$572 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 11/1. 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

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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Flight Deals

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

mer, set 10 - lun, set 15
Ethiopian Air Logo
2:35 pm - 8:15 amCPT-ORD
24h 40m2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:15 am - 2:35 pmORD-CPT
21h 20m1 stop
$818Ethiopian Air
Find Deal
gio, nov 13 - gio, dic 4
Etihad Airways Logo
9:50 am - 7:55 amJNB-ORD
30h 05m1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
1:10 pm - 8:20 amORD-JNB
35h 10m1 stop
$888Etihad Airways
Find Deal
gio, set 11 - gio, set 25
Delta Logo
8:40 pm - 5:59 pmJNB-ORD
28h 19m2 stops
Delta Logo
6:28 pm - 10:20 amORD-JNB
32h 52m2 stops
$962Delta
Find Deal
mar, nov 25 - gio, gen 29
Delta Logo
8:50 pm - 9:50 pmCPT-ORD
33h 00m2 stops
Delta Logo
2:45 pm - 7:15 pmORD-CPT
20h 30m1 stop
$1,008Delta
Find Deal
gio, dic 11 - dom, gen 4
British Airways Logo
10:00 pm - 6:45 pmJNB-ORD
28h 45m1 stop
British Airways Logo
4:11 pm - 10:25 amORD-JNB
34h 14m2 stops
$1,012British Airways
Find Deal
gio, dic 11 - dom, gen 4
British Airways Logo
10:00 pm - 6:45 pmJNB-ORD
28h 45m1 stop
British Airways Logo
9:45 pm - 10:25 amORD-JNB
28h 40m1 stop
$1,027British Airways
Find Deal
mar, set 23 - gio, nov 27
KLM Logo
6:25 pm - 2:40 pmCPT-ORD
27h 15m2 stops
KLM Logo
11:19 am - 9:55 pmORD-CPT
26h 36m2 stops
$1,037KLM
Find Deal
lun, set 8 - lun, dic 8
United Airlines Logo
9:20 pm - 11:49 amJNB-ORD
21h 29m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
10:35 pm - 9:30 amORD-JNB
26h 55m1 stop
$1,148United Airlines
Find Deal
sab, ott 11 - sab, ott 18
KLM Logo
7:45 am - 2:10 pmCPT-ORD
37h 25m1 stop
KLM Logo
4:15 pm - 9:25 pmORD-CPT
22h 10m1 stop
$1,184KLM
Find Deal
ven, ott 3 - ven, ott 10
United Airlines Logo
8:00 pm - 2:34 pmCPT-ORD
25h 34m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
9:20 pm - 3:20 pmORD-CPT
35h 00m1 stop
$1,325United Airlines
Find Deal
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 $971 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,219 and $1,195 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $971.

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 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 15% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 25 weeks 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 (RFD), with an average flight price of $176.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$572
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Johannesburg to Chicago Midway 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.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Chicago?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Chicago is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $967. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, where round-trip prices are $1,318 on average.

  • 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.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Chicago is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost $1,005 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 $1,099.

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

    Each week there are around 10,488 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 4 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 7977 reviews
7.3Food
8.5Crew
7.9Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
Airline reviews

This route with Delta always has delays or is cancelled. Aircrafts seem smaller and older. I fly Delta quite a bit - haven’t had issues with the international flights. But this route has always been the troublesome one

4.0 Okaypuravi, Aug 2025LGA - STL
Read more Delta reviews

This route with Delta always has delays or is cancelled. Aircrafts seem smaller and older. I fly Delta quite a bit - haven’t had issues with the international flights. But this route has always been the troublesome one

The flight crew was friendly. I tried to adjust my seat online ahead of time but no option existed without additional fees. My friend asked at the gate about a seat change and was able to make it happen. That was great! The flight crew moved a very tall gentleman and his companion which allowed us to have more space which was nice. Overall, good experience. Appreciated the blanket and pillow.

Three seats in first class were broken and while they were able to still acommodate us it was looking very touch and go and they had others they could not acommodate

Mechanic delay in addition to a 2 hour change in takeoff time was frustrating.

Delayed due to thunderstorms and no in-flight service due to rough weather — both of which are out of Delta’s control. Flight was good overall.

The flight attendants in SLC were rude. I arrived 40 minutes early to gate. Ticket said I needed check in for seat assignments and tried check in and attendants said they weren’t doing it. And proceeded to never call me to give me a ticket so when time to board I received the very last seat. Please relay to employees to do their job better..,

On this flight I felt the food offering was not as complete as on previous flights. The tomato salad was a bit off and there was nothing additional such a bread or butter. The breakfast was only one option, so you either ate what they had or ate nothing. The crew was efficient, but most seemed frustrated throughout the flight. The flight arrived early and was obstacle-free, so I’m overall quite happy, but the shine in the rest of the experience just wasn’t there.

Our seats were comfortable with adequate room to stretch out and recline. The food was tasty and served it just the right intervals. Our flight attendant was extra attentive and friendly. Flight arrived early. And the most turbulence. Overall that’s good and experience for an 11 hour flight as can be hoped for

The seats got pretty uncomfortable pretty fast. The armrests are bigger than on other planes, so I had less room in the actual seat. My butt hurt by the end of the flight. :/ comfort was the primary issue. The crew were fantastic!

I believe that a four-hour trip should have a meal. Delta had none.

Over 1 Hr delay. No APU so no AC on ground. Plane was hot during boarding and then they closed the doors over 20 minutes before engine start so interior of plane was steamy hot and stuffy. Could have been helped by opening doors until ready to depart.

Ad experience - been flying many years with them but they are losing out to other carriers with their service and bagage / seating policy. My 2 12-yo kids were not placed with the parent. Absurdity.

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.

Klm start boarding while somw air issue in the plan

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

Cabin crew were excellent, very proffesional, polite and friendly, in flight snack was underwhelming, a packet of cheese biscuits, im sure KLM could run to a sandwich!

Legroom not all it could be, especially when the seat in front is reclined. Otherwise it was good, food and beverage were nice.

My flight was delayed about 1 1/2 hours in Chicago, but other then that it was a good flight.

Flight attendant in first class gave poor service (like he didn't want to be there) and food was awful. We sat waiting for gate upon arrival over 45 mins.

Inoperable monitor left no entert for 9 hours. Crew was not helpful Food was awful.

Weather delay in Chicago?. No sense of urgency to make connection in Chicago for our connecting flight that wasn't delayed. Connection was missed.

Overall it was good. I missed my connection but I was put on another flight.

Overall a very poor experience - booked premium economy tickets but due to last minute flight delays , all my itinery went for a toss and had to fly economy class with no access to lounge or any compensation by united airlines to make up for the flight delays . i had expected better experience than that from united.

It was fine, definitely older planes with no charging or anything. There’s no entertainment set up on board, but it is nice that they allow you to access the in flight entertainment from your phone without having to pay for the Wi-Fi and they do offer free texting.

I liked that the flight was nonstop from ORD to CIU for $200 round trip.

All flight attendants could benefit by taking an international flight on Qantas Airline. Qantas attendants are much more hospitable in every way. Much superior than and attendants on any US airline.

While the staff was pleasant and helpful, the following observations are for your awareness. There was some delay on the tarmac on take off and landing. The paid lunch/food offerings were limited. Entertainment was only available on WiFi at a cost.

They issued seat assignments and sat my 2 year-old in the row behind me, separate from me and my daughter. Communication/ customer service was terrible. They told me to change it in London, then in London, they told me to talk to the cabin crew, then a supervisor came and stuck us in the back of the plane when we were supposed to be in row 25. Overall, they need to really work on their customer service. Additionally the food was terrible and they ran out of meals and didn’t have any kid options. To top it off there was no in-flight entertainment for the first hour of the trip.

We missed the connection because we had to wait for a shuttle from the plane to the Terminal. Also, we needed assistance and none was available.

When we arrived at the airport - 1st step - printing out your boarding pass - no issue. Not long lines as these machines. 2nd step - processing your bag drop off. There was only one associate there to help 10 kiosks. We had a family in front of us for 20 minutes trying to work on the machine and figure out every step for 4 pieces of luggage. My husband alerted the associate who was able to assist the family. Highly suggest that there are more associates to assist in this process. Besides this issue, security check went very quickly. Our flight was direct to Philadelphia. We had to carry our bags down two flights of steps, then out to the tarmac to a bus, then carry our bags up two flights of stairs to the plane. No one on the flight was expecting that long trek. I could see some people were struggling a bit. All in all - great flight crew, plane was clean and food was great!

There were no gluten-free vegan options available, so food was very limited on this flight, and some of the crew weren’t especially helpful about it. To make matters worse, a passenger was sick on board, and although the area was cleaned, the smell lingered for the rest of the journey. On top of that, we ended up circling for an extra hour, which only made the unpleasant situation drag on even longer.

Checking in prior on line and wait time at Gatwick was terrible. I would rate a big fat ZERO.

There was a slight delay. Otherwise, everything else was satisfactory.

The company that I bought my tickets through, Cheapflightsfares, failed to provide my confirmation information in a timely manner, so I was unable to check on at the country and therefore unable to make my flight. As a matter of fact, I STILL have not received the confirmation. After having read more and more reviews about the company, Cheapflightsfares appears to have scammed hundreds of hopeful travelers out of thousands of dollars. Please look into this company and, for the sake of anyone planning their next trip, stop allowing them to do business through you.

I checked in to bags, one arrived one was delayed. I did not receive the bag for 4 days - arrived on Tuesday, received bag on Saturday!

It was ok. Our flight was delayed 2 hours, and then again on arrival. The explanation given felt feeble.

The plane was known to be late in advance of takeoff. My guess is that it was known to be late at 11am or 5 hours before scheduled takeoff time. We were late to leave and with a wheelchair and the a cart, we only made it to gate. We raced! Inside plane, all was great

Traveling to a place near Chicago?

Book flights to Chicago if you plan to visit one of these locations
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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.

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