South African Airways' flight between Washington DC and Johannesburg will no longer stop in Dakar, reducing flying time by three hours, the national carrier announced on Thursday.

The airline also announced that extra flights would be introduced between Johannesburg and Frankfurt, London and Perth for the holiday season from November to January.

SAA has added a fifth flight every week on its route to India, said Nomfanelo Magwentshu, general manager for business development.

Within Africa, there will be daily flights to Zambia's tourist town of Livingstone, near the Victoria Falls, from October 29, rather than on the present three-times-a-week basis. Flights to Entebbe, Uganda, have been re-timed to an overnight flight.

A fourth flight will be added to the weekly schedule between Johannesburg and Accra, Ghana, Magwentshu added.

Commenting on the new Washington flight - also effective from October 29 - Magwentshu said SA208 would be the only non-stop flight between Johannesburg and North America. "This flight will be at least three hours faster than any of our competitors' flights from North America and Johannesburg."

Magwentshu said the change was to make the Washington route more attractive for passengers who in the past flew to North America via Europe.

"The flight has also been re-timed to allow passengers easy connections to 72 points from Washington to further destinations in Northern America on our Star Alliance partners."

She said the extra flight between Johannesburg and Perth would operate on Wednesdays.

"Johannesburg to Frankfurt will have an additional flight on a Saturday and Cape Town to London an extra flight on a Friday.

"By adding these extra flights on weekend days, which are typically the time people want to travel, we use our long haul fleet of Airbus aircraft more effectively.

"We now have our flat bed seat on all these aircraft which adds to travelling ease of our premium passengers," said Magwentshu.

SAA will operate a Boeing 747-400 on its route to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from December to February instead of the Airbus A340-300, to add 574 seats on this route following customer demand, Magwentshu said.

On domestic flights, business class would be reintroduced on planes flying between Johannesburg and East London as well as Port Elizabeth.

From Thursday, all SAA's long haul flights on Airbus aircraft would operate with lie flat seats in premium class, the airline said.

Source: IOL / 28 September 2006