South African Airways (SAA) has announced that flight closing times for domestic flights from Johannesburg to four key destinations have increased by ten minutes.

SAA’s Country Manager for Australasia, Tim Clyde-Smith, said that from April 1, closure times before flights to Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Durban and East London would increase to 40 minutes.

“Due to significantly increased passenger traffic between these cities, we have added ten minutes to ensure all passenger baggage can be checked in and loaded and that people are not inconvenienced if their bags cannot be placed on-board in time to get their flight,” Tim said today.

“Boarding times have not changed and we are confident with the additional time, we will see a much smoother passenger experience at Johannesburg which is Africa’s busiest airport,” Tim said.

“We would urge travel agents who have made domestic bookings for Australian passengers that they communicate the changed flight closure times with their customers,” Tim concluded.