South African Airways

South African Airways is the country's flag carrier, flying from its Johannesburg hub at OR Tambo across southern Africa and out to a handful of long-haul markets. It is a Star Alliance member, so the network stretches well past its own metal through partner connections. The fleet is a mix: Airbus narrowbodies and older-generation widebodies on the longer routes, plus Boeing 737s worked hard on the busy regional and domestic legs.

The widebody work falls to the A330-300 and the A340-300, both flown in a two-cabin layout with a proper flat-ish Business section up front and a large economy behind. On the shorter routes the Airbus A320 does most of the lifting, and it comes in two guises: a two-class fit with a small Business cabin, and a denser all-economy version for the higher-volume domestic runs. The Boeing 737-800 rounds out the narrowbody side in a single economy class.

Business on the widebodies is where SAA puts its effort, with a settled long-haul seat and the quieter cabin position that comes with sitting ahead of the wing. Economy is conventional across the fleet, so the choice that matters is position rather than product: an exit row for legroom, a forward seat to be off first or a window away from the galley for a longer sleep. The two A320 layouts pull in different directions, one leaning toward the business traveller and one toward filling the aircraft.

On the widebodies, the front of economy sits away from the rear galleys and clears the aircraft faster on arrival, which is worth having on the longer sectors. Exit rows carry the most legroom but the seats there often will not recline and the armrests are fixed. On the narrowbodies, aim for a forward window and check the seat map for the rows beside the over-wing exits and the rear galley before you commit, since those are where recline and noise turn against you.