Advice for travellers

Domestic flights in South Africa

South Africa has a number of airlines flying between its major cities, and to some of its smaller ones, with fares ranging from first-class to cut-price economy. Flights can be booked online from anywhere in the world.

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) operates South Africa's 10 principal airports, including the three major international airports at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The other seven are domestic airports in Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Kimberley, Upington and Pilanesberg.

Seven major domestic airlines operate in the country, as well as a number of smaller charter airline companies.

South African Airways, South African Express and Airlink and fly between all the major cities and to some of the smaller ones.

Kulula.com, 1time and Mango offer cut-price flights on the more popular routes, between Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and George.

British Airways, operated by Comair, operates flights between the major centres.

All flight operators offer online booking services, with payment by credit card or directly into the relevant bank account.

You need to be at the airport an hour before departure for domestic flights.

Kulula.com

Offers low-cost, single-class flights between Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town, Durban, George, Port Elizabeth, East London and Nelspruit.

The airline also offers flights from Johannesburg's Lanseria Airport to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and George.

Call centre: 0861 KULULA / 0861 585852
International bookings (from outside SA): +27 11 921 0111
General enquiries: info@kulula.com
Group bookings: groups@kulula.com
Kulula.com online bookings

1time

Offers low-cost, single-class flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London and George, and from those cities back to Johannesburg.

Call centre: 0861 345 345, e-mail callcenter@1time.co.za
Head office: +27 11 928 8000, e-mail info@1time.co.za
Group bookings: 0861 345 345, e-mail: groups@1time.co.za
1time online bookings

Mango

A no-frills carrier operated by SAA, Mango offers low-cost, single-class flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town Durban, and Bloemfontein.

Reservations: +27 11 978 1111
Call centre: 0861 1 MANGO (0861 162 646)
Call centre from outside SA: Johannesburg: +27 11 359 1222, Cape Town: +27 21 936 1061
E-mail: enquiries@flymango.com
Mango online bookings

South African Airways

South Africa's national carrier flies locally between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, George, Pietermaritzburg, Mthatha, Kimberley, Polokwane, Richards Bay, Upington, Nelspruit/Kruger, Hoedspriut, Margate, Phalaborwa, Mmabatho, Manzini and Maseru - as well as into Southern Africa, the rest of Africa and the world. It offers economy, business and first class cabins.

Reservations: +27 11 978 1111
Call centre: 0861 FLY SAA (0861 359 722)
Call centre from outside SA: +27 11 978 5313
E-mail: help@flysaa.com
SAA online bookings

Airlink

Flies locally between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Bloemfontein, George, Pietermaritzburg, Mthatha, Kimberley, Polokwane, Richards Bay, Upington, Nelspruit/Kruger, Hoedspriut, Margate, Phalaborwa, Mmabatho, Manzini and Maseru - as well as into Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Mozambique. Classes are economy, business and first.

Customer care and head office: +27 11 961 1700
Call centre: 0861 FLY SAA (0861 359 722)
Call centre from outside SA: +27 11 978 5313
Group bookings: +27 11 961 1732
E-mail: info@flyairlink.com
South African Airlink online bookings

South African Express

Flies locally between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, George, Richards Bay, Hoedspruit, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Nelspruit - as well as into Botswana, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Flights are in economy, business and first class.

Call centre: +27 11 978 9900
Reservations: +27 11 978 5577, e-mail reservations@flysax.com
Group Reservations: +27 11 978 9905, e-mail groupsales@flysax.com
South African Express online bookings

British Airways

Offers return flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, and between Cape Town and Durban. Offers economy, premier economy, business/club and first class flights.

OR Tambo (formerly Johannesburg) International Airport: +27 11 387 9000
Reservations: +27 11 441 8400
British Airways online bookings

Online booking services

A number of independent web-based agencies offer pricing comparisons between the airlines, and online booking services. A selection of these are:

Article last updated: June 2008

SAinfo reporter



	OR Tambo International Airport outside Johannesburg is the busiest on the African continent, with a capacity of over 18-million passengers a year (Photo: City of Johannesburg)