The code-share partnership between JetBlue and South African Airways is getting an upgrade. For Americans interested in visiting the Mother Continent, this is very good news.
We’ve reported in the past on how Delta Air Lines is setting itself up to become America’s air bridge to Africa.
Well, they’re about to get some serious competition from South African Airways.
SAA announced today a strengthening of its code-share partnership with JetBlue here in the United States:
“The code share service will be available with SAA flight numbers on JetBlue flights to 20 cities served by the airline in the U.S., connecting through either New York’s John F. Kennedy International (JFK) or Washington, D.C. (Dulles) airports and SAA’s Johannesburg hub, where passengers can access connections to more than 45 cities throughout South Africa and Southern Africa. South African Airways code share flights operated by JetBlue must be booked by calling the South African Airways Customer Call Center at 1-800-722-9675, visiting www.flysaa.com, or your travel agent.
“Travelers, whether in Southern Africa or the U.S., can now book their South African Airways flight between 20 cities served by JetBlue in the U.S., with the ability to check bags through for their entire journey.”
In addition to being able to apply JetBlue frequent-flyer miles toward a SAA trip to Africa, this arrangement that means travelers to the Mother Continent will be able to take JetBlue flights to JFK in New York or IAD Dulles in Washington DC for connecting SAA flights to Africa in one smooth transition.
This is especially good news for those of us who don’t live on the East Coast, since eight of those 20 cities are in the western United States:
- Denver
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Portland
- Phoenix
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
We flew SAA from Dulles to Dakar, Senegal on our trip last month to the Gambia. It was my first time with them. The Airbus A340-300 they use is comfortable, and the cabin crew is young, sharp and very professional.
It also is often almost or entirely black, which was a beautiful thing for me to see. I was proud of them.
(NOTE: The seats have good legroom and decent hip room, even with the armrests lowered. The only negative is that even when folded up, the armrests don’t move completely out of your way, a minor annoyance when you’re trying to sleep.)
Would I fly SAA again? Absolutely.
American travelers now have two convenient ways to fly to Africa from across the US. Good for Africa, good for us.
Game on, Delta!