02/06/2020
Lockdown Level 3: Domestic Business Travel
After more than two months of confining people to their homes, government finally announced that lockdown level 3 will see a return of limited domestic travel for business purposes.
Domestic air travel is currently limited to the "golden triangle" which includes Cape Town International, King Shaka International, OR Tambo International and Lanseria Airport.
All passengers travelling and crossing borders need to present a permit along with traditional identification in order to be allowed boarding.
Only selected airlines are resuming operations with reduced schedules to meet the lower demand.
FlySafair will start operations again on 15 June 2020.
SA Airlink will also start flying between Cape Town - OR Tambo and Johannesburg - Durban from 8 June 2020.
Mango Airlines will likely resume operations soon, but no official statement has been made by the airline. They did start selling flights for departure from 1 June on SAA's booking portal.
SAA wants to resume flights between Johannesburg - Cape Town from 15 June, but no concrete plans have been confirmed.
Comair is currently under business rescue and despite having some flights available in the GDS last week, will not resume operations any time soon.
Permit Required
Passengers will require a permit proving that they are travelling for business. This can be acquired by completing "Form 2" as defined in regulation 16(2)(b) and 28(4) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002, as amended, Section 27(2).
The alternative to this form is a sworn affidavit which would need to be acquired from a magistrates office or a police station.
FlySafair has introduced a handy tool through which passengers can create a permit. They require basic information about you as an employee, your company and someone working at your company who can verify your employment. It does not seem like a reason for business travel is being required at this stage. All relevant parties have to sign the document generated and you'll require a company stamp.
Currently no passenger can be allowed boarding without such a permit. Please note that government can amend these requirements at any stage and that while we have done our best to ensure that the information provided is accurate, we can't guarantee that we will be able to communicate any possible change to this requirement to you in time.
New Airport & Airline Procedures
Passengers should also allow more time to check-in as additional safety measures and social distancing will be adhered to at the airport.
Airports will only allow valid ticket-holders into the airport building, so you'll have to meet and greet family at the pick-up and drop-off parking lot zones.
Expect your temperature to be taken before being admitted into the airport building and possibly at other stages during the boarding process again.
Passengers have to wear a mask from the moment they enter an airport building to the moment they leave, including during the flight.
To enforce social distancing, airports will have markings to indicate where to queue and possibly manage other movements.
Most airlines are introducing self-scanning of all documents and are not offering in-flight meals or magazines.
Boarding could be staggered to encourage social distancing.
Reduced capacities on bus facilities offered on the tarmac.
All staff will wear PPE.
Middle seats will not be kept open, but should be filled only after all window and aisle seats have been allocated. Selected airlines are also allowing passengers to purchase the middle seat at an additional price.
Passengers that present symptoms of COVID-19 or who run a fever could be denied boarding.
Valid identification is still required as previously.
