R7 678 Find Cheap Flights from the United States to South Africa

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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 return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to South Africa from the United States found in the last 72 hours was to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport, at R24 623 return. The most popular route is Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was R24 623.

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 February, when tickets cost R23 412 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and August, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R34 707 and R30 902 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 a flight from the United States to South Africa, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 7% 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 R20 361.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flightR7 678
Best time to beat the crowds (9% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (25% more expensive on average)
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport to Cape Town

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 from the United States to South Africa 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 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 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 when return tickets can be as cheap as R24 418. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, when return prices are R27 184 on average.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa is generally at night, when retur flights cost R22 337 on average. Morning departures are around 26% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to South Africa is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is R33 501.

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.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying 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.
7,4
Qatar AirwaysOverall score based on 3659 reviews
7,4Entertainment
7,5Boarding
7,3Food
7,4Comfort
7,9Crew
Airline reviews

All good. Over four hours flight if provided snacks like Qatar Airways would be better

8,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Oct 2025DFW - YYC
Read more Qatar Airways reviews

All good. Over four hours flight if provided snacks like Qatar Airways would be better

Lobster starter in business class was not good, tough, served cold, and without butter. Movie selection was missing latest releases, did not offer older classic, high quality movies

Food was absolutely pathetic. I wasted so much food which I thought was inedible. I also loathe the inflight entertainment system which has very little content

My entire row did not have power for the full duration of a 14.5 hour flight. Could not charge any devices such as laptop or phones for the entirety of the long flight. The flight attendants tried to remedy the issue by resetting the power, but were not successful. The only other solution provided was to move me to another seat on the plane which was in the middle row. I had paid for a “preferred” seat that was a window seat. This was a downgrade being offered due to the power issue.

Nothing to complain. The staff and flight was good especially the seats which was better compared than the cloth ones on Qatar airways

I was travelling 3.5 years after. Agree Economy is no business class but the food was mediocre. Ordered a Hindu meal, the salads were bitter . The food was really below quality and had no tast from what I had in the past. Indian Railways probably have a better quality food when compared. However the kids meal was really nice and really appreciate how they were taken care of. The restrooms were dirty .

My flight was with American Airlines 120. The flight was delayed 3 hours and I missed my connection. When I arrived in Doha, the AA staff told me to call an 800 number to rebook a different flight, which was unacceptable. Eventually a Qatar Air staff member helped rebook me on a flight to Manila, that was 12 hours later. They offered me a hotel and meal voucher which I declined, because I didn’t want to leave the airport. Long story short, I spent 12 hours in the Doha airport waiting for my next flight.

Overall the experience was neat with crew being nice and caring especially to parent with kids. The free snacks option was okay. The kiosk at Philly airport didn’t work.

Reason for travelling Tampa to Orlando is to fly Qatar Airline. we end up with American Airline. This was the miserable experience I ever had in my entire travel history. Flight attendants were rude. They hit my knee with the food cart and I was holding ice pack for 2 hours. I still have the pain after a week. WE boarded the flight twice because of the temperature inside the plan.

First keep the airline as you promise. Reason for travelling from Orlando to Tampa is to go with Qatar Airline. We end up with American Airline. As expected the service was horrible.

Flight was delayed only slightly before takeoff due to traffic control. However, the flight arrived early to ORD. Good flight. United has been very reliable for me.

The person I bought the ticket for didn’t make the flight.

Lately I like the planes have been exceptionally filthy. There’s lines of dust and dirt all across the ceiling in the vents, and the cracks in between the seats are literally full of food. It’s definitely not the quality of service that I was used to with United. I’m also very disappointed with the Wi-Fi! All I wanna do is knock out a few work jobs while I’m trapped in my seat And it spools so bad. They did provide me with a refund, but the process of getting that refund is so complicated. It’s unfortunate.

Another delayed flight. When the delays exceed the duration of the flight, it’s a problem.

Excellent flight. Smooth, efficient boarding. Quick flight. Arrived early at STL.

After boarding the plane in Chicago, the passengers were told that there was a technical problem with the plane. Passengers remained on the plane as they tried to fix the problem. After what was probably an hour passengers were told that there was a need to change planes as the problem was not solved. Passengers disembarked and boarded another plane. After taxing to the runway and waiting for takeoff, passengers were told that owing to the thunderstorm the flight was unable to take off but would try and reroute. After some time passengers were told there wasn't enough fuel for the new route and the plane had to return to the gate for additional fuel. after another log delay the flight got underway. On the plane there was food, drinks, ice or entertainment. We were a glass of water, which appeared rationed. Flight arrived about 5 hours late. The pilot was fantastic and communicated with the passengers throughout the ordeal.

Same as last comment. Food sucks. Quality. Not surprising most people have no clue about nourishment Clearly

Not the fault of United—weather, reroute around weather, time sitting on tarmac, arrived couple hours late, too late for train into city necessitating a much pricier cab but weather…can’t be helped.

Friendly and professional flight crew. Aside from departure delay after boarding, easy flight and smooth landing.

Great smooth flight. Had a seating change, but that was an improvement. Thanks United Airways Crew.

My flight was canceled 1 minute before boarding. The customer service was owful, no one could tell us what was going happened. I spent 30hrs instead of 15 from Washington DC to Brussels. No apologie or help

Boeing 777 is a bad choice for a such a long flight.

The staff at IST airport could have been more helpful. Too much wasted time and the plane from IST to KHI was just horrible. The plane was not clean and smelled bad!

This is my 2nd time with the Turkish airline. Would definitely recommend. In stability we connected to Indiago would not recommend, very cramped seating. No inflight entertainment..service was inferior.

I wouldn't know what the flight was like. AI canceled my flight reservation!! There's no way to speak to an actual human to fix the issue! NEVER AGAIN! ALWAYS BOOK YOUR FLIGHT DIRECTLY WITH THE AIRLINE NEVER GO THROUGH KAYAK OR JUSTFLY.COM!!

Paying extra for premium seats was wasted. Turkish Airlines takes 2 seats for bassinet. The lady next to me had a baby with bassinet Bassinet was in front of my seat

Rude staff. I would avoid using the word racist but definitely partially or discriminatory. My 72 yrs old mother who is also disabled was traveling on this flight. She was the second passenger boarded to the plane. The First elderly couple ahead of my mother were allowed to use the airplane bathroom but my mother was denied entry stating it was for safety reasons. My mother objected the the couple in front of her were allowed but hostess still stated that due to the flight safety reasons she can’t use it. Even my mother explained that he is using blood pressure medication that’s why she have to use the restroom frequently but the crew continued arguing her. At one point the Mae attendent even suggested that if that’s the case my mother can urinate in her seat. The level of disrespect against an elderly lady is beyond my comprehension. This matter will be taken to the social media to shame the employees involved.

my experience was great with Turkish airlines . the problem i encountered was with kayak booking. When I booked . it showed that im allowed a bag . and when I got to the airport, i had to pay $165 for one bag.

Not up to Business Class standards. Two of the three toilets were out of order. The hostesses were aware and didn’t show any responsible act to do something. Food quality was not what we expect from Turkish hospitality. Overall we were not impressed and disappointed.

During mid flight, try to get a flight attendant to help I couldn’t find one Otherwise, everything was perfect

They only gave us 30 minutes to make an international connecting flight. We didn’t make the connection but they did do a good job rebooking us despite the chaos. Our bags didn’t make it back and their process for customer support is pretty bad when it comes to luggage.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

The food was terrible and the seating was uncomfortable, but the airline did a great thing letting us board in Abbis Ababa on our connecting flight after our original flight was very delayed.

Checking in wasn't organized, too many so-called diplomats were jumping line while everyone was waiting in line. They should have their own line not to impede on other passengers that was also waiting to be served. We all paid money and there should be no discrimination because everyone's money should have the same value diplomat or not! If they want to give diplomats some special treatment then let them create their own check in desk and not treat other passengers some that are (elderly, some with children, pregnant women) making them stand longer in line than necessary just because people are jumping line 😡

Food hardly ever changes Videos not often updated for often travel.

The flight is packed and it feels like the space per individual has gotten smaller. Excruciating for a 14hr flight.

I had a comfortable seat that makes my trip wonderful. I appreciate the Ethiopia crew, they were very helpful

The hygiene was super bad. Smells bad and air refreshment is highly advisable. The crew made some one else sit in my spot and no one is checking seat number and people are jumping to sit on other people’s allocated seat.

The flight itself was fine. The exception is that my luggage was destroyed, and I filed a claim that I haven't heard from anyone.

Im if Ethiopian can allow customers to use their mileage for in flight connexion it will be great.

I don't know about the others but the flight attendant that took care of us had the absolute wrong approach "how do we dare asking for water or anything else for that matter"

Flying on the Boeing 787 from Seattle to London was everything that I expected. Every thing was great.

Not my definition of first class. No leg room and barely any recline. The food was good. The crew was great. The comfort for the price I paid for London to Cairo was highway robbery. The Wi-Fi didn't work for me either.

Seat pitch is not enough to eat comfortably. When seat in front is reclined, your screen comes closer to your face. Ryanair seats are actually more comfortable.

The leg from Portland to Heathrow was great for a business class ticket. The BA leg from Heathrow to Lisbon was terrible. Basically coach seating with an empty seat between you and next passenger. Absolutely no leg room. Should not have been charged for business class and it was a 3 hour flight.

The flat beds. Other than that, the place was not clean.

Moved me away from my family and refused to fix it.

I have always been pleased with their service. Would not change a thing

Seating and food was the worst we have experienced in 35 years of traveling for both personal and busines .

Economy seats felt more cramped than other flights we have taken.7 hr, painful sitting hours 6 and 7. Web site difficult to deal with. Originally put in for 1 special meal due to type 2. Meal was awful. Tried to change selection to standard for return flight, on app and website, unable to complete that action.

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.

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