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SFO - JNB

Find cheap flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg from R12 337

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to OR Tambo departing on 20/8. 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
Sun 19/5
Sun 26/5

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Johannesburg.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Johannesburg.
In the last 7 days, travellers have searched 44 212 662 times on KAYAK, and here's why:

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Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to OR Tambo (SFO-JNB)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco to OR Tambo 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 and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
22:45 - 15:50SFO-JNB
32h 05m2 stops
17:00 - 15:10JNB-SFO
31h 10m2 stops
R18 153
Find Deal
Tue, Oct 8 - Wed, Oct 23
22:45 - 15:50SFO-JNB
32h 05m2 stops
17:00 - 15:10JNB-SFO
31h 10m2 stops
R19 164Kenya Airways
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Mon, Oct 7 - Thu, Oct 24
16:10 - 9:50SFO-JNB
32h 40m1 stop
20:15 - 13:50JNB-SFO
26h 35m1 stop
R20 117Qatar Airways
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Tue, Oct 1 - Wed, Oct 9
16:10 - 17:00SFO-JNB
39h 50m1 stop
13:35 - 13:50JNB-SFO
33h 15m1 stop
R20 175Qatar Airways
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Mon, Oct 7 - Mon, Oct 21
18:35 - 10:30SFO-JNB
30h 55m1 stop
18:05 - 11:20JNB-SFO
26h 15m1 stop
R20 422Turkish Airlines
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Sun, May 5 - Mon, May 20
13:00 - 7:40SFO-JNB
33h 40m1 stop
11:20 - 11:25JNB-SFO
33h 05m1 stop
R22 672Cathay Pacific
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Wed, Oct 2 - Tue, Oct 8
13:35 - 7:40SFO-JNB
33h 05m1 stop
11:20 - 22:45JNB-SFO
44h 25m1 stop
R23 111Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Sun, Aug 25 - Sun, Sep 8
18:35 - 10:30SFO-JNB
30h 55m1 stop
18:05 - 16:40JNB-SFO
31h 35m1 stop
R23 855Turkish Airlines
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Sun, May 5 - Tue, Jun 25
7:20 - 17:45SFO-JNB
25h 25m2 stops
19:00 - 12:40JNB-SFO
26h 40m1 stop
R26 848United Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Sep 29 - Tue, Oct 8
0:10 - 17:45SFO-JNB
32h 35m2 stops
19:00 - 15:35JNB-SFO
29h 35m2 stops
R28 946United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 4 - Mon, May 20

Flights from San Francisco to OR Tambo - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to OR Tambo to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

The average price of all flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
If you are looking for a flight deal from San Francisco to Johannesburg, look for departures on Sundays and avoid leaving on a Thursday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Johannesburg, Monday is the cheapest day to fly and Saturday is the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, 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 San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport is March, where tickets cost R22 215 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and December, where the average cost of tickets is R38 328 and R30 472 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 58 days before departure.

Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
The cheapest return flight ticket from San Francisco to Johannesburg found by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours was for R19 164 on Kenya Airways, followed by Qatar Airways (R20 117). One-way flight deals have also been found from as low as R12 337 on Cathay Pacific and from R12 795 on Qatar Airways.

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R12 337
Best time to beat the crowds (6% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (10% more expensive on average)
Flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg

When to book flights from San Francisco to OR Tambo

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Francisco to OR Tambo based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking San Francisco to Johannesburg flights

  • How can I get to SFO from the Financial District?

    There are various ways you can get from downtown San Francisco to SFO. You can use the cheapest way, which involves boarding the Sam Trans bus. The fastest option is using a taxi, Lyft, or Uber because they offer curbside options. You can also use BART, which takes approximately 30min to get to the airport.

  • Where can I wait for my flight departure time at SFO if it's delayed?

    You can wait for your flight at some of the lounges in SFO that offer various services. Some of the lounges are Air France,KLM, and Centurion. The Air France lounge is located at international terminal A, past security on your left turn. You can grab snacks and drinks as you wait for your flight. The lounge also offers WI-FI services, security, flight monitors, and premium food.

  • How can I access special needs assistance at JNB?

    JNB offers accessibility programs to people with special needs. If you need equipment like wheelchair assistance, you can contact the airline you are flying with 48h before your trip. The airline representative can note on your reservation form that you need special assistance, and they can make the necessary arrangements for you to be picked up when you land at JNB.

  • Are there car rental services at JNB?

    Yes. There are several companies inside JNB that offer car rental services. They include Hertz rental company located in the airport at Kempton Park. SIXT car rental is located at the Storey parking near the domestic terminal. You can also rent a vehicle online at KAYAK and pick it up when you reach Johannesburg.

  • What is the cheapest flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport was R647 for a one-way ticket and R952 for a return.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam are the airline alliances operating flights between San Francisco and Johannesburg, with Star Alliance being the most commonly used for this route.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg are Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines. With an average price for the route of R25 191 and an overall rating of 7,7, Qatar Airways is the most popular choice. Turkish Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of R25 824 and an overall rating of 7,5.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    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 San Francisco to Johannesburg.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Johannesburg from San Francisco is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Johannesburg with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg?

    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 Johannesburg from San Francisco up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg

  • If you are willing to travel to Johannesburg with your pet, you can inquire about their pet policies with the airline you are traveling with from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). If your airline allows pets, ensure you carry them in their carriers or crates as the SFO pet policy recommends.
  • You don't have to worry about where to park your vehicle at SFO when traveling for a short or extended trip. There are several on-site parking spots in all the terminals, which include short-term or long-term parking options, and you can book before your trip for convenience.
  • Traveling to Johannesburg with kids? You don't have to worry about how to coordinate them as you check in at SFO. There is a kid's play spot in terminal 3, post-security at gate 87A. Another spot in Terminal 2, near gates 54 A and B, has cool playing features for kids.
  • While on the flight to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB), you can stream shows, music, podcasts, and movies since it's a long flight. Some airlines like Qatar allow passengers to use unlimited Wi-Fi packages once they are on board.
  • Once you arrive at JNB, you can pick up either a taxi, shuttle, train, or order a ride from Uber. The train is the fastest way to get to the city center from JNB because it takes about 15 to 20min. The train station is situated at the central terminal building inside the airport.
See more tips

Top 4 airlines serving from San Francisco to OR Tambo

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Johannesburg. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. 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 San Francisco to OR Tambo? 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.
7,7
Qatar AirwaysOverall score based on 4499 reviews
8,2crew
7,7entertainment
7,5food
7,8boarding
7,7comfort
Airline reviews

Qatar airways from Doha to guangzhau was excellent big bird Boeing 777 more room and smoothly flight, I Love it

6,0 Goodmanithong, Apr 2024PHL - DOH
Read more about Qatar Airways reviews

Qatar airways from Doha to guangzhau was excellent big bird Boeing 777 more room and smoothly flight, I Love it

It was good no problems made it on time for the next flight overseas!

The made us waiting and held our passports and boarding pass making us miss our flights

Not impressed. Only allowed one carry on on such a long flight.

The flight was good but my neighbor had the vent open full power for the whole flight and because the air was blowing from the side instead of from the top and I got very cold and ended up with a sore throat.

Bad experience with the delay n long wait time for connecting flight after missing the connection flight from Doha.

Wore experience due to delay and took me 3 days to reach my destination.

All over with Qatar airlines my experience was really bad due to delays and then putting me on different airlines and after 8 hours of wait I had to listen to their is no plane to fly for another 24 hours. Wore experience ever.

Excellent will be flying again in May with Qatar. to Botswana.

Ultimate customer care humble and excellent service oriented crew , perfect timing maintained by the crew . My profound appreciation.

Cabin crew on our flight showed lack of any customer service gruff and acting annoyed if you asked anything and I mean anything Example a man on the seat over dropped his beer on my husbands blanket We asked if we could switch out blankets cabin crew Said. No we don’t have any extras OK well can you take the wet one Cabin crew looked disgusted and annoyed Took it no OK or yes just a growl

Quick flight. But cabin crew were very noisy and talking too much, especially when we were seated at the back of the plane trying to sleep through the night .

My ticket was for Premium Economy and all the seats were taken, I was placed in Economy class and I’m looking for a refund.

Unfortunately delayed 2 hrs due to faulty tyre.. which had to be changed, but better safe than sorry.

The delay was an issue. Other than that. Every thing good

Hi vergin Atlantic service was good but the flight ticket agent travel up charge me extra 57 pounds as a airport charges, actually I refuse to pay but they say if I not pay £57 then they say you will not be able to travel from Heathrow to goa ,so for me there was no option and it was just 3 day before my departure so i paid, so please look in to the matter. And I have a receipt of £ 57 as well .thanks

We were in the last group to be called to the flight - which was 30 minutes late taking off. While we were lucky enough to have been given bulkhead seats (due to a medical condition I’d told them about beforehand) the seats weren’t particularly comfortable. A crying baby for the whole trip made things worse, so the crew managed very well with coping. The final thing I’d say was that there wasn’t enough food served during the flight.

Very good. Glad we had Premium for the flight out.

We flew Upper Class from London to The Turks and Caicos. Check in was amazing. Our ldriver too us directly to a special entrance to terminal 3. It took 10 minutes to check in and clear customs. Amazing! The VA lounge is large and comfortable. Boarding the flight was easy and without a wait. The crew was excellent. But the seats were awful, strange and uncomfortable. Having a comfortable flat bed seat is the reason we pays 1000s extra. The VA 787 uses a reverse herringbone configuration. Look it up. You have your back to the window and are facing the aisle with no privacy. Turning the seat into a bed requires assistance from the crew so not very spontaneous. . The food was ok. A bit tasteless and meager portions. Had to pay for WiFi. I believe VA has other configuration on their dream airbus flights. Lots of stuff about all this on YouTube where you can see what I have been describing. I can not recommend taking VA on a long flight with these seats.

From the start everything was perfectly fine. First meal was fantastic. Breakfast needs a lot of work and food was overcooked and not very nice for breakfast. Staff for a fantastic friendly nice we came round and check we need anything else to eat or drink

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!

0ur assigned seats were given to other individuals when we boarded the plane. We were given new boarding passes with new seats all the way at the back of the plane. The reason given to us was that there were issues with the seats. We found out that there were no issues, and someone else's were seated on those.

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.

Crew was great and did their best to make us comfortable and captain came out at the beginning to announce why the flight was delayed, weather situation up ahead, and kept us updated throughout the flight.

United WiFi is consistently unusable (it can take 10 mins to load a single web page). If you need Wifi to do work, be prepared to lose half a day of productivity.

Awful. I got stuck next to a person carrying a dog and behind someone with a dog. People need to board these dogs downstairs. The cabin is crowded enough with your pets

Packed in like sardines, very uncomfortable. Sitting the aisle my shoulder was rammed into numerous times by rushing flight attendants. Also flight was very cold.

Beverage and food services are excellent. We enjoy paying the extra for economy plus for the 3 inches more leg room to be exact.

Flight was delayed by 3 hours. The pilot made up 1 hour during the flight, but that made the wait at the airport 5 hours once you factor getting there 2 hours early.

Airline did not explain reasons why flight was delayed two hours. Explanations were badly needed and rarely provided. Problem seemed to clearly be the airline’s fault and not the fault of the weather or airport.

Very uncomfortable seats and seat backs, and I am only 5’9”. Delayed due to crew issues, spent a long time with no ventilation. Teeny overhead bins. Wifi worked well. Arrived safely.

I was delighted that we were able to get on the 4:40 pm flight rather than our original booking at 6:55 pm!! Other than that, the flight was comfortable and landed early😊

Book cheap flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from San Francisco to Johannesburg found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
20/8Tue
1 stopCathay Pacific
45h 45mSFO-JNB
R12 337
26/4Fri
1 stopQatar Airways
26h 30mSFO-JNB
R12 795
1/5Wed
3 stopsRwandAir
37h 50mSFO-JNB
R14 225
26/4Fri
3 stopsRwandAir
37h 50mSFO-JNB
R14 359
30/4Tue
3 stops
54h 35mSFO-JNB
R14 893
1/5Wed
2 stops
34h 20mSFO-JNB
R15 312
19/8Mon
1 stopSWISS
28h 30mSFO-JNB
R16 246
3/6Mon
1 stopSWISS
28h 30mSFO-JNB
R17 390
2/6Sun
2 stopsUnited Airlines
46h 20mSFO-JNB
R23 836
25/4Thu
2 stopsUnited Airlines
32h 36mSFO-JNB
R27 935

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Last minute flights from San Francisco to OR Tambo

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg that are departing in the next 10 days.
21/4Sun
multi-stop
28h 06mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stop
35h 29mJNB-SFO
R30 452
21/4Sun
multi-stop
32h 40mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stop
33h 25mJNB-SFO
R31 883
21/4Sun
multi-stop
32h 40mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stop
35h 31mJNB-SFO
R31 959
21/4Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
26h 30mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stopQatar Airways
38h 00mJNB-SFO
R33 389
21/4Sun
multi-stop
32h 10mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stop
34h 20mJNB-SFO
R37 012
20/4Sat
multi-stopCathay Pacific
53h 55mSFO-JNB
23/4Tue
multi-stopCathay Pacific
59h 05mJNB-SFO
R95 095

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San Francisco - Johannesburg Flights

Departure:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Destination:

Johannesburg (JNB)South Africa

Return flight deals:

Johannesburg - San Francisco

Cabin classes: