Find flights
When to book
FAQs & Tips
Airlines
Deals

Find cheap flights from the United States to South Africa from R8 282

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 3/5. 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
Thu 23/5
Thu 30/5

Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to South Africa

In the last 7 days, travellers have searched 44 632 927 times on KAYAK, and here's why:

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Good to know

Low season

April

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R8 282
Best time to beat the crowds (1% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (24% 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 1632 reviews
7,3entertainment
7,3food
7,6comfort
7,8boarding
8,4crew
Airline reviews

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.

8,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Feb 2024AMS - ATL
Read more about KLM reviews

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.

Seats are fair enough for medium tall people. Good food all the trip. Fight attendances are warm

The food was ok. The crew seemed like they were cranky. I had one guy get mad at me for passing in between the storage area to get to the other toilet. I can understand if it's not allowed but reprimanding me like I'm a student saying "This is the last time!" was not appropriate. During my meal time, there was a French family around me. No problems there but when we usually have meals, they are supposed to put their chair in the upright position. These people did not do it and the steward did not tell them to raise their seat in the upright position. However, I was told to do so! So, me and another person next to me had to eat with the monitor almost touching our faces. Furthermore, a lady in front of me was putting her feet up and preventing another elder passenger from putting her seat back. To make it worse, she was continuously hitting her back into her seat, shaking my monitor while I was watching a movie. A crew member did speak to her about it but then she accused me of pushing her seat forward! The crew member gave me a death stare and told me to stop pushing the seat forward. I did not even touch her seat at all, if I did, she would know it. Her boyfriend also stood up and tried to push her seat even further past the maximum decline to no avail. None of these people were reprimanded but the steward, some bald guy, was extremely friendly with them and did not even try to instruct them to do anything until it was time to land. I resisted the urge to really argue with them because I would have obviously been seen as the aggressor (I have no idea why). I hardly said anything on this flight except "more wine please" and "sorry" if I bumped into someone accidentally. Overall, it was an annoying flight and I had to resist the urge to yell at the steward and the people he was overly friendly with. The happiest moment of this flight was leaving it.

Overall a good experience. We were disappointed when we had to check our carry on due to the plane being full. KLM hadn’t notified us and we had valuable items in the carry on but they still made us check it. Some of the food was great and some was mediocre. Crew is really kind and funny.

It was nice to be on a legacy airline, people try at least.

The flight itself it was great nice food the crew were very nice and helpful, Checking in from Birmingham wasn't great long queues for bag dropped, And I had my hand luggage case taken away from me even though I requested to have it with me as I had breakables items. I was told I can not because of the length of the flight with no explanation at all no options was given for me to take my fragile items out of my case it was taken away with hold buggage I find the staff member who was checking me in very unpleasant !! Can we please be advise if the rules have changed about the the carry on hand luggage it will be easier to be advise on booking your tickect if we not allowed to take the hand luggage with me. Overall I had a good flight .

The plane was clean and the staff was friendly. Food and drinks as expected on international flights. The entertainment system was old style, with a pullout controller, and selections not as extensive as on other flights.

I requested wheel chair assistance , it was confirmed via email that inwoood get it but I didn’t get it . The last leg of my trip to Nigeria was the worst.

One of their staff was so rude with discriminative. Such a reputed airline shouldn't hire such kind of arrogant attendants.

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!

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.

The delays (5 hrs) were a comedy of errors, and the multiple safety issues encountered were very concerning.

flight delays, staff only communicating when pushed, food service lasting a grand total of 7 minutes, stuck in seat from 45mins into flight until landing

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.

the flight from Tampa departed with a delay. The food on board was poor, usually on international airlines alcoholic beverages are offered free of charge , but here it was for a fee, the cutlery was wooden, there were no hot drinks (tea, coffee). Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the portions of food, but it wouldn't have been enough for a child either.And in the future, I will try not to use the services of this airline

they made me check my carryon. There was space in the overhead bins.

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.

Flight was smooth but unnecessary long because we had to refuel at FCO Rome. Air hostesses service and response to call light could be better. Both planes were old with broken seat arms and toilets. Why Africans had to be given the farthest Gates is what baffles me and why we have to pay for Aisle seats I found really strange. Is there ever an end to ripping people off even after paying over $2300 for one seat.

On my return flight the TV did not work the entire flight! They knew it wasn’t working but they let me sit there. The guy sitting nièce to me told me he was ok the previous flight and it wasn’t working. This is business class by the way!

The entertainment (movies) blockbuster and classics never change. I am a frequent Ethiopian flyer and this should be addressed. Not much changed from my summer flight and my December flight. It is annoying - surely you can update the selections more often. Same with food options. It becomes extremely boring to be offered the same exact meals from Washington to Addis to Maputo every trip, each time. AS

Entertainment was very poor. Couldn’t watch anything. Ear pieces were the wrong type .

Food was horrible. Our flight was not comfortable due to turbulence, seats was not comfortable, Very tight barely can not move anywhere.

The check in staff was amazing. Best customer service! The plane was old! My entertainment on the first flight didn't work at all, in my seat or in the seat next to me. The bathroom doors were old and troublesome. One of the bathrooms, the whole sink panel was broken. Everything felt old and falling apart. The airline stewardesses were amazing and quite hospitable. When there were delays, they kept us well informed. Transit was GREAT! I wasn't sure how I would make it to my next flight in 1 1/2 hours but the security lines were short and efficient. The C gates in Addis Ababa were CROWDED! That whole space downstairs was too crowded and challenging to manuever. I usually fly Ethiopian within Africa and was interested to see how the experience would be intercontinental. Overall, I would choose it again if it was cheaper than Delta/Air France or Lufthansa/KLM. I wouldn't make it a first choice if the prices were the same because the planes are so old! The food and entertainment also weren't as good. Good selection of movies but as I mentioned, on the first flight they didn't work at all (I slept so it was okay) and the 2nd flight it was glitchy. All in all, I didn't hate it but it would be a first choice only if it's cheaper.

The food really sucks And they really need to work on entertainment The movie selection is herendous .

Entertainment system poor - couldn't hear, no flight info etc.

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

Very cramped seats in economy, difficult to get comfortable with your legs and feet and back. The seat width is ok but I’m average size. Food is HORRIBLE. Crew is friendly. Delays and very tight connections made it tough for navigating. We would have missed our connecting flight if it wasn’t delayed too. The terminal transit was slow and normally every 10 minutes before 8pm, after 8 pm is every 30 minutes!!!!! No free wine or drinks!! Below average attitude.

Leg room was better than expected. Lavatory’s were easy to access.crew was grea!

Horrible seat allocation. Boarding was slow. Food was average and so was entertainment. The TV terminal didn't work and so had to use remote.

Book cheap flights from the United States to South Africa

Recent return flight deals

3/5Fri
1 stopSAUDIA
27h 05mJFK-JNB
13/5Mon
1 stopSAUDIA
41h 20mJNB-JFK
R13 868
5/5Sun
1 stopSAUDIA
27h 05mJFK-JNB
20/5Mon
1 stopSAUDIA
41h 20mJNB-JFK
R14 174
20/10Sun
2 stopsEthiopian Air
33h 00mJFK-CPT
3/11Sun
2 stopsEthiopian Air
34h 35mCPT-JFK
R15 245
13/5Mon
2 stopsEthiopian Air
33h 45mJFK-CPT
21/5Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
36h 10mCPT-JFK
R15 570
3/9Tue
2 stopsBritish Airways
36h 35mIAD-CPT
8/9Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 50mCPT-IAD
R23 700
11/8Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
29h 45mJFK-CPT
29/8Thu
2 stopsBritish Airways
24h 49mCPT-JFK
R23 738
1/10Tue
directUnited Airlines
14h 55mEWR-JNB
31/10Thu
directUnited Airlines
16h 00mJNB-EWR
R25 077
1/10Tue
directUnited Airlines
14h 55mEWR-JNB
31/10Thu
1 stopUnited Airlines
20h 50mJNB-EWR
R25 230
9/9Mon
2 stopsKLM
24h 55mDCA-CPT
24/9Tue
2 stopsKLM
25h 46mCPT-DCA
R25 976
6/5Mon
2 stopsKLM
26h 20mLGA-JNB
20/5Mon
2 stopsKLM
26h 19mJNB-LGA
R27 315

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Recent one-way flight deals

3/5Fri
1 stopSAUDIA
27h 05mJFK-JNB
R8 282
8/5Wed
1 stopEgypt Air
37h 10mJFK-JNB
R9 621
6/5Mon
1 stopSAUDIA
38h 30mJFK-JNB
R9 660
21/5Tue
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 10mEWR-JNB
R13 466
10/5Fri
2 stopsEthiopian Air
24h 10mEWR-JNB
R13 504
19/5Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
30h 10mIAD-CPT
R17 330
19/9Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
35h 20mEWR-CPT
R18 898
6/9Fri
directUnited Airlines
14h 55mEWR-CPT
R21 385
21/9Sat
directUnited Airlines
14h 55mEWR-JNB
R21 385
5/10Sat
2 stopsKLM
22h 55mJFK-CPT
R51 435

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

27/4Sat
multi-stopEthiopian Air
33h 45mJFK-CPT
18/5Sat
multi-stopEthiopian Air
36h 10mCPT-JFK
R16 833
27/4Sat
multi-stopEthiopian Air
23h 55mJFK-JNB
7/5Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
27h 00mJNB-JFK
R18 133
28/4Sun
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
32h 05mIAD-CPT
8/5Wed
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
28h 10mCPT-IAD
R18 210
27/4Sat
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
32h 05mIAD-CPT
8/5Wed
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
28h 10mCPT-IAD
R18 975
28/4Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
41h 55mIAD-CPT
5/5Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
33h 10mCPT-IAD
R21 940
28/4Sun
multi-stopQatar Airways
41h 55mIAD-CPT
9/5Thu
multi-stopQatar Airways
29h 25mCPT-IAD
R22 992
23/4Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
41h 50mDCA-CPT
4/5Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
19h 37mCPT-DCA
R29 667
25/4Thu
multi-stopUnited Airlines
41h 36mIAD-CPT
30/4Tue
directUnited Airlines
16h 10mCPT-IAD
R29 801
23/4Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
30/4Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
55h 15mCPT-EWR
R32 288
26/4Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
31h 45mEWR-CPT
1/5Wed
multi-stopBritish Airways
37h 05mCPT-EWR
R37 051

Search by stops

Search by airline

Search by price

Flights to South Africa

Return flight deals:

South Africa - United States

Cabin classes:

R125 518
R83 035
R25 192

Browse origins:

View more