R8 404 Find Cheap Flights from the United States to South Africa

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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 R1 100 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 R1 100.

What is the cheapest day to fly to South Africa?

The average price of all flights from the United States to South Africa clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to South Africa is Monday when return tickets can be as cheap as R25 337. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, when return prices are R28 845 on average.

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 January, when tickets cost R24 776 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R35 017 and R34 508 respectively.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from the United States to South Africa depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.
The cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost R1 303 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 R1 955.

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 the flight from the United States to South Africa, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 7 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 Cape Town Intl Airport (CPT), with an average flight price of R21 611.

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R8 404
Best time to beat the crowds (14% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (25% more expensive on average)
Flight from Atlanta to 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 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.

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.
7,4
Qatar AirwaysOverall score based on 3540 reviews
7,3Food
7,4Comfort
7,5Boarding
7,9Crew
7,4Entertainment
Airline reviews

This trip was the most comfortable one I have ever experienced, the team was excellent and very helpful. I am so glad I picked Qatar Airways.

10,0 ExcellentItimad, Mar 2025BOS - DOH
Read more Qatar Airways reviews

This trip was the most comfortable one I have ever experienced, the team was excellent and very helpful. I am so glad I picked Qatar Airways.

All the crew members were too slow and rude. Most of the times the registers were empty, while hundreds of customers were waiting in line, and it was impossible to get a supervisor. Despite being in line on time, I missed my freight, plus a some customers who were ahead and behind me.

Well organized boarding, efficient and on time. Nice crew on the plane. Thank you!

The Qatar Airways staff pre-boarding and also on the flight from Dallas to Doha were incredibly mediocre and arrogant. Consider retraining these individuals Other flights were ok.

My experience with Qatar airway was very unsatisfactory. They lost my child’s stroller and I was told they found it and will send it to the hotel which was a lie. I had to go back to the airport baggage claim and pick up myself after trying to contact them many times!. There was a lack professional and communication. I am very disappointed in Qatar airway and will not be recommending them to friends and family nor will I be flying with them in the future.

Worst air experience in whole life . Boarding and checking was hassle as they did 3 times. Crew team was clueless about passengers need. Despite of passengers raising hand , they were resetting the program

The food is not good and also if you ask crew to bring something they say ok I will bring but you will never get it. Please they should listen good to passengers

No difference between US airline and Qatar. Both cramp as many people. The airline seems to change planes without notice choice is seating when making reservations online doesn’t match the plane a passenger is on. Especially paying extra. Nothing special No different than US carriers.

Did not like anything. Seats were crammed, leg space was minimal and food was terrible. This was the first time traveling overseas in American Airlines and was the worst experience ever. Have learned a lesson to never travel in American Airlines.

Delayed my flights and no communication. We end up spending 6 hrs in Doha. No food or any concern from the airline. Terrible

Compared with other carriers business class for an overnight was not worth the extra expense.

Seats were comfortable. It’s was so cold and very uncomfortable. I paid 2000 miles for wifi service that was choppy the whole flight. Would like to be reimbursed for my miles Food was so disappointing. Three cold and terrible meals for $3000 round trip. This needs to be better.

Generally good. The aisles have gotten narrower which can slow down boarding. Flight crew was great! Healthier complimentary snacks would be appreciated. Due to earthquake in San Francisco we had to circle in air space for a bit but then had a smooth landing. I laud the flight crew for their patience ;)

Easy to board. Flight was super crowded though so I didn't sleep well on that cross country red-eye flight. The aisles seem ot have gotten narrower and the seat smaller whn luggage and people are getting bigger so it would be AWESOME to have more space and breathing room in general ;)

Excellent, professional, actually on time which is rare for late flights. Decent food. I love the new neck pillows! Nice, simple upgrade from the old ones I wasn't sure where to put. I wish they would allow more time for rest. It's a red eye 7 hour flight and meal service was about 3 hours.

We boarded but then sat there waiting on some missed connection people to get on so we sat for about 15 minutes for that. Then we sat again because the passenger manifest was wrong and they had to figure it out before we could leave. That took about another 20 minutes or so. The crew was working hard to figure it out so it’s not their fault. It ended up being a system glitch where someone was upgraded to first class while another person was also in the same seat and it just created a mess that took a little while to figure out. They literally went to every person on the plane asking their names to see who was sitting in the wrong seat. I also hate the entertainment that must be watched on your phone or tablet. Just give us setback screens. It’s so much better. Almost every Delta flight has this now and it is so nice to have them. The crew did a great job. I have no complaints from them. They were very hard working, even with the mishap and a disgruntled passenger.

We were delayed in Toronto on the tarmac for THREE hours with no clear indication as to why except that it was not a safety hazard. Pilot did apologize more than once but even he was unable to explain why exactly we were delayed. I overheard the stewards saying that the captain was very frustrated with the situation as well because he was not able to explain why except it had something to do with water supply or system on the aircraft and now we needed to wait for an engineer to approve the aircraft for flight. It was very frustrating and distressing as a passenger and we should have been given complimentary meals at the very least.

Flight was cramped with every seat taken. The food was fine, nothing crazy to write home about. The plane felt dated and needing some TLC, the button for the window shade didn't work and there were no AC outlets to use. When communicating with staff all except one nice lady never seemed happy to help me almost like I was bothering them when asked for things like a glass of water or a snack. The flight was overall fine. It did what was needed which is get me from point A to point B. But it certainly was not special. I don't expect much in economy but I believe economy on a host of other airlines is more memorable and better experience.

Overall poor for me I paid extra for seats with leg room and my regional flights exit row seats have less leg room then the others that's money that could have been saved and on my final flight home the flights air was not operating it was unbearably hot in the cabin I will be contacting United and filing a DOT complaint

We paid extra for the seats with extra leg room. But we were not allocated the seats with extra leg room nor refunded the money we paid for the seats.

Make sure to request a vegetarian meal in advance. They printed out menus for all passengers with the options but by the time they were halfway through (for breakfast and dinner), the vegetarian options were already all taken.

Cleanliness of seats, trays, storage pockets need more attention, but everything else was good.

A great airline, no complaints at all. My experience with Cheap Tickets was very disappointing however. Two hours after purchasing the flight they called to tell me that the ticket price had gone up. I’ve never heard of such a thing. That is called false advertising; I will never use this ticketing service again and will warn all friends to never use it.

One of the worst check in process at the DIA as well as the boarding counter Changed seat at the last minute and assigned middle seat while I paid for window seat. Requested many times but to no avail . horrible customer service and very poor process Requesting refund for seat that was changed last minute

Good overall flight. Excellent crew. Food options could be improved.

Vegan food tasted good. Restroom could be kept cleaner. Seat tray table was a bit tilted so food tray kept sliding down a bit. Flight crew can be a little more friendly, caring and approachable. Their faces lacked smiles and tone was stern.

Flight was delayed then we had to redirect for medical emergency during which time we had no information on what is the plan. The connecting flight was also delayed.

Very good except the boarding process too forever and wasn’t organized by group. I had a heavy pack or I wouldn’t have minded. I was in business. There were no audible announcements in the waiting area about boarding and everyone packed into the boarding area. Then boarding stopped for a long time but the staff made no announcements to update waiting passengers about the holdup. The flight was good after we got on.

Professional & courteous cabin crew. Food was very good even in economy class

7 stars hospitality and an excellent service by the Turkish Airline entire team. Somehow, our membership numbers for mileage points were not indicated on our boarding passes issued at O’Hare Airport by the Turkish Airlines check in desk. During transit in Istanbul, I brought to attention of customer service Turkish Airlines. Please have our mileage points posted to our membership account from O’Hare Chicago to Lahore for both my wife Kaukab Shirazi Thank you

It was very bad experience with Ethiopian airlines . The flight was delayed in both ways . On the way coming back one of the crews dropped hot coffee on my whole body and other crew dropped used dirty glasses on top of me . The same crew that dropped hot coffee on me hit me with the food trolley on my knee while I was sleeping . I couldn’t sit properly due to the pain on my knee caused by those irresponsible crews . Very unprofessional airlines

Flight was delayed an hour. Also, I bought an extra legroom seat online; but the actually plane was a different configuration so I didn't get what I paid for . This happened on the Addis to Lusaka leg of my trip.

Needs improvement because some of the tvs and charging ports weren’t working

My experience was great. The flight attendants were very helpful and nice, and the food was very good.

Very bad experience flight was over 5 hours delayed 😑 not a chance to be put on another flight we had to stay at the hotel we lost 2 days on our vacation. Never again I will fligh with Ethiopian airlines.

Terrible customer service I lost my bag luggage and I still haven’t received any information

The flight delayef for over 2 hours so my route was changed leading to arriving to my destination without my luggage

The ailine departed and arrived late foe every leg of the trip, causing myself and my travel companions to miss every connecting flight. It was very unorganized given theat there was a lot of miscommunication. The flights offered are unrealistic and when you call they assure you that the plane waits for you. I missed an. entire day of my vacation and any entire day of rest back home because of the airline. I do not plan to support the airline again. Thank you

I liked nothing of Ethiopian airlines except the price of the fare.

Food was really not appealing. There was a blocked sink in the toilet. Toilet is cramped and the wall between the 2 toilets are not secured properly.

Was late but that airport/storm fault. Flight was full but comfortable. Food quite nice. Unfortunate that I had a rather miserable attendant, others were much friendlier

Experience was good. Could have been better if we didn’t have to board an hour before the flight to ghana and miss relaxing time in the lounge. That process was very stressful

Boarding crew is unfriendly as i was asked to handover carryon luggage too upto final destination Bangalore I was not prepared for that and i had to travel without my diabetic and hypertension medicines

I was charged fees for check in bags at the airport by British Airways. It was supposed to be no charge but Kayak messed up my booking apparently and I had to pay for check in bags. I paid $175.

They took my carry on and checked it in. Staff in general at Heathrow are not friendly or helpful

The crew were professional and friendly. It was the most uncomfortable international flight I've ever flown. Crammed in passengers. No overhead space to put my bag. No leg room and unable to recline seat due to seats too close together so it upset passenger behind me! Upgrade price to get 2 inches of more space unreasonable.

Boarding in Dallas was hell with extremely rude gate agents , especially a lady named Rajathi who was the epitome of rudeness with no compassion at all . She was horrible and I wonder why airlines have people like her on their roster who exude arrogance and haughtiness . Will probably not fly British Airwsys because of people like her .

Less than average, low level of shared required information needed during the transfer from airport to another, also the used team during boarding In Indianapolis station is Not Professional

Ok we did get an upgrade and the flight was delayed 45 minutes BUT without any bias. The crew were excellent, friendly, efficient and verging on exuberant, they all were so happy to do their jobs. Food excellent and the new safety video is fun to watch.

Food was average. Better headphones seats were average at best.

Book cheap flights from the United States to South Africa

Recent return flight deals

21/4Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
23h 55mJFK-JNB
28/4Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
27h 10mJNB-JFK
R15 226
21/4Mon
2 stopsEthiopian Air
23h 55mJFK-JNB
28/4Mon
2 stopsEthiopian Air
27h 10mJNB-JFK
R15 280
23/4Wed
1 stopTurkish Airlines
39h 45mJFK-JNB
30/4Wed
1 stopTurkish Airlines
34h 45mJNB-JFK
R15 862
27/8Wed
1 stopTurkish Airlines
28h 05mEWR-JNB
9/9Tue
1 stopTurkish Airlines
34h 45mJNB-EWR
R15 862
14/4Mon
2 stopsQatar Airways
31h 00mJFK-JNB
1/5Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
24h 30mJNB-JFK
R17 172
21/4Mon
2 stopsQatar Airways
34h 20mJFK-JNB
1/5Thu
1 stopQatar Airways
24h 30mJNB-JFK
R17 590
1/5Thu
1 stopBritish Airways
32h 05mJFK-CPT
2/6Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
22h 15mCPT-JFK
R21 538
4/5Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 35mEWR-CPT
4/6Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
30h 30mCPT-EWR
R21 574
21/9Sun
directUnited Airlines
14h 45mEWR-CPT
2/10Thu
directUnited Airlines
15h 30mCPT-EWR
R24 285
13/9Sat
directUnited Airlines
14h 45mIAD-CPT
21/9Sun
directUnited Airlines
15h 50mCPT-IAD
R24 285

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Recent one-way flight deals

21/4Mon
1 stopTurkish Airlines
30h 50mATL-JNB
R8 404
24/4Thu
1 stopTurkish Airlines
37h 35mATL-JNB
R8 786
30/3Sun
1 stopQatar Airways
32h 50mJFK-JNB
R11 879
9/5Fri
2 stopsEthiopian Air
23h 55mJFK-JNB
R13 352
18/8Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
20h 05mEWR-CPT
R13 443
7/5Wed
1 stopQatar Airways
32h 50mJFK-JNB
R14 680
12/5Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
35h 05mEWR-CPT
R19 755
21/9Sun
directUnited Airlines
14h 45mEWR-CPT
R20 519
26/8Tue
directUnited Airlines
15h 05mEWR-JNB
R20 519
19/6Thu
2 stopsBritish Airways
33h 07mLGA-CPT
R216 998

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

28/3Fri
multi-stopEthiopian Air
21h 30mIAD-CPT
6/4Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
25h 05mCPT-IAD
R15 753
27/3Thu
multi-stopEthiopian Air
24h 00mJFK-JNB
20/4Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
27h 10mJNB-JFK
R15 808
30/3Sun
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
28h 05mEWR-JNB
8/4Tue
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
34h 45mJNB-EWR
R17 190
28/3Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
45h 00mJFK-JNB
4/4Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
30h 50mJNB-JFK
R17 718
28/3Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
34h 50mJFK-JNB
11/4Fri
multi-stopQatar Airways
30h 50mJNB-JFK
R17 772
28/3Fri
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
39h 00mIAD-CPT
7/4Mon
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
25h 10mCPT-IAD
R19 810
29/3Sat
directUnited Airlines
14h 40mEWR-JNB
1/5Thu
directUnited Airlines
16h 15mJNB-EWR
R34 290
29/3Sat
directUnited Airlines
14h 40mEWR-JNB
1/5Thu
multi-stopUnited Airlines
25h 10mJNB-EWR
R34 472
28/3Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
29h 40mEWR-JNB
30/3Sun
multi-stopBritish Airways
22h 40mJNB-EWR
R35 454
27/3Thu
multi-stopBritish Airways
29h 25mJFK-CPT
13/4Sun
multi-stopBritish Airways
37h 25mCPT-JFK
R65 105

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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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