Cheap Flights to South Africa - Top Tips For Finding Cheap Airfares to & Within South Africa

Tip # 1: Make Sure The Airline Consolidators You Consider Have Flights To South Africa In Their Database

First consider using air ticket consolidators to find a cheap airfare to Johannesburg or Cape Town, South Africa's two international gateways. What are airline consolidators? They are travel wholesalers who buy huge quantities of airline tickets on major airlines like South African Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air France. All consolidators don't have contracts with all airlines so make sure the consolidator has a contract with the major airlines that fly to South Africa. Then the air ticket consolidator is in a position to pass on big savings to you. In the UK, consolidators, and the travel agents that they often sell through, are also known as bucket shops. They can save you a lot of money on flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town. Sometimes the savings are up to 70% off the airlines' published airfares.


Tip #2: Check Out South African Airways BUT Be Willing to Travel on the Dominant Airline's Competition to Get Cheaper Airfares
Second, don't just look at South African Airways (SAA) flights to your destination but look at other airlines that fly there too. If you want cheap air tickets you must look beyond SAA, which is by far the dominant airline to southern Africa. If you are willing to fly through another airline's hub airport or city, you increase your chances of finding cheap flights. For example, South African Airways is the dominant airline for flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg from London and the USA. So if you want cheap flights from London or the US to Cape Town or Johannesburg, you might consider British Airways or better yet an airline like KLM or Air France or Emirates. Choosing KLM, Air France or Emirates means that you would have to fly through Amsterdam, Paris or Dubai on your way to Cape Town or Johannesburg. But the savings could be worth it. The same would apply if you wanted cheap flights to or from South Africa to Australia. In this case, taking a good look at Singapore Airlines, with its hub in Singapore, might save you money versus flying directly between South Africa and Australia on Qantas Airways.


Tip #3: Consider Flying On Low Cost, No Frills Airlines to Get Cheap Flights Inside the Country
Cheap flights within South Africa often can be found on some of the country's newer, no frills or low cost airlines. Kulula, Mango, 1 time (one time airlines), and until recently Nationwide, all had cheap flights between South African cities. And, in the case of Comair (which is the local British Airways partner), there are cheap flights to popular destinations in nearby places like Victoria Falls and Mauritius. But the no frills airlines are not always the best bet. Because so much business has been lost by South African Airways to these airlines, the big national carrier has had to fight back. So don't ignore South African Airways, it can have low airfare deals as well.

High and increasing airline ticket prices to Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa appear to be here to stay. Finding discount airfare to South Africa will continue to be a challenge. Following these tips will help you increase your chances of getting the cheapest airfares.