South African Airways is set to begin flying between Johannesburg and Perth, Australia from this Sunday, 28th April.
The first flight is set to depart from Johannesburg on Sunday, 28th April at 8:55pm local time. It’ll arrive at Perth at 12:20am the following day. The return flight will depart Perth at 11:50pm, arriving into Johannesburg at 4:45am local time.
Flight SA 0280 will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from Johannesburg until the 24th October, with a duration of 9 hours and 25 minutes. Flight SA 0281 will depart every Wednesday, Friday and Monday from Perth and take 10 hours and 55 minutes.
Airline tweaks flight schedule
For customers who booked when South African Airways initially announced the route, the Perth departure time has changed following a “schedule review” by the airline. Initially the flight was expected to depart Perth at 2:40pm local time.
The review found that customers instead preferred the more convenient departure and arrival times. Especially for those connecting to and from New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. This is the only direct flight available.
Those who booked early will be moved to the new flight departing on the same day. If you’re impacted by the change though, you can call the airline to arrive a rebooking or reissuing of tickets.
The flight will be serviced by an Airbus A340-300, which can seat a total of 253 passengers. 38 seats are available in business class, and 215 in economy.
South African Airways is a member of the Star Alliance, which means it can offer flights to passengers with 25 other airlines including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, United and Singapore Airlines. Many of these airlines also operate flights out of Perth airport.
The airline says that customer feedback “will continue to shape and influence the airlines commitment to customer centricity.”