$577 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa to California - Compare and Save

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 12/16. 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

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Cheap Flights from South Africa to California

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from South Africa to California 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 South Africa to California

Tue, Aug 18 - Mon, Aug 24
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:05 pm - 5:20 pm
CPT
-
LAX
30h 15m
1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:20 am - 5:50 pm
LAX
-
CPT
24h 30m
1 stop
$982Virgin Atlantic
Tue, Aug 18 - Mon, Aug 24
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:05 pm - 11:58 pm
CPT
-
SFO
36h 53m
1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
6:00 am - 5:50 pm
SFO
-
CPT
26h 50m
1 stop
$985Virgin Atlantic
Tue, Sep 1 - Tue, Sep 15
United Airlines Logo
8:00 pm - 11:34 am
CPT
-
LAX
24h 34m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:25 pm - 5:10 pm
LAX
-
CPT
42h 45m
2 stops
$999United Airlines
Fri, Aug 28 - Thu, Sep 10
United Airlines Logo
8:00 pm - 9:34 am
CPT
-
LAX
22h 34m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 3:20 pm
LAX
-
CPT
25h 20m
2 stops
$1,004United Airlines
Sun, Sep 13 - Wed, Nov 11
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 11:57 pm
CPT
-
SFO
36h 52m
1 stop
Delta Logo
11:45 pm - 6:35 pm
SFO
-
CPT
32h 50m
1 stop
$1,008Delta
Sun, Sep 13 - Wed, Nov 11
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 11:57 pm
CPT
-
SFO
36h 52m
1 stop
Delta Logo
11:45 pm - 6:35 pm
SFO
-
CPT
32h 50m
1 stop
$1,009Delta
Tue, Dec 1 - Tue, Jan 5
British Airways Logo
7:35 pm - 3:44 pm
JNB
-
LAX
30h 09m
2 stops
British Airways Logo
9:30 pm - 10:25 am
LAX
-
JNB
26h 55m
2 stops
$1,021British Airways
Tue, Dec 1 - Tue, Jan 5
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 10:50 am
JNB
-
LAX
26h 00m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:30 pm - 11:00 am
LAX
-
JNB
30h 30m
1 stop
$1,022Turkish Airlines
Tue, Oct 20 - Wed, Dec 2
Turkish Airlines Logo
5:55 pm - 4:40 pm
JNB
-
SFO
31h 45m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:35 pm - 11:00 am
SFO
-
JNB
30h 25m
1 stop
$1,054Turkish Airlines
Wed, Aug 19 - Wed, Aug 26
British Airways Logo
9:15 pm - 8:39 pm
JNB
-
SNA
32h 24m
2 stops
British Airways Logo
11:20 am - 7:00 am
SNA
-
JNB
34h 40m
2 stops
$1,253British Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

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

What is the cheapest month to fly from South Africa to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from South Africa to California, 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 South Africa to California is February, when tickets cost $708 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,343 and $1,205 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from South Africa to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to California, 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 South Africa to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 6% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 22 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$577
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 2% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 5% lower on average.
Flight from Johannesburg 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 from South Africa to California 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 from South Africa to California 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 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 from South Africa to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from South Africa to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to California. 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 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.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8486 reviews
7.8Entertainment
7.2Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

We never made it on this flight because we missed our connection due to o delayed flight from Jackson.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Jul 2026
SLC - SJC
Read more Delta reviews

We never made it on this flight because we missed our connection due to o delayed flight from Jackson.

We got stuck on the tarmac taxiing after landing early so we didn’t get off the plane until an hour later than we thought we would

It was okay. We were delayed for weather reasons, but the pilots and the flight control staff figured a way around the storm and were able to get us to Los Angeles safely. Not all the staff members were polite, but the entertainment on the flight was good.

I am a Diamond Medallion Delta traveller and this was a disappointing flight. They allowed half the flight to preboard before Delta One and Diamond Medallion. Once on the plane in my Delta Premium Select seat we were not given any welcome or greeting. Throughout the flight the flight attendant also did not make us feel any sort of special service or attention and even rushed us when she did bring us a snack to pick in the dark not even offering a light to look at what it was -- she was overall not helpful and not accommodating. for the extra cost of the seat it was honestly not a special experience this flight. heads up that even the warm cookies are now packaged. I ate nothing. There really was nothing that was special, stood out or exceptional. Luckily I mostly slept. But I was disappointed and question if I may try a different flight next time I go to Tokyo. The last few Delta flights have been less than great. which makes me very sad.

Crew was real good, flight was smooth and came in early.

Love me some Delta. One of the few airlines to recognize and support veterans. Easy boarding, flight was on time and arrived early and the flight attendants were excellent on this flight.

We sat on the runway for over an hour before departure. That was unwelcome.

Flight delayed four separate times. I’m now one hour hours late to landing.

worst flight ever from Delta, it got delayed and kept on delaying..

Everything went smoothly, although the usual gripes about airline travel were still present: the boarding process is inefficient, the snack selection is limited, and so on. Since there was extra space on the flight, the gate agent rearranged many people's seats to put people on the aisles and windows, leaving the middle seats empty, as much as possible, which was pretty great.

Nice, it was nice to have a free night's stay because our layover was over 18 hours.

Some of the best service I’ve ever seen on an international flight! The staff were super friendly and accommodating. The food was excellent with lots of choices and attention to detail. The seats are kind of old and narrow, but I have wide shoulders. The only area for improvement was making the cabin a little cooler.

It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. It’s comfortable the flight attendant. Respect you anything you ask for they gave you except the water.

Extremely bad BAD BAD BAD. NEVER TURKISH AIRLINES EVER AGAIN..PIRATES COMPANY.

The staff at the boarding or the rudest uninformative and no English whatsoever they’re very rude as if they are envious of you travelling I don’t understand how could someone would be this rude and this out of touch and cold

You charged me for luggage although the airline does not- you charged me for seat when customers can pick their own seat at checkout in I travel to Europe slot and I will not use kayak again

To be prepared for being treated with disrespect by the ground crew.

Seats too much and for the price we paid eve thought economy we still had to pay $169 to check a ba that’s ridiculous and also my daughter needed water so she can take her medicine we push the boton for the attendant to get us water they never came we push it 3 times no one came and ask what we needed . Am not happy with the service at all I will not fly with TK anymore

Small seat space for 13 hours flight, they charged for baggage , very bad quality of food,

I was sitting almost in the back, the seats are very tight and there’s no legroom, it’s uncomfortable for a long distance

We boarded the plane and were about to take off when we were notified that the tires had to be checked. Upon inspection, they were found to need replacement, so the entire plane had to be deboarded. After we exited the plane, United staff forced us to stay in the gate area by posting "Do Not Exit" signs on the doors connecting the gate area to the terminal. Many of us had already rebooked our flights and had no checked bags, but they told us we could not leave. This seemed inappropriate to hold people under false pretenses. When the agent told us we could leave, I asked them to please take down the "Do Not Exit" signs, as they were misleading. The agent refused, and I told them that it didn't feel right to hold people like that.

It was a short, comfortable flight. It did leave an hour late due to the pilot having to be replaced (family emergency) but that didn’t inconvenience myself & my friend. The situation was explained, eventually.

There was a piece of plastic baked into my buttermilk biscuit! I have a pictures. The flight attendants in first class were really apologetic, and tried to rectify the situation. I I am very appreciative that they were able to give me some packets of pretzels and gummy bears. I understand they don't personally handle the food until warming it up so I know it wasn't their fault. I don't know whether it was a newer aircraft, or different food packaging, but I was happy that when the food was being warmed up - it didn't smell like plastic. Jokes on me with finding plastic in my food.

The seats were uncomfortable, as if the cushions haven't been switched out in many years. I felt like I was on an old bus. The food was delicious. thank you. Onboard entertainment, very limited. Unless you like violent movies. Why in the world would you have such severely violent movies on a plane? if you don't want to see such things, you don't have a choice. Have you considered that when choosing entertainment? Good god. Why would you have the Godfather? Or black women being brutally beaten with a club? Why in the hell would you put that kind of material on a plane? As for Kayak: Why when I ordered Qantas, was the plane on United?

United was excellent. We had very good experience flying the carrier. Certainly. We will opt to fly them for sure. Lufthansa is out.

The seat that I got this time is really good.

UA594 was delayed multiple times. I ended up getting picked up so I can make it in time for work 6AM on Monday, 7/6/2026

Monitor control didn’t work & couldn’t figure out how to lay bed flat so I slept very poorly. Cabin was very cold

Excellent flight. On time. Great staff. Clean and crisp cabin.

The airline was fine, but I did want to share about Kayak's error through Underpricer. The original booking was purchased with ANA, and Kayak booked it with United. This is a mistake that should not be happening, since the price I paid was with ANA and that was my preference. I appreciate the efforts done to make this right by paying for the seat preference, but sitting in the back of the airplane under economy is not enough to make this error right. ANA Airlines was the experience I wanted considering this was a life time experience that my family and I wanted to have as part of our Japanese experience. Please work on your affiliation with Underpricer to make the right bookings that the customer pays for. In my situation, I could of paid less for a United ticket versus my original payment with ANA Airlines.

Mechanical delay > Crew Time out. No communication to passengers. Crew time out was positioned as a surprise (even though it must have been know at the time of boarding that the crew would time out.

I could not ask for more. Great service and experience.

Initial flight had an engine overheat - returned to DFW. Had another plane ready, but crew timed out. Had to wait 5h for boarding. Fully boarded and pilot says plane is not flight worthy. Deplane and go to the other end of the terminal. Wait an hour to board third plane because the crew couldn’t leave the second plane because no wheelchairs were brought to remove passengers. Finally take off and there is no catering (in flight service) even in first class. Very much an AA failure.

I was able to check into my flight through the app and online but had issues getting my boarding pass once I arrived to the airport.

I don’t like the music section but I believe it was a cost decision. I changed my flight last minute due to work issues and had to sit way in the back. The seats were way closer together than I would have preferred.

The plane was up-to-date, and the free wi-fi was very much appreciated! All of the ports functioned well, and the entertainment choices made the flight much more enjoyable. One of the flight attendants was unfriendly, but the flight was enjoyable overall.

The food was good. I almost didn't get a seat on the flight unless I agreed to sit in emergency exit.

I got bumped by Qantas to American Airlines incurring a 6 hr layover at lax. I was not happy

The flight attendant was very polite and attentive. The food was good.

I had a comfortable and enjoyable experience. The entertainment options were plentiful, the food was appetizing, the snacks were tasty, and the staff was friendly, professional, and helpful.

I was sent an email that said my card payment was not verified. When I spoke to an agent , he said my card was not verified and the flight I thought I had to booked was no longer available so I booked another flight on another airline(United). Later I got flight updates , etc., concerning my supposed first flight. So if I was charged for this flight on British Airways/American airlines, I need a refund.

Generally very good. I think their service is better than some other big names I used to travel with. Their food variety is second to none - and you can place order beforehand. Their seating design is a bit awkward for service, I'd say. Flight attendants must be tall enough - long legs and arms - to reach the window seat passenger while crossing over the isle passenger. Also appreciated the variety on entertainment.

Lovely big plane. Excellent take off and landing. Cabin crew were so nice. Flight in time no delays

Los Angeles to London. 25th of April 2026. Business class. I was flying backwards with a complete stranger snoring next to me. In Business class. Males and females, strangers lying next to each other. Seats were backwards. I paid for comfort. I got dizziness and stress.

The crew has always been great on BA. They are very friendly and accommodating. I like that they have vegetarian options already in the menu. And the free wine is a nice perk.) I noticed (both directions of my trip) minor upgrades/ replacements needed on the plane itself (touch screen didn't work with touch; bathroom light didn't go on). However, this is one of my favorite airlines.

There was a delay for the San Francisco-London flight, but we were all informed via text and email. The staff was very friendly and nice and the food was good. I do recommend that the airline offer something without eggs or something vegan for the vegetarian meal option. A lot of Indians are lacto-vegetarian, while some could be allergic to eggs/dairy.

Crew were nice, food was good. Boarding was horrendous. We were driven around the airport in a bus forced to climb a long flight of very steep stairs with no adequate handrails to board the plane . In many many years of flying to the US I have never been required to do this . There was no assistance for those needing help getting up the stairs to the plane. A fellow passenger helped me. No idea how other elderly, physically limited passengers or those with young children managed . It was a full flight with crowds trying to get up the stairs. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Horrible, the plane is just old and junky...Filthy restroom, seat was as hard as rock. The food, mystery side dish, inedible..geez..just Horrible. Never flying BA again

the service on Business class should be improved to be at par with industry leaders like Cathay Pacific and Singapore AIrlines. A lot of room for improvement.

Entertainment devices on A380 need to be fixed, the seats might do with updates.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to California

Cabin classes available on flights to California. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.