FlySafair revealed the airline will cancel some flights due to the new curfew times.
In a tweet posted on Wednesday, it said: “Dear customers. Unfortunately we’ve had to cancel some flights due to the new curfew times. All affected passengers will get a full refund or completely free flight change. This can be done on the manage booking section of our website. Please look out for emails and SMS alerts.” (sic)
According to the Daily Maverick, nearly 10 000 passengers were affected by the cancellations.
The airline’s chief marketing officer Kirby Gordon shared more insight on the cancellations with IOL Travel.
“Unfortunately we’ve had to cancel a number of later flights due to the curfew times changing. The unfortunate thing is that we lose flight pairs because an aircraft has to return to home base for technical checks and to be present to start the next day of flying.
“For example, a flight from Joburg to PE may land at 8pm, which is well in time for the curfew, but because the return leg is compromised we have to lose the whole pair. We absolutely support the efforts in play to curb the second wave, but this particular measure has had an unfortunate impact on our business, disrupting our customers and limiting our ability to fly and earn during this crucial period," he said.
The change may disrupt the flying times of travellers, but it doesn't affect the cost of their booking.
"Customer affected by the changes have been given two options. They can either to be accommodated on alternative flights at no charge, which the majority have opted to do, or to get full refund vouchers, which a few folks have opted for," he said.