South African Airways (SAA) will be expanding the offer of Samsung tablets on board as a way of improving in-flight entertainment to business class customers travelling on regional flights. 

“Following the launch of this offering in September last year on the Mauritius route, customers have shown a keen interest in this innovation which we are now expanding to our Nairobi, Kenya route as from this week after the successful uptake on Mauritius. We will continue to roll out additional routes after our Nairobi trial, while we continue to monitor customer satisfaction,” says Kim Thipe, SAA head of Marketing. 

SAA customer service surveys show that in-flight entertainment is a key factor when it comes to customer satisfaction and can add tremendously to how much travellers enjoy a flight. The 500 Samsung tablets are pre-loaded with South African, African and international content that can be used to read magazines, watch movies, listen to music and play games. Cabin crew are able to distribute the devices, which will contain both, once in-flight and collect the tablets prior to landing for safe keeping.

“Samsung’s relationship with SAA enables us to showcase the comfort and accessibility advantages that a Samsung tablet offers travellers. We are excited that SAA is now also expanding this service to other African routes. This initiative confirms Samsung’s philosophy that technology is meaningless unless it is placed in the hands of consumers and as such, our tablets provide SAA business travellers with technology tools that enhances their travel experience,” said Michelle Potgieter, director of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung Electronics SA. 

“Executive travellers demand an in-flight multimedia system that replicate, or even transcend, the experience they have on the ground. We therefore implemented this project last year to provide in-flight service on selected flights longer than three where limited in-flight entertainment was on offer to enhance the overall experience,” says Thipe. 

“Tablets have proven very popular with customers, who find it more practical and convenient to be in control of their audio and visual experience,” said Menon Ramasawmy, SAA manager Mauritius and Indian Ocean Islands.

“In partnership with SAA, we have customised the tablet content to meet the specific and unique requirements of their business class passengers,” adds Potgieter.

Today, more corporate companies are partnering with technology firms to increase and enrich customer experiences and therefore, their value proposition. SAA, together with Samsung and Microsoft, developed the customised application for regional flights, and as result of this collaboration, travellers will now be able to access information anywhere, conveniently and benefit from a range of applications including the some of the latest magazines, TV programmes and movies. 

New generation aircraft will also make provision for the tablet to be conveniently placed in a slot in the back of the seat, and equipped with a charging point.