By Alec Hogg
Yesterday I had the dubious privilege of a three and a half hour flight between Cape Town and Durban. It was my mistake – I never checked the detail when doing my online booking and only realised on boarding the plane stopped en route in Port Elizabeth. A big future note to self.
But it wasn’t the extended flight which caused the most unnecessary friction. That belonged to the strictly enforced rule that passengers “switch off all electronic equipment” at least 10 minutes before landing. In this instance, removing the only defence against an eardrum-pressured screaming baby for the last 20 minutes before landing in Durban.
This inconsistent rule is militantly enforced by local BA hosties. Which begs some obvious questions. Like if these devices are such a risk to airline safety, why not confiscate them all on boarding? Or what about risk posed by that cellphone/iPad/laptop left on and in the hand luggage? Or more to the point, why are passengers in Europe allowed to use these same devices throughout the flight?
Come on Comair. It’s high time you join the rest of the world. And stop your hosties from turning into growling gauleiters.
Comair responds – Iain Meakin, Executive Manager Commercial Distribution
I am an avid morning reader of Biznews (well done on a great website and daily news service) and woke up to your email asking us to get with the times and stop enforcing the switching off of phones and tablets during our flights. We so wish this was in our control.
As an operator in South Africa, we and all other  domestic carriers are required to adhere to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) legislation which in certain circumstances differs to rules that are internationally applied by other Civil Aviation regulatory bodies. One of these directives relates to the use of Portable Electronic Devices (PED’s) during flight. As per the SACAA customers are allowed to use their devices once airborne, however this is only allowed in the cruise phase which excludes take-off and climbing to cruise altitude and when descending where these devices must be switched off. Not adhering to these safety regulations can come with rather stiff penalties. Should the CAA change their stance on the above ruling then we will certainly embrace any new allowances. We agree that it is rather pointless and wish we could offer similar flexibility to what the international services offer. As in your case and being a frequent international traveller, these inconsistencies are often blamed on the airline which tarnishes overall customer experience. We have been trying for years to get these rules changed and would welcome any attempt form your side to assist in this process.
Our ‘Hosties’ primary role on our flights are that of professional safety officers. It’s a long and detailed training process. They’re there to ensure that we comply not just to the stipulated regulations but also the many specific safety protocols to ensure all our passengers get to their destinations safely. We are very proud of our safety record and strict IATA / IOSA accreditation. I must apologise if they seemed a little strict in carrying out their many tasks – it sometimes becomes a rather large task when ensuring that so many passengers through the cabins are all following the necessary safety procedures.
The good news is that we have managed to get a small concession from the SACAA over the years. It’s a Comair specific one but allows our passengers to turn on their devices as soon as we exit the runway.
I hope the above clarifies and if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d also like to thank you for choosing Comair/British Airways for your travels, we greatly appreciate your support.
Comment from “a frustrated, long-suffering Pilot”
Hello Alec,
Very much share your frustration, but please, the fault lies not with BA – its our outdated and dysfunctional CAA – just another “vrot” organ of the Zuptastan empire… – www.caa.co.za/
