South African Airways Cancellation Policy
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, South African Airways has temporarily cancelled all domestic and regional flights till August 31, 2021 and all international flights until further notice.
The new cancellation policy at South African Airways comes with added flexibility and travel waivers. It allow you to retain your existing ticket without having to worry about its current expiry date. You can now use the full value of your ticket to rebook and/or reroute your flight without having to pay any cancellation or change fee. However, you must rebook your ticket latest by March 31, 2023. If your new ticket is costlier, you will have to pay the difference in fare, and if your ticket is cheaper, you will be issued a credit voucher valid for future travel within 12 months of the date of issue.
Applicability
To what types of tickets will South African Airways cancellation policy or flight change policy apply?
The revised cancellation / flight change policy at South African Airways applies to all types of fares, and covers:
- All domestic and regional tickets issued up to August 31, 2021.
- All international tickets issued up to October 30, 2021.
- All SAA Voyager Award tickets incl. companion tickets.
- The following flights are also covered under the new cancellation policy:
- SAA operated flights
- SAA/Mango codeshare flights (SA2000 range)
- SA marketed flights (SA7000 range)
- SA Express flights (SA1000 range)
- Airlink flights (SA8000 range)
- Flight itineraries including SAA operated flights
Exception. The cancellation policy does not include flights between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo.
What the New Cancellation Policy / Flight Change Policy Due to COVID-19 Means for You
- The existing value of your ticket will remain intact and will remain valid till March 31, 2023. This includes all:
- Domestic and regional tickets issued up to August 31, 2021.
- International tickets issued up to October 30, 2021.
- Award tickets incl. companion tickets.
- SAA-operated flights, SAA and Mango codeshare flights, SAA marketed flights, SA1000 range flights, SA8000 range flights, and itineraries including SAA-operated flights.
- You can use your existing ticket number as a credit voucher to rebook your new ticket without having to call SAA or amend your ticket. Call SAA or your travel agent only when you’re ready to rebook your ticket.
- You can use the full value of your ticket without being charged any cancellation or change fee.
- After your new ticket is issued, the standard validity period will apply.
- You must rebook by March 31, 2023—either by calling your travel agent (if you booked through one) or SAA.
- If your new ticket is costlier, you will only need to pay the fare difference. If your new ticket is cheaper, you will receive a credit voucher that you can use on future travel within 12 months of its issue.
Note. Until the services remain temporarily suspended:
- You may not be able to contact South African Airways by voice or email channels.
- You can, however, transact through the website, FlySAA.com, or contact your travel agent.
Cancellation Policy at South African Airways under Normal Conditions
Once South African Airways withdraws the COVID-19 travel waivers, the following cancellation policies will apply:
- If you book a ticket to, from, or within the United States directly from South African Airways (website, airline call center, ticket office, or mobile app) at least 7 days before departure and cancel it within 24 hours of purchase, you are eligible to receive a full refund—regardless of what type of fare you’ve purchased.
- You are entitled to cancel your ticket and receive a refund without being charged a cancellation fee if South African Airways:
- Cancels your flight.
- Fails to operate a flight per schedule.
- Fails to stop at your stopover point.
- Does not honor the confirmed space you were booked on.
- Fails to honor your booking class.
- Is unable to deliver you to a connecting flight on which you hold a confirmed reservation within the same booking.
South African Airways 24-Hour Cancellation Policy
According to South African Airways 24-hour cancellation policy, you can cancel your flight within 24 hours of purchasing your ticket if your flight is at least 7 days later—and:
- You purchase your flight ticket in the United States, and
- You purchase your ticket directly from South African Airways
(website, mobile app, your Voyager Miles account, SAA call center, or SAA ticket office), and - Your ticket is to, from, or within the United States
South African Airways Cancellation Policy Due to Illness or Death
If a passenger or a close relative is unable to travel due to illness or death, it is viewed as a voluntary cancellation by South African Airways and will generally incur a cancellation fee (approx. USD 70). You can apply for a cancellation fee waiver by contacting a South African Airways office in your area, but there’s no guarantee that the fee will be waived.
South African Airways Refund Policy
According to South African Airways refund policy:
- Refund requests must be made within the ticket’s validity period, which is 1 year for international flights and 6 months for domestic flights, calculated from the date of a flight’s commencement or date of issue for an unused or open ticket.
- Refund requests made after a ticket’s validity period will not be permitted.
- Refunds will be made in the currency and form in which the ticket was purchased.
- Refunds will be made to the person who purchased the ticket. If a person other than the passenger pays for a ticket, the refund will only be made to the passenger if the person who paid for the ticket gives written permission and the passenger provides adequate proof.
- Refunds for credit card purchases will be made within 7 days of your submitting the refund request, along with all the required details, such as your credit card number, ticket number, date of travel, destination and departure cities, etc. Refunds for purchases made with cash, check, or other payment forms will be made within 20 business days of your submitting the refund request, along with all the necessary details.
How to know if your SAA flight ticket is refundable
To check whether your South African Airways’ ticket is refundable, you must read the fare conditions on your ticket. Alternatively, you can call South African Airways or your travel agent to ask, or check the terms and conditions of your ticket online through the My Booking or Manage My Booking link.
South African Airways Cancellation Fees
South African Airways’ cancellation fees will depend on the type of ticket you’ve purchased.
- If your ticket is refundable, you will be refunded per the fare rules described on your ticket. You will also be charged a refund fee (approx. USD 70) in addition to the applicable cancellation fee (if any).
- If your ticket is non-refundable, you will only be refunded the applicable government/airport taxes—and you will be charged a refund fee (approx. USD 70).
South African Airways Change Fees
South African Airways’ change fees will depend on the type of ticket you’ve purchased and will be mentioned under the fare rules on your ticket.
Flight Rebooking Options on SAA Due to COVID-19
- The original value of your ticket will be credited toward the purchase of a new ticket.
- You must rebook your ticket and get it issued by March 31, 2023.
- SAA will not entertain cash refunds at this stage.
How to Cancel Your South African Airways Flight
How to cancel your SAA flight ticket
You can cancel your SAA flight ticket in any of the following ways:
- By phone
- For the USA and Canada
- For South Africa.
- Share Call: 086 000 3145 (share call).
- Call South African Airways at +27 11 978 1234.
- For travel agency bookings.
- Call your travel agent directly.
- Online
You can cancel your South African Airways flight online if you purchased your ticket directly from South African Airways. To cancel your SAA flight online, follow the steps below:
- Go to FlySAA.com
- Select My Booking
The My bookings screen (below) will open up
- Enter your booking reference number and surname
- Click on the Log in button
- Select the flight you want to cancel
- Follow the prompts to cancel it
- Go back to FlySAA.com
- Click on the Booking tab
- Enter your new trip requirements
- Click on the Find flights button
- Select your new flight
- Configure your flight booking
- Confirm and pay the fare difference (if required)
Award Ticket Cancellation Policy
How to cancel a South African Airways award ticket
To cancel an award ticket, you must contact the Voyager Help Desk at these numbers:
- United States
- Phone: 1-800-359-7220.
- E-mail: FLLVoyager@FlySAA.com
- South Africa
- E-mail: voyager@flysaa.com
- Other Countries
How to Change a Flight on South African Airways
You can change your South African Airways flight booking by phone or online.
- How to change your SAA flight by phone
- For the USA and Canada
- Call South African Airways.
- For South Africa.
- Share Call: 086 000 3145 (share call).
- Call South African Airways at +27 11 978 1234.
- For travel agency bookings
- Call your travel agent directly.
- How to change your SAA flight online. If you booked directly through South African Airways’ website, mobile app, or call center, you can change your travel date, time, and/or destination online through My Booking as explained below.
- Go to FlySAA.com
- Click on the My Booking tab
The My bookings screen will appear on your screen
- Enter your booking reference number and surname
- Click on the Log in button
- Select the flight you want to change
- Follow the prompts to cancel it
- Enter your new trip requirements
- Click on the Find flights button
- Select your new flight
- Configure your flight booking
- Confirm and pay the fare difference (if required)
You can also change your South African Airways flight booking through the mobile app.
Frequently Asked Questions on South African Airways Cancellation Policy
Yes, South African Airways has temporarily cancelled domestic and regional flights till August 31, 2021, and international flights until further notice.
You can cancel your South African Airways flight booking without penalty if you book your ticket directly* from South African Airways at least 7 days before your travel date and cancel it within 24 hours—and also fulfill these conditions:
● You should have purchased your ticket in the United States.
● Your ticket should be to/from/within the United States.
Purchasing your directly from South African Airways means that you should have purchased your ticket from South African Airways’ website, mobile app, call center, ticket office, or your Voyager miles account.
Yes, you can cancel your ticket within 24 hours of booking and get a full refund if you purchase your ticket directly from South African Airways in the United States for a flight to, from, or within the United States, and your flight is at least 1 week later. This applies to all types of tickets, regardless of type.
You can cancel your South African Airways flight by phone or online. You can cancel a flight ticket online if you booked it directly through South African Airways’ website, mobile app, or ticket office, or call center. To cancel online, go to the homepage, FlySAA.com, click on the My Booking tab, enter your booking reference number and surname, retrieve your flight booking, and follow the prompts to cancel it. If you booked your flight through a travel agent, you will need to contact them directly to cancel your booking.
According to South African Airways ticket cancellation policy, you can get a full refund on your ticket to/from/within the United States if you cancel it within 24 hours of purchasing it. Also, your flight must be at least 7 days later and you should have booked your ticket in the United States directly from South African Airways (call center, website, mobile app, ticket counter, or your Voyager account). If you don’t all of these conditions, you will not qualify for a penalty-free refund.
You can cancel your South African Airways flight within 24 hours and receive a full refund if:
● You purchase your ticket at least 7 days before departure.
● You purchase your ticket directly from South African Airways.
● You purchase your ticket in the U.S.
● Your flight is to/from/within the U.S.
Yes, if South African Airways cancels your flight, you are entitled to a full refund. You will also have the option to take the alternative flight offered to you by the airline.
If your SAA flight was cancelled due to COVID-19, your existing ticket will not expire until March 31, 2023. This applies to all regional and domestic tickets issued up to August 31, 2021, and international tickets issued up to October 30, 2021. You will be allowed to use the value of your ticket to rebook your flight without penalty, as long as you rebook by March 31, 2023.
You can cancel your SAA flight without paying a cancellation fee if you cancel within the 24-hour window available to passengers who book their flights directly from South African Airways in the United States, and their flight is to, from, or within the United States, and its departure date at least one week later.
In most other cases, you will have to pay a cancellation fee, unless your fare conditions allow you to cancel your ticket without penalty.
That will depend on your travel class, route, and fare type, fare conditions—as well as when you cancel your South African Airways ticket. Eligible cancellations within the 24-hour window qualify for a full refund.
Fully refundable tickets also qualify for a full refund. All other tickets are subject to a cancellation fee, depending on your fare type, conditions, route, and travel class.
If you’re holding a flexible fare, yes, you can change your flight on South African Airways. If you’ve purchased a basic fare, you may not be allowed to change your flight. However, if your flight was cancelled due to COVID-19, you can use your existing e-ticket number as your form of credit and redeem it by March 31, 2023.
You can change a return flight on South African Airways by phone or online through My Booking if you purchased your ticket directly from South African Airways.
South African Airways has waived the flight change fee in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The change fee waiver applies to all domestic and regional tickets issued up to August 31, 2021, and all international tickets issued up to October 30, 2021. You can rebook these tickets without being charged any flight change fee anytime up to March 31, 2023.
Outside of this waiver window, you will be charged a change fee depending on your ticket’s fare conditions.
You can change your return flight date on South African Airways by phone or online through My Booking if you purchased your ticket directly from SAA. If you purchased your ticket from a travel agent, you must contact them directly for assistance.
Yes, you can change the flight date on South African Airways. You can do it by phone or online through My Booking if you purchased your ticket directly from the airline, or through your travel agent. You may be charged a change fee, depending on your fare conditions.
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