SAA ADDS WASHINGTON ROUTES

UNCLAS PRETORIA 001278

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/EPS AND AF/S/TCRAIG AND KGAITHER
DEPT FOR EB/TRA/AN/CDEMARS, LFAUX-GABLE, ESMITH
TRANSPORTATION FOR SMCERMOTT, KBHATIA, GRETCH
STATE PASS TO TSA/JHALINSKI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR PTER ASEC PREL SF
SUBJECT: SAA ADDS WASHINGTON ROUTES


1. (U) SUMMARY. South African Airways (SAA) will begin
offering four weekly flights between Johannesburg and
Washington D.C. as of July 1. A codeshare agreement
with United is in the works while the future of the
existing SAA-Delta codeshare has yet to be determined.
END SUMMARY.


2. (U) South African Airways (SAA) announced March 14
that it was adding direct, one-stop service between
Johannesburg and Washington D.C. (Dulles). SAA Manager
for International Affairs Darren Hays told Econoff that
the service would begin July 1, 2005. He said four
flights a week will be offered initially with the
intention of eventually expanding the route to a daily
service.

3. (U) SA207 to Washington, via Accra, will depart from
Johannesburg at 18:40 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
and Sundays and will arrive in Washington at 6:45 the
next day. SA208 will leave Washington on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 08:45 via Accra and
will arrive in Johannesburg the next morning at 07:40.
SAA will use eight Boeing 747-400s to service this
route.

4. (U) Hays said that as of this moment there has been
no decision on which U.S. airline will codeshare with
SAA on this flight. He conceded, however, that SAA is
working with United Airlines to finalize a codeshare
agreement in line with SAA's recent initiation into the
Star Alliance. Delta currently codeshares on all SAA
flights to the United States.

5. (U) Although SAA officials have previously indicated
to Econoff that SAA would like to keep its Atlanta
service, Hays said that no decision has been made yet on
the future of SAA flights into Atlanta. In July 2004,
Star Alliance VP for Corporate Affairs Chris Klick was
quoted as saying that although the Alliance would prefer
collaboration among member airlines, it would not demand
that new alliance members relinquish deals with other
airlines. This may allow SAA to continue to leverage
its existing codeshare arrangement with Delta on its
Atlanta flights. Delta Manager for Southern Africa
Margaret Copeland told Econoff that Delta has yet to
receive any indication from SAA that it will terminate
the codeshare agreement with Delta.
FRAZER