“No Such Thing As R12 Tickets”: Man Highlights Hidden Costs Behind FlySafair R12 Sale

• A South African man went viral after complaining that his FlySafair birthday sale ticket ended up costing far more than the advertised R12 price once additional charges were added during checkout
• The annual FlySafair birthday sale attracted huge traffic once again, with thousands of people waiting in virtual queues for hours, hoping to secure discounted tickets
• Social media users debated whether the promotion was misleading or simply misunderstood, arguing that advertising a R12 ticket only for customers to pay over R1,000 felt unfair

The annual FlySafair birthday sale returned with huge hype, but not everybody walked away smiling after finally reaching the checkout page.

A South African man sparked conversation online after sharing his frustration about FlySafair’s famous R12 birthday sale. In a viral video, he explained that although he managed to secure one of the discounted tickets, the final amount he had to pay looked nothing like the advertised R12 price.

Read also

"Unacceptable": SA unhappy as FlySafair accidentally leaks private info of R12 sale customers

The man joked that FlySafair should simply advertise the real total from the beginning. Like many others who participated in the sale, he reportedly spent hours waiting in the airline’s virtual queue before finally getting access to the discounted fares. However, excitement quickly turned into disappointment after additional charges appeared during checkout.

Is the FlySafair R11 sale real?

This year’s sale has faced heavy criticism online because of the difference between the base fare and the actual final amount customers paid. Many travellers said they expected to pay under R100, like in previous years, only to discover totals climbing into the hundreds or even over R1,000 after taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges were added.

The airline reportedly introduced a temporary dynamic fuel surcharge earlier this year after global fuel prices surged due to conflict in the Middle East. FlySafair explained that separating the surcharge from the base fare was meant to improve transparency, but social media users argued that it defeated the purpose of calling it a R12 sale in the first place.

Despite the backlash, the birthday sale still generated massive attention online, with thousands of South Africans trying their luck for discounted flights. Every year the promotion becomes one of the country’s biggest online travel events, often crashing websites and creating long waiting times. This year, however, many people like user @joshualeslieleo felt the frustration outweighed the excitement, with memes and complaints flooding social media shortly after the sale launched.

Read also

Foodie shared Woolies hot chocolate drinks with shocking prices

Watch the TikTok video below:

Mzansi blamed the war for fuel surcharge

LeadingLadyLeyonie said:

"So that means the base price is R12 and the other charges are as per a usual ticket price."

Alessio Smith wrote:

"They do exist but you have to be very punctual about being on the website. My GF and I went to Durban last year on R12 tickets."

Khanyiii added:

"If you have recently seen the ticket prices nawe you can be honest and admit that it’s still a bargain."

OpalMageZA wrote:

"If you watch the "how it works" video on their site they explain that due to the fuel price increase they will be adding surcharges."

Danielle added:

"I went on their app and found a ticket for R560. 🙈"

3 Other Briefly News stories about FlySafair

• A video showed South Africans on board a FlySafair aeroplane pretending to be in a taxi and passing their fares along.
• FlySafair accidentally exposed the personal details of customers who took part in its R12 birthday ticket sale.
• A group of passengers, allegedly members of the EFF, disrupted a FlySafair flight from Johannesburg to East London, chanting and standing in the aisle.

Source: Briefly News