Find flights
Insights
When to book
FAQs & Tips
Direct Flights
Airlines
Deals

$552 Find cheap flights from South Africa to Chicago

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Chicago departing on 10/21. 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
Fr 6/21
Fr 6/28

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

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Chicago
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Chicago
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 43,423,329 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.

Flights to Chicago - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to Chicago to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Chicago?

The average price of all flights to Chicago clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Chicago is Saturday where tickets can be as cheap as $945. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where prices are $1,194 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Chicago?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Chicago, 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 to Chicago is February, where tickets cost $908 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and August, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,222 and $1,212 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $908.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Chicago?

The average price for all flights to Chicago depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.
The cheapest time of day to fly to Chicago is generally at night, when flights cost $961 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Chicago is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $969.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Chicago?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights to Chicago, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price, you should book around 0 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 79 days before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Chicago?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Chicago is Chicago Midway Airport, with an average flight price of $104.

How many airports are there in Chicago?

There are 3 airports in Chicago: Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD), Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) and Chicago Greater Rockford Airport (RFD). The busiest airport is Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD), with 77% of all flights arriving there.

How long is the flight to Chicago?

The duration of your flight to Chicago depends on your departure and arrival airports. Obviously any flights that include a layover will also be longer. The most popular routes to Chicago on KAYAK are from Cape Town, which takes 22h 00m, Johannesburg, which takes 22h 25m, and Durban, which takes 28h 45m.

How many direct flights to Chicago are there each day?

There are around 1,711 direct flights from within South Africa to Chicago every day. Most flights depart in the morning, with 6:00 am the most common departure time and 49% of flights departing in the morning.

How many direct flights to Chicago are there each week?

Each week there are around 11,973 direct flights from within South Africa to Chicago. The most common day for departures is Friday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

June

Cheapest flight

$552
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 9% increase in price.
Flight from Johannesburg to Chicago O'Hare Airport

FAQs - booking Chicago flights

  • Which Chicago airport is closest to central Chicago?

    9 miles away from Chicago’s city center, Chicago Midway Airport is the closest of the 3 major airports in the city. There are 16 miles separating Chicago city center to Chicago O'Hare Airport, and 79 miles to Chicago Greater Rockford.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Chicago?

    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 to Chicago.

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

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

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Chicago?

    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 Chicago with an airline and back with another airline.

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

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

  • Which airline offers the most flights to Chicago?

    Of the 14 airlines that fly to Chicago, American Airlines offers the most flights, with around 4,255 per week, followed by United Airlines with 3,395 flights per week.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Chicago

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Chicago flight deals.

Prefer to fly non-stop to Chicago?

Find which airlines fly direct to Chicago, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Nonstop departures

South Africa to Chicago

Monday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +80 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +81 more

Tuesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Wednesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Thursday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +78 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +79 more

Friday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +81 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +82 more

Saturday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Sunday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

See more direct flights

Nonstop returns

Chicago to South Africa

Monday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +80 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +81 more

Tuesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Wednesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Thursday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +78 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +79 more

Friday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +81 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +82 more

Saturday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Sunday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aerolineas Argentinas, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from South Africa to Chicago

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Chicago. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to Chicago. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Chicago? 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 10585 reviews
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
8.0Entertainment
8.6Crew
7.4Food
Airline reviews

Paid premium for Delta only to be on safe but tired old 767 with ancient cabin in mediocre condition. Poor wifi and horrible inflight entertainment. Hardly a premium experience. Should have flown SW and had fun flight crew and no pretense

6.0 GoodPeter, May 2024SLC - HNL
Read more about Delta reviews

Paid premium for Delta only to be on safe but tired old 767 with ancient cabin in mediocre condition. Poor wifi and horrible inflight entertainment. Hardly a premium experience. Should have flown SW and had fun flight crew and no pretense

Our flight to Zurich was delayed by almost 3 hours, so we missed our next flight. There was no indication it would be delayed this much. We were told the gate had changed and then it apparently took over 2 hours to load the "catering" on the plane. We were not compensated in any way for the trouble.

The comfort is typical of what I would expect from main cabin. I've been on flights with other airlines where the seats needed to be changed, the cushions were non-existent. So happy this was not the case. I enjoyed the movie selection. Happy pillow and blanket was provided since I forgot my own. The food was also ok. Great that we arrived early and my luggage arrived undamaged. Again in the past (not with Delta), luggage was lost or broken.

Crew went over and above to be helpful. Plane had mechanical problems that caused us to depart late.

The 676 plane is much more comfortable in business class than the A330 and he food was a little better. I didn’t use the entertainment.

Rated entertainment as Mediocre as there were major problems with the Infotainment system that took probably a half hour for them to fix.

Your crew could maybe answer the call bell at least one of the times I pressed it. I pressed it first time with 2.5 hours left in our flight bc my partner was hungry and wanted a sandwich. We finally got the sandwich with 40 mins left in the flight.

Delta crushed it. Flight attendant in first was attentive and just never stopped. Honestly one of the best domestic flights I’ve been on.

They were an hour late and they didn’t have my wheelchair for me

The Flight crew didn’t serve us until about 1.5 hours into the flight because of turbulence but after it ended it was fine to move around. They served us water only and snacks and then NEVER, NOT ONE TIME came through to collect trash until right before landing about 1.5 hours later. There was absolutely no need for that. They crew was just standing around talking and visiting with each other and really never tried to see if we might want something besides water or even try to come pick up trash. This is VERY unusual for a Delta flight but it was not what I would have expected for a 4 hour flight.

The flight was delayed for 2 hrs. Because they didn’t have a crew to fly. And it is not a first time for klm to do that. Last time they cancelled my filght and rebooked me 3 days later. Not reliable airline

We left one hour late because of technical difficulties. The economy comfort seats are great for the price. The crew was mediocre, they do not provide a pleasant experience, they just deliver food and drinks and give orders, not very amicable, no service and hospitality focus.

The food was ok. The crew seemed like they were cranky. I had one guy get mad at me for passing in between the storage area to get to the other toilet. I can understand if it's not allowed but reprimanding me like I'm a student saying "This is the last time!" was not appropriate. During my meal time, there was a French family around me. No problems there but when we usually have meals, they are supposed to put their chair in the upright position. These people did not do it and the steward did not tell them to raise their seat in the upright position. However, I was told to do so! So, me and another person next to me had to eat with the monitor almost touching our faces. Furthermore, a lady in front of me was putting her feet up and preventing another elder passenger from putting her seat back. To make it worse, she was continuously hitting her back into her seat, shaking my monitor while I was watching a movie. A crew member did speak to her about it but then she accused me of pushing her seat forward! The crew member gave me a death stare and told me to stop pushing the seat forward. I did not even touch her seat at all, if I did, she would know it. Her boyfriend also stood up and tried to push her seat even further past the maximum decline to no avail. None of these people were reprimanded but the steward, some bald guy, was extremely friendly with them and did not even try to instruct them to do anything until it was time to land. I resisted the urge to really argue with them because I would have obviously been seen as the aggressor (I have no idea why). I hardly said anything on this flight except "more wine please" and "sorry" if I bumped into someone accidentally. Overall, it was an annoying flight and I had to resist the urge to yell at the steward and the people he was overly friendly with. The happiest moment of this flight was leaving it.

It was nice to be on a legacy airline, people try at least.

I travel frequently. The flight was late again... KLM should really try and be on time

The flight itself it was great nice food the crew were very nice and helpful, Checking in from Birmingham wasn't great long queues for bag dropped, And I had my hand luggage case taken away from me even though I requested to have it with me as I had breakables items. I was told I can not because of the length of the flight with no explanation at all no options was given for me to take my fragile items out of my case it was taken away with hold buggage I find the staff member who was checking me in very unpleasant !! Can we please be advise if the rules have changed about the the carry on hand luggage it will be easier to be advise on booking your tickect if we not allowed to take the hand luggage with me. Overall I had a good flight .

One of their staff was so rude with discriminative. Such a reputed airline shouldn't hire such kind of arrogant attendants.

All and all pretty good. It’s crowded but that is what flying is all about. But no complaints otherwise.

At the transit could be less time not like 12 hour 6 hours the mix should be 4 hour, thanks

The Crew have no idea about the food they're serving the passengers. The Crew MUST be instructed before each flight about the menu that will be served to the passengers, whether the food is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, whether it is Halal, Kosher or not.

It was good! Appreciated that it was very on schedule so it made the connecting flight less stressful

I was told we'd have a hot breakfast option in first class, so I chose not get a hot breakfast. It was a very strange meal, but the fresh fruit was very good quality. Service was excellent from ORD to ELP. No service from MBS to ORD, not even water. However, when flying American from FNT to ORD, which is a shorter flight, they at least pass out snacks and offer water.

We were delayed an hour leaving Munich (No fault of the crew). They kept us posted on the status so we knew what was going on, but as a result we missed our connection in Chicago and the communication on connecting flights was pretty poor as we disembarked. It was already stressful and some of that could have been reduced by better communications about where to find transfers, etc.

One problem, but a serious one - the plane is built with electric windows that tint dark to reduce light. Sitting next to the window is VERY UNCOMFORTABLE as it emits so much HEAT in the face when tinted.

The delays (5 hrs) were a comedy of errors, and the multiple safety issues encountered were very concerning.

Wifi wasn't working on one of the UA flights after boarding.

The flight was delayed instead of leaving at 11 it left at 12.20

United WiFi is consistently unusable (it can take 10 mins to load a single web page). If you need Wifi to do work, be prepared to lose half a day of productivity.

Crew was not very helpful. They forgot to serve me coffee and had to wait for a long time.It looked as if they were not very happy with what they were doing.

Good movies, iffy pay WiFi, food ok- on time though and that was great!

My entertainment screen wasn't working and they couldn't fix it.

The gate was changed at the very last moment and no one informed us. The flight was one hour late and the screen broken, the remote control not working. One toilet was out of order . the other toilets were also not totally functioning, because the washbasin was plugged and the water couldn't flow away.

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.

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 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 .

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.

It was a flight operated by Aer Linus for BA and the plane and crew were very good but the food selection was average.

I like the food this time compared to my departure. I’m seated at the isle so it’s comfortable but I have to pay $124 for seat selection

Flight delayed an hour due to plane maintenance issues after getting in line to board. Issue was plane galley ovens which eliminated hot meals for overseas flight. Cold selections were limited due to availability. Drink and meal service (already an hour delayed) was very slow. Upon arrival in Nashville, had to sit at gate for about 15 minutes before disembarking with no explanation. Local police then boarded plane as we were disembarking so maybe that was the issue.

Leg space was not enough. The meal was not satisfactory.

Boarding good. Seats uncomfortable when lie flat. Food was awful. Tasted stale and chicken was dry. No live tv or flight map. Had to pay for internet.

Poor technical details on this plane. 1) There was no WiFi on an 8 hour long-haul flight. So no work could be done. That's below the standard expected for airlines these days. 2) The power outlet at my seat was busted and not working. 3) The headphone jack was loose and I had to keep adjusting my headphones to get good reception, or when it slipped out. - The flight was delayed to due mechanics. Sometimes this can't be avoided, I understand, and it's a big inconvenience to arrive that much later when traveling across time zones (then arriving at 4am from the prior time zone). - Also unique to this flight, the northern lights were visible on the right side of the aircraft, but I only found out after we landed (b/c again no wifi). I understand there are considerations about people being out of their seats to look, but I feel extremely disappointed and resentful that I wasn't told so that I could have a chance to look at this probably once-in-a-lifetime cosmic event from a view in the sky. - Flight crew was otherwise friendly and helpful.

I would have preferred something lighter for the second meal. Maybe a small sandwich .

They cancelled our flight the morning of departure at 4:30am.

Coach seats are too tight. Seem designed for small people. Food different but OK. Staff helpful.

my original flight was cancelled the previous day, and i was rescheduled onto this flight, which left much earlier in the morning, impacting my previous evening and requiring me to get up much earlier in the morning to get to the airport online. This practice happens way way way too much, and it seems on every airline, though AA is probably the worst.

Book cheap flights from South Africa to Chicago

Recent round-trip flight deals

 
These are the cheapest round-trip flights to Chicago found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
11/14Do
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 55mJNB-ORD
11/22Fr
1 stopEthiopian Air
26h 15mORD-JNB
$930
6/26Mi
2 stopsEthiopian Air
30h 45mJNB-ORD
9/7Sa
1 stopEthiopian Air
19h 50mORD-JNB
$931
11/14Do
2 stopsDelta
32h 42mJNB-ORD
11/22Fr
2 stopsDelta
31h 00mORD-JNB
$950
11/14Do
2 stopsDelta
29h 13mJNB-MDW
11/22Fr
2 stopsDelta
30h 56mMDW-JNB
$1,055
7/13Sa
2 stopsBritish Airways
29h 14mJNB-ORD
7/21So
1 stopBritish Airways
29h 05mORD-JNB
$1,173
7/13Sa
2 stopsBritish Airways
25h 40mJNB-ORD
7/20Sa
1 stopBritish Airways
27h 35mORD-JNB
$1,400
7/4Do
1 stopUnited Airlines
20h 34mJNB-ORD
7/29Mo
1 stopUnited Airlines
21h 30mORD-JNB
$1,418
7/4Do
1 stopUnited Airlines
20h 34mJNB-ORD
7/24Mi
1 stopUnited Airlines
20h 23mORD-JNB
$1,473
6/19Mi
1 stopKLM
22h 00mJNB-ORD
7/7So
1 stopKLM
22h 00mORD-JNB
$1,530
6/12Mi
1 stopKLM
22h 00mCPT-ORD
7/19Fr
1 stopKLM
22h 05mORD-CPT
$1,662

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best deals for one-way flights to Chicago found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
10/21Mo
1 stopEtihad Airways
29h 55mJNB-ORD
$552
9/23Mo
1 stopTurkish Airlines
24h 05mCPT-ORD
$583
6/9So
1 stopBritish Airways
27h 30mJNB-ORD
$776
6/23So
1 stopKLM
22h 20mCPT-ORD
$888
6/25Di
1 stopUnited Airlines
20h 35mCPT-ORD
$930
6/4Di
1 stopUnited Airlines
29h 52mCPT-ORD
$931
5/30Do
1 stopBritish Airways
25h 50mCPT-ORD
$976
6/17Mo
2 stopsKLM
26h 34mCPT-ORD
$1,035
8/13Di
1 stopDelta
21h 23mCPT-MDW
$1,039
6/16So
1 stopDelta
33h 26mCPT-ORD
$1,039

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Flights to Chicago

Return flight deals:

Chicago - South Africa

Cabin classes: