We offer four convenient check-in options to allow you to manage the details of your travel in a way that suits you:
- Online check-in
- Mobile check-in
- Social Check-in
- Self check-in kiosks at the airport
We also offer time saving services at the airport once you have checked-in:
Online check-in
South African Airways is pleased to offer our internet Check-in service - a simpler, smarter and faster way to check in. You can print your boarding pass from 24 hours prior to flight departure, as well as select or change your seat. Online Check-in will remain open up to 90 minutes before domestic departures and up to 2 hours before international flights. Click here to check in online.
Benefits
- Avoid airport check-in queues
- Be the first to select your seat
- Print your own boarding pass in seconds
Check-in times
For all passengers who have e-tickets, online check-in opens 24 hours before flight departure and will stay open up to 90 minutes for domestic and up to 2 hours prior to international departures
Please note that there are different airport check-in times for the following flights:
- Flights to America: four hours
- International flights: three hours
- All domestic flights: two hours
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Mobile check-in
Mobile check-in saves time at the airport by allowing you to check in from your internet-enabled phone. Using your mobile phone, go to m.flysaa.com and:
- Submit your e-ticket number or booking reference at the check-in screen,
- Download your online boarding pass
On arrival at the airport, show your online boarding pass to security for scanning.
Mobile check-in will be possible from the following airports
(Mobile 3g display boarding passes not available at this point) use email boarding passes
| Johannesburg |
to all Domestic cities |
| Cape Town |
to all Domestic cities |
| East London |
to all Domestic cities |
| Durban |
to all Domestic cities |
| Port Elizabeth |
to all Domestic cities |
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Social check-in
No more boring flights. Spice it up by selecting from anyone that makes use of this great feature, not only your own friends.
Meet SAA’s latest feature, Social Check-In. A Social Seat Selector that uses your Facebook details and helps you select who you want to sit next to on your following flight.
How does Social Check-In work? Easy!
- Check in online on flysaa.com or our mobi site m.flysaa.com and input your flight details
- Simply share your Facebook details while you are busy checking in.
- Select your profile details that you wish to share with other passengers and add your travel details
Next, a seat map will show you:
- Other passengers’ profile details
- The seats they have chosen
- Available seats – you can now select seats to people with the same interests or going to the same events.
Social Check-In is available for both local and international flights. Make sure you check in 24 hours before your flight and nothing less than 90 minutes for Domestic flights and 2 hours for your international your flight. After that, you will not be able to view the other passengers’ profiles or change your seat.
Profile and Privacy
It is up to you how much information you share about yourself. You can either show more or less details. You can even remove your details entirely.
SAA will not use your profile details for any other purpose than Social Check-In. We will also not share your details with any third parties
Read the full Terms and Conditions for Social Check-In
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Self check-in kiosks
Avoid airport queues and print your own boarding pass with our self service check-in kiosks. These user-friendly touchscreen devices allow you to select your seat and print your boarding pass within seconds. This check-in option is available to all passengers with confirmed tickets on South African Airways. All self service check-in kiosks close 90 minutes before flight departure time.
These touchscreen kiosks are available at the following airports:
South Africa:
- Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo: Domestic and international departures
- Cape Town: Domestic and international departures
- Durban: Domestic departures only
- Port Elizabeth: Domestic departures only
Rest of the World:
- Frankfurt
- London Heathrow
- Sao Paulo
For a step-by-step guide on how to use a check-in kiosk, click here.
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Bag drop counter
Bag drop counters are specifically for passengers with checked baggage who have checked in online or using a self service check-in kiosk. If you have already printed your online boarding pass, proceed to the Self Service kiosk to print your Bag Tag. If you are unable to print your Bag tag at the kiosk head to the bag drop counter, where your baggage will be tagged and sent to the aircraft.
If you are unable to print your boarding pass, you may print it at the self check-in kiosks, or proceed to a South African Airways check-in counter. If a bag drop counter is unavailable, a conventional check-in counter can be used.
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Self Bag Tagging
Our Self Tagging option allows you to print and attach your own baggage tags before dropping your bags off at the Bag Drop Counter.
Self tagging is available at the following airports:
Baggage tags can be printed at the Self Check-In kiosks. Please refer to our step-by-step guide on how to self-tag.
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