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South African Airways, the leading airline on the continent, has collected a bouquet of awards reconfirming its position as the leading airline on the African continent.

“South African Airways is an award winning airline to which the number of awards the airline scoops annually stands as proof. We are again very proud to have received the latest handful of awards, bolstering morale and demonstrating that the airline can rightfully stand its ground as one of the leading airlines in the world,” says Thuli Mpshe, SAA’s Acting CEO.

SAA was awarded Best Domestic Airline at this year’s Sunday Times Top Brands Awards, in the Domestic Airline category. The airline’s low-cost carrier, Mango, was named as South Africa’s Top Low-Cost Airline consumer brand and came second in the Domestic Airline category.

The 17th annual Sunday Times Top Brands awards represent the outcome of 3,493 nationally representative consumer interviews and 300 interviews with business decision-makers. The research was conducted by leading market research company, TNS and reflects consumer and business perspectives on brands in South Africa. .

The results in the Domestic Airline category were: First: SAA (59,66%), second Mango 49,01%, third British Airways 47,52& and fourth Kulula (39,91%).

SAA was also one of the big winners at the fourth annual Business Traveller Africa Conference and Awards, held in association with Absa at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg, where SAA was a ‘double’ winner, picking up the top award in the Best African Regional Short-Haul Airline and Best African Long-Haul Airline categories.

Launched in 2012 in association with Business Traveller Africa magazine, the awards ceremony is an event for the South African business travel trade, covering all aspects of business travel, including hotels, airlines, car rental and travel management, along with related categories such as travel credit card provider, foreign exchange, visas, private aviation and  conferencing.

Furthermore SAA’s on board wine serving also received positive feedback with its Best Sparkling Wines International Business Class, ranked as number three and Best Red Wine International Business Class ranked number five at Global Traveler’s 11th annual Wines on the Wing Airline Wine Competition.

The annual tasting, done byexpert judges in a blind tasting of airlines' white, red and sparkling wines, to determine the best in airline wines was held at The Westin New York Times Square.  Global Traveler, is the only U.S.-based magazine for business and luxury travellers, to conduct such a survey in the United States.

Other awards SAA has received this year are:

1.     At the World Travel Awards™, where SAA was named Africa’s Leading Airline for 21 years in row and

2.     SAA’sinflight magazine, Sawubona, voted as Africa’s leading in-flight magazine.

3.     SAA’s low-cost carrier, Mango, was named Africa’s Leading Low-Cost Airline. World Travel Awards™ is voted for by travel and tourism professionals worldwide.

4.     Skytrax awards: SAA was named Best Airline in Africa for the thirteen consecutive year.

5.     Feedback from SAA’s customers also ensured that SAA walked away with the award for Best Airline Staff in Africafor the fourth time.

6.     Mango, SAA’s low-cost carrier, received the award for Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa.

7.     South African Airways Technical (SAA Technical / SAAT) won the prestigious title as the Best Line Maintenance Provider for 2015 at the annual Aircraft Technology Engineering & Maintenance Awards (ATE&M Awards)

8.     SAA voted as the ‘coolest’ domestic airline, at the 11th Sunday Times Generation Next Survey Awards,  an annual reward ceremony where the hippest and happening brands were announced.

9.     SAA receives the award as “Top Producing Airline” at the annual South African Tourism Ubuntu Awards in New York City.  The Ubuntu Awards honors key travel providers in North America that excel at promoting travel to South Africa.

10.  South African Airways Cargo wins the African Cargo Airline of the Year Award at the STAT Times International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo presented at a glittering Gala Award ceremony held at the Barnyard Theatre in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg.

11. SAA, the leading airline on the African continent, has strengthened its global position by being awarded a 4-Star rating for the thirteenth consecutive year. The 4-Star ranking signifies that the airline has achieved a good standard of product across all travel categories, with standards of staff service delivery in both the on-board and airport environments also being well ranked.

12. SAA receives, once again, both “Best Airline in Africa” and “Best Business Class to Africa” awards from top US travel magazine, Business Traveler.

Issued by SAA