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South
African Airways Daily Service from New York An environment where air
travel feels more like a stay at a five-star hotel
than a fifteen hour flight. An environment where
people can experience the finest South African
hospitality, comfortably and
effortlessly. An environment where the
most important investment is always in the comfort
of our passengers. The Millennium
Product In additional to
significantly improved seat comfort the Millennium
product adds an 'advanced technology' dimension to
the award-winning service that distinguishes our
airline. While many
carriers are cost cutting and scaling back, South
African Airways is generously investing in
passenger comfort. Economy Class:
Beginning in Economy Class,
South African Airways has enlarged the wide variety
of dining choices - all accompanied by an
exceptional selection of South African wines. As in
all three classes, Economy Class also boasts
enhanced seat recline, as well as the dynamic new
Rockwell Collins P@ssport™
audio-and-video-on-demand system. Entertainment:
Available in every seat on the
aircraft, the P@ssport system is a dramatic new
product that revolutionizes in-flight
entertainment. Not only does it offer customers
video and audio on demand, it also puts them in
control by letting them play, pause, rewind and
fast-forward the films of their choice without
affecting other customers' viewing. Customers can
also create customized audio soundtracks for their
listening pleasure, as well as enjoy a variety of
video games. Business
Class:Seat recline
has increased by nearly 50%. Seat pitch has been
increased to a minimum of 55 inches. Seats now have a shoulder
width of 27.5 inches and a width of 21
inches. Headrests can be fully
adjusted to six different positions. In addition, we've
introduced an innovative pneumatic lumbar support
system, which moulds to a passenger's body shape to
maximize and personalize their comfort level.
Business Class also includes upgraded reading
lights, 8.6 inch private TVs and in-seat power
supply for laptops. Business Class passengers
dine on fine china, with a wide choice of delicious
meal options accompanied by the very best South
African wines. In short, our new Business
Class has everything to make light work of
executive travel. First Class:
First Class passengers now
enjoy:180-degree, 29-inch wide lie-flat beds, one
of the widest in the industry with full-sized
linen-covered duvets, cotton sleeper suits and bed
turndown service available at passengers'
request. Seats feature a pitch of 83
inches, private TVs with 8.6-inch screens and power
supply for laptops at every seat. Each seat also
features individual reading lights with three
different settings. Both single and double
suites are available in the cabin, as well as
electronically controlled-ottomans in each suite
for dual dining. Dining, of course, features
a superb selection of a la carte meal options,
including a wheeling salad bar buffet served on
fine china, all complemented perfectly by wines
from our peerless "Cellar in the Sky". An Invitation:
We could have just brought you
a seat or two. We couldn't get a 747-400
through the Mid Town tunnel. So we decided to let you try
The Millennium Product and South Africa for
yourselves. We invite you to come and
enjoy World Class international air travel and a
truly stunning destination. It's the goal of every
global carrier to make time fly for its passengers.
With these improvements, South African Airways
continues to aim higher. I, or my colleagues here
this evening can answer many of your questions, or
you can answer them for yourselves. Please be our guests.
Flying
to Africa via Europe? Ethiopia's
Airports take off:
African Airport authorities are seizing the moment:
In a cross- country journey via Ethiopian Airlines
on the famous Holy Route, where the Queen of Sheba
once trod, we saw how airports large and small, are
being expanded and upgraded to form a network of
air bridges for future tourism. With Ethiopian
Airlines flying to more African cities than any
other carrier, Addis Ababa has become the political
hub, Africa's meeting place, with over 95
embassies, new luxury hotels, and a world class UN
Conference Center. It's stadium-sized Bole
International Airport terminal, which opens next
May, is one of 12 gateways slated for expansion.
Tanzania's Air
Highways:
Landing at
Kilimanjaro International Airport, my first words
were, "If there was ever a gateway ripe for
expansion, this is it. " I was right on the money,
for six months later came news of a major land
development at Kilimanjaro by Mott Macdonald of the
UK, whose record includes the 'Chunnel', London's
Heathrow Express rail link, Hong Kong's Air
Terminal and Tsing Ma Bridge. Over 50 airports
worldwide are company clients, with South Africa's
Durban and Cape Town airports its first African
ventures. Flying Regional Airlines,
with pilot Iris McCallum, we saw the potential of
'air safari packages' to Ngorongoro Crater,
Serengeti and beyond. Kilimanjaro is Tanzania's
ideal gateway for eco-adventure and cultural travel
to Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and other East African
destinations. West Africa: Of the West African
airports we visited recently, from Dakar, Bamako
and Cotonou, to Accra and Abidjan, each was in some
stage of preparation for the new air age.
We hope this decade will
herald the dawn of seamless, people-friendly
airport operations, with less red tape, plus faster
visa and baggage handling. Two concepts I gained
from our participation in four world class Eco
Conferences, are that airports should become
"agoras" (people places) and "garden spots" (green
spaces). Perhaps it's time for the greening of
Africa's airports. Send
Advertising enquiries to: Africa Travel
Magazine For
membership and events, contact: Africa Travel
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