R8 031 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 into 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 R29 101 return. The most popular route is Newark Airport (EWR) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was R29 101.

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 R22 949 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and August, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R29 855 and R28 883 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 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 10% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 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 R27 936.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flightR8 031
Best time to beat the crowds (6% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (22% 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 R27 274. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, when return prices are R35 893 on average.

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.
7,8
KLMOverall score based on 1481 reviews
7,6Comfort
7,8Boarding
8,4Crew
7,3Food
7,1Entertainment
Airline reviews

It was really nice journey i personally recommend klm flight

10,0 Excellentsmit, Mar 2026
AMD - BLR
Read more KLM reviews

It was really nice journey i personally recommend klm flight

The crew were unprofessional with a racist element. I was physically abused as well from one of the crew members

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

Empty seats next to me - wish it had been for a longer flight!!

Flight was on time, staff are friendly and helpful onboard.

Terrible last row seats many seats available but no offer to move to better seat

Flight was ok but lack of communication cost me to literally beg to be put on another flight as connecting flight had departed

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

Over 1 Hr delay. No APU so no AC on ground. Plane was hot during boarding and then they closed the doors over 20 minutes before engine start so interior of plane was steamy hot and stuffy. Could have been helped by opening doors until ready to depart.

I had a cancelled flight because of technical issues going to my destination, and a delayed flight coming home. All told it wasn’t a total bust.

Just a bad day to fly. Flight was delayed from scheduled 6:50 pm departure to 8:50 pm. Combination of factors mostly related to weather at the destination airport (which is where the incoming flight originated) which delayed the inbound flight over an hour. Once on board, we taxied but had to hold again on the taxiway for 10 minutes or so. We did not get wheels up until after 9 pm. The flight was smooth but about 18 minutes from our destination, we had to hold for several minutes more due to weather at ORD. We finally landed at ORD about 11:08 pm (accounting for the time difference, that was about a 3 hour delay from our scheduled departure time). It felt like we were never going to get to our destination. But the flight crew and attendants were very good. The movie selection onboard was also very nice. Got to watch half of a movie just during our taxi from the gate at ATL due to the delay!

Fine. The issues I had were associated with luggage being delayed from Turkey to Tanzania

No meal service to the back of the plane as it started late or was too slow to get it out before it was time to land.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

Efficient boarding and early departure. Very smooth flight. Early arrival in ATL. Great flight.

We purchase first class seats for the first time for multiples of standard economy ticket. There was no access to the club lounge and no priority boarding. The meal and the service once on the plane were superior and the seat was nicer, but not worth the price difference. I will be happy to seat in economy and spend the difference on more travel.

The business class seat is exceptional. I wish the food is more palatable.

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

the entire flight felt off. The crew seemed uninterested and disengaged. The food service was really bad - overcooked, bland, weird food service. They actually woke us up to serve chicken wraps in the middle of the night, after dinner and before breakfast. Made no sense. Ultimately, I was glad they did though, because the breakfast had been held for so long it was inedible. Eggs, potatoes, sausage - all disgusting. We were asked to "honor" the lavatories for premium customers and stay in our own cabin: this was also strange. So people in economy didn't pay enough to use the closest toilet to them??? It's a toilet. All in all, not the experience I have come to expect from United Airlines. The return flight from Paris to SFO was better, btw.

Flight was delayed. While standing at the gate, a note appeared on the sign saying the gate had changed to a gate far away. No member of the Turkish airlines team got on the microphone to instruct passengers to go to the other gate, to ignore the chiron, etc. Finally, the message disappeared. Eventually, the flight began to board. Very slowly. More slowly than I experience with other airlines. Though Istanbul may just be slow . . . In all other ways, great flight, great entertainment (top notch movies), great service, excellent food, comfortable lie-flat seat, dimmed lights, etc.

Staff at the airport wasn't helpful or friendly. Probably the worst airport experience I have ever had, going and coming. The staff on the plane was better. Still not super friendly or personable. However, they were not rude like airport staff. They ran out of certain menu items. Maybe could have been prepared better? Overall just ok.

It was a pleasant experience. In flight entertainment could have been better

The desk crew at the LAX crew could do better. A girl named Mahesi was very abrasive and unfriendly. She needs a better customer service uproar.

It was peaceful excited We enjoyed it always Turkish peaceful excited

Istanbul to Lahore flight was less than standard for international business class cabins. Seat did not were not flat and it did not operate easily. I had to push buttons hard repeatedly to operate the seat. I was in 5A seat

IAH to Istanbul was outstanding across the board. The flight from Istanbul to Male was good, not great.

the cabin was kept too hot. couldn't sleep as a result

It was an amazing experience. Flight crew's service, hospitality, and the food were phenomenal. I don't think I'd want to try any other airline company after this. I would definitely recommend to friends and family. Thank you Turkish Airlines !

Business Class pods are horrible. If you're petite, you might be able to sleep on the uncomfortable seat and bed. Crew and food are fantastic.

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.

I had a memorable experience. I dont have any comments at this time regarding waht could be better.

It is nice and great but the houstees crew are all the way back arguing with customers and behavior issues same of the crew i saw that also all the trips were very much butter!

I have my baggage left either in Jeddah or Addis and undelivered to Abuja

The gate agent made me check my carry-on in Denver, even though I've traveled all over taking this case on the plane. Beware folks. Food in Premium Economy was quite good - excellent blanket! Flight attendants on the Heathrow-to-Budapest flight on 3-27-2026 were quite snappy. I got a frown when asked to unscrew the water bottle cap for me (I had a cast on my right arm). Also woke up right when they were handing out biscuits. She had given my rowmates one and was in the process of giving water when I asked for a biscuit. She scolded me and said, "You snooze, you lose". She did give me one, but I thought that comment was uncalled for.

Wish the food and overall service was better. They treat Business class passengers same as economy

WiFi wasn’t available to economy until the end of the flight.

Very good staff members with sincere passion and responsibility in their job.

We paid for Business Class seats, but system did not have us and they were not available.

Very please with the seating that the Kayak staff booked for us!

Worth every penny to upgrade to BC. Treated and felt more like First Class

I paid for a very expensive Business Class seat to and from Cairo Egypt from Charleston SC. There was partnership from states to London using American Airlines. That leg was amazing. The British Airlines leg was a joke. They used the standard no leg room 3 by 3 seats. A tray was put on the middle seat. The trip was 5 hours, from London to Cairo, thus my BC purchase. There was no screen proving tv/movie options, only a small device plug. The fold down tray and the bag of peanuts were typical of normal short run flying. The one toilet was located in the galley. We all got to know each other well. This was my first and last trip with British Airlines. I now understand why they would NEVER give me a seat chart so that I could make a selection.prior to departure. It honestly would not have made a difference, there were less than 50% of occupied seats. Apparently everyone got the memo but me. I have never felt so cheated as with that trip, got to so another going back to London, yeah. I will be sending a letter to customer service and asking for a refund. I will be photos comparing the two BC legs. OH, one more thing. The FC ticket holders got bulkhead and exit row seats. I know they had to be thrilled

Good service, food and comfort in World Traveller Plus. Entertainment was poor - no wifi on the way out and barely working on the way back. Not a great choice of entertainment on the seat back tv.

Late! Late and late! More than 1hr 30mn. This sucks when it is the last of a 4 flight journey. I missed my dinner! Which is not nice on Valentine’s Day!!! But better than the gate next to us, the poor Chinese people were rebooked to the next day flight. AA had to call security as it became very heated with the passengers! It was a mess at DFW that afternoon/evening. I wish they had some food for the people who travel as part of international journey. Indigo does it in India and it is fantastic.

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.