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R8 718 Find cheap flights from the United States 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 19/11. 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
ส. 24/8
ส. 31/8

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Low season

January

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R8 718
Best time to beat the crowds (12% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (21% more expensive on average)
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport to OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg

FAQs for booking flights from the United States to South Africa

  • 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 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 to South Africa from the United States 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 return ticket. You could then fly to South Africa with an airline and back to the United States 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 to South Africa from the United States 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 out of the United States

  • 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 serving from the United States 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
KLMOverall score based on 1417 reviews
7,7Comfort
7,9Boarding
7,2Entertainment
8,4Crew
7,3Food
Airline reviews

Delay, luggage didn’t arrive. Had to go the next day to collect it

2,0 MediocreEmrah, Jul 2024AMS - MUC
Read more about KLM reviews

Delay, luggage didn’t arrive. Had to go the next day to collect it

KLM is my favourite airline. Never ever let us down.Staff are first class.

The plane. Airbus A330-200. Comfortable for a 7-hour flight. Seats seemed to have more legroom. I was in row 17. Flight was operated by Delta but was better than expected.

It was operated by Delta. Boarding took a long time. How difficult can it be? Overall decent trip. Liked the Salt Lake City airport. Better option than Chicago for transfers.

Pretty bad. Food was awful. drinks were scarce, as if drinking an extra drink would ruin the airline. attendants were not very helpful. likely Dutch "directedness" (I cannot be bothered). Crammed flight. Entertainment in very minimal dosage. Almost all old movies and series with 1-3 episodes only. Very limited number of options available. Jesus!! it seems you need to bring your own entertainment these days even of flights that are 13 hrs long!! I would and I will avoid in the future!

Quick and efficient as always. Air France managed to loose and damage my luggage that never made it onto my KLM flight.

The food from Lagos to Amsterdam was was very poor compared to AMS-YYZ

The flight was delayed for 2 hrs. Because they didn’t have a crew to fly. And it is not a first time for klm to do that. Last time they cancelled my filght and rebooked me 3 days later. Not reliable airline

We left one hour late because of technical difficulties. The economy comfort seats are great for the price. The crew was mediocre, they do not provide a pleasant experience, they just deliver food and drinks and give orders, not very amicable, no service and hospitality focus.

Booked connecting flights with KlM. My serving flight was the furthest part of the airport. On arrival in Zurich. My two cases arrived but only one carry on belong to my son. His three suitcase didn't arrive. After enquiring we discovered they were still in Amsterdam. We landed at 11.12. We eventually left the airport just after one.

Awful. They cancelled my seats and demanded $1360 to rebook me

United failed me in cancelling flight to Chicago. Then put me on American Airlines standby to Miami for onward connection to RMO via IST. Standby failed. They looked me for Sunday morning 24 hours late at this point). Made it to Miami but Turkish airlines cancelled my seats and demanded $1360 to rebook the flights for the following day ! I went to United, spent two hours negotiating with Mr Ruis ? Who said he could do anything for me as he could fix problems that United caused in Miami. He suggested I call the 800 number. When I managed to.get through on my 6th call, I was on hold 2 hours and 30 minutes waiting for an agent when the call was cut off by United phone system. I went back to American. At last a lady , who had zero responsibility in this fiasco, helped me to find a replacement flight that night with Polish airlines to RMO through Warsaw at a cost of $968 including bag charge. I booked it with only a few hours to spare. The lady at American helped to recover and redirect my checked suitcase that had arrived in Miami a day earlier United customer service were awful. United partner Turkish airlines were horrendous and took zero responsibility. I ended up being late to my appointment overseas by 45 hours with zero compensation, no food vouchers, no replacement flights until I found one and paid for it myself. I reporting the entire fiasco to the secretary of state for Tennessee for law violations and refusal to remedy and compensate. I now need help to extend the trip by two days but United are not responding to communications

I was flying with Turkish Airlines from Tashkent to Dallas and from Dallas to Tashkent. In both directions the flights were late. I missed my connecting flight from Istanbul to Dallas in Istanbul airport because of that. That led to a no show case with a rental company in Dallas and I lost 460 US dollars. On the way from Dallas to Tashkent with a layover in Istanbul the plane was also late and I almost missed my connecting flight to Tashkent. Then my bag did not arrive with the same plane and only on the next morning flight from Istanbul. I was about to leave Tashkent the same day to Astana in Kazakhstan and then from there for work in Saudi Arabia. Luckily I had an excess in time before the next flight and I manage to get my bag back. Otherwise I would have missed 3 flights automatically because I couldn't travel for work without my bag and all valuables in it. So, overall, very bad experience with Turkish Airlines. Will never use these airlines again.

On my flight the menus showed different food and different was available. I think that was a miscommunication maybe. Other than that flight was wonderful.

Request for “strict vegan” as in the airlines meal selection was not strictly adhered to. My two travelling partners with their Asian vegetarian meals said that their meals were not Asian.

We waited 4 hours in the flight to take off but then the flight was cancelled.

It was ok. This flight was for my 80 year old grandparents and when they arrived to Beirut no wheelchair (as requested) was waiting for them. My grandpa had to pick up his own luggage, he got soooo tired. No one to help him as we submitted the request ahead of time

Terrible seats are very uncomfortable and narrow. Really hard time eating and painful buttons.. crew was very rud not allow anyone to stand not even to go to the toilets

Overnight flight in the old style Business class, but still very good.

I was in business class, without the business class amenities. Large seat with lots of legroom, but no TV or bed. Food was okay, but I did enjoy the Turkish red wine.

At least the delays were short. Business class, even in the new planes is very crowded now with crappy tray tables

There were issues with the first segment but what really bothered me overall is that you rebooked me and put me in a seat away from my wife and then put her in another booking or boarding group. I don't like having to monitor every little thing you guys do in order to get what I paid for in the first place.

See my previous comments. I was probably booked in business but was moved to economy

Delays!!! Serious delays. I was told by a member of staff in LGA that I would miss my DEN to LAX flight connection, so I was put on a later flight. Due to delays I would have been able to have made my original flight, where I was sat in business class - seat 1A: I was put on my original flight but bumped from business - 1A to economy 33C. I want a refund for paying business class but only flying economy

This flight was 2.5 hours delayed due to crew issues. This meant that we arrived after 2 AM. Very very inconvenient and we were not really kept well informed.

The new Airbus A231neo has neat tech but the economy seats are so tight together that I always had my shoulders against one passenger or the other. I was very miffed that Basic Economy REQUIRES check-in of bags other than your personal carry-on; if you want to offer low-cost airline prices and then add services for a fee, just let me carry on my duffel. Hell, I could have put my carry on IN the duffel and called it a day but the gate agent would not let me; I ended up paying $40 for the risk of losing my bag. Not the worst flight, but far from the best.

Brutal delay of 24 hours on first floight the 3 hours in Chicago . Tiny seats , screaming child behind me kicking the seat … couldn’t be worse

No water on the toilets, dirty sits. 4 hours delayed departure.

Horrible! I paid for a straight flight from Chicago to London. A week before trip it changed and now I had a connecting flight. Our flight was delayed an hour and a half because our flight crew was still flying in from CA. Forty passengers ran from one plane to the next. The next United Airlines flight was delayed two to three hours because of mechanical difficulties. They had to ready another plane which took time. I missed my scheduled excursion in London. 😢

Boarding was efficient. Crew was not pleasant and skipped me during a round of beverage service. Older plane with no seat back screens and I couldn’t connect to wifi or their entertainment offerings.

Movie channels was great. Air hostess could be a little more caring

I did not receive my luggage This airline is not good. My luggage is missing please you guys need to find my luggage. It’s been three days now I cannot get my luggage. This is not a good business I

Business and economy lines were common for most of the journey including check in and security control in Addis Abbeba. Food choice was fine, however there was a hair in my rice

Customer service and the food was great. If the announcements in English could be said slower for the customer to understand what is being said. Due to ascent, it is difficult to understand. repaeting would help.

Again, entertainment system didn't work. 50% of aircraft don't seem to have a functional entertainment system and the crew is absolutely uninterested in fixing. They just say Addis needs to fix it. Well, Addis had better get off it's butt and fix their aircraft.

My entertainment screen wasn't working and they couldn't fix it.

I was a good, but long trip. The airline did a good job. I would use them again.

Choice of Vegetarian Food in Economy class needs overhaul improvement

The food could be better, the beef was quite tough. The crew were friendly and helpful on this flight, which has not being my experience on other Ethiopian flights.

Seat in front of my wife was broken so it reclined further than normal and without having to push the recline button so my wife had absolutely no room the entire 17 hour flight. My seat was broken and wouldn't recline at all. Also.. my tray table was sticky and dirty right away before I even used it. Also...the floor in the back of the plane from our row of seats on back was totally soaked and both times we landed water came rushing out of the food/servant area like a flood onto the same already wet carpet. It got everything wet that was placed around our feet...including our shoes and socks.

It took an hour and a half for luggage to be dlivered in London

We were seated in the rear of the plane. Buses arrived to take us to the terminal but there weren’t enough so we waited an hour to leave the plane.

Chicago to London flight was delayed an hour . Boarding process was slow . I missed my connection to New Delhi and My connection from New Delhi to Ranchi. Now come the really outrageous part! There was a flight from London to Bangalore that would have allowed me to reach Ranchi on time. I was about to but ticket from Bangalore to Ranchi when BA agent came back after talking to someone in back office and informed me that she cannot rebook me to London Bangalore flight as Bangalore was TOO FAR fro. Delhi. I waited 8 hr in London airport. I was flying business. Hope this review helps the airline. I was not asking for any money back for my missed flight. Anand Mohan

Access to movies was nice, food not bad, and landing was smooth. Cramming us in like sardines is not fun. A little more space to bend down to get a bag or not touch my neighbors arm because we’re so close would be better for a 9 hour flight. Whomever designed the seating and you, who bought these planes, clearly are NOT interested in customers’ comfort. So stop pretending you do. Also, if you want traveler’s to check their bags so there is space to store carry one, don’t charge so much to check baggage. Seriously?!

The leg room on the plane was the smallest I have encountered in all my travels. Ił only 5’4

We got our seats and was surprised at the half empty plane, so had a very good hostess and we enjoyed the whole flight back home, so the only thing we had to wait for was the passenger assistance that was not there and had to wait about 20 mins on the jetway.

The only issue I had with the flight is that dinner took a long time to come even regardless of the turbulence we experienced. The flight attendants kept disappearing while serving people and kept some people waiting. Which caused them to forget to serve me some tea. It was resolved eventually. Just a small complaint. Maybe there's other reasons but overall the flight wasn't bad.

The check in lady was the best I have seen at JFK she was very nice

The perfect jet stream back saved over 1 hour in the air.

Crew could not even try to accommodate my food request. Phone Charging USB thing was not working.

Book cheap flights from the United States to South Africa

Recent return flight deals

18/11จ.
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2 stopsBritish Airways
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1 stopBritish Airways
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19/11อ.
3 stops
33h 00mJFK-JNB
R8 718
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1 stopKenya Airways
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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

28/7อา.
multi-stopEthiopian Air
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Flights to South Africa

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South Africa - United States

Cabin classes:

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R53 738
R22 868

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