroplan.
In addition, SAA is a Virgin Australia partner, offering benefits to Velocity members. This includes earning points and status credits. Velocity says it is also possible to redeem flights on the SAA network, although this has to be done through the call centre – you can’t do it online.