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Find cheap flights from South Africa to California from $483

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from South Africa to California departing on 6/3. 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
Tue 6/4
Tue 6/11

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Good to know

Low season

February

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$483
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 13% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Cape Town to Los Angeles

FAQs for booking flights from South Africa to California

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

    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 South Africa to California.

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

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

    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 California with an airline and back to South Africa with another airline.

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

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

See more FAQs

Top 5 airlines serving from South Africa to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from South Africa to California? 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.
8.2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1465 reviews
8.4Boarding
8.7Crew
8.1Comfort
8.2Entertainment
7.8Food
Airline reviews

My overall experience with Singapore Airlines is great. Will definitely fly Singapore airline again.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2024SIN - JFK
Read more about Singapore Airlines reviews

My overall experience with Singapore Airlines is great. Will definitely fly Singapore airline again.

It was a great flight Food was great Crew was spectacular

In general good, but the machine seems to be long in operation and some functions were restricted as e. g. Adjusting of seats.

When boarding, after business class should be premium economy, but economy class already lined-up at the gate blocking premium economy to board. Singapore airline crew should done a better job to organize this chaos :( Thank you.

It seems paying premium economy does not make difference with economy. No priority boarding, not worthy paying extra$$$ for premium economy.

Every thing was fine. Some ild classical Hindi movies should be add

The singapore airline now compared before covid, I like the service before covid. SQ was the best of all airlines but now I am going to look for different airline if I am travelling in asia.

Perfect experience from boarding through to leaving the flight, comfortable and personalised service from all staff, highly recommended

They were able to assist my elderly father and myself after not being able to check in to scoot. The counter service was phenomenal. They did what they could to get us on the next plane so we could catch our Connecting flight. Scoot closed early on us so we ended up missing our flight.

They are great with every aspect of customer service. Helped my elderly father and aided him with using the restroom.

I am going to be just factual, not bad mouthing nor complaining, but this was my experience. With 3 pieces of luggage, I was told the flight from Mumbai to Dubai was cancelled due to flood. This was told not by the airport board which still showed the regular time of departure, but general stuff at the airport. No Emirates stuff around to direct the transfer passengers of the cancelled flights. By the departure counters with crowds of people, one by one, angry, frustrated, urgent conversations were going on. No announcement were made, no postings being seen, just private conversations. I still have 5+ hours of layover, so I let more urgent people settled first. However, the fact that no communication of when, what and where I should go was very unsettling. Basically no time limit waiting means, no meal, no sleep, no step away, no planning, no change plan, no telling of the family what to do. Nobody was able to tell you anything but asked you to wait, no chair, no space, no facility to freshen up. That went on for 10+ (from 5) hour without warnings and accurate communications. Email received from Emirates asked me not to go to Dubai at all, or boarding at the time that was passed. In other words, communication were very untimely, after the fact. That created more confusion instead. After changing several of boarding time, we were given the gate # and a boarding pass. However, the boarding pass still have the original time of boarding, so again, not knowing walking 30 min in the airport to the gate would make you late or not, therefore, still dare not to eat a meal. The flight arriving to Dubai was uneventful and I gave a 4/5 rating. I just thought the layover at Dubai would just cut short from 8+ hours to 2+ hours. At Dubai airport, I saw people sleeping on cardboard, knowing, these people got stranded but they dared to sleep because they know when to board and I didn't. Or these kind of delay are just so normal that people know what to do to pass time. Then the worst service and crazy thing happened. The boarding time on board for LA and at gate A9 was clearly 8:50AM. At 8:40, surprised by not having any boarding activities, then one single staff showed up and said to a few passengers that the boarding would be delayed without a time frame. Since only a few people know, I asked another Emirates staff at another counter, who simply said basically non of his business. I was shocked with that indifferent attitude. Yet every boards I saw show the same boarding time. What kind of system failure was that to prepare delay situation! How confusing and unnecessary chaos and anger that provoke. That poor staff had to repeat himself so many times, answered questions that he had no power nor information to provide nor solved. One an only one stuff to show up for 10 min, leaving the counter non-staff with board showing 8:50AM boarding. This was purely irresponsible from top to bottom of the entire airline operation staff. What kind of leader in a service industry would allow this to happen to their customers. Without explanation, after changing 3 times the boarding times, again, means you should not go to eat a full meal, because, when you found a mob at the gate. People who were stranded for 2 days were afraid of not getting a seat with a full plane. That would not be happening if the airline provide adequate guidance to each person, instead of just having 4 staff yelling at the gate at the same time to "control" the crowd, threatening no boarding and delay boarding. Finally, I was on board, hungry and tired, not sleep for 36 hours. I was denied with a snack of fruit. By the time meal was served, it was an hour later. Half way of the trip, I felt sleep in fetus position and did not want to move, happy I finally could have some shut eyes time. However, when I got up to the bathroom, I felt very light headed. Having sleep deprived, constipated for 3 days, dehydrated, I knew it could happen since my blood pressure usually was low closed to 90/60. Any lower then that, I could have syncope. Sure enough, I was on the floor just 10 feet from my seat and 5 feet to the bathroom. However, nobody called for help. I asked for warm water and juice to hydrate, came only with cold and icy drinks which I wouldn't take. I asked for blankets, one was given. Yet my shivering, needs to cover my head and multiple requests did not hasten to take the two blankets that are at my seat 10 feet away. I waited 10 min for that. While 2-3 staff surrounded me, nobody did the vitals until after 15 min, just the spirometer only of which did not work due to my cold fingers. The first reading was 86 and oxygen was suggested. But another supervising personnel came, fussed over another reading, ignoring my comfort and needs. Seemingly the reading of spirometer was the priority. By then, no oxygen needed. I had this fainting experience before, and I knew how to help myself. However, I was not being listened to but to be told this and that. Finally, I got better and returned to seat. One kind flight attendant said she would check back with me in 15 min. She did not come back. I felt asleep in that fetus position again and this time I woke up with a bad cramp at my left leg. Yet I needed to go to bathroom, the cramp was too bad to walk. So I stepped back to seat. When I tried again the second time, the other front leg got cramp. This time I dare not move but massaged myself. For all these 5-10 min, I called for attention. Attendants passed me by because they were carried with heavy load of blankets and stuff. Nobody answered the light. Then came landing and off board. I was asked by two attendants how I felt. I smiled and said "fine".

The customer service was very poor. I didn’t get any accommodations for my cancelled flight. I was without any sleep for 36 hours.

The customers before boarding the plane from Dubai was HORRENDOUS. The entire Emirates staff had a stick up their bum. The guy at the check in booth was rude. I don’t understand.

Food is really bad, not to the Emirates standards. Coming out of Houston airport is very confusing,

Service needs to improve. Air hostess do not register flyers request and we need to keep on repeating our request to them on multiple occasions

The flight was great. We had to purchase extra long seats for the long flight. But overall it was great.

The experience was not as pleasant returning as leaving. Went through clearance twice, crew was not as customer focused.

WORST AIRLINE EVER—FOOD WAS MEDIOCRE AND WIDEBODY 777 BOEING WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE! IT WAS NOT WORTH THE MONEY THAT I PAID.

Amazing service and food. However I didn’t get chance to choose my own seat which bothered me a little.

More space all around is practically essential on long international fights, and Emirates definitely delivers. But food selection and taste was only average. Otherwise, the flight was smooth and the cabin crew service was fine.

More facilities to transport to the gates......felt too much walking distance

Just happy I flew Qatar Airways awesome no wonder they are #1 in the world right now! The food was just delicious, very courteous, professional crew.

It was good no problems made it on time for the next flight overseas!

It was a really long flight from Doha to Philadelphia and it was overall a good one. The one area that I would comment on is that there is a lot of single-use plastic and disposables in the meal service for American Airlines. It would be great to see more circular options in the meal service to reduce the amount of waste.

Suddenly Flight has been change by Qatar and there’s no information is there of us from Bom to Doha and counter person is behaving like Qatar owner next I will not buy Qatar and I will not suggest anyone to fly in Qatar

The crew was fantastic and the over flight was perfect as well.

They shld provide food. Between food they are giving 10 hours gap which is toooo much

The crew was great and the food and liquor offerings were good. Seats were a bit cramped. Flight arrived early at destination. That's a plus.

All over with Qatar airlines my experience was really bad due to delays and then putting me on different airlines and after 8 hours of wait I had to listen to their is no plane to fly for another 24 hours. Wore experience ever.

I had already opted for Vegan food before 2 months yet they say we have no record for it,

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.

Seat in front of my wife was broken so it reclined further than normal and without having to push the recline button so my wife had absolutely no room the entire 17 hour flight. My seat was broken and wouldn't recline at all. Also.. my tray table was sticky and dirty right away before I even used it. Also...the floor in the back of the plane from our row of seats on back was totally soaked and both times we landed water came rushing out of the food/servant area like a flood onto the same already wet carpet. It got everything wet that was placed around our feet...including our shoes and socks.

it was a nice tripe but they need to work on the serving of soda,they should be abled to serve cain soda not on cup.At least each passenger should be entitled to one cain of soda not serving on cup.thanks.

On my return flight the TV did not work the entire flight! They knew it wasn’t working but they let me sit there. The guy sitting nièce to me told me he was ok the previous flight and it wasn’t working. This is business class by the way!

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

The check in staff was amazing. Best customer service! The plane was old! My entertainment on the first flight didn't work at all, in my seat or in the seat next to me. The bathroom doors were old and troublesome. One of the bathrooms, the whole sink panel was broken. Everything felt old and falling apart. The airline stewardesses were amazing and quite hospitable. When there were delays, they kept us well informed. Transit was GREAT! I wasn't sure how I would make it to my next flight in 1 1/2 hours but the security lines were short and efficient. The C gates in Addis Ababa were CROWDED! That whole space downstairs was too crowded and challenging to manuever. I usually fly Ethiopian within Africa and was interested to see how the experience would be intercontinental. Overall, I would choose it again if it was cheaper than Delta/Air France or Lufthansa/KLM. I wouldn't make it a first choice if the prices were the same because the planes are so old! The food and entertainment also weren't as good. Good selection of movies but as I mentioned, on the first flight they didn't work at all (I slept so it was okay) and the 2nd flight it was glitchy. All in all, I didn't hate it but it would be a first choice only if it's cheaper.

The wifi service was really poor I try to use it the service was extremely poor if that could be improved that will go a long way

Hot, uncomfortable and very rough take off and landing. Very regrettable.

1st of all on February 27th Abu Dhabi to Delhi flight the seat wasn't comfortable at all, coming back the Lounge at Abu Dhabi didn't have anything. Than the Food in the flight

Overall mediocre experience. Check in was good. They're were discriminatory. They were not attentive, food choices were not vegetarian friendly. The food served was frozen.

One thing is very important is you people not giving seat arrangement together to couple, senior citizen. You have to take care of senior citizen. Do not look about money. Money is not important everywhere. Make relationship strong is very very important. I like Etiyad air line out of all air line. Food was hot and delicious. Air hostess gave very good service, nice attitude, very good behaviour. I gave 10 out of 10 marks. Thanks Jivraj

I WOULD ADVISE NOT TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHT ON KAYAK. THEY SHOW BETTER FARES AND AFTER I BOOKED MINE, I FIND OUT THAT IT DID NOT INCLUDE LUGGAGE. i HAD TO PAY $800 TO CHECK IN MY BAGS.

Etihad broke my suitcase Also over charged me for luggage

Very unfriendly team. It was very difficult to get a cup of coffee. Legroom was extremely small. Old, dilapidated plane.

Ripped off and broken seats in Business class. Seats stink and need to request the staff for additional bedsheets. Crew if very friendly though

Crew member took too long time to take back leftover food plates from passenger seats. Food was nice.Easy excellent checking.Guy at checking counter was really kind and helpful.Made our checking very quickly. Leftover food should be taken back ASAP. Because in economy class passanger have narrow space . In the long journey like this, passanger have difficulties to sit with the plates.overall experience was good.

Crew was good, boarding mediocre, food choices were limited, seating was not comfortable

Everything was great. Cabin Crew was awesome and very helpful. Thank you so much.

Book cheap flights from South Africa to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

5/16Thu
1 stopDelta
26h 55mJNB-SFO
5/29Wed
2 stopsDelta
36h 45mSFO-JNB
$890
7/23Tue
1 stopDelta
22h 24mCPT-ONT
8/10Sat
1 stopDelta
25h 50mONT-CPT
$900
5/26Sun
1 stopDelta
31h 39mCPT-SFO
6/2Sun
2 stopsDelta
41h 26mSFO-CPT
$902
5/28Tue
1 stopEmirates
34h 10mCPT-LAX
7/18Thu
1 stopEmirates
33h 55mLAX-CPT
$1,157
5/28Tue
1 stopEmirates
28h 55mCPT-LAX
7/18Thu
1 stopEmirates
33h 55mLAX-CPT
$1,159
9/20Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
33h 15mJNB-SFO
12/15Sun
1 stopQatar Airways
27h 10mSFO-JNB
$1,195
10/27Sun
2 stopsQatar Airways
43h 13mJNB-OAK
10/31Thu
2 stopsQatar Airways
48h 10mOAK-JNB
$1,210
9/12Thu
3 stopsEthiopian Air
33h 48mJNB-LAX
9/17Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
29h 15mLAX-JNB
$1,487
9/8Sun
3 stopsEthiopian Air
34h 52mJNB-SFO
9/24Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
29h 00mSFO-JNB
$1,668
6/6Thu
3 stopsSingapore Airlines
54h 00mCPT-SAN
6/20Thu
3 stopsSingapore Airlines
54h 45mSAN-CPT
$5,844

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6/3Mon
3 stops
45h 28mCPT-LAX
$483
6/4Tue
3 stops
43h 34mCPT-LAX
$540
9/25Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
26h 50mJNB-LAX
$632
9/24Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
44h 10mJNB-LAX
$636
6/3Mon
3 stopsSingapore Airlines
35h 10mCPT-LAX
$876
5/26Sun
1 stopEmirates
28h 40mCPT-SFO
$886
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33h 55mCPT-SFO
$989
6/1Sat
3 stopsSingapore Airlines
35h 10mCPT-LAX
$1,027
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33h 42mJNB-LAX
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5/8Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
34h 55mJNB-LAX
5/19Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
21h 15mLAX-JNB
$915
5/8Wed
multi-stop
24h 25mJNB-LAX
5/19Sun
multi-stop
28h 30mLAX-JNB
$924
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multi-stopDelta
32h 50mJNB-LAX
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35h 43mLAX-JNB
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multi-stopDelta
34h 16mJNB-LAX
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multi-stopDelta
35h 43mLAX-JNB
$1,007
5/8Wed
multi-stopEtihad Airways
45h 14mJNB-ONT
5/19Sun
multi-stopEtihad Airways
47h 55mONT-JNB
$1,819
5/8Wed
multi-stopEthiopian Air
29h 45mJNB-LAX
5/19Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
44h 20mLAX-JNB
$2,260
5/6Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
34h 53mJNB-OAK
5/9Thu
multi-stopQatar Airways
49h 10mOAK-JNB
$2,424
5/7Tue
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
35h 10mCPT-LAX
5/12Sun
multi-stopSingapore Airlines
48h 45mLAX-CPT
$7,003
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multi-stopEthiopian Air
43h 10mCPT-LAX
5/12Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
54h 10mLAX-CPT
$8,997
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31h 45mCPT-LAX
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36h 20mLAX-CPT
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