$499 Find Cheap Flights to South Africa

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 7/28. 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.
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Cheap Flights to South Africa

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Johannesburg
Johannesburg2 stops$965
Cape Town
Cape Town1 stop$1,238
Durban
Durban2 stops$1,278
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops$1,379
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit3 stops$1,547
George
George2 stops$1,527
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops$1,784
East London
East London2 stops$1,581
Richards Bay
Richards Bay2 stops$1,920
Polokwane
Polokwane2 stops$1,676
Kimberley
Kimberley2 stops$7,761
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops$1,805
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops$1,841
Upington
Upington2 stops$1,934
Johannesburg
Johannesburg2 stops$965
Cape Town
Cape Town1 stop$1,238
Durban
Durban2 stops$1,278
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops$1,379
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit3 stops$1,547
George
George2 stops$1,527
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops$1,784
East London
East London2 stops$1,581
Richards Bay
Richards Bay2 stops$1,920
Polokwane
Polokwane2 stops$1,676
Kimberley
Kimberley2 stops$7,761
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops$1,805
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops$1,841
Upington
Upington2 stops$1,934

Book Cheap South Africa Plane Tickets

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

Sun, Jun 7 - Thu, Jun 11
Ethiopian Air Logo
9:45 pm - 3:55 am
EWR
-
JNB
24h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:50 pm - 7:45 pm
JNB
-
EWR
26h 55m
2 stops
$965Ethiopian Air
Sun, Jun 7 - Tue, Jun 16
Ethiopian Air Logo
9:45 pm - 3:55 am
EWR
-
JNB
24h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
2:30 pm - 8:55 am
JNB
-
EWR
24h 25m
2 stops
$976Ethiopian Air
Mon, Jul 27 - Wed, Aug 12
Etihad Airways Logo
9:30 pm - 8:20 am
ATL
-
JNB
28h 50m
1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
9:45 am - 4:30 pm
JNB
-
ATL
36h 45m
1 stop
$991Etihad Airways
Thu, Aug 6 - Sun, Sep 6
Qatar Airways Logo
11:20 am - 4:00 am
JFK
-
JNB
34h 40m
1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
12:40 pm - 8:50 am
JNB
-
JFK
26h 10m
1 stop
$1,046Qatar Airways
Wed, Aug 19 - Tue, Sep 8
Qatar Airways Logo
10:00 pm - 9:00 am
JFK
-
JNB
29h 00m
1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
12:40 pm - 9:00 am
JNB
-
JFK
26h 20m
1 stop
$1,047Qatar Airways
Thu, Nov 5 - Tue, Nov 17
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:30 pm - 12:05 pm
IAD
-
CPT
38h 35m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
5:20 pm - 11:45 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 25m
1 stop
$1,364Turkish Airlines
Mon, Sep 28 - Tue, Oct 6
Turkish Airlines Logo
9:45 pm - 11:50 am
IAD
-
CPT
32h 05m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
4:35 pm - 11:35 am
CPT
-
IAD
25h 00m
1 stop
$1,379Turkish Airlines
Thu, Oct 22 - Mon, Nov 2
Delta Logo
5:00 pm - 5:50 pm
LGA
-
CPT
18h 50m
1 stop
Delta Logo
8:50 pm - 10:43 am
CPT
-
LGA
20h 53m
1 stop
$1,618Delta
Mon, Oct 5 - Tue, Oct 20
Delta Logo
5:00 pm - 5:50 pm
LGA
-
CPT
18h 50m
1 stop
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 10:43 am
CPT
-
LGA
20h 38m
1 stop
$1,626Delta
Wed, Oct 21 - Fri, Oct 30
United Airlines Logo
7:48 pm - 3:20 pm
LGA
-
CPT
37h 32m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:50 pm - 10:24 am
CPT
-
LGA
19h 34m
1 stop
$1,632United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to South Africa

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

What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 5 days.

The cheapest ticket to South Africa from the United States found in the last 5 days was to Cape Town, at $1,560 round-trip. The most popular route is Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $1,761.

How much is a flight to South Africa?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to South Africa from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to South Africa costs $1,741 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $1,048 for the route Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) to Cape Town (CPT). The most popular routes on KAYAK are New York to Cape Town which costs $2,040 on average, and Atlanta to Cape Town, which costs $2,301 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from the United States to South Africa?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from the United States to South Africa, 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 the United States to South Africa is October, when tickets cost $1,336 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and May, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,906 and $1,757 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from the United States to South Africa?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to South Africa, 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 the United States to South Africa, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 13% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 14 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in South Africa?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in South Africa is Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB), with an average flight price of $1,334.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$499
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 15% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 20% increase in price.
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport to OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from the United States to South Africa?

    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 the United States to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from the United States to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from the United States to South Africa 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 the United States to South Africa?

    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 the United States to South Africa 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 the United States to South Africa?

    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 the United States to South Africa up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to South Africa is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $1,674. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $1,940 on average.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Reviews of the 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.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8397 reviews
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.2Food
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Connection flights should be spaced out farther because too close I missed my connection.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jun 2026
PHL - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Connection flights should be spaced out farther because too close I missed my connection.

Definitely a southern flavor. Cordiality was evident even though no drinks or snacks were served.

On time! There were plenty of airport employees who were able to keep us moving in the right direction. The crew on the plane were professional.

Left /arrived on time. Decent seat space. Like the wifi/plugs and entertainment. Windows and tray table were kinda gross. Attendants didn't start snack service til 40mins before landing. Two rows before us, captain came on to say there's turbulence and recalled staff to seats. So, no drink/snack. Later, attendants didn't stop to see if we had trash nor even look our way. Felt invisible! Almost all pilot announcements were not only unintelligible, but so quiet. We had no idea what she said.

Average seat comfort, a drink and chips were provided, early boarding because we checked a carryon at the gate was nice. Ticket pricing shenanigans, including fees to pick a seat, check a bag, and get food onboard - evidence the industry is reinvigorating last century’s strategies- destroys the experience before one ever arrives at the airport. It’s difficult to recognize any value or sustain loyalty in the end-to-end process making air travel more drudgery than pleasure.

Gate agent was unhelpful for handicapped boarding. Flight attendant seemed untrained.

No service flight that took 5 hrs and a stop at an unscheduled airport. Crew and pilots did their jobs

Clean planes and not take my comfort class seat away.

The crew were efficient. The pilots seemed professional. It was a bit chilly in our seats. The sheet provided weren’t very helpful.

Weather caused a long delay, but the efficiency and updates from the pilot were helpful. We were able to make our connection fortunately.

Excellent experience with business class area. Staff was attentive and food was amazing. Only one bathroom for business class which was logistically difficult for the staff while preparing meals. Need to offer fluids with meals. I did not get enough water to drink. But overall I rate it 5 star.

On time, great food, good drink selection! Only down was alcohol-free lounge. Lufthansa had a much better offering!

Be honest of what you sell: This was sold as Business Class on all three legs, while the JetBlue plane didn't even have business class seats, and wanted $164 for extra legroom seats.

Seat assignments for family traveling with 2 children. Loud crowd during sleep time

It was crowded… the bathrooms dirty and smelly. The seats have been made even smaller.

delayed to take off from detroit by 3 hours lost baggage in istanbul and now in venice without baggage

Seats were very tight with poor legroom - and I am average height. During the 12 hour flight, tiny paper cups of drinks we're only offered during the super and breakfast services, with the crew nowhere to be seen in between. One of the bathrooms was out of order, leading to long lines waiting to use the remaining two available to the economy class passengers.

short flight but we still got a very nice lunch and the crew did an excellent job in taking care of us

For that price on Business class, I expected to have the pod seats. These were configured as 2/3/2 and my seat mate talked half the flight with a friend across the isle, loudly. Very uncouth.

The ground crew members at check in counter were courteous. The boarding was seamless. Flight departed as scheduled. Service on board was great

Even through the flight was delayed due to storms near IAH The flight was great! The crew was so hospitable and professional

I flew from Santa Fe to Denver to catch a flight to London and the transfer of my luggage on arrival at Denver to the London flight worked perfectly. The crew on the ground and on board for the London flight were so friendly and efficient.

Boarded early; and arrived home 40 mins early. After a long flight, it’s nice to be back home early. These flights have no amenities; no snacks. So need to bring your own

Boarded early, left early, arrived 40 mins early! A win win for me!

New plane was lovely. Crew customer service is always lax but expected. Kraft on time and arrived safely.

These airplanes should be illegal. The seats are two tight, it is a safety issue. Wheelchair support was ridiculously slow. We almost missed our flight.

It was a short flight so I was expecting too much

Horrifying Almost 2 million miles. Bring your own food and drink. One coffee or drink every three hours. Have to order meals on app more than 24 hours ahead Tiny and dirty bathrooms

Flight was delayed but more than 90 minutes. This caused me to miss my available windows for pick-up by a friend. I had to pay $125 for an uber back home from the airport which was an added expense that I had not budgeted for my trip. Staff was friendly.

I felt scammed. The priced advertised was different than what I paid. I paid the whole some online. I then got a call 20 minutes later saying I need to paid 70 more person. She said the price online is not the guaranteed price.

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.

Flight was delayed by two hours. This really messed things up because I missed my connecting flight in Addis. I had a meeting in Entebbe which was scrapped because my flight from Addis landed later in the day.

I will fly this going forward especially for ORD to EBB and the reverse.

I paid for internet that did not work and had to pay more to have it

We had a good flight experience with this airline despite reading many negative comments

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.

Delay not posted, only departure time listed- not boarding time. We left an hour late and arrived 45 min late. Restrooms had backed up sinks and toilets not flushed ) passenger error). Lots of screen for entertainment didn’t work. But we arrived with our luggage

The plane was old and the luggage racks above us were visibly shaking during turbulence. Water was dripping on our heads during landing. Our flight was over 2 hours late departing but we were not updated or told what to expect as the screen at the gate continued to read “on time”

Check in took over an hour because printer was not working. Attendant did not know how to give free layover Addis Ababa hotel vouchers or update frequent flyer number. After repeated attempts, got voucher emailed. However hotel wanted printed voucher hence more delay. Bus time from hotel back to airport was printed 4:50 hours, but hotel reception called at 3 pm saying bus will leave at 4 pm. Then hotel reception called again saying 4:15 pm. We rushed at 4:15 pm and bus was not ready until 4:40 pm. Many audio outlets were not working in planes.

Boarding process was chaotic. Confusion over Boarding gates: gate 55 or gate 56 ???. Unnecessary standing in long lines to board. Better to call out Boarding groups one at a time and everyone else to sit. Airline only has 2 Boarding groups 1-3 and 4-9. That causes over crowding and chaos

Lady next to me was coughing profusely the entire flight, other lady moved seats because of it, 8 hours of that during an overnight flight is a bit much.

The flight was ok. The seats are so small. The free wifi for members was not an option on this flight. The one flight attendant, older woman with straight white/grey hair, was very rude. The gentleman next to me asked about the wifi since he was a member as well. He stated, accurately, that the option to enter the idea number was not available. Her response was, "I don't know what to tell you" and walked away from him. The rest of the staff was wonderful. I asked another flight attendant about the wifi, she said the free wifi was not enabled on that flight (true or not- at least she was friendly). It was also pretty dirty. When I opened the tray table it had mushed crumbs and there was a dirty used pair of ear buds in my seat pocket. Lastly the air vent above my head was working but stuck so I was unable to move it to face me when it got warm. I fly American often but this really was not a great flight.

My luggage was lost at the airport but American Airlines contacted me and got it to me the next day.

24 hour delays aren’t even heard in 3rd world countries with archaic transportation systems. I’m never flying American Airlines again.

3.5 hr delay leaving Pittsburgh, notifications for which were incomplete and untimely. Connecting flight was automatically switched to one requiring more than a 30 hour layover! After waiting in a long queue, customer service reduced layover to 11 hours and also set up an earlier standby. The standby had empty seats, but the gate agent couldn't change our tickets! On top of all that my luggage was lost and has yet to even be located, much less returned 5 (FIVE!) days later. Too bad there's no rating below poor.

Canceled flight late London to Florence. Help at airport very poor. Treated poorly. Had to sleep in the airport. Lost bags- still do not have them. Horrible. I should be reimbursed!

The seats are extra cramped if you are taller than 5’8! Spring for the extra legroom seats for sure if you have a long flight!

Very disappointed with British Airways. It has been over 24 hours and I still have not received my checked baggage or any proper update. Customer support has been unresponsive, making the situation even more frustrating. Poor baggage handling and lack of communication seriously impacted my travel experience.

All the above categories was great. Seats entirely too cramped.

Everything you need to know for your flight to South Africa

Cabin class types available on flights to South Africa

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