SAA Seeks new ways for travel partners to raise profit base

South African Airways has harped on the importance of its travel partners to explore multiple ways of generating revenue to increase their profit base.
The carrier made the disclosure at a forum held at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The aim of the forum was to enlighten and educate the travel partners on how to develop new marketing campaign strategies beyond their core service of ticket sales to its customers.
SAA used the opportunity to explain its passenger and cargo services to the travel partners, stressing the need for them to diversify from solely issuing passenger travel tickets to assisting clients with cargo services.
National Sales Manager of South African Airways in Nigeria, Kemi Leke-Bamtefa said,  “we realised that many of our travel partners are concentrating more on issuing travel passenger tickets. In this current tough economic situation in the country, we see the need to enlighten and educate the travel partners to diversify their ways to attract multiple sources of revenue from the travel industry”.
South Africa
“This is why we are engaging the travel trade today to enlighten them specifically about South African Airways cargo which is a globally recognized cargo service provider that helps in the movement of goods and products from any corners of Nigeria to any part of the world”.
She disclosed that in order to encourage the travel partners, the airline has introduced a special agency ticket fare, high incentives and commissions for its travel trade partners that will be able to meet South African Airways set sales target in 2017.
The South African national carrier also used the forum to reiterate to the travel partners the multiple route networks of destinations adding that the airline fly beyond Lagos- Johannesburg.
For instance, she said South African Airways easily connects passengers from Lagos to Perth in Australia, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Washington and New York in the USA as well as other destinations.
It was also highlighted at the event that Mauritius is visa free for Nigerian travellers thus offering a great opportunity for the Nigerian travel trade to market the destination to increase revenue. South African Airways has two flights daily from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg to Mauritius which the Lagos flight can easily connect.
To encourage the travel trade to sell the Mauritius destination flying South African Airways from Lagos, the National Sales Manager stated that any partner who sells 10 or more travel tickets to the destination from 1st to 30th March will win two tickets to Mauritius.
Another important piece of information is the fact that Nigerian travel partners can encourage their clients to fly South African Airways to any part of the world as there is no need for a transit visa for passengers traveling beyond the South African borders.
SAA Voyager, the reward system for consistently flying South African Airways continues to get more attractive. 
Since 1994 when the Voyager was launched till date, incredible benefits such as priority boarding, priority waitlist, lounge access, preferential check in and priority seats are a few of the incredible benefits passengers can get while consistently flying South African Airways and becoming a Voyager member.
To express its committed to the Nigerian market, the airline in mid- December 2016, introduced a brand new A330-300 aircraft on the Lagos – Johannesburg route.
Nigerian travelers are currently enjoying 46 premium business class and 203 economy class seating. 
The business class cabins is in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, offering increased privacy and providing all business class passengers with direct access to the aisle. 
The 203 newly designed economy class slim-line seats have extra personal space and generous legroom for traveling comfort. 
Wole Shadare