We covered all this in detail in E-Mail Bulletins last month. Here's a quick recap: First of all, SAA has assumed responsibility for changing all originating and connecting flights booked on the same itinerary. For example, if you booked a single ticket from Jacksonville to Atlanta and from there to Johannesburg and back, SAA should have rescheduled your entire flight. However, connecting flights booked separately must be rescheduled by the passenger or his travel agent. All rescheduling should have been completed by now. If you have not heard from SAA about your flight changes, call them at 800-722-9675.
A complication in all this is that SAA flights out of Dulles are morning flights, requiring most passengers to stay overnight in nearby hotels. Hunters traveling with guns will want to make sure their overnights are in Virginia, as firearms are restricted in Washington, DC. The Dulles airport lies outside the city, and there are plenty of hotels Virginia side. As for the cost, SAA is picking up the bill for hotel stays during a transitional period; however, travelers on future bookings will have to plan on paying this added expense themselves.
In still another new wrinkle, SAA has decreased the baggage weight allowance for Economy Class passengers from 70 pounds for each of two bags to 50 pounds each. The maximum size of each piece of baggage is 62 inches (to calculate that, simply add the length, breadth and depth of each of your bags).
Still in South Africa, we are continuing to follow those new draft regulations calling for the end of........(continued)
