Expresso December 2014

s a e x p r e s s e m p l o y e e m a g a z i n e | j u l y 2014

Goodbye 2014

06

09 Human Capital

10 Fabulous Galz - Career Awareness

11 Team Acknowledgement

12 Upcoming Events

03 CEO Letter

04 Special Rebate Announcements

05 A Rising Star: Nicci Butler

06 George Airport

08 SA Express Intranet

08

contents

10

Talk to ExpressoExpresso is all about you. We want to know what you think, what you’re doing and what you’d like to share with the rest of SAX. Send your input to [email protected].

Dear colleagues,

It’s been an amazing year. We’re adapting, growing and learning with every change we’ve encountered this year. As we proceed to the end of 2014, it’s great to reflect on the successes of the year which include our 20th year milestone.

We recently relaunched the intranet for head office staff, which is a great tool for us to access the latest information quickly and easily. Rollout to the outstations will be communicated soon. We also streamlined our communication models in order to ensure that we communicate effectively in a timely manner by introducing a weekly newsletter which provides all the relevant company information and updates. We also hosted a lot of events and development programmes through our CSI and sponsorship

initiatives. We’ve seen a huge rise in interest in our Cadet Programme due to interactions which

raise awareness for the need for mathematics and science in aviation careers. Staff also participated in “Movember” which is an annual event focused on the growing of

moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness for men’s health issues, such

as prostate cancer and other male cancers, and their associated charities. Since November was also Disability Awareness Month, Mimi Lephoko – with the support

of SA Express Human Capital and the Department of Social Development (in partnership with

the Japan International Cooperation Agency) – conducted a disability awareness workshop.

The aim of the workshop was “to create inclusive society by removing environmental barriers”.

The marketing and communication teams are in the midst of a huge SA Express Awareness

drive which is set to get tongues wagging and to give us public awareness as the regional

airline of choice. Keep an eye out for these exciting initiatives. Follow/like our social networks so you don’t miss out on all the fun.Sincerely,

Inati

3expresso | December 2014

ceo Letter

Get in touch with SA Express events, news and information at your fingertips. Follow us on our social media platforms. Post, retweet and share with your friends.

www.facebook.com/FlySAExpress www.twitter.com/flySAExpress www.instagram.com/flysaexpress www.za.linkedin.com/company/south-african-express-airways

Follow our in-flight magazine Indwe

Insta

4 expresso | December 2014

company news

• Nomination forms for new nominees will start from 1st January and will run until 15th February 2015.

• New employees and nominees will be uploaded from the date of employment.• A companion or nominee may not be registered by more than one

permanent employee.• Induction on rebates will commence at the end of February; look out for the schedule

in upcoming newsletters.

December & January saa FLight embargoes

SA Express Flight EmbargoesStandby Embargo: No: ID90, ID75 – All Airlines No: Nominee – SAX

JNB GRJ: Standby Embargo: 12 Dec – 31 DecGRJ JNB: Standby Embargo: 31 Dec – 12 JanCPTPLZ: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 Jan

PLZ CPT: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 Jan

DUR CPT: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 JanCPT DUR: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 Jan

JNB PLZ: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 JanPLZ JNB: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 JanJNB ELS: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 Jan

ELS JNB: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 JanCPT ELS: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 JanELS CPT: Standby Embargo: 15 Dec – 11 Jan

Please note the following updated flight embargo dates for the December 2014 to January 2015 travel period. Please note that these are total embargoes, so NO stand-by travel will be allowed.

Inflight concessionaire, Tourvest Inflight Retail Services, recently held its latest Tourvest Ambassador Sales Person Awards (TASPA) at the Premier Hotel in Kempton Park. Nicci Butler, who is a Senior Cabin Crew member, has been with SA Express for 11 years, walked away with a certificate for Product Knowledge, a certificate for Product Merchandise and was the winner in the Managing Adversities and Teamwork Award category.

Nicci is a safety officer who provides excellent customer service, comfort and satisfaction to passengers on a daily basis as part of the flight deck team.

“I’m a proud member of a great team within SAX. When I’m working, I enjoy interacting with and meeting unique people from different walks of life. I also enjoy taking on new challenges daily. The challenging thing about my job is when I deal with irate passengers due to delayed flights and missed connections, but I end up changing these adversities into customer satisfaction,” says Nicci.

TASPA began over ten years ago and is a journey of self-discovery, realising potential in cabin crew, and developing their personal growth.

“Being recognised and winning the award gave me a great sense of achievement and pride, especially going up against the biggest airlines and still holding my own. I’m inspired and motivated by the SAX team’s achievements at the awards event,” Nicci says about her recognition.

“I now have a broader view of on-board sales and with the knowledge and experience I have gained, I can only hope to serve as an inspiration, and encourage greater teamwork to make duty free sales work for the benefit of SAX and the crew,” she concludes.

company news

a rising st r: nicci butLer



company news

Name of station: George Domestic Airport (GRJ)Years in operation: Seven years. SAX took over from SAA when they pulled out of GRJ on 31st

December 2006.Number of staff employed: 15Operational functions (what happens at the station): George is a self-handled station. We also do handling for Mango Airlines. What makes your station unique?• George is the only station that can turn an aircraft around in 15 minutes. We manage to save an average of five hours monthly on rotational delays.• Thecombinedamountofexperienceforthe15staff in George is 285 years.What is the most challenging thing you experience at your station?• Weather,weatherandweather!• Lateflightarrivals• We are competing with low cost carriers and the competition is very tough. What is the funniest thing that’s happened at your station?

• Wehadalivecat(Irene)thatwascheckedinonone of the flights from Johannesburg. When Menzies openedtheholdIrenejumpedoutandallthestaffran after her. • Another incidentwasanold ladywhochecked ina cat that had died on Nationwide Airlines and wanted to bury it inGeorge.The staff thought it happened during the flying time and went looking for another catthatwasalivetoreplacethedeadcat!Whenthe old lady received the container, she jumped with joy andthankedthelordforbringinghercatbacktolife! (thejoysofworkingintheairlineindustry!)What do you hope to see happening in the future for your station?• AnightstopfromJohannesburgand/orCapeTown• OTPimprovement• ForSAExpresstobetheairlineofchoiceAnything you’d like to tell us about your station?• Staffturnoverhereisthelowestofallthestations• We are situated in the heart of the Garden Route which makes the station the hub for tourism in and out of George and the surrounding areas.

What’s happening at the outstations…george submitteD by mauren Jacobs, airport manager: george

company news



company news

On 3rdNovember2014theSAExpressstaffintranetportalwentliveforheadofficestaffanditslandingpagebecamethecompany’s default home page when using the internet. Staffnowhaveaccesstothefollowinginformation:• Company news and information in the corporate communications sections • Personalisedprofileswhereyoucanaddyourpictureand use it as a platform to socialise internally and follow/ friend/share news and information • DepartmentinformationandFAQs• Quick, easy access to important information, templates, contact details and more

The full rollout of the intranet to outstations will beannounced soon, so get ready to open your world to new SA Expresshorizons!

samhs goLF DaySA Express sponsored two ticket awards to the runners in the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) Golf Day which took place on 20th November 2014 at the Blue Valley Golf EstateinMidrand.SAExpressstaffmembersMikeMlalaziand Joy Mabuza took part in this prestigious event.

sa express intranet – a neW beginning

training anD DeveLopmentOn 18thNovemberattheSAExpressTrainingCentre,Miranda (Mimi) Lephoko conducted a disabilityawarenessworkshop.Thiswasdonewiththesupportof SA Express Human Capital and the Department of Social Department (in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency).

The aim of the workshop was “to create inclusivesociety by removing environmental barriers”. Thetrainingcoveredquestionslike:• Whatisdisability?• WhatdoIdoaboutit?

The essence of the training was to help theparticipants discover how to better answer the above questions. In the process they got an opportunity tolearn about disability as well as what social and medical modelsofdisabilityareabout.ThankyouMimi,youareatrueinspiration!

human capital

What you say on sociaL netWorks can get you into troubLe! Social networks are part of life and employees are active on them on a continuous basis, both during and after working hours.

A person’s posts can constitute serious misconduct by bringing the employer’s name into disrepute in the public domain and can, therefore, lead to disciplinary action being instituted against the employee.

We restate the rule that SA Express employees are not permitted to make postings on social media that may be linked to the company or any of its employees, customers or suppliers during or after working hours. Included in this are sections 9.2 and 9.3 of the General Conditions of Employment policy that deal with Privacy of Information and statements to the press or third parties.

We encourage every employee to familiarise themselves with the policies. We acknowledge that employees may not expressly use the name of the company or of any particular person, but if allusions are made to any of the above mentioned, the responsible employee will be disciplined accordingly.


company news

csi: sa express anD FabgaLZ career aWareness


The SA Express CSI team – along with PontshoManzi, the founder of Fabulous Galz Foundation – visitedtwo schools at two of our route destinations to motivate mathematicsandscience learnersaspartofourTransportMonth initiatives. On 16th October 2014, the CSI team paid a visit to Imizamo Yethu High School located in the George townshipofThembalethu,only10kmfromGeorgeAirport.

On 24th October, the team landed at Bram Fisher International Airport in Bloemfontein to meet Atlehang High School learners who were on a matric exam preparation camp.

The CSI objective with these initiatives was to stressthe importance of mathematics and science when pursuing careers as pilots and engineers at SA Express Airways. Pontsho gave an inspirational self-confidence talk about how one can go about achieving their goals.

At Imizamo Yethu High School, the CSI team was

greeted by eager learners who showed a great sense of respect for themselves and for their community. At each school,questionswereposedbyleanersonthebestcareerstofollowwiththeirmostlovedsubjects.Thehallwasfullofinquisitivemindswhoalsowantedadviceonhowtohandletertiary education and the best tips help them succeed.

Surprising feedback came from the learners at Atlehang High School who showed a more advanced knowledge of career opportunities than one would expect due to their rural backgrounds.

“I want to become an Aeronautical Engineer,” saidThandekaNyathi.

“I am going to study Biomedical Sciences,” said LeratoModise.

At the end of both sessions, the learners all received a copy of SA Express’ inflight magazine, Indwe as well as career brochures.

I write this letter to point out a deed that cannot go without recognition, as this individual really went

above and beyond the call off duty to make my vacation a memorable one.

I am talking about Mavis Mabunda.

I booked rebates for my honeymoon in April to start the vacation on the 27th. Everything was arranged

for the flights to and from Maputo with LLM, and the LLM rebate representative assured us that we

could pay for the rebates in Maputo for the onward flights. This was, however, not the case, and when

we arrived at the counter at 06h30, the ticket officer informed us that the money could not be paid there

and that the reference number had lapsed. We then had to wait for the LLM and SAX offices to open so

we could hopefully rectify the problem and make the second and only flight for the day.

At 08h00 I phoned the SAX rebate office and Mavis answered the phone. I explained the situation and

she proceeded to help me immediately! After a couple of phone calls to and fro, the LLM rebate office

advised that the tickets could only be paid in Johannesburg, thereby contradicting themselves after we

had been told otherwise on numerous occasions.

Knowing that it was impossible for me to make the payment from Maputo, because EFT payments

take a couple of days to clear, Mavis paid the money on my behalf from her own pocket! I reimbursed

her a couple of days later.

Personally, this is one of the nicest

gestures I have ever received and she

deserves a BIG thank you!

Thank you Mavis for doing a great job

and going the extra mile!

Regards

A Peyper

Cape Town First Officer

The past year and a bit, I’ve been spending the majority of my days with a group of people unknown

to me just a few years ago. Everything that was reassuring in my work place was changed and I

don’t deal well with change. Soon enough, however, my nervousness turned to excitement, and

these strangers turned into friends. I’ve learnt from them that we all influence the lives of others,

especially those we see on a daily basis. Without these people, I don’t think I would be where I

am today. Well here it is: I would be lying if I said it was an easy year, but then if I said it was an awful year, I

wouldn’t be telling the truth either, because although it was a difficult year, it was made bearable

by an amazing team that filled every day with peals of laughter. I would like to take this opportunity

to publicly thank you, my colleagues. Here’s the thing, I don’t even know where to begin with this

one. (Get ready for some soppiness!)To Sakhile Reiling and Robin Brownell: thank you for being the BRAINS of boardroom meetings, the

HANDS of workplace policies and the LEGS that take the team forward. You gave me all the things

I did not get from my education, including determination, motivation and inspiration. Thank you

for being colleagues and teachers, two in one. You showed me patience instead of anger, guidance

instead of annoyance and understanding instead of intolerance. Thank you for being so supportive.

You have set a very high benchmark. I don’t think any others would be able to match the kind of

inspiration you bring to work every morning. To my fellow Crew Planners, Thembi Beesnaar, Sindi Ncapai, Sego Kekana, Beaulah Monkoe, Adiela

Ayob, Vathiswa Bokwe, Mika Mabena, Chantell Koetaan, Elmarie Billings and Rachel Nleya: The

biggest advantage of working with fun colleagues like you is that I don’t feel like I am working

at all. Thank you for being such a joy to work with. More than being proud of working for an

extraordinary company, I am proud of working with an extraordinary team. Thank you for making

my work life truly extraordinary and for showing me that one’s perception of a person can change

and that no impression is permanent. Lesson well learnt!Thank you for being my little bursts of happiness when I’m not feeling my best. While we’ve gotten

a lot of great work done over the past year, we’ve also had a lot of fun which is something I never

thought I’d say about life in an office. We are like a melting pot of personalities who make the

most amazing brew and as if that is not enough, we have proven that a bunch of women can work

together without clawing each other’s eyes out. On the contrary, we may fight amongst each other,

but we will fight for each other too.Thank you for a winding, uphill, rocky, but extremely educational and utterly fun year. Most of all,

thank you for colleagues who turned into friends. I’d go to battle with you any day!

“Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered)

Love you guysMoerieda Davids

Letters


Upcoming events:

Date Event1 December 2014 World Aids Day3 December 2014 Club Travel Suppliers Year-end Function at Kenilworth Race Course5 December 2014 Travel Start Year-end Function5 – 7 December 2014 International Civil Aviation Day (ICAD)11 December 2014 Sithand’izingane Care Project - SAX Charity Drive HandoverJanuary 2015 Back-to-school drive31 January 2015 J&B Met23 – 25 February 2015 Meeting Africa Tourism Conference

Expresso December 2014

Documents

Transcript of Expresso December 2014