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SAA extends Samsung tablets to regional flights

Admire Moyo
By Admire Moyo, ITWeb's news editor.
Johannesburg, 18 Mar 2016
On-board tablets have proven very popular with customers, says SAA.
On-board tablets have proven very popular with customers, says SAA.

National airline South African Airways (SAA) is extending the use of Samsung tablets for in-flight entertainment for business class travellers to some of its regional flights.

Last year, SAA and Samsung SA entered a partnership to launch in-flight entertainment for business class passengers on flights to Mauritius.

"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 [flights]," says Kim Thipe, SAA head of marketing.

"We will continue to roll out additional routes after our Nairobi trial, while we continue to monitor customer satisfaction."

According to the national carrier, SAA customer service surveys show 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 HF10.1 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.

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

SAA, together with Samsung and Microsoft, developed the customised application for regional flights. As a result of this collaboration, travellers can access a range of applications and some of the latest magazines, TV programmes and movies.

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