I had completely different experiences flying from JFK to Jo'berg, and flying back. On both legs, my travel agent had booked me on the upper deck of the plane -- one of the only airlines I've ever flown with economy seats in the upper deck. I've flown economy-class about 30 different airlines, and I've never had a better in-flight experience -- comfortable, excellent service, and I hardly felt discomfort considering the length of time (15 hours +).

On the way back, the experience was nightmarish. After waiting in extremely long line at Joberg airport, I was faced with an incredibly rude staff person, who had reassigned my assigned seating (upper deck!), putting me in the middle seat of the middle row at the back of the plane. So it was a pretty uncomfortable trip back.

Ohter positives: the food was decent, and the in-flight service excellent. The other nice feature on their flights is the individual video monitors, even in economy.