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Find cheap flights to South Africa from $439

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from the United States to South Africa departing on 5/4. 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
Mon 5/27
Mon 6/3

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Best South Africa Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Johannesburg
Johannesburg2 stops$988
Cape Town
Cape Town3 stops$914
Durban
Durban3 stops$1,253
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops$1,319
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops$1,439
George
George2 stops$1,235
Polokwane
Polokwane2 stops$1,523

Good to know

Low season

April

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$439
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 1% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 24% increase in price.
Flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Johannesburg

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • What transport options do I have from Oliver Tambo International Airport?

    JNB connects to a train link system that offers transit to and from the airport. You could take a train to the city center when visiting South Africa and land at Tambo Airport. The train link runs at 12-minute intervals and operates between 5:15 a.m. and 10 p.m. You can also hire a metered taxi at the ground transportation area. You can use hotel shuttles serving the airport if you check into one of the hotels.

  • Do South African airports offer accessible services to passengers with special needs?

    Passengers with reduced mobility can request wheelchairs from the airlines. You can request pre-boarding, boarding, and aisle chair assistance at any of the airports. The airports have wheelchair-accessible facilities to allow for independent access by passengers with limited mobility. To acquire the accessibility services, ensure you make a reservation at least two days before your travel date. The airports also have facilities suited for hard-of-hearing passengers and the visually impaired.

  • Can I rent a car at South Africa's airports?

    Yes, South Africa's airports offer car rental services for convenient movement around the country. The airports' car rental agencies include Avis, Capital, Europcar, Select, Thrifty, and Woodford car rental. To rent a vehicle, you must be at least 18 years old, a valid driver's license holder for at least a year, and an International Driver's Permit holder. The renting process is easy as you can drive out of the airport with your rental car upon landing.

  • What are the most common layover cities when flying to South Africa?

    You can opt for direct flights from the U.S. to different parts of South Africa. However, if a flight with layovers fits you, there are several options. The layover destination you choose depends on the origin city and the destination city in SA. If you are flying into SA Johannesburg from Chicago's ORD, you can have your layover in Paris (CGD) or Istanbul (IST). From ATL, you can stop in Amsterdam (AMS). You can also have your layover at Amsterdam or Frankfurt (FRA) when flying to SA from New York JFK.

  • Are there nonstop flights to South Africa?

    Although there are flights from the United States available to over a dozen different small and large cities throughout South Africa, the only nonstop flights from the US to South Africa arrive in Johannesburg. Some of the nonstop flights to Johannesburg are available from Atlanta and Washington, DC.

  • Do I need a visa to enter South Africa?

    To visit South Africa for a duration of up to 90 days, United States nationals are not required to acquire a visa in advance. Instead, a visitor’s visa can be obtained at the port of entry on arrival. Official visa rules can be found on South Africa’s government immigration website and are subject to change without notice.

  • Where should I fly to if I want to visit Kruger National Park?

    If you’re one of the many tourists heading to South Africa to visit the Kruger National Park, it can be handy to fly into Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP). Although there are no direct routes, this airport gives direct access to the southern section of Kruger National Park. One of the most common layovers is in Johannesburg and you can find that more than one airline operates the route. Some of the companies are South Africa and jetBlue.

  • I want to visit Table Mountain in South Africa, which city should I fly to?

    Table Mountain is another extremely popular tourist destination in South Africa, and it lies just outside of the city of Cape Town. To get there, you can fly into Cape Town then take one of the many available buses or taxis to the base of Table Mountain, where you can either hike or take a cable car the rest of the way.

  • How long is the flight to South Africa?

    An average nonstop flight from the United States to South Africa takes 23h 59m, covering a distance of 8684 miles. The most popular route is New York - Johannesburg with an average flight time of 22h 50m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

    The cheapest ticket to South Africa from the United States found in the last 72 hours was $822 one-way, and $761 round-trip. The most popular route is New York John F Kennedy Intl to Johannesburg OR Tambo and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $819.

  • Which airlines fly to South Africa?

    United Airlines & Delta fly the most frequently from the United States to South Africa.

  • What are the most popular destinations in South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Johannesburg (47% of total searches to South Africa). The next most popular destinations are Cape Town (31%) and Sun City Resort (17%). Searches for flights to Durban (3%), to Port Elizabeth (0.7%) and to Phalaborwa (0.3%) are also popular.

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

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

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Africa

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest South Africa flight deals.
  • South Africa has three main international airports spread through its three major cities — Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo Airport (JNB), Cape Town's Airport (CPT), and Durban's King Shaka Airport (DUR). CPT is the metropolitan area's main gateway, JNB has good accessibility and connectivity, and DUR is the best regional airport in South Africa.
  • Oliver Tambo Airport in Johannesburg is South Africa's primary hub, the busiest in the continent and the center for South African Airways. If you are flying into South Africa from the U.S., consider landing in JNB, as it serves six continents globally.
  • Johannesburg is South Africa's gateway and an entry point for direct flights from the U.S. All direct flights from the U.S. land in Johannesburg from Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD). The destination airport is JNB.
  • If you are flying to Oliver Tambo Airport, the airport is easy to maneuver. JNB consists of two terminals, A and B, with a central terminal building handling luggage and check-in connecting the two terminals. You can walk to either of the terminals.
  • If you are visiting the metropolitan area of South Africa, fly into Cape Town Airport, which offers a hassle-free travel experience. The airport is the only one in the metro area offering scheduled passenger services.
  • Getting to South Africa will almost certainly involve a layover, which commonly also includes a change in airline. One of the most common (and most affordable) routes to South Africa from the United States is from New York City (JFK Airport) to Johannesburg. This route is nonstop and is operated by South Africa Airways.
  • When booking your flight to South Africa, you’ll have no shortage of airports to choose from. There are more than 15 international airports in South Africa that you can fly to from the United States, with the airports in Johannesburg and Cape Town seeing the most international air traffic.
  • Heading to the Valley of 1,000 hills? This popular attraction is located in the Durban area. To get there, you’ll have to fly into Durban King Shaka International Airport (DUR). Located in the city of La Mercy, the airport is reachable via a layover in Johannesburg.
  • If you’re one of the many tourists heading to South Africa to hike up to Lion’s Head, you’ll have to fly into Cape Town for convenient access. Common layovers between the US and Cape Town include Madrid and Johannesburg.
  • To reach Ballito (nicknamed the Dolphin Coast), your best option is to fly into Durban King Shaka International Airport. Direct flights to this airport aren’t available from the US, with most involving a layover in Johannesburg.
See more tips

Top 5 airlines flying to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United States to South Africa? 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 10966 reviews
7.9comfort
8.6crew
8.0entertainment
8.2boarding
7.4food
Airline reviews

Delta is one of the best airlines I have flown

10.0 ExcellentKellie, Apr 2024ANC - SEA
Read more about Delta reviews

Delta is one of the best airlines I have flown

Made the Atlanta to Pittsburgh trip many times, with Delta no issues

I always fly with Delta. My friends tell me their horror stories of flying with other airlines. I just smile and say, “You should fly Delta”

I'm a larger, athletic guy (6'2", 260lbs powerlifter) and I found the seats incredibly uncomfortable with minimal leg room, especially in a window seat. Now, I full understand that being smaller may change my view but even if I was 80lbs less, my legs would be the same size and I was sandwiched between my seat and the seat in front of me.

Horrible. This was not first class. This was a connecting flight whi h was late. My original flight never came. I hated the fact that delta gave me a connecting flight from New York to Orlando Florida. No meals and the television screens were not working. There wasn't even any power to charge your phones. This is NOT FIRST CLASS DELTA!!! Do better next time!

This flight was ridiculous. I had to have a connecting flight from New York to orlando Florida??? The flight left late and because it was a short flight there was no first class amenities. I had one alcohol drink. The flight crew was fine, but it sure did not feel like first class. Delta to me dropped the ball by giving me a connecting flight. By the time we got to Raleigh we would have missed the next flight. Lucky for me the flight never came so now I was stuck waiting for a later flight that came in late also.

Our flight was delayed in Atlanta. The staff could have gave us an explanation for the delay and how long it would be.

I liked the ease of checking in, luggage check in, wheel chair assistance, boarding and flight.

On my way home I had a layover. The flight from ATL to CLT was amended 5x while I was waiting. I could have driven home sooner. Overall from Dallas, Tx to Charlotte, NC I started my trip at 4:30pm, I didn’t get home until past midnight. I know things happen, but 5x to make me run back and forth in an airport from different terminals is excessive. I also upgraded to comfort + , I didn’t feel it was worth it. There was no benefit

On my way home I had a layover. The flight from ATL to CLT was amended 5x while I was waiting. I could have driven home sooner. Overall from Dallas, Tx to Charlotte, NC I started my trip at 4:30pm, I didn’t get home until past midnight. I know things happen, but 5x to make me run back and forth in an airport from different terminals is excessive.

Nothing really was great as such. Seen other no name airlines perform better.

Quality of service on board was very inconsistent. FA service primarily seemed robotic and they barely engaged with passengers

I’m unclear why I had to pay extra for assigned seats as Turkish airlines did not honor the seating. We were placed across the aisle from each other on TK 34, and were seated behind one another on TK 694. Because my name was misspelled on e-ticket (Klawiter, instead of Klawitter) I could not log onto website to get the connection gate number in Istanbul. The monitors in the airport were a jumbled mess 1/2 Arabic and 1/2 English.

On line check in needs a lot of improvement. I tried and gave up.

Food not good, flight attendants not the best, not accommodating very ruff

the female flight attendant was racist towards me. I could tell she treated the two other passengers next to me with more softness.

Oh my god! For an13 hour flight they serve you food just one time. Also don’t be thirsty they give you a little small cup of soda to drink. They seem like their goal is to feed you one so they don’t have to be bothered with you. It quite surprise for such a long flight there are several times to eat at least three and the food was well lackluster. The food and lack of offering drinks which were always hot no ice provided.

We were traveling first class. Checkin counter lady and her manager, both were in bad mood and did not treat us well about checking in the handbag. The gate agent took care of it right away. I travel Turkish twice a year in first class. No one has ever refused to check in the hand bag. Not sure, why this agent and her manager refused. Everything else was excellent.

The 787 economy was a disaster for long haul. The space was too little compared to 777 or 747. Also the extremely low tray table behind the seat made any dining effort a nightmare. However, the movies were up to date, and the food taste was good, despite of terrible serving process caused by small space.

A little bit more comfort. It’s tight space around the seats. But all else is great and a smooth flight!

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.

Last minute gate change nearly caused us to miss our flight. Change was not announced or displayed in the main board at the old gate. Terrible communication. When we landed we had to wait 20 minutes because there was another plane at the assigned gate. Not the crew’s fault, but adding 20 minutes to a 45 minute flight sucked.

Nothing beats ANA customer service on my opinion. Maybe because of their Japanese culture (and food). Arigatō

So so. Terrible aircraft choice for that leg of the flight.

Due to one crew member not showing up to work, our flight was significantly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight in Houston to Mississippi causing us to be delayed by more than 6 hours and missing our event all together. Very disappointing. All because ONE crew member called in sick. United did grant us a $15 meal voucher, which was a small but appreciated concession that I wasn’t able to use because I ordered my lunch and paid for it before applying the concession, and the staff said it was too late to use it. Ugh! We also had a TWO delay coming back from Mississippi, but that was on American Airlines and it was due to weather, so not their fault. Anyway, not at all impressed with United’s handling of our flight and the HUGE disappointment of missing our important family event for our 90 year old mother. All that money and all that stress and emotions for nothing. Having to wait the hour to bring an employee from LAX seemed like something that should not have happened. Why don’t you have a local back-up? Santa Ana is not a little airport in a rural area.

Flight delayed from Cape Town to Washington then got diverted to miami and in miami we had to fend for ourselves , im still trying to get to Shreveport now

delay several times and wait extra long to board. no entertainment service because there are problem for some rows. always encounter some delays for the last flight of the day.

I just wrote a text which was supposed to be for the flight from Denver to spokane not Frankfurt to Denver.

On time every leg of the journey and exceptional staff at counter, gate, and on board. I haven’t travelled in US for a long time and was genuinely surprised how pleasant this was.

Hated every minute of it. This flight should have only taken 1.5hrs but was delayed over 10hours. Now I am being told I cannot be compensated or refunded my ticket price or extra leg room, which I purchased but did not receive, because the airline is throwing the blame on the 3rd party I purchased tickets through and 3rd party putting the blame on airline. No one wants to help. They received their money and that's all they care about. Im going on 3 days of still trying to get to my final destination, had to cancel car rental, car insurance and hotel. Currently staying in airport until hotels open up. Thank you Lufthansa, Kayak, Underpricer and United for making this trip the worst ever.

I think the seats on some of their planes are uncomfortable. You can be ok on a short flight of two hours but no more than that. The delays, and also the refreshments on the plane were not enough.

Flight delayed over an over all day until it cancelled at 1:30am. Would not repeatedly delay that late. Offer hotel rooms and rebook early. Very difficult for families with small children

Not sure why JAL partnered with American Airlines because their service is no where near similar. Flight attendants were not friendly and didn’t smile. Food was horrible…

this is starting to seem like an american airlines standard. delayed flights and fake apologies… getting tired of it

Terrible boarding , Business class seats are sub standard. As usual crew will miss your food too

Just get Economy Plus for international flights, so worth it the extra room, bigger seats…

This flight is frequently delayed. The connections seemingly are more frequently delayed. I’ve missed connections as a result twice on the same route to charlotte then Charleston. Final destination arrival has been the next day, twice in a row. No pilots, no crew. Too many excuses. Unfortunately, my days with American are over.

Entertainment was okay not because anything was wrong but it is a short flight so having no wifi is annoying but understandable. Crew was outstanding as usual

It was spectacular. I had basic Economy and was given so much space and their seats lean back so far. Staff was superb, food was superb, everything was superb, Finnair is Fantastic.

Those seats were way too narrow. I had the middle seat, one person was a very skinny person and we still couldn’t avoid touching each other anytime one of us moved. The other person was larger and we were basically sitting in each others lap the entire flight. There was zero entertainment. The flight was long enough to justify tvs, but no. Gotta sit there in your infant seat and twiddle your thumbs.

Excellent! Great flight attendants, good food (in business class, at least), very comfortable. Touchscreen and remote wasn’t great.

In economy and food was ok, but with limited leg space (and I was in a 2 seat configuration) it was difficult to eat with a tiny seat tray. I spilt wine on my trousers. First time on British Air (I usually fly Turkish Air) and in a 777. Heathrow was pleasant but changing terminals awkward.

Starting with the flight Cairo to London the plain was so poor no entertainment at all uncomfortable seats although it’s 5 hours long,then an American airline plain took me from London to Miami it was a bad experience the crew most of flight time not available and they asked us to help our selves for any snacks if we need. From Miami to London actually was perfect flight with a huge plain and perfect crew but from London to Cairo was horrible plain with stiff fixed seats not movable no entertainment or wi fi very poor Menu which is unacceptable for a business class

I've done hundreds of flights in my life, and this flight was one of the best I've ever taken, From beginning to end, everything went smoothly, professionally, and with a smile and friendly attitude from all employees I interacted with. The food was delicious (and free), as were the drinks. There was just a genial and effective way in the way that British Airways organized the flight -that reminded of days in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, when flying was a fun, and exciting adventure. I enjoyed and had confidence in the abilities of the flight crew, I'll be flying British Airways several more times this summer. Thank you so much for the great experience! Cheryl Olso

My baggage did not arrived with me. Took 3 days to get it after so may calls and follow up

Terrible! I missed my flight to my final destination and British airlines and American Airlines keep pointing fingers on each other’s. Nobody wants to take responsibility

Terrible. Flight was 3 hours delayed and I missed my other flight to my final destination

The crew on board were all very pleasant and happy to help. The flight had the old business class seats. The departure board in the business lounge did not update and kept on saying ' gate open' but never said boarding. When I got nervous about the departure time and walked to the gate I was told off rudely for being late.

Overall, terrific service, accommodations, and experience. Only reason comfort was rated lower was because it was difficult to keep a comfortable sleeping position for the overnight flight, but I also had an economy seat.

Not sure if the crew were experiencing something unknown to me,but the service of passing water was non-existent.In addition,please take consideration when providing yogurt as alternative for breakfast as some of us, could be lactose intolerant.. thanks

Book Cheap South Africa Plane Tickets

Recent round-trip flight deals

5/11Sat
2 stopsEthiopian Air
33h 45mJFK-CPT
5/17Fri
2 stopsEthiopian Air
35h 25mCPT-JFK
$965
5/8Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
23h 15mIAD-JNB
5/15Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
32h 35mJNB-IAD
$992
5/2Thu
1 stopTurkish Airlines
35h 25mIAD-JNB
5/6Mon
1 stopTurkish Airlines
26h 40mJNB-IAD
$1,024
5/4Sat
1 stopBritish Airways
26h 30mIAD-JNB
6/4Tue
1 stopBritish Airways
24h 35mJNB-IAD
$1,029
5/4Sat
1 stopTurkish Airlines
30h 30mIAD-JNB
5/31Fri
1 stopTurkish Airlines
26h 40mJNB-IAD
$1,038
5/9Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
28h 40mIAD-JNB
7/3Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 10mJNB-IAD
$1,079
5/2Thu
1 stopUnited Airlines
18h 16mIAD-JNB
5/6Mon
2 stopsUnited Airlines
42h 28mJNB-IAD
$1,097
5/2Thu
2 stopsUnited Airlines
42h 00mIAD-JNB
5/6Mon
2 stopsUnited Airlines
42h 28mJNB-IAD
$1,136
5/18Sat
1 stopDelta
23h 50mEWR-CPT
5/26Sun
1 stopDelta
23h 30mCPT-EWR
$1,425
5/18Sat
1 stopDelta
23h 50mJFK-CPT
5/26Sun
1 stopDelta
21h 29mCPT-JFK
$1,425

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5/4Sat
1 stopEgypt Air
37h 10mIAD-JNB
$439
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37h 10mJFK-JNB
$518
7/25Thu
1 stopTurkish Airlines
37h 05mATL-JNB
$778
5/11Sat
1 stopTurkish Airlines
29h 45mEWR-CPT
$817
5/2Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
$961
7/18Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
26h 30mIAD-JNB
$964
6/5Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
14h 45mEWR-CPT
$1,178
5/19Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
14h 35mEWR-JNB
$1,178
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30h 50mIAD-JNB
$1,182
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29h 01mLGA-JNB
$1,182

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

4/28Sun
multi-stopSAUDIA
27h 05mJFK-JNB
5/13Mon
multi-stopSAUDIA
41h 20mJNB-JFK
$856
5/1Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
33h 30mIAD-JNB
5/10Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
29h 25mJNB-IAD
$959
5/1Wed
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
31h 13mIAD-JNB
5/10Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
29h 25mJNB-IAD
$962
4/28Sun
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
30h 45mIAD-JNB
5/23Thu
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
31h 50mJNB-IAD
$986
5/2Thu
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
35h 25mIAD-JNB
5/6Mon
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
26h 40mJNB-IAD
$1,024
4/29Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
18h 16mIAD-JNB
5/1Wed
multi-stopUnited Airlines
35h 12mJNB-IAD
$1,097
5/2Thu
multi-stopUnited Airlines
42h 00mIAD-JNB
5/6Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
42h 28mJNB-IAD
$1,136
4/28Sun
multi-stopDelta
19h 00mLGA-JNB
5/8Wed
multi-stopDelta
21h 48mJNB-LGA
$1,925
4/27Sat
multi-stopDelta
18h 00mEWR-CPT
5/4Sat
multi-stopDelta
25h 40mCPT-EWR
$1,959
4/27Sat
multi-stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
5/4Sat
multi-stopBritish Airways
25h 00mCPT-EWR
$4,778

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Flights to South Africa

Return flight deals:

South Africa - United States

Cabin classes:

$2,510
$1,461
$2,339
$1,361

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