Johannesburg — SAA maintains its innocence in the ongoing ticket-price collusion investigations and promises to deal with lost baggage claims in the run up to the 2010 World Cup.

Following the cancellation of a Public Enterprises portfolio committee discussion when SAA's representative failed to appear, Business Day has interviewed senior officials concerning allegations against the state airliner.

SAA Project manager for the World Cup, Ian Cruickshank, maintains the airline was merely 'covering it's back' when it sent the Competition Commission e-mail correspondence indicating that several airlines had been discussing the adjustment of prices in the run up to the 2010 World Cup.

But he maintains that discussion was not collusion.

He refused to provide further details, repeating SAA's comments in parliament that the subject is apparently sub judice.

Cruickshank also promised that SAA would deal with baggage pilfering, saying a special centre entitled BROC (Baggage Reconciliation Operation Centre) has been set up by SAA, ACSA and several other airlines to identify problem areas, and to deal directly with these. "Where we do pick up problems in baggage, be it pilferage or baggage being lost, the centre's sole function will be to identify and solve those problems."

He could not provide more details of the plans.

Today, Business Day reports that MPs were highly upset with the non-appearance of the parastatal's new CEO Siza Mzimela in parliament yesterday.

Crucikshank put her no-show down to a "miscommunication", as Mzimela's reign as CEO only begins on April 1.