SAA asks public for 'great ideas'

Do start getting some bright ideas!

South African Airways (SAA) is turning to the public for ideas about how to salvage its loss-making business.

Taking the concept that the "customer is always right" a step further, SAA wants people to send in their thoughts on how to improve the company.

Cuts that SAA will implement include limiting staff travel, and reducing laptop computer and printer numbers. It also may end meals on economy flights.

SAA is struggling after it made massive losses betting on currency movements.

Wrong side

In the year through to the end of March, SAA made a pretax loss of 8.7bn rand ($1.4bn) after it took out long term currency hedges.

Instead of weakening - as SAA had predicted - the rand gained against the dollar.

Its new chief executive Khaya Ngqula has implemented a strategy called People Patronage and Profit, which he hopes will succeed in making SAA "the best in the world".

He called on staff to "raise their standards and work at full capacity" so that the group's planes will be full of "satisfied and loyal customers".

And should those customers have any thoughts on where the firm is going wrong or what can be done to put it right, then they should send them to: [e-mail]