WAS - CPT

$727 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town departing on 9/15. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Cape Town

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$1,458
Typical prices: $1,512-$1,222
Ethiopian Air
Fri 10/30Sun 11/15
IAD - CPT • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$1,611
Typical prices: $1,660-$1,385
United Airlines
Mon 10/5Tue 10/13
IAD - CPT • Non-stop
Nonstop flights
Mon, Thu, Sat
You can fly direct with United Airlines. Average duration is 14h 55m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $1,458 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $1,301 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 17h 20m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top routes
Cheapest
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Avoid delays
Most punctual • 64% on-time
Best time • Fewest delays
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 77% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
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We hope you love your trip to Cape Town!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town (WAS-CPT)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

Fri, Oct 30 - Sun, Nov 15
Ethiopian Air Logo
11:00 am - 2:35 pm
IAD
-
CPT
21h 35m
1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
1:50 pm - 8:00 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,458Ethiopian Air
Tue, Jul 7 - Tue, Jul 14
Qatar Airways Logo
11:05 am - 5:30 pm
IAD
-
CPT
24h 25m
1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
1:15 pm - 3:40 pm
CPT
-
IAD
32h 25m
1 stop
$1,460Qatar Airways
Sun, Nov 1 - Mon, Nov 16
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:00 am - 2:35 pm
IAD
-
CPT
21h 35m
1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
1:50 pm - 8:00 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,461Ethiopian Air
Mon, Nov 2 - Tue, Nov 17
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:50 pm - 1:00 pm
IAD
-
CPT
33h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
1:50 pm - 8:00 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,462Ethiopian Air
Mon, Nov 2 - Tue, Nov 17
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:50 pm - 1:00 pm
IAD
-
CPT
33h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
1:50 pm - 8:00 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,463Ethiopian Air
Mon, Aug 24 - Mon, Aug 31
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:20 pm - 11:50 am
IAD
-
CPT
40h 30m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
2:00 pm - 11:35 am
CPT
-
IAD
27h 35m
2 stops
$1,465Multiple Airlines
Sat, Oct 31 - Sat, Nov 14
Turkish Airlines Logo
10:20 pm - 12:05 pm
IAD
-
CPT
31h 45m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
5:20 pm - 11:45 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 25m
1 stop
$1,470Turkish Airlines
Tue, Sep 1 - Tue, Sep 15
Qatar Airways Logo
6:00 am - 10:15 am
BWI
-
CPT
46h 15m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
1:15 pm - 9:28 pm
CPT
-
BWI
38h 13m
2 stops
$1,483Qatar Airways
Tue, Sep 8 - Tue, Sep 29
Kenya Airways Logo
6:05 am - 1:35 pm
DCA
-
CPT
49h 30m
3 stops
Kenya Airways Logo
7:20 am - 4:48 pm
CPT
-
DCA
39h 28m
2 stops
$1,553Kenya Airways
Mon, Nov 2 - Mon, Nov 16
Kenya Airways Logo
6:05 am - 1:35 pm
DCA
-
CPT
48h 30m
3 stops
Kenya Airways Logo
2:25 pm - 6:05 pm
CPT
-
DCA
34h 40m
3 stops
$1,562Kenya Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to Cape Town flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

How much is a round-trip flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town departing in October.

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. to Cape Town flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town costs $1,610 on the route between Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) and Cape Town (CPT). It is also the most popular route.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Cape Town on a Wednesday and more expensive on a Tuesday. On your return trip to Washington, D.C., you should consider flying back on a Saturday, and avoid Fridays for better deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town is December, where tickets cost $178 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and August, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $993 and $968 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 14 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Expert on CPT

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, podcaster, and producer. Born in Africa, bred in Europe and now living in America he has traveled to 140 countries (and all 50 U.S. states). Plus he has stayed at over 2500 hotels across the globe. His original shows Everywhere and Without Maps (available on Spotify) showcase his beliefs, travel is about humanity and sharing that beauty. And thus it reminds you that you shouldn’t believe everything you think.

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on IAD

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$727
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 22% increase in price.
Flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Cape Town

When to book flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

  • What is the cheapest flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    In the last 5 days, the lowest price for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town was $727 for a one-way ticket and $1,458 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Washington, D.C. and Cape Town?

    Yes, you'll most likely have to show a valid passport before boarding the plane in Washington, D.C. and on arrival in Cape Town.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    Washington, D.C. has 2 major airports: Washington, D.C. Reagan-National and Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl. Cape Town Intl is the only airport in Cape Town. You’ll usually find the cheapest deals if you fly from Washington Dulles Airport.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Washington, D.C. to Cape Town flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Washington, D.C. and Cape Town, with oneworld being the most commonly used for this route.

  • On which days can I fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    You can catch a nonstop flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town on on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town, Delta or KLM?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town are Delta and KLM. With an average price for the route of $1,548 and an overall rating of 7.9, Delta is the most popular choice. KLM is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $1,580 and an overall rating of 7.8.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Cape Town from Washington, D.C. is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Cape Town with an airline and back to Washington, D.C. with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Cape Town from Washington, D.C. up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $1,150 or less one-way and $1,831 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town Intl.
Find which airlines fly direct from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town Intl Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Washington, D.C. to Cape Town Intl

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Cape Town Intl to Washington, D.C.

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8400 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Entertainment
8.5Crew
7.8Comfort
7.2Food
Airline reviews

Only beverages were offered to first class and I thought the flight attendant could have also served the Delta Comfort as well instead of sitting down and staring at her phone and walking past all of us to the back of the plane to charge her phone more. There was a complete lack of turbulence and was safe enough for flights attendant to walk around in the front of the plane, collect trash and serve a few people water and turn off the seat belt light. Also didn’t enforce people putting their seats into the upright position and allowed two passengers to remain reclined during landing. They seemed out to lunch completely. Usually my experience on Delta is much better.

4.0 OkayMichelle, Jun 2026
ATL - PIT
Read more Delta reviews

Only beverages were offered to first class and I thought the flight attendant could have also served the Delta Comfort as well instead of sitting down and staring at her phone and walking past all of us to the back of the plane to charge her phone more. There was a complete lack of turbulence and was safe enough for flights attendant to walk around in the front of the plane, collect trash and serve a few people water and turn off the seat belt light. Also didn’t enforce people putting their seats into the upright position and allowed two passengers to remain reclined during landing. They seemed out to lunch completely. Usually my experience on Delta is much better.

Long story short, it was one of the better flight experiences I've had in some time when compared with other airlines.

Flight was great! This flight from Atlanta was even better than when I paid for Comfort from SNA to Atlanta.

Connection flights should be spaced out farther because too close I missed my connection.

Definitely a southern flavor. Cordiality was evident even though no drinks or snacks were served.

On time! There were plenty of airport employees who were able to keep us moving in the right direction. The crew on the plane were professional.

Left /arrived on time. Decent seat space. Like the wifi/plugs and entertainment. Windows and tray table were kinda gross. Attendants didn't start snack service til 40mins before landing. Two rows before us, captain came on to say there's turbulence and recalled staff to seats. So, no drink/snack. Later, attendants didn't stop to see if we had trash nor even look our way. Felt invisible! Almost all pilot announcements were not only unintelligible, but so quiet. We had no idea what she said.

Average seat comfort, a drink and chips were provided, early boarding because we checked a carryon at the gate was nice. Ticket pricing shenanigans, including fees to pick a seat, check a bag, and get food onboard - evidence the industry is reinvigorating last century’s strategies- destroys the experience before one ever arrives at the airport. It’s difficult to recognize any value or sustain loyalty in the end-to-end process making air travel more drudgery than pleasure.

Gate agent was unhelpful for handicapped boarding. Flight attendant seemed untrained.

No service flight that took 5 hrs and a stop at an unscheduled airport. Crew and pilots did their jobs

Entertainment system is okay, flight attendants were ok. Leg space very narrow, I couldn’t get what I wanted to eat, dinner nor breakfast.

Excellent experience with business class area. Staff was attentive and food was amazing. Only one bathroom for business class which was logistically difficult for the staff while preparing meals. Need to offer fluids with meals. I did not get enough water to drink. But overall I rate it 5 star.

On time, great food, good drink selection! Only down was alcohol-free lounge. Lufthansa had a much better offering!

Be honest of what you sell: This was sold as Business Class on all three legs, while the JetBlue plane didn't even have business class seats, and wanted $164 for extra legroom seats.

Seat assignments for family traveling with 2 children. Loud crowd during sleep time

It was crowded… the bathrooms dirty and smelly. The seats have been made even smaller.

delayed to take off from detroit by 3 hours lost baggage in istanbul and now in venice without baggage

Seats were very tight with poor legroom - and I am average height. During the 12 hour flight, tiny paper cups of drinks we're only offered during the super and breakfast services, with the crew nowhere to be seen in between. One of the bathrooms was out of order, leading to long lines waiting to use the remaining two available to the economy class passengers.

short flight but we still got a very nice lunch and the crew did an excellent job in taking care of us

For that price on Business class, I expected to have the pod seats. These were configured as 2/3/2 and my seat mate talked half the flight with a friend across the isle, loudly. Very uncouth.

Our flight was canceled same day and we were never informed. Had to pay more and worse seating on another airline.

Did not like that we couldn't complete check in on-line without providing pictures of our passports. Worry about identity theft. We had no delays and boarding was handled In an efficient manner.

Excellent! I got to Munich and was transferred to my Lufthansa flight quickly, in 15 to 20 minutes, so I did not miss my flight. However, I had checked my overhead bag at the boarding gate in Tampa. That got to Tunis the next day. That is to be expected.

WiFi didn’t exist , seats were super cramped, lights stayed on near my seat for a long time while others were dimmed, the food/trash/drink cart hit my shoulder at least a couple of times while moving, food options were down to just one option by the time it got to my row, the utensils were garbage (knife bent at a couple of places by the time I was done eating) the spoon was very flimsy plastic

Vegetarian selection could be better. Bread was too hard to chew.

Crew was friendly and competent. Food, wine, and entertainment were excellent except the raw tuna on the flight to Split. Recommend against serving that - at least as the only option. Many medical conditions do not allow people to eat raw fish.

After arriving in Chicago, we were taxiing for 1.5 hours with infrequent and untruthful updates about the amount of time it would take to arrive at the gate. Minimally, the team could have provided timing expectations that were more truthful, especially one their original expectations were not met.

United didn’t even try to hold the flight for me. They knew I had a tight connection and when I arrived at the gate less than 10 mins after final boarding the flight had already gone. The gate agent wasn’t even notified that I was on my way. She was told I wasn’t at the airport

Good quick flight on a small but comfortable plane. I'm 6'3 and had plenty of space.

The flight was delayed so we were dead tired, and after that the turbulence was horrible. I was very scared.

The flight was very smooth, however, the quality of food was mediocre.

The TV wasn't working No music for the whole flight from JFK to LOS It was too burring.

Flight was delayed by two hours. This really messed things up because I missed my connecting flight in Addis. I had a meeting in Entebbe which was scrapped because my flight from Addis landed later in the day.

I paid for internet that did not work and had to pay more to have it

The crew was unfriendly and very rude to name a few (Helina). I felt unsafe due to most of the cabinets were open while on flight. All in all the flight was ok, but the crew needed more training on customer service most of all for international flights.

Delay not posted, only departure time listed- not boarding time. We left an hour late and arrived 45 min late. Restrooms had backed up sinks and toilets not flushed ) passenger error). Lots of screen for entertainment didn’t work. But we arrived with our luggage

The plane was old and the luggage racks above us were visibly shaking during turbulence. Water was dripping on our heads during landing. Our flight was over 2 hours late departing but we were not updated or told what to expect as the screen at the gate continued to read “on time”

Check in took over an hour because printer was not working. Attendant did not know how to give free layover Addis Ababa hotel vouchers or update frequent flyer number. After repeated attempts, got voucher emailed. However hotel wanted printed voucher hence more delay. Bus time from hotel back to airport was printed 4:50 hours, but hotel reception called at 3 pm saying bus will leave at 4 pm. Then hotel reception called again saying 4:15 pm. We rushed at 4:15 pm and bus was not ready until 4:40 pm. Many audio outlets were not working in planes.

My recent experience with ASKY Airlines was disappointing. The check-in process was disorganized, and I was provided with inaccurate information regarding baggage requirements, resulting in unforeseen expenses. Additionally, the ground staff demonstrated a lack of professionalism and appeared insufficiently trained to handle passenger needs effectively. Regrettably, this initial encounter has left me reluctant to consider future travel with the airline.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

As always, most AA flights that we fly are almost ALWAYS delayed and that too multiple times. Very frustrating

The small flights with Valet Luggage has a poor service

Overall a good experience, however Wifi was not working on the flight.

THe flight was an hour late. You got us on the plan and we sat on the ground for 45 minutes with no information from the pilot whatsoever. Worst flight this year.

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Human interaction. Thought there would be more service-even a smile would have been nice.

Incoming flight was delayed, delaying boarding. It then took 30 mins to take off. Took 20 mins to get to a gate because they changed the gate last minute, crew weren’t ready so there was no one staffed to work the jet bridge. Boarding was so disorganized as is usual with American because everyone just stands around the gate regardless of boarding group.

Delays with no explanation. It could have been handled better.

Flight delay for mechanical. Inbound arrived on time. No one said why mechanical delay.

Flight boarded, departed and landed on time. Excellent service from flight attendant in FIRST

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. to Cape Town

Information on your arrival and departure airports