Find flights
Deals
When to book
FAQs & Tips
Airlines

Find cheap flights from New York to South Africa from $486

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from New York to South Africa departing on 9/19. 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
0 bags
Sun 6/9
Sun 6/16

Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to South Africa

In the last 7 days travelers have searched 43,156,178 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

Save 21% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Best South Africa Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Johannesburg
Johannesburg1 stop$820
Cape Town
Cape Town2 stops$808
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops$2,308

Good to know

Low season

October

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$486
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 12% increase in price.
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport to Cape Town

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • Are nonstop flights available from New York to South Africa?

    If you’d like to fly nonstop from New York to South Africa, you can find direct flights from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Nonstop flights to South Africa are only available from this airport, and United Airlines is the only airline providing this service. There are at least four weekly trips from EWR to O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), and the quickest nonstop flight takes about 14h 35min. JNB is the only airport in South Africa receiving nonstop flights from New York.

  • What can I do during a layover at O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)?

    Most flights to regional airports in South Africa go through JNB, but there are a few things to do during a layover. Head to any observation deck and watch planes as they come and go, or grab a meal at one of several restaurants at the airport. You can also access some of the lounges by paying a single fee or go shopping at the airport’s duty-free shops. If your layover is more than 7h, head into town for a bit of exploration.

  • Which airport in South Africa should I fly to from New York?

    JNB is South Africa’s biggest airport and the primary hub for both domestic and international flights. We recommend flying into JNB, since you’ll find direct flights from EWR, you’ll be closer to attractions such as Kruger National Park, and you’ll have connections to over 20 South African destinations. However, if you plan to visit the coastal cities, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in the southern part of the country would be much better.

  • Which airport is closest to Kruger National Park?

    Kruger National Park is so large that there are nine entrance gates, and two of these are close to airports. The best airport for traveling to Kruger is JNB. You can get a nonstop flight to JNB from EWR and access Kruger National Park from the gates at Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit by car. Alternatively, you can take a connecting flight from JNB to the regional airports at Phalaborwa (PHW) or Hoedspruit (HDS). If you wish to access the southern gate, fly into Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) from JNB.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from New York to South Africa?

    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 New York to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from New York to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to South Africa from New York 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 New York to South Africa?

    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 South Africa with an airline and back to New York with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from New York to South Africa?

    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 South Africa from New York up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Africa

  • Morning departure is around 4% more expensive than an evening flight, on average*.
  • Before your ultra-long-haul flight from New York to South Africa, you’re welcome to relax in the lounges, rest zones, or spas at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). There’s a quiet room and a “relax and recharge” area in Terminal B, and you can access the lounges by paying at the door.
  • Flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to South Africa include at least a single layover en route. KLM and Delta are the leading airlines providing these flights, and Amsterdam is the most common layover city.
  • Those looking to drive themselves in South Africa can find car rentals at the major airports in the country. Avis, Hertz, Thrifty, Europcar, and Enterprise are some popular rental agencies with counters in South African airports.
  • US citizens visiting South Africa will need a passport that is valid for at least 30 days with two consecutive blank pages. Those visiting for tourism purposes don’t need a visa for stays less than 90 days.
  • If you’re looking for cheap single-layover flights from New York airports, consider flying from JFK, which has the cheapest one-stop flights to South Africa of the three New York airports, while LaGuardia (LGA) has the most expensive flights.
See more tips
*Average of the lowest prices shown in KAYAK’s search results for departures within the next 30 days

Top 5 airlines serving from New York to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from New York to South Africa? 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.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 10768 reviews
7.9Comfort
8.6Crew
8.0Entertainment
7.4Food
8.2Boarding
Airline reviews

I'm a larger, athletic guy (6'2", 260lbs powerlifter) and I found the seats incredibly uncomfortable with minimal leg room, especially in a window seat. Now, I full understand that being smaller may change my view but even if I was 80lbs less, my legs would be the same size and I was sandwiched between my seat and the seat in front of me.

6.0 GoodDan, Apr 2024LGA - DEN
Read more about Delta reviews

I'm a larger, athletic guy (6'2", 260lbs powerlifter) and I found the seats incredibly uncomfortable with minimal leg room, especially in a window seat. Now, I full understand that being smaller may change my view but even if I was 80lbs less, my legs would be the same size and I was sandwiched between my seat and the seat in front of me.

Seat back monitors and outlets were dead and not working.

The crew, food, and entertainment were all good. But my screen had some sort of bug where if I turned it off, it would turn back on after 2-5 minutes. At full brightness. It made it very hard to get any shut-eye on the overnight flight. Also, the older Boeing plane, while nicely cared for (and no doors fell off 😅👏) doesn't have the nice air quality of newer planes. So I felt a bit greasy by the time we landed in Sweden.

Service was good for such a short flight. Small plane but smooth flight.

The flight was delayed but we got to our final destination.

Uncomfortable seats on 14 hour flight. Mediocre food. On time and great crew.

The helpful attitude of the staff, and being a wheelchair passenger everyone was helpful and understanding. The trip was made comfortable by the upgraded seat which was given without my request, that was a great surprise. Thank you Delta.

Everything went well with the flight. But one of the flight attendants had on inappropriate pants. She had on an old worn out pair of sweat pants. The back seam was unrivaled and should not have been worn for work. If I had not seen her in the airport with the standard type of luggage, I certainly would not have thought she was working for Delta. Not a good look at all for representation.

Great!! I haven’t had a bad experience with them.

The plane was one hour late cause they were doing some reparations with us on the plane no mention I was in the first seat and the door was open the entire time with 8 degrees! The plane was totally dirty no mention old ! The staff was nice but no put together, the attention to details and passenger experience is missing and i always travel first !!! Is better the lounge than the plane! KLM/air France every details is taken care maybe you need a creative creator or experience client need asap was terrible and not memorable for the price that I payed very dissatisfied

Flight was delayed 2.5 hours - a big deal on an overnight when you plan to sleep.

I feel like they have upgraded the app since I last flew United and I found it to be super helpful. I had stopped flying United unless absolutely necessary and my experience on this trip indicates they have been working hard to improve their services.

flight delays, staff only communicating when pushed, food service lasting a grand total of 7 minutes, stuck in seat from 45mins into flight until landing

Nice flight, nice crew but no cookie or napkin with my seltzer.

The flight was canceled. Got rebooked to Chicago and when we arrived our luggage where to there. They were going to our original destination the day after. They would not deliver them to our house. We had to go pick them up.

EWR terminal C United Club is great. Flight and everything else mediocre

737 Max was leaking water into the cabin through the windows. Overhead bins opened on landing. Bad bad plane.

Very bad , airplain had problem with engines , had to evacuate, had a delay on my trip for almost 4 hours , lost my rental car in london..

Other than the two hour delay, it was fine. Of course they were very professional and kept us informed throughout the whole delay..

Easy boarding in group 2. Landed 1/2 hr early. Delicious cookie snack.

Choice of Vegetarian Food in Economy class needs overhaul improvement

The food could be better, the beef was quite tough. The crew were friendly and helpful on this flight, which has not being my experience on other Ethiopian flights.

The crew were extremely unfriendly. The plane was dirty and the entertainment system did not work, so they did not even give out earphones to anyone.

The flight was one hour late. The food is mediocre and the screen was broken

It is just ok, the sits are very uncomfortable, the temperature too low and there weren’t blankets. The food is mediocre and there are no screens to watch movies.

Flight was smooth but unnecessary long because we had to refuel at FCO Rome. Air hostesses service and response to call light could be better. Both planes were old with broken seat arms and toilets. Why Africans had to be given the farthest Gates is what baffles me and why we have to pay for Aisle seats I found really strange. Is there ever an end to ripping people off even after paying over $2300 for one seat.

Luggage delayed for one day. I called customer service, and they had no info and no empathy. Boarding was very disorganized and chaotic. We went nearly 7 hours with no food or snacks on the flight. This is not an airline that has respect for its passengers.

Same but worse than international. The inter African flights are worse.

The entertainment (movies) blockbuster and classics never change. I am a frequent Ethiopian flyer and this should be addressed. Not much changed from my summer flight and my December flight. It is annoying - surely you can update the selections more often. Same with food options. It becomes extremely boring to be offered the same exact meals from Washington to Addis to Maputo every trip, each time. AS

Entertainment was very poor. Couldn’t watch anything. Ear pieces were the wrong type .

Food was great. They never to add more current entertainment like movies and shows

Front section of economy cabin is better than rear. Paid for seats selected.

Good flight. Paid for seats sat the frront section of the economy. Better than rear cabin.

Flight was delayed for 9 hours. We finally arrived ved at 0435hrs instead of 1950hrs the previous day. No compensation was provided.

Apart from delay of 3 hrs in Nairobi for onward flight to Dar all fine. Looked like operational issues caused it.

I booked a round trip flight and boarded a Kenya Airways trip from New York (JFK) to Nairobi (JKIA). First flight from New York to Nairobi was uneventful with no issues. However, the return flight was beyond disappointing. To begin with I had paid an extra $60 each for premium seats (me and my wife) in economy aisle 15 (B & A). However, upon settling down in the middle seat, I noticed that the controller had been ripped off meaning I would not have access to some of the seat functionalities like the individual lighting etc. I proceeded to alert a flight attendant that the controller was missing and she politely responded to me by telling me if I need anything, to use my wife’s seat controller (on the window seat) to call for assistance and I would be assisted accordingly. I was surprised by the response that she gave as it felt like my comfort and request for a service that I paid for was undermined, but nonetheless I opted to play it nice and kept my calm. After this I engaged in a conversation with a passenger (Caucasian / White male) who sat next to me on the aisle seat. In the process of having this conversation I asked him if he had paid for his seat. He went ahead to politely tell me that he had been moved from a seat in the back by one of the flight attendants and had not paid any extra fees. During this conversation, he noticed that the charging docks were not working and he needed to charge his iPad to watch his Netflix show (it was on pause). Alarmed by this, he went ahead and flagged one of the flight attendants who without wasting any time acted astonished and as fast as lightning was able to find him a better seat a few rows in front. Please note, all the charging plugs were not working for the three seats. In summary, below are the reasons for the low rating: 1. Charging for a broken seat: Kenya Airways should not charge for a defective seat. If a seat is defective and is paid for, the airlines should work out a way to either refund the customer or move the customer to a better seat – regardless of skin color. 2. Below Par Customer Service: Do not debilitate a customer’s request especially when a paid for service is not delivered – regardless of skin color. Assuming that I am comfortable with having to either keep alerting the flight attendant or relying on my wife’s seat to perform some of the functionality I may need is ridiculous. 3. Biasness / Inequality / Prejudiced Behavior: The Caucasian/ White male was treated with more favor. Not only was he moved around to make sure he was comfortable (free of charge) but all his complaints were resolved immediately without any hesitance. On the contrary, I being a black man of African descent who had paid an additional premium for his seat, I was completely ignored and told to settle for what I got.

It has been 1 week since arriving at my destination and I still have not recieved my kite surfing bags. Office will not communicate properly on location or when my bags will arrive. No advice on what to do on luggage that has not arrived in over a week. Simply not happy with Kenya airways at the moment.

Excellent. They canceled our flight & put us up for the night. Then upgraded us. We are impressed

On a long flight us customers need more rehydration by the crew. Some of us have water bottles but no crew is coming around to offer water. I’m not saying issue us all with plastic water bottles.

The flight staff were not very kind. I went back to get a drink, 4 of them back there chatting. They all looked at me continued to talk then they started doing stuff and one finally asked after I was standing there awhile what I needed. This happened multiple times. The movies were not the great and seemed dated. My seat squeaked every time I moved and it moved around a bit.

This flight was cancelled at the last minute. We were rebooked on another flight but a day later. We lost a day of our vacation and paid for a night in a hotel we couldn’t use. The flights we were rebooked on (both American) messed up our seating on both flights-we didn’t get the seats we had paid for. All in all, a terrible experience.

Lost our bags in Heathrow, We didn’t receive bags in Mallorca for 3 days, out of a 7 day cycling vacation. Really inconvenient and disappointing!

We missed the flight to Barcelona because the flight from Baltimore was delayed. We flew on Vueling VW6653. Our luggage didn’t arrive. Please help us get our luggage. We are staying at Hotel Gran Via in Barcelona

The seats were tiny, being of a fairly petite build, I don’t usually expect to feel crammed and cramped in a seat, but I definitely was on this flight. I couldn’t even bend over to get anything out from under the seat in front and getting up to go to the bathroom at night with the seat backs reclined was nearly impossible. I had to do gymnastics to get over and out. For an airline that does long flights overnight, it’s kind of ridiculous.

Not connecting flights. Missed my flight from Dublin to Liverpool because I arrived at Dublin one hour too late. For this mistake, they offered me a flight from Dublin to Manchester. Thats great and all, but I waste time and money to commute to Liverpool. Be sure to check the time of your connecting flights, because they sure don’t when they sell it to you

Excellent! Great flight attendants, good food (in business class, at least), very comfortable. Touchscreen and remote wasn’t great.

The crew on board were all very pleasant and happy to help. The flight had the old business class seats. The departure board in the business lounge did not update and kept on saying ' gate open' but never said boarding. When I got nervous about the departure time and walked to the gate I was told off rudely for being late.

Very cramped seats in economy, difficult to get comfortable with your legs and feet and back. The seat width is ok but I’m average size. Food is HORRIBLE. Crew is friendly. Delays and very tight connections made it tough for navigating. We would have missed our connecting flight if it wasn’t delayed too. The terminal transit was slow and normally every 10 minutes before 8pm, after 8 pm is every 30 minutes!!!!! No free wine or drinks!! Below average attitude.

Horrible seat allocation. Boarding was slow. Food was average and so was entertainment. The TV terminal didn't work and so had to use remote.

As expected for a BA long haul flight in economy - you get what you pay for. Good leg space, in flight entertainment and food and drink provided. Staff on the return flight (overnight) we're a bit brisk and just wanted to get everyone fed and watered before turning the lights down. We're vegetarian so ordered it separately through the booking, although when we were in flight we realised there was a normal and vegetarian option anyway, and we were given vegan. This is fine, however on the return trip we were told there were no more specially ordered meals left, so be aware in case you have specific dietary requirements.

Book cheap flights from New York to South Africa

Recent round-trip flight deals

11/3Sun
2 stopsEthiopian Air
33h 05mJFK-CPT
11/19Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
34h 35mCPT-JFK
$808
9/21Sat
1 stopTurkish Airlines
28h 00mJFK-JNB
10/7Mon
1 stopTurkish Airlines
40h 35mJNB-JFK
$820
11/4Mon
2 stopsKenya Airways
40h 55mJFK-CPT
11/19Tue
1 stopKenya Airways
40h 20mCPT-JFK
$884
10/7Mon
1 stopKenya Airways
25h 55mJFK-CPT
10/17Thu
1 stopKenya Airways
38h 35mCPT-JFK
$904
10/14Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
11/4Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
26h 15mCPT-EWR
$1,255
10/22Tue
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
10/30Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
24h 05mCPT-EWR
$1,256
10/7Mon
1 stopUnited Airlines
21h 20mEWR-CPT
10/17Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
15h 40mCPT-EWR
$1,316
10/6Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
38h 30mEWR-CPT
10/24Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
15h 40mCPT-EWR
$1,320
9/26Thu
1 stopDelta
19h 00mLGA-JNB
10/4Fri
1 stopDelta
30h 48mJNB-LGA
$1,326
9/28Sat
2 stopsDelta
21h 00mLGA-CPT
10/11Fri
1 stopDelta
28h 16mCPT-LGA
$1,331

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Recent one-way flight deals

9/19Thu
1 stopKenya Airways
34h 45mJFK-CPT
$486
9/22Sun
2 stopsKenya Airways
41h 55mJFK-CPT
$513
8/29Thu
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 10mEWR-JNB
$698
8/22Thu
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 10mEWR-JNB
$702
5/30Thu
1 stopUnited Airlines
28h 40mJFK-JNB
$840
5/30Thu
2 stopsUnited Airlines
32h 20mJFK-JNB
$854
10/4Fri
1 stopBritish Airways
33h 25mJFK-CPT
$987
9/19Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
$993
9/19Thu
2 stopsDelta
26h 05mLGA-CPT
$1,122
8/29Thu
1 stopDelta
27h 00mLGA-JNB
$1,122

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Last minute flights from New York to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/11Sat
multi-stopEthiopian Air
33h 45mJFK-CPT
5/19Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
36h 10mCPT-JFK
$853
5/13Mon
multi-stopSAUDIA
38h 30mJFK-JNB
5/20Mon
multi-stopSAUDIA
41h 20mJNB-JFK
$1,040
5/14Tue
multi-stopKenya Airways
41h 55mJFK-CPT
5/21Tue
multi-stopKenya Airways
23h 05mCPT-JFK
$1,199
5/15Wed
multi-stopKenya Airways
20h 05mJFK-JNB
5/23Thu
multi-stopKenya Airways
25h 25mJNB-JFK
$1,375
5/15Wed
multi-stopBritish Airways
21h 05mJFK-CPT
5/31Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
30h 20mCPT-JFK
$1,815
5/12Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
14h 35mEWR-JNB
5/20Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
16h 15mJNB-EWR
$1,912
5/11Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
25h 21mEWR-CPT
5/18Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
15h 50mCPT-EWR
$1,916
5/11Sat
multi-stopDelta
27h 43mEWR-CPT
5/19Sun
multi-stopDelta
21h 25mCPT-EWR
$1,926
5/12Sun
multi-stopDelta
19h 00mLGA-JNB
6/12Wed
multi-stopDelta
20h 49mJNB-LGA
$1,926
5/12Sun
multi-stopBritish Airways
39h 29mEWR-CPT
5/24Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
30h 25mCPT-EWR
$9,075

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price