Don’t Drink Water On SAA Flights

It is somewhat disconcerting that I encounter this many stories about serious problems with aviation in the New South Africa How a hermetically sealed water bottle could contain such high levels of bacteria. It may not even be SAA’s fault. However, SAA’s reaction to the situation and unwillingness to help, illustrates the incompetence and poor quality service in the New South Africa.

Two South African Airways passengers are angry and sick after drinking what they claim was contaminated bottled water on board an international flight.

The sisters, from Hilton in KwaZulu-Natal, have been gravely ill since consuming the water, which has subsequently been found to be 30 times above the bacterial contamination level.

Now the doctor of one of the sisters, who have both asked to remain anonymous, has warned her about possible kidney failure.

‘If I hadn’t been on antibiotics, I would have kicked the bucket’
The women, aged 58 and 56, were flying from France on home-bound flight SAA 273 on October 8 when they asked an air hostess for something to quench their thirst.

Instead, she delivered problems, the women said.

The Sunday Tribune is in possession of water quality results from the Allerton Provincial Veterinary Laboratory, stating that the water’s total bacterial count at 22C was 3 000 colony forming units/ml.

According to the results script, water at 100 cfu/ml is marked “problem developing”. At 1 000 cfu/ml, the water is deemed not fit for drinking.

The women related their ordeal to the Tribune after getting the test results on Friday.

‘Are you sure you were on an SAA flight?’
“I actually went overseas with a burnt stomach lining and I was taking antibiotics. I was fine overseas. We arrived back home on the Tuesday afternoon and I had a cold. By the Saturday, I was as sick as a dog. I didn’t know whether I was coming or going.”

She said she had had stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhoea and a “huge” chest infection.

Her doctors had told her the condition could be dangerous.

Distress

“Before I went over, there was nothing wrong with my kidneys and bladder. Now my organs are in distress.

“If I hadn’t been on antibiotics, I would have kicked the bucket.”

The woman’s sister has also suffered health problems, including an upset stomach and slight headaches.

“After drinking from the first bottle, I had stomach cramps and felt nauseous. I was going to the toilet a lot. My bottle was sealed, and I asked my husband to open it. I took one sip and it was rotten. I can’t describe it.”

To add to the sisters’ woes, they have had no joy after contacting SAA’s customer service department to tell them about the results of the water test.

“I spoke to someone who first said, ‘Are you sure you were on an SAA flight?’ Then he tried to tell me I was lying. But how can he tell me it’s not true when I have proof?” said the 56-year-old woman.

She said she was concerned about other passengers who had been on the same flight and may have also became sick after drinking the water.

“What about sickly people? It will kill them and they probably won’t know the cause.

“What they (SAA) need to do is notify all the people who were on that flight.”

SAA has said this was the first complaint about its bottled water.

Spokesperson Robyn Chalmers said the national airliner bought bottled water from an external service provider. It was then given to passengers by the aircraft’s caterers Air Chefs.

“From time to time Air Chefs runs spot checks on our bottled water supplies to ensure that it remains of a high standard. We have taken note of (the) complaint.”

Asked what action SAA would take on the matter, Chalmers said, “We will investigate this issue as a matter of urgency, and take action accordingly.

“The comfort and safety of our passengers remain our top priorities,” she said.