South African Airways has been named the
fifth best airline in the world, according to Cheapflights.co.uk. The
website compared data from a few dozen international airlines that
commonly fly long-haul routes and named the national carrier for South Africa
as number five out of the world’s top 10, based on inflight experience
and punctuality. 
Cheapflights used data collected by Skytrax to rate the overall inflight experience, based on comfort levels of the seats, overall neatness of the cabin area, inflight meals, the courtesy and efficiency of service, and the availability of inflight entertainment options. SAA scored 78/100 for this, with the review stating: “Even economy passengers get great seat comfort, inflight meals and entertainment choices.”
Airlines were also rated on their punctuality, using data collected by Flightstats.com covering the period from 15th February – 15th April 2013. SAA scored an average of 74/100 for its punctuality of all international arrivals and departures. This follows SAA being named the most on-time airline in the world in June by FlightStats.
Gary Kershaw, SAA UK & Ireland General Manager, said: “To be ranked fifth in the world alongside other world-class airlines is an incredible achievement and one that we are very proud of. We will continue to strive to offer our customers outstanding service and a truly unique African experience onboard.”
