Press release -
SAA and Discovery unveil a reimagined ‘The Lounge’ experience in Cape Town
Cape Town, 21 August 2025 - South African Airways (SAA) and Discovery are delighted to announce the official unveiling of their newly refurbished domestic departures lounge at Cape Town International Airport, which will open on Friday, 22 August. This milestone marks the third transformation in the rollout of the elevated The Lounge concept, following the successful redesign on the international departures lounge at OR Tambo International and the domestic departures lounge at Chief Dawid Stuurman International airports.
The lounge has undergone extensive renovations. The result is a sophisticated, spacious environment that caters to the evolving needs of today’s traveller, with increased capacity and a host of premium amenities.
Guests can expect a seamless blend of comfort and functionality, with thoughtfully designed dining areas, collaborative workspaces, private focus booths, and a variety of seating options to suit every preference. The culinary offering has been significantly enhanced, featuring an expanded menu, full-service bars, and refined dining facilities that create an inspiring, relaxing and indulgent pre-flight experience.
Highlights of the new lounge include:
- Copper-clad concierge desks offering a warm, personalised welcome
- A mixology show-bar with expert baristas and bartenders
- Buffet-style dining with gourmet breakfasts, all-day meals, and crafted canapés
- Private focus booths ideal for work, entertainment, or calls
- Universal charging ports and high-speed WiFi throughout the space
A shared vision for elevated travel
Professor John Lamola, SAA Group Chief Executive, says, “Our commitment to placing customers first begins the moment they arrive at the airport. This beautifully refurbished lounge is a sanctuary of comfort, delicious food, and exceptional service, an embodiment of the standards and aspirations of our flagship carrier.”
“This new Cape Town Lounge is a perfect example of how we bring our core purpose to life for our members,” says Dinesh Govender, CEO of Vitality. “Every detail—from the bespoke design to the curated food and beverage selection—has been carefully considered by our brand experience team to deliver a seamless, rewarding journey that adds real value for our clients.”
Unlock lounge access with Discovery
All Discovery Bank clients and Vitality members enjoy access to the Vitality Travel platform and its suite of travel benefits, including discounted flights. Discovery Bank Black and Purple cardholders receive additional perks, such as exclusive access to Discovery Priority Fast Track at both OR Tambo and Cape Town International airports.
Access to The Lounge is easily managed via the Discovery Bank app, where members can generate a digital voucher for entry.
SAA and Discovery invite eligible travellers to experience this new benchmark in premium airport hospitality.
ENDS
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About Discovery
Discovery Limited is a South African-founded financial services organisation that operates in the healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, banking, savings and investment and wellness markets. Since inception in 1992, Discovery has been guided by a clear core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. This has manifested in its globally recognised Vitality Shared-Value insurance model, active in over 40 markets with over 40 million members. The model is exported and scaled through the Global Vitality Network, an alliance of some of the largest insurers across key markets including AIA (Asia), Ping An (China), Generali (Europe), Sumitomo (Japan), John Hancock (US), Manulife (Canada) and Vitality Life & Health (UK, wholly owned). Discovery trades on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange as DSY.
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About Discovery Bank
Discovery Bank is part of Discovery Limited, a financial services organisation that operates in healthcare, life assurance, short-term insurance, investments, banking, and wellness industries, in over 40 markets globally. Built on a shared-value model, Discovery Bank is fundamentally designed to create unique shared value for clients, differentiating the Bank from traditional banking models. Clients are encouraged to manage their money well, monetising healthy financial behaviours that lower their financial risk and realises long-term default and risk savings for the Bank. Discovery Bank shares this value with clients in the form of better interest rates, deep discounts and significant rewards from an exclusive retail, lifestyle and wellness partner network. The model has an overall positive impact on clients, society and Discovery Bank - clients experience greater financial wellbeing, the risk of defaults for Discovery Bank is lowered making the business more sustainable; while improved financial behaviours such as increased savings, higher retirement savings and lower debt levels, benefit society as a whole. Behaviour change and rewards are enabled through Vitality Money, an AI-powered programme on the Discovery Bank app that gives clients an understanding of the behaviours that influence their financial wellbeing, while giving them the tools to improve their financial behaviours. The more clients improve their financial behaviour, the higher their Vitality Money status and the greater the value they receive.
About Vitality
Vitality is the largest global platform for behaviour change, underpinning the insurance products of leading insurers worldwide, impacting 30 million lives in over 40 markets. The Vitality model, established by Discovery Limited in South Africa, has been incentivising behaviour change among its clients for over 25 years. Vitality creates shared value by combining behavioural economics, clinical science, and financial incentives to encourage and reward members for taking steps to improve their health. The model began with a focus on health and wellness and has expanded to include short-term insurance, investments, and financial wellness
