Boeing 737-800 Seating Plan Safair

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Millard Winnin

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Aug 3, 2024, 4:47:32 PM8/3/24

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While FlySafair, a subsidiary of Safair, does not have a real business class, it does offer a pseudo business class in rows 1 and 2 where the middle seat is blocked (much like business class within Europe) and a snack and beverage (from the economy class buy onboard menu) is included.

FlySafair has a mobile app and fairly easy-to-use website, but I was unable to check in online, ostensibly because there were no seats left to assign (I was offered the chance to pre-book a seat for $9-29 when booking, but declined). When I checked in, the seat map showed every seat assigned.

I was not worried, though. I figured there were probably some blocked seats plus there would be a large no-show factor for a 6:00 am flight. Sure enough, while checking in at at the airport I was immediately assigned a window seat in row three. Score!

It felt like Ryanair, with the safety card plastered on the tray table in front of you. The 737-800 had 189 seats aboard with 30 inches of pitch and 17 inches wide. The configuration is a standard 3-3.

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

flySafair has basically taken a model pioneered in SA by 1Time, Kulula and Mango and refined it to a point of ruthless efficiency and profitability. The next step for them is an expansion of the model into the wider region and they have recently received traffic rights to operate as far afield as Mauritius (currently served with limited frequency) and Nairobi. That will bring new challenges but, knowing the guys who run the airline, should not be a major issue for them.

I usually pay to assign seats for extra legroom but on a recent transavia flight I booked too late to choose seats. When check in opened I saw all the same seats for free lolll. Saved $100. Might have to do this more often on short flights. It adds up for five of us.

We were on vacation in SA in September and flew FlySafair from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Other than the fact that all bags had to be stowed (even my little crossbody shoulder bag) I was pretty impressed with the airline. Got middle seats with extra legroom and for a quick 2 hour flight, it worked great. Having Bidvest Lounge access through PP made it worthwhile as well.

Dbn to ct and return, flysafair are using ancient planes which feel like they going o fall from the sky. Terrible turbulence and the seats are large enough for ants at most. Terrible. Sadly there are no other options to fly to ct from dbn and return. The planes used in this route by flysafair are pathetic

Do you prefer a window seat when you fly? Many people, including myself, do, and some will even pay extra to ensure they have a view. After all, the world can look pretty spectacular from 35,000 feet.

A couple of days before departure, I checked in for my flight and was automatically assigned a seat number. It was 11A, a window seat. My favourite. I looked forward to grandstand views of the Alps and the Venetian Lagoon (well, sort of, Ryanair's flights to Venice actually land in Treviso, around 20 miles inland).

Fat chance. My view for the duration of the two-hour journey consisted of a white plastic wall panel. A very nice wall panel, it was. Fire resistant. Clean and shiny. But a wall panel nonetheless. That's because 11A, on every single Ryanair plane (it only flies one model, the Boeing 737-800), has no window. Nor do 11F and 12F, on the opposite side of the aircraft. They are window seats without the fundamental feature that makes them window seats.

How does Ryanair get away with it? Surely some sort of refund is in order? Apparently not. A seat is a seat, appears to be the airline's philosophy. And, I would later discover, those who do pay to choose their seat are warned. "This seat has no window," says a small pop-up box when you hover over the offending chairs on the website.

"Red-eye warrior? Not a lot of people realise that seat 11A has no window, meaning it's the perfect seat if you're planning to catch up on some zzzs during a morning flight," reckons Ryanair. "This seat is also a little life-saver late at night when you've spent the day travelling and all you want is a few minutes of shut-eye."

It isn't just budget carriers affected. BA's A380s have a clutch of window seats with restricted or non-existent views: 70A and 70K, in economy, as well as 12A, 12K, 50A and 50K in Club World. Yes, even premium passengers aren't immune.

Bizarrely, Ryanair even tries to make a virtue of the window's absence. Its website lists "Seven Seat Hacks You Need To Know Now", including, at number five, "When You Want to\\u2026 Catch Some Zzzzzs".

And Twitter is flooded with tales. Some fliers are outraged, others are philosophical. But none can expect any compensation for their suffering. In fact, legally speaking, there is nothing compelling airlines to pay up when things go wrong on board \\u2013 whether that means a busted monitor, a broken seat, a shortage of food or an overflowing toilet.

Airbus said it's down to the airlines as they "are the ones with seating maps for their specific cabin products", while Boeing added that each carrier kits out their own planes and that is where "the decision on interior layout\\u2026 are made".

Comair is a British Airways franchise based in South Africa. The airline operates a fleet of 20 737s around Africa. Johannesburg is their hub, though they operate flights within South Africa, as well as to nearby countries, including Mauritius, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Last time I visited South Africa I flew South African Airways between Johannesburg and Cape Town (on both the A319 and A340), so this time around I wanted to mix it up and fly with Comair. Best of all, you can even earn and redeem oneworld miles for travel on them.

So we arrived in the terminal just before 2PM for our 3PM flight. On the plus side, we had already checked in online, and there was a dedicated business class security line, which we were through in no time.

This portion of the airport has an interesting layout, as they have seating throughout the terminal near gates, but then right by the gate is a partitioned off area meant intentionally for boarding. So it stays empty until people start lining up to board.

About 10 minutes later the first course was brought out. This included a side salad with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese, packaged nuts, cheese and crackers, and some dessert. There was also a bottle of water on the tray.

There was no Wi-Fi onboard, which is fair enough. What I found more annoying was that there were no power ports either. I spent a bit of time on my laptop working, and spent the rest of the flight talking to my dad and Ford.

Just got back to UKfrom a South Africa trip and got to fly both SAA and Comair domestically within South Africa. Comair thoroughly disappointing, the 737-800 felt ancient and very tired inside, and the crew were the same as described in this review, curt and surly with barely a smile. SAA much better cabin configuration, better looked after aircraft and very friendly crew.

Have to say flown a few times , your right planes are getting tired . I flew down to CPT few weeks ago on the 737-800, whilst a newer plane they have now adopted the leaning middle seat free and offering a standard seat leg room . SLOW lounge is fab and have to say crew have always been great , attentive , offering drinks etc

@Lucky - If you've been to TPA recently, you might have seen an ex-BA 737 parked over there. I heard it's currently being converted. Is that plane apart of Comair or one of BA's ex 737s based in Gatwick?

Actually only a few south African airways planes have the 2-3 configurations in business class, when I lived in lusaka, I fly south African airways quiet often on their 320s and 319s, and both have been retrofitted with new business class seats in a 2-2 configuration and is quiet elegant looking and comfortable.