Originfacts

Airline guide

South African Airways logo

South African AirwaysIATA code SA

flysaa.com(official website, opens in a new tab)

Baggage allowances, fare rules, check-in cut-offs and contact details for South African Airways. Policy figures are read from South African Airways’s own published pages and each one shows where it came from and when we checked it.

Home country
South Africa
Busiest markets
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban
By route count · route data Jul 2026
Destinations
73 in 42 countries
Route data Jul 2026
3 of 7 sections verified· checked 4 Sep 2026 – 5 Oct 20262 from route data3 not yet verifiedHow we check

South African Airways at a glance

South African Airways carry-on baggage allowance

Verified 4 Sep 2026

Source: flysaa.com/manage-fly/baggage/hand-baggage (opens in a new tab)

Your hand baggage allowance depends on the class you fly; it must fit under the seat in front of you or in an overhead locker.

Carry-on weight by cabin
CabinCarry-on weight
EconomyEconomy Class: 1 piece not exceeding 8kg.
Business & FirstBusiness Class: 2 pieces not exceeding 8kg each.
Cabin bag size
Max dimensions per piece: 56cm (l) 36cm (w) 23cm (h).
Personal item
Plus 1 small handbag or small slimline laptop bag not exceeding 30cm x 40cm x 10cm; larger laptop bags and standard briefcases count towards the standard allowance.

South African Airways checked baggage allowance

Verified 4 Sep 2026

Source: flysaa.com/manage-fly/baggage/checked-baggage (opens in a new tab)

SAA counts checked baggage by pieces, with weight limits; it lists exceptions by route and ticket class, and the allowance on your booking takes precedence.

Standard allowance
Standard free allowance: Business Class 2 pieces not exceeding 32kg (70lb) per piece; Economy Class 1 piece not exceeding 23kg (50lb). Exceptions apply on certain routes and ticket classes; check the allowance on your booking.

What South African Airways’s cheapest fare includes

Not yet verified

Fare-tier inclusions have not been verified against the airline’s published fare conditions.

Still to check: Lowest fare, Seat selection, Changes and cancellations.

Check directly:South African Airways website (opens in a new tab)Conditions of carriage (opens in a new tab) (link from Duffel reference data, 24 Aug 2026)

South African Airways cabins and aircraft

Route data · Jul 2026

Source: Originfacts route-network dataset, built from TravelPayouts route data (updated 2026-07). Not verified by hand.

Cabin names and seat details are not yet verified for South African Airways. What the route dataset does record is which aircraft types have appeared on its routes:

  • Airbus A319
  • Airbus A320
  • Airbus A330
  • Airbus A330-200
  • Airbus A330-300
  • Airbus A340-200
  • Airbus A340-300
  • Airbus A340-600
  • Airbus A380-800
  • Avro RJ85 Avroliner
  • Boeing 737
  • Boeing 737-300
  • Boeing 737-800
  • Boeing 747-400
  • Boeing 757-200
  • Boeing 777
  • Boeing 777-200ER
  • Boeing 777-300ER
  • British Aerospace Jetstream 41
  • Canadair Regional Jet 200
  • Canadair Regional Jet 700
  • Dash 8-400
  • Embraer E135 Regional Jet
  • Embraer E190

Seat pitch is a property of the aircraft cabin rather than of the airline, so a single figure for this carrier’s legroom would be misleading. Pitch publishes per aircraft type once each figure is verified.

A record of what has flown, not a current fleet

The route dataset accumulates equipment over time and is not a fleet register: it can name types South African Airways has retired, miss recent additions, and it covers only flights sold under SA. Seat pitch and cabin configuration are not verified for this carrier.

If your South African Airways flight is delayed or cancelled

Not yet verified

Which delay and cancellation regime applies depends on where each flight departs. The mapping has not been verified for this carrier yet.

Still to check: Care, Rebooking and refunds, Compensation.

Check directly:South African Airways website (opens in a new tab)Conditions of carriage (opens in a new tab) (link from Duffel reference data, 24 Aug 2026)

South African Airways check-in times and airport cut-offs

Not yet verified

Online check-in windows and airport bag-drop cutoffs have not been verified against the airline’s published times.

Still to check: Online check-in opens, Domestic check-in closes, International check-in closes.

Check directly:South African Airways website (opens in a new tab)Conditions of carriage (opens in a new tab) (link from Duffel reference data, 24 Aug 2026)

How to contact South African Airways

Verified 5 Oct 2026

Source: flysaa.com/contact (opens in a new tab)

Customer service phone
+20 2 2696 6700

Where South African Airways flies

Route data · Jul 2026

Source: Originfacts route-network dataset, built from TravelPayouts route data (updated 2026-07). Not verified by hand.

We track 218 South African Airways routes serving 73 destinations across 42 countries.

Destinations
73
Countries
42
Routes tracked
218
Longest route
12,831 km

Busiest markets by route count

  1. Johannesburg76 routes
  2. Cape Town16 routes
  3. Durban11 routes
  4. Port Elizabeth6 routes
  5. East London5 routes

A market may include more than one airport.

Longest route in the dataset

New York JFKtoJohannesburg JNB

12,831 km great-circle distance between the two airports.

Destinations in the route data

  • Johannesburg
  • Cape Town
  • Durban
  • Port Elizabeth
  • East London
  • Bloemfontein
  • Maputo
  • Mauritius
  • Nelspruit
  • Dakar
  • Dubai
  • George
  • Lusaka
  • Windhoek
  • Accra
  • Addis Ababa
  • Bamako
  • Bujumbura
  • Frankfurt
  • Harare
  • Hoedspruit
  • Kimberley
  • Libreville
  • Livingstone
  • and 49 more

Common questions about flying South African Airways

What size cabin bag can I take on South African Airways?

According to South African Airways’s own website (flysaa.com, checked 4 Sep 2026): Max dimensions per piece: 56cm (l) 36cm (w) 23cm (h).

How heavy can my South African Airways carry-on bag be?

According to South African Airways’s own website (flysaa.com, checked 4 Sep 2026): Economy Class: 1 piece not exceeding 8kg.

What is the South African Airways customer service phone number?

According to South African Airways’s own website (flysaa.com, checked 5 Oct 2026): +20 2 2696 6700.

How many destinations does South African Airways fly to?

Originfacts tracks 73 South African Airways destinations across 42 countries, on 218 routes.

Where is South African Airways based?

South African Airways is based in South Africa. In the Originfacts route dataset, its busiest market is Johannesburg, followed by Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

What aircraft appear on South African Airways routes?

The routes we hold name Airbus A319, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-200, Airbus A340-300, Airbus A340-600, Airbus A380-800, Avro RJ85 Avroliner, Boeing 737, Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 757-200, Boeing 777, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-300ER, British Aerospace Jetstream 41, Canadair Regional Jet 200, Canadair Regional Jet 700, Dash 8-400, Embraer E135 Regional Jet and Embraer E190. That dataset accumulates over time, so treat it as a record of what has flown rather than a current fleet list.

What is the longest South African Airways route?

New York to Johannesburg, at 12,831 km.

Sources and verification

Baggage, fare, check-in, disruption and contact figures are published only when they are read from South African Airways’s own pages or a named regulator, and each one shows the page and the date it was checked. Where sources disagree we show both and publish neither. Route and destination figures come from the Originfacts route dataset and show its date instead; they are not verified by hand.