$576 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 3/12. 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

KAYAK searches 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, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Chicago, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Cheap Flights from South Africa to Chicago

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

Wed, Apr 15 - Mon, May 4
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 am - 8:15 am
JNB
-
ORD
30h 55m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:15 am - 1:05 pm
ORD
-
JNB
19h 50m
1 stop
$835Ethiopian Air
Wed, Apr 15 - Mon, May 4
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:00 pm - 9:40 am
JNB
-
ORD
22h 40m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
8:10 pm - 10:30 am
ORD
-
JNB
31h 20m
1 stop
$851Turkish Airlines
Wed, Apr 8 - Wed, Apr 15
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 am - 8:35 am
JNB
-
ORD
29h 45m
1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
2:00 pm - 8:20 am
ORD
-
JNB
35h 20m
1 stop
$853Etihad Airways
Wed, Apr 22 - Thu, Apr 30
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 am - 8:35 am
JNB
-
ORD
29h 45m
1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
2:00 pm - 8:20 am
ORD
-
JNB
35h 20m
1 stop
$865Etihad Airways
Mon, May 11 - Sat, Jun 6
American Airlines Logo
7:25 pm - 2:00 pm
JNB
-
ORD
25h 35m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
3:45 pm - 7:00 am
ORD
-
JNB
32h 15m
2 stops
$959American Airlines
Wed, May 13 - Sat, Jun 6
American Airlines Logo
7:25 pm - 2:00 pm
JNB
-
ORD
25h 35m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
3:45 pm - 9:25 am
ORD
-
JNB
34h 40m
2 stops
$963American Airlines
Thu, May 28 - Thu, Jun 4
KLM Logo
6:25 pm - 2:15 pm
CPT
-
ORD
26h 50m
2 stops
KLM Logo
4:20 pm - 9:25 pm
ORD
-
CPT
22h 05m
1 stop
$1,034KLM
Thu, May 28 - Thu, Jun 4
KLM Logo
6:25 pm - 2:15 pm
CPT
-
ORD
26h 50m
2 stops
KLM Logo
4:20 pm - 9:25 pm
ORD
-
CPT
22h 05m
1 stop
$1,035KLM
Thu, May 28 - Thu, Jun 4
Delta Logo
11:15 pm - 2:15 pm
CPT
-
ORD
22h 00m
1 stop
Delta Logo
10:25 am - 9:25 pm
ORD
-
CPT
28h 00m
2 stops
$1,129Delta
Mon, Apr 6 - Mon, Apr 13
Delta Logo
7:40 am - 2:15 pm
CPT
-
ORD
37h 35m
1 stop
Delta Logo
10:15 am - 9:25 pm
ORD
-
CPT
28h 10m
2 stops
$1,154Delta
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Chicago

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 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 $948 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are January and July, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,274 and $1,212 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $948.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Chicago, 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, you should book around 0 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 46 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 Greater Rockford Airport, with an average flight price of $141.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$576
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 1% 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.

  • How many direct flights to Chicago are there each week?

    Each week there are around 11,080 direct flights from within South Africa to Chicago. The most common day for departures is Thursday, with 16% of flights taking off on this day.

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.

Reviews of the top 3 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8238 reviews
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.2Food
8.5Crew
7.9Comfort
Airline reviews

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

2.0 MediocreYogendra Kumar, Feb 2026
DTW - MDT
Read more Delta reviews

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

We waited an hour on the runway to get a gate in Orlando

Flight was delayed by 3-hours and their fix was… complimentary pretzels.

Flight was delayed due to crew being not on time

Flight crew issues delayed my flight by 2 1/2 hours. Causing me to miss my connection.

The staff on board and gate was nice - a welcome change from the usual. We also arrived early, which was a great benefit, given that it takes 30 minutes plus to get bags at SRQ.

The staff was frielndly. The plane was terrible, it was too small and should be decommissioned. There were no back seat screens at all. The only beverages we had a choice from was coffee, tea or water. The only bathroom in the back was behind the flight attendant's jump seat and wasn't working. And I literally felt like I was sitting on top of the guy next to me. It was terribly hot in the plane and we had to sit on the tarmac in Chicago for 1/2 hour due to congestion in Mpls. Wouldn't they have know that before they even boarded us so that we could have sat in comfort in the terminal?

Never got on it. Was re-routed through Detroit and am still in airports 12 hours later waiting for my connecting plane to arrive.

Delta has too many delays now days. It is 1:06 am now. I was supposed to land in Norfolk at 10:30 pm. I got re-booked through Detroit and I’m still in Detroit. I hope to be landed in Norfolk by 3am. I’ve been in airports for 12 hours as of right now. There is a weather delay now but most delays lately have been maintenance.

Very Very late. Subsequent flights left an hour before ours

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Flight was ok but lack of communication cost me to literally beg to be put on another flight as connecting flight had departed

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

Short flight so it was okay. Nice crew, all very pleasant and professional. We were near the back in row 27 so just as we got our drinks, we started our descent so had to drink very quickly!

KLM remains a quality flag carrier airline which maintains its standards whilst all their competitors are lowering theirs.

Our first flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. However it was easy to book a later flight on their app.

The service was great. However the lounge only gets passing grade

Cabin crew professional, polite and friendly, boarding was seemless, but come on KLM surely you can do better than a pack of cheesy biscuits as an inflight snack

Late takeoff, but on time landing. Lost bags, 3 days to find them, still in transit to my location. Power outlets broken, Wi-Fi not working, so much for working on the long flight.

Late! Late and late! More than 1hr 30mn. This sucks when it is the last of a 4 flight journey. I missed my dinner! Which is not nice on Valentine’s Day!!! But better than the gate next to us, the poor Chinese people were rebooked to the next day flight. AA had to call security as it became very heated with the passengers! It was a mess at DFW that afternoon/evening. I wish they had some food for the people who travel as part of international journey. Indigo does it in India and it is fantastic.

Good. For a long flight. The comfort of the seat could be better. Also, the food was « normal » plane food. Not indian plane food unfortunately! Everything else was smooth and great.

The seats were comfortable. So many empty seats allowed for stretching out and sleeping. The onboard entertainment was pretty good. The cabin crew were so kind and kept the passengers well- hydrated, and well fed.

We had American Airlines on our return and it was confusing if we were going with Aa or BA I had 2 different flight numbers and didn’t get our gate until it was boarding. So we were a bit nervous as the which it was

Our Jackson, Mississippi to Dallas Fort Worth flight was delayed on 1/19/26.. This was changed to Jackson to Charlotte in the last minute because of this delay. This started some kind of disconnect between American Airlines and British Airways bookings. We could not go past the passport control in London Heathrow. I had to go to the counter and waited for more than 30 minutes to get a new boarding pass. Problems did not end there. Somehow our entire return flight was canceled by someone. I had to make several phone calls over several days to fix the problem – this was not easy from India. Looks like there was some kind of disconnect between two airlines or some agent did not do it right. I’m anxious to know what went wrong.

My touch screen at my seat wasn't working, the films BA advertised on the website for this flight were not available, and the plane was a little dated, food was good and the staff were good, just let down by the aircraft facilities.

Did not like the seating configuration at all with 2+3+2 in business class. Lacking total privacy and comfort

The flight crew was kind, flexible, and accommodating. The seats on the plane were extremely uncomfortable.

Check-in experience, for business call please provide a premium experience

Traveling to a place near Chicago?

Book flights to Chicago if you plan to visit one of these locations
Merrillville
Saint Joseph
Hammond
Portage
Lansing
Valparaiso
Chesterton
Munster
Schererville
Porter
Monticello
Griffith
Saint John

Everything you need to know for your flight to Chicago

Cabin class types available on flights to Chicago

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