South African Airways announced that its new non-stop flight from Washington Dulles to Dakar, Senegal, will begin May 1st, providing the greater Metropolitan Washington area with the only non-stop service to Western Africa. Flight SA208 will depart Washington Dulles at 5:20 p.m. and arrive into Dakar at 5:55 a.m. the following morning, using SAA’s state-of-the-art Airbus A340-600 aircraft. Passengers traveling to Dakar will have the option of flying with the most legroom in economy, or in SAA’s award-winning Premium Business Class, featuring fully-flat bed seats. After a short 1-hour fueling stop, Flight SA208 will depart Dakar at 6:55 a.m. and arrive into Johannesburg, South Africa at 5:20 p.m. The Washington-Dakar-Johannesburg service complements SAA’s non-stop flight from New York JFK and Johannesburg, also beginning May 1st.

"SAA’s non-stop service to Dakar will provide Washington with a vital link to Western Africa, while it will also serve as a convenient connection option from points throughout North America, thanks to SAA’s code share service with United Airlines," said Marc Cavaliere, executive vice president, North America, for South African Airways. "Eventually, from Dakar, passengers will also be able to connect to other key points throughout Western Africa as part of continuous route and service enhancements that SAA is implementing. We look forward to offering further details in the coming months."

"We are very pleased that SAA has brought this important international service to Washington Dulles International Airport. It will further enhance our robust global air service offerings for our customers," said James E. Bennett, president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

"SAA remains a valuable carrier for Senegal’s tourism from the USA," said Elh. Abdoul Aziz Gueye, Director of the Senegal Tourist Office. "The strong partnership between SAA and the Senegal Tourist Office will result in increased tourism."

To book seats on SAA’s new non-stop flights from Washington to Dakar call your travel agent. South African Airways is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2009, having been founded in February 1934, and since then has led the way in offering world-class service from Africa to the world. This attention to service throughout the years has resulted in the airline consistently being named "Best Airline" and "Best Business Class" to Africa by numerous travel experts and publications. Today, it is poised to continue this tradition of excellence by continuously enhancing its product offering, including non-stop service from New York JFK to Johannesburg, commencing May 1st. For more highlights on South African Airways’ 75-year history, visit www.flysaa.com, and link to "About Us."

South African Airways features the only nonstop flights to South Africa from the U.S. with daily departures from either Washington, D.C. (until April 30th, with a stop in Dakar commencing May 1), and direct service from New York (operating non stop effective May 1) that offer travel convenience and award-winning service. Travelers in premium class enjoy 180deg fully flat-bed seats, and in economy class enjoy the most legroom versus competitors. Every seat on board offers an individual on-demand entertainment system, plush pillow, warm blanket and amenity kit. SAA’s unrivaled network, featuring seamless connections to more than 20 destinations within South Africa, and more than 20 cities across the rest of the continent, makes the airline the savvy traveler’s "gateway to Africa." To complement this network, a world of privileges awaits those who join Voyager, South African Airways’ premier mileage program. To sign up, visit www.flysaa.com, and link to the Voyager icon. As a Star Alliance member, South African Airways is able to offer its customers 912 destinations in 159 countries and more than 16,500 flights daily, including convenient connections from more than 25 cities in the U.S. through code share service with Star Alliance member United Airlines. Members of United’s Mileage Plus, US Airways’ Dividend Miles and Air Canada’s Aeroplan programs are able to earn and redeem miles on all SAA flights. For more information on South African Airways, please call (800) 722-9675 or visit www.flysaa.com, where travelers can sign up to be notified of other great travel deals and vacation packages.

SOURCE: South African Airways