LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA, 2018-Oct-15 — /Travel PR News/ — South African Airways (SAA) is the host airline for the Airlines Association of Southern Africa’s (AASA) 48th annual general assembly (AGA), taking place from 11 to 14 October 2018 in Livingstone, Zambia. The theme for this year’s AGA is Enabling African Airline Service Excellence.
The assembly, which takes place at the Avani Lodge Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia, has attracted around 300 delegates, including leading airline industry executives and government policy makers from Southern Africa’s airlines, airports, air navigation services, regulatory bodies, as well as aircraft and engine manufacturers, ground handling service providers, and associated businesses.
“SAA is proud to be the host airline and sponsor for the AASA conference this year, particularly because of this year’s theme, which takes a closer look at customer centricity. For SAA, it has been an imperative to provide our customers with unparalleled service excellence, which is evident in our 16-year standing 4-Star Skytrax Ranking, as well as the Skytrax Best Airline Staff in Africa Award we have received for six years,” said Tlali Tlali, SAA spokesperson.
While Tlali is proud of SAA’s achievements in customer satisfaction, he recognises that customer service in aviation is ever changing and that it is important to discuss its future in forums such as the assembly. “The AGA will provide a forum for stakeholders in governments and industry to cooperatively examine the areas that impact customer experience and how we can work together to improve them at all touchpoints, from the moment a flight is booked to the landing,” he said.
The topics that the delegates will unpack at this year’s AGA reflect the need to continually innovate and improve service in areas such as digital transformation, bridging the communication and delivery gaps, as well as a panel discussion about how to manage the passenger’s airport and airline experience with their expectation.
A topic of much interest to airlines represented in AASA is that of a Single Africa Air Transport Market.
“The African Union’s initiatives to establish the Single Africa Air Transport Market to complement the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) requires political will and muscle; but it will be irrelevant unless travellers, importers and exporters are provided with an end-to-end air transport system and user experience that is smooth, seamless, stress-free and affordable,” explained AASA’s CEO, Chris Zweigenthal.
“As an industry, we are concerned with closing those gaps between customers’ expectations and their experiences. Hence the assembly’s theme: “Enabling African Airline Service Excellence”. The gathering will provide the forum for the stakeholders in governments and industry to jointly examine the areas that impact customer experience and opportunities to improve them at all points from start to end, from the keyboard, via the kerbside, at the airports and in our skies,” he added.
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Issued by SAA Group Corporate Affairs
About South African Airways:
South African Airways (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 57 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, Airlink, and its low-cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and nine intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low-cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the Best Airline Staff Service award in the Africa category; this shows that our customer-facing employees are our true brand ambassadors who made a difference to millions of travelling customers.
For media information, please contact:
SAA Spokesperson
Mr Tlali Tlali
Email: TlaliTlali@flysaa.com
Mobile: +27 (0)82 333-3880
Office: +27 (0)11 978-2298
Marketing Enquiries:
Head of Marketing
Ms Kim Thipe
Office: +27 (0)11 978-5597
Mobile: +27 (0)83 263-7040
Email: KimThipe@flysaa.com
General Enquiries:
Switchboard: +27 (0)11 978-1000
Website: www.flysaa.com
Twitter (Primary): @flysaa – https://twitter.com/flysaa
Twitter (Customer Service): @flysaa_care – https://twitter.com/flysaa_care
Facebook: www.facebook.com/flysaa
SOURCE: South African Airways