
Book Cheap Chicago to South Africa Plane Tickets
Recent round-trip flight deals from Chicago to South Africa
Recent one-way flight deals from Chicago to South Africa
Recent last minute flight deals from Chicago to South Africa
Price, demand and travel trends for Chicago to South Africa flights
Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights with more confidence.
Are flights from Chicago to South Africa cheaper or more expensive than last year?
Fares from Chicago to South Africa are running about the same as they were around this time last year, averaging $1,344 round-trip.
What are the cheapest fares from Chicago to South Africa right now?
Here are the cheapest round-trip fares from Chicago to South Africa on KAYAK in the last week:
• Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB) from $998
• Cape Town Intl (CPT) from $1,112
• Durban King Shaka Intl (DUR) from $1,269
• George (GRJ) from $1,600
• Polokwane (PTG) from $1,668
What’s the cheapest month to fly from Chicago to South Africa?
April is the cheapest time of year to fly, with average fares of $1,111. Prices are highest in December, when average flight costs increase to around $1,906.
When is the best time to book flights from Chicago to South Africa?
Book your flights 23 weeks before your trip. KAYAK data collected over the past 12 months shows that booking in this window can save you around 26% compared to booking last-minute (within 2 weeks of departure).
Which airport in South Africa is the cheapest to fly to from Chicago?
Based on KAYAK data from the past 12 months, the cheapest airports to fly into South Africa are:
• Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB) from $1,323
• Durban King Shaka Intl (DUR) from $1,379
• Cape Town Intl (CPT) from $1,456
What’s the cheapest day to fly from Chicago to South Africa?
Tuesday tends to be the cheapest day to fly from Chicago to South Africa, while Friday is the most expensive. Fares run about 26% higher that day, based on the past 12 months of KAYAK data.
What are the cheapest airlines to fly with from Chicago to South Africa?
Looking at KAYAK data from the last 12 months, the cheapest airlines to fly with from Chicago to South Africa are:
• Turkish Airlines from $543
• Delta from $554
• KLM from $767
• Kenya Airways from $876
• Ethiopian Air from $954
What's the most popular airline to fly with from Chicago to South Africa?
Drawing on KAYAK data from the past three months, the most popular airlines to fly with from Chicago to South Africa are:
• Ethiopian Air
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Emirates
What are the most popular flight destinations in South Africa?
Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and George are the most popular flight destinations in South Africa, based on KAYAK data from the past 3 months. Johannesburg is the clear favorite, making up 58% of that interest.
How many one-stop flights are there from Chicago to South Africa across the week?
There are typically 16 one-stop flights a day from Chicago to South Africa (113 a week), with the most operating on Monday.
Key details for Chicago to South Africa flights
Low season | October |
|---|---|
High season | April |
Cheapest flight | $696 |
Your Chicago to South Africa flight questions, answered
Find helpful answers about this route, including flight times, airports, airlines and booking tips.
Your guide to booking Chicago to South Africa flights
Get tips on when to book, when to fly and what to know before your trip.Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Chicago to South Africa
The cabin and bathroom experience was poor as the cabin and bathroom were dirty and showed signs of an older plane that had not been updated for Customer’s, comfort and health. There was gum on my seat when I arrived and dirt spots around the fan and light controls. The flight was almost entirely full, so there was no way I could be moved from my seat. Th bathroom had the peeling paint.
The cabin and bathroom experience was poor as the cabin and bathroom were dirty and showed signs of an older plane that had not been updated for Customer’s, comfort and health. There was gum on my seat when I arrived and dirt spots around the fan and light controls. The flight was almost entirely full, so there was no way I could be moved from my seat. Th bathroom had the peeling paint.
I'm 6' 2" and even in economy plenty of leg room
Horrible experience. Delta delayed the flight to 11pm which happens. Apparently the pilots were there but we were waiting for flight attendants to arrive from Detroit and they were delayed. They could have made arrangements but that’s fine. What was truly horrible was that at 10:50pm the pilot comes out and says the flight will be cancelled but hasn’t been cancelled yet in the system. It’s being cancelled because the pilots have timed out. As soon as that plane got delayed past 10:50pm delta knew it couldn’t fly. Yet they made us wait around for hours. When the flight finally got cancelled all the area hotels were booked and flights for the next day were unavailable until midday. All I wanted was to spend one day with my family before needing to fly abroad on another delta flight. That will be my last flight with them. I’ll take my 800k miles flown and annual spend to an airline that isn’t so thoughtless.
THI IS THE 3RD CONSECUTIVE FLIGHT FROM ORD TO MSP THAT HAS BEEN DELAYED 2+ HOURS. CRAZY
The plane was a rather tired 737-800, with old style small luggage bins. Poor air flow. USB charger in the infotainment system was not functioning. The flight was 2 hours late due to crew rest requirements (not their fault). On arrival in Seattle, waited on the tarmac for 30 minutes with very few updates from the crew.
The crew was very inconsiderate and rude. My flight was scheduled to depart at 6:00am. I received a call from the crew at 5:40am, asking if I was going to make the flight because I was the only one that hasn't boarded yet and boarding ends at 5:50am. I let them know that I will be at the gate in a few minutes, before the 5:50am cutoff. When I arrived at the gate at 5:45am the gate was closed. Departing early on last minute notice without having all passengers on board is inconsiderate and unprofessional.
Very easy to use and convenient, you can perform any action within the same portal
Okay considering we had weather delays which the Pilot notified us of immediately!
The boarding was organized and informative but the plane was tight meaning that you were sitting on one another and extremely uncomfortable. It’s disappointing that can’t have common seating comfort on the plane.
Everything could have benn better. Short fly, no food, no entertainment and no wifi.
I always travel on Turkish Airlines but seriously I am I am considering to change because this is not the first time that the flight attendant are rude and they dont help. I asked for cold water with ice 5 times and I got water with no ice and this is not the first time to ask for something and you dont get it. Also I noticed this behavior only towards people who are not turkish.
Istanbul to Lahore flight was less than standard for international business class cabins. Seat did not were not flat and it did not operate easily. I had to push buttons hard repeatedly to operate the seat. I was in 5A seat
My, Syed Zawar Hussein Shirazi frequently flyer membership number was not included on my boarding pass from O’Hare to Istanbul despite my reminder to the attendant at check in. Further she forgot to give me my boarding pass form Istanbul to Lahore and she needs to improve her customer service, please 🙏
Chicago to Istanbul was a much better experience than I expected since I’m more accustomed to Qatar Airways business class. The business lounge in the Istanbul airport was amazing - loved the lockers and phone charging stations, and the bathroom was a spa experience in itself. The onward leg from Istanbul to Karachi was utterly disappointing. Terrible plane, and I felt like I was in economy - the seats don’t come near to lying flat and the food was mediocre. What a sad downgrade - it isn’t as though the ticket on that leg was cheaper. So, on that front, there’s no contest with Qatar airways.
Second leg of Turkish Airline with Indigo is disaster for following reason. 1) You have to carry your cabin bags through ladder to boeing 777 because it was parked somewhere in parking lot and was not given a gate to board passengers and this seems to be people traveling to and fro from those flights and is not issue with flight itself. 2) I choose non vegetarian food on Turkish portal way ahead of checkin to entire trip, However the Indigo flight gave me random veg food saying they code veg food code from Turkish. 3) Indigo did not served any alcoholic beverages stating some weird reason which is non nonsensical. 4)Indigo have TV screens in front of you but it displays nothing except "Welcome Onboard" with annoying white black ground in dark flight. This is the most stupidest and annoying part because you are held hostage for 7 hours and only thing you could do is stare back at white screen which does not have entertainment package or even flight tracker. Such a shame.
During mid flight, try to get a flight attendant to help I couldn’t find one Otherwise, everything was perfect
The 2 agents on the check in counter were super nice , helpful and very polite. Boarding was like a 1 2 3, I would recommend Turkish airlines for your next trip.
7 stars hospitality and an excellent service by the Turkish Airline entire team. Somehow, our membership numbers for mileage points were not indicated on our boarding passes issued at O’Hare Airport by the Turkish Airlines check in desk. During transit in Istanbul, I brought to attention of customer service Turkish Airlines. Please have our mileage points posted to our membership account from O’Hare Chicago to Lahore for both my wife Kaukab Shirazi Thank you
Terrible boarding process, no proper line maintained even for business class, crews are not very attentive, business class food quality / variety / quantity have gone down, everything has become cheap.
Food quality and the overall service of the staff and significantly decreased. The flight was delayed at the Istanbul airport and the passengers were kept onboard for more than 3 hours. The staff didn’t kept the passengers informed and everyone was upset.
On time. Carry on and personal bag was accommodated on the plane. Entertainment was accessible without bringing own device. Whole can of juice was provided rather than a pour.
Price was crazy watch it if you Chan he your flight
On time, easy boarding. Anytime you sit in an economy seat, it’s uncomfortable. New plane and the bathrooms were in the galley at the back of the plane which seemed odd.
Terrible service - they don’t want to be there and bad food. Entertainment system in economy from the 2000s
No drink service but there was no N/A as an option to choose. Seats were extremely tight. I am under 5.5 and I bumped my knees have no idea how taller people could manage.
Flight delayed, last seat on the plane, no arrival Gate available due to the plane departing late
Kayak booked this flight with only 1h 20min layover in Chicago. This made it impossible for me and several other passengers to reach this flight. Moreover, the gate closed boarding in spite of several passengers still on their way without waiting even one more minute. However, the plane departed with 20min (!) delay, i.e., there would have been at least 15 min time to let the delayed passengers board without causing any delays. I complained and as a "thank you" the attendent booked us on the last (!) flight to Indianapolis ~7h later! Thankfully, I caught the spitefulness and the United customer line rebooked the flight to an earlier flight. Although I can't grade this particular flight since I never had a chance to take it, Kayak made the mistake of a too short layover and the crew at the gate was awful.
Flight did not have wifi service. It was experiencing technical difficulties. Definitely and old plane that needs updating.
This flight has a history of leaving late, however, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not delayed this day. The flight went smooth, except I was in a window seat and the wall and my feet were freezing. I found it difficult to sleep due to being so cold, I also was using 2 provided UAL blankets and could not get my feet warm. This was annoying, but I still made it there on time and safe.
Old 757 with poor entertainment system. United no longer partners with United for free text and email. O'Hara an absolute disaster! Limited gates clauses two hour delay. Unfortunately this appears to be the norm.
We flew with Qatar Airlines before (2021) , the service was much better than this time, the flight attendants were not very friendly and cheerful . One of the attendants asked the person setting next to me (by the window) are you Mr. ……, if you may need any thing to let her know . I asked for a dinner meal with beef , she said, we are out, only chicken is available, then she said wait I may get you one with beef, she came back and gave me chicken. Then she gave the gentleman next to me the beef meal . The bathrooms were left dirty and full of overfilled paper tissues, urine every where on the floor and on the toilet seat . Qatar Airways has an excellent reputation and deserves better . Thank you 🙏
Horrible horrible plane for such a long flight. I thought Qatar was a reputable airline. Was proven so wrong. Never again…:-(
Qatar Airways has consistently set a standard in my mind that very few airlines manage to sustain, and once again, this journey in Economy Class lived up to that expectation. As an avid globetrotter who travels extensively for work, I experience many airlines, service cultures, and levels of hospitality. Yet there is something reassuringly consistent about Qatar Airways. It is not simply the onboard service, but the entire experience: the professionalism, courtesy, warmth, attentiveness, and genuine sense of hospitality. The cabin crew are exceptionally well trained, composed, aligned, and polished in their delivery, yet their interactions rarely feel mechanical. They remain remarkably courteous while retaining a genuine human warmth and an apparent eagerness to assist. On almost every Qatar journey, there are individual crew members who somehow manage to stand out and make the experience even more memorable. What I value most is the consistency. Qatar Airways has established a certain benchmark of expectation for me and, over many journeys, has never underdelivered against it. There is a sense of confidence and ease that comes with boarding a Qatar flight because I know the overall experience will be thoughtfully delivered. For someone who spends a considerable amount of time travelling, that peace of mind matters enormously. Qatar Airways remains one of the airlines I genuinely enjoy flying, not because of any single aspect of the service, but because of the complete package and the remarkable consistency with which it is delivered. The only disappointment on this occasion was that my luggage did not arrive with me at my final destination in Kolkata (CCU), following my journey from Seattle (SEA) via Doha (DOH). Unfortunately, the baggage was delayed in Doha. A baggage exception report is already on file with the local airport team in CCU. Given the confidence Qatar Airways has built with me over the years, I remain optimistic that they will once again live up to that expectation, work their magic, and reunite me with my luggage within the next 24 hours. Looking forward to a swift resolution and, notwithstanding this final hiccup, another thoroughly enjoyable Qatar Airways journey.
Mediocre movies Too cold Didn’t have extra blankets Check in was too long (60-70 min coming 3 hours early) Breakfast was terrible Great WiFi however And smooth ride Dinner was decent
I am a big person and have back pain and swelling in my legs, so this was a challenging flight due to confined space. I didn't find the crew very friendly either. I will think twice before flying long distances with Qatar again, due to the lack of legroom.
Lobster starter in business class was not good, tough, served cold, and without butter. Movie selection was missing latest releases, did not offer older classic, high quality movies
Bad experience with the delay n long wait time for connecting flight after missing the connection flight from Doha.
Found out we were limited to one carry on item per person as we checked in and weight. This requirement has never happened to us before. Then we get on the plane and it's apparent why. There is barely any space on this plane. I sat in the middle row middle seat and shared a single section of leg room with the stranger next to me. Had to put my backpack in the overhead which barely fit and made it so I didn't want to bother getting my things out of it later like my eye mask. There was an angry man complaining about his seat and demanding to be switched for a good 15 to 20 minutes as we were boarding. To the flight attendants' credit, they didn't give into him (not that they could have), but it definitely made for an unpleasant experience. Also there was a child running up and down the aisle during the flight including takeoff and landing. The crew told the parents but they just smiled and continued letting the kid do this. This was p annoying and not to mention dangerous for the kid
Plane was clean, bathrooms were clean. Staff were very polite. Coming from Air India it was a welcome change.
The flight was mostly good, but I sat next to a couple of passengers who were semi unpleasant. We sat next to the emergency exit. One man was drunk and when he got up to get something from the overhead compartment, he tripped and fell on me while I was sleeping, waking me up. The other man seemed sick as he was sneezing a lot and clearing his throat and nose often. This made the flight a bit unpleasant unfortunately. Otherwise I’m usually very happy with QA. Thanks
The seat was wet when I came in. Food was just something. And during a whole 11 to 12 hours in the airplane NO WIFI. Was is the point to buy a business ticket if you can be connected to your relatives and your company. Ethiopian used to do that to theirs customers, TECHNICAL ISSUE, WE ARE SORRY….. I am a gold customer for ET. It is very disappointed!
It was a great experience for my first time flying with this airline. I will be flying with them a lot more now. Plane crew was amazing.
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.
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.
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.
The use of a domestic carrier without entertainment was disappointing and a let down
There where no ear phones provided and the food needs to improve.
I like the leg room. I did not like the plane from Chicago to Addis. It was dirty and smelly and toilet area filthy. My screen was not working and kept saying loading. The plane from Addis to Harare was clean , more modern and food looked much fresher and tasted better. Boarding at Addis was a nightmare, long queues and lots of confusion,International space has no seating are and one is standing all the time.
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.