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Find cheap flights from South Africa to the United States from $389

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from South Africa to the United States departing on 9/9. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Thu 7/11
Thu 7/18

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Low season

February

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$389
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 3% lower on average.
Flight from Johannesburg to New York John F Kennedy Airport

FAQs for booking flights from South Africa to the United States

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from South Africa to the United States?

    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 South Africa to the United States.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from South Africa to the United States?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to the United States from South Africa is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from South Africa to the United States?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to the United States with an airline and back to South Africa with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from South Africa to the United States?

    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 to the United States from 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 5 airlines serving from South Africa to the United States

Need help choosing which airline to fly with from South Africa to the United States? 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.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 10277 reviews
7.4Food
7.9Comfort
8.6Crew
8.2Boarding
8.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

3 hours late and all they have is was a $12 meal voucher. That’s not even enough to cover fast food.

2.0 MediocreCraig, Jun 2024CVG - LGA
Read more about Delta reviews

3 hours late and all they have is was a $12 meal voucher. That’s not even enough to cover fast food.

Among the poorest flights I’ve had with Delta in a while. Entertainment system failed completely on a 7.5 hr flight. Crew seemed distracted and not the normal friendly crew. Flight overbooked it seemed… very crowded.

If I can, I always fly Delta. I’ve found their service to always be reliable and pleasant.

You could have not cancelled the flight (AA, which I will be flying from now on) left for BOS despite the fictitious weather issues (that no one in my Boston family could see). You could have rebooked my direct flight to another direct flight instead of sending me though JFK, the worst US airport after O’Hara You could have rebooked me on a Main Cabin seat (like the one I paid for in my original ticket instead of putting me a the last row on JFK->BOS leg, pocketing the difference in ticket price But I do not really care whether you will ever do that in a future because in a future neither I nor anyone from my company (unless they pay out of pocket) nor an of my clients and partners (if they heed my advice) will ever be caught dead on any of Delta flights

Really bad baggage handling. Had my Rimowa bag badly damaged at the latches.

It was pretty good I was worried with the short Layover that I might not catch my connection but the gate was there

It was good until there was a 3 hour delay because there was not any pilots to fly the plane.

There was plenty of overhead room but half of the passengers were told they had to check their carryon bags. My partner and I checked in as early as possible and our seats were split across the aisle.

Ongoing flight was delayed. Staff at bag recheck was able to get us on an earlier flight. With only 20 minutes till take off we feared our bags would not make the new earlier flight. We were most delighted that they did and were there when we landed. Delta came through

Friendly flight attendants. Comfort plus seats were very comfortable and had lots of leg room. 10A and 10 B.

The food from Lagos to Amsterdam was was very poor compared to AMS-YYZ

We left one hour late because of technical difficulties. The economy comfort seats are great for the price. The crew was mediocre, they do not provide a pleasant experience, they just deliver food and drinks and give orders, not very amicable, no service and hospitality focus.

Seats are fair enough for medium tall people. Good food all the trip. Fight attendances are warm

Overall a good experience. We were disappointed when we had to check our carry on due to the plane being full. KLM hadn’t notified us and we had valuable items in the carry on but they still made us check it. Some of the food was great and some was mediocre. Crew is really kind and funny.

One of the vstewardeses wanted to bump me of the plane for absolutely nothing. There is CCTV in the plane ans everything can be verified. Very disappointing , you all will see, o other 5 years and the passangers who does not smile to flight attendent will be bumped off...

I travel frequently. The flight was late again... KLM should really try and be on time

The flight itself it was great nice food the crew were very nice and helpful, Checking in from Birmingham wasn't great long queues for bag dropped, And I had my hand luggage case taken away from me even though I requested to have it with me as I had breakables items. I was told I can not because of the length of the flight with no explanation at all no options was given for me to take my fragile items out of my case it was taken away with hold buggage I find the staff member who was checking me in very unpleasant !! Can we please be advise if the rules have changed about the the carry on hand luggage it will be easier to be advise on booking your tickect if we not allowed to take the hand luggage with me. Overall I had a good flight .

The food quality is poor. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. The entertainment program was limited. I experienced a delay of 30 minutes due to two issues. Passenger luggage had to be removed and there was a technical issue with the stairs not detaching from the aircraft. The pilot managed to compensate and we arrived only 15 minutes later. The luggage at Dubai airport was very slow. I waited over an hour.

I requested wheel chair assistance , it was confirmed via email that inwoood get it but I didn’t get it . The last leg of my trip to Nigeria was the worst.

One of their staff was so rude with discriminative. Such a reputed airline shouldn't hire such kind of arrogant attendants.

Connecting flights were poor,especially in Naples.our Lufthansa air bus was a joke.way too small for that long of a flight.no room at all.couldn’t even get out of the seats to move around or go to the bathrooms.we thought we were getting an actual air bus,double decker.i will never fly that long in a plane like that again.kind of misleading to call it an air bus.we actually had more room on our buses that we used.

It is a modern tragedy that any airline expects you to travel for 14 hours in such discomfort and that the only way to add comfort is exorbitant prices. I was in pain by the time we landed. Shameful.

Original plane sidelined. Had to wait an hour for replacement.

Crew was very cooperative and professional. Passenger's first checked in bag should be free.

No real agent onsite helping you for missing luggage there. Not like the other airline next to UA desk, they have staff attending in their desk assisting answer/helping luggage issue, even after midnight.

Horrible, the flights kept delaying, so it is obvious that we won't be able to make it to the next connection. No easier/real agent on site to help you figure this out. UA agent on other counters refuse to assist you and direct us to use the QR code/call customer service. So inefficient and poor. While technology seems convenient, but it's not the best interest/experience for customers need help while there is active issue need assistance.

They have trouble to keep their flights in schedule. Seems not having enough staff to provide appropriate customer service. Lacking real agents on site to help customers. Have to use QR code/web site/call to be able to talk to real person can help you - and you may have to punch though series of options first, then hold until someone assist you. Similar for baggage claim, no real agent onsite helping if you missing luggage, not like other airline next to UA desk having staff there even after midnight to assist customers.

United is my favorite and I always try to fly United. I feel like this crew didn’t mesh well together.

Our flight was delayed three times. It took us 17 hours to get home.

The flight crew was fantastic. The flight attendants were incredibly considerate, kind and attentive.

Seriously one of the most disappoint experiences I have ever had when flying. My flight got delayed FIVE hours. Nobody wanted to help at the airport (“this is Kenyan booking, we cannot do anything”). I got on the phone with someone from Kenyan for one hour until he finally moved my ticket to a Delta ticket. Then the painful journey restarted - the Delta crew in land kept saying there was no other flight and ai had to wait. An agent called Gerard Robert was being so sarcastic I felt humiliated. He would say things like “you say you understand what I am saying but you are not understanding what so am saying”. I asked him to please speak in a less sarcastic tone and he said “I am not going to speak with you anymore, go find someone else”. These were his words. Tired, after 14 hours in a plane, I just wanted to cry. I looked for another agent, who was an angel and rebooked me to another flights. Thanks to her, I made it to my meeting in Washington-DC. I am going to send a formal complaint to Delta about agent Gerard Robert. It is not fair to speak with customers in that cynical, sarcastic tone. If one works in customer service, it ia important to mind that tones can make people feel humiliated. And turning the back to a customer by saying “Go find someone else” can’t be part of his training.

I almost missed my flight because my previous flight (Mombasa- Nairobi, also Kenyan airways) landed in a different terminal. There was no signs whatsoever, no information shared. It felt messy. If the flights are purchased together, like mine, there has to be indications on how to board to the following one.

Food was great. They never to add more current entertainment like movies and shows

Paid an extra USD 100 for so-called Comfort seats. All of these (the bulkhead seats) had parents with babies and infants who were screaming much of the time. One mother even decided to change nappies on the seat. This was anything but comfort!

Front section of economy cabin is better than rear. Paid for seats selected.

Flight was delayed for 9 hours. We finally arrived ved at 0435hrs instead of 1950hrs the previous day. No compensation was provided.

Apart from delay of 3 hrs in Nairobi for onward flight to Dar all fine. Looked like operational issues caused it.

I booked a round trip flight and boarded a Kenya Airways trip from New York (JFK) to Nairobi (JKIA). First flight from New York to Nairobi was uneventful with no issues. However, the return flight was beyond disappointing. To begin with I had paid an extra $60 each for premium seats (me and my wife) in economy aisle 15 (B & A). However, upon settling down in the middle seat, I noticed that the controller had been ripped off meaning I would not have access to some of the seat functionalities like the individual lighting etc. I proceeded to alert a flight attendant that the controller was missing and she politely responded to me by telling me if I need anything, to use my wife’s seat controller (on the window seat) to call for assistance and I would be assisted accordingly. I was surprised by the response that she gave as it felt like my comfort and request for a service that I paid for was undermined, but nonetheless I opted to play it nice and kept my calm. After this I engaged in a conversation with a passenger (Caucasian / White male) who sat next to me on the aisle seat. In the process of having this conversation I asked him if he had paid for his seat. He went ahead to politely tell me that he had been moved from a seat in the back by one of the flight attendants and had not paid any extra fees. During this conversation, he noticed that the charging docks were not working and he needed to charge his iPad to watch his Netflix show (it was on pause). Alarmed by this, he went ahead and flagged one of the flight attendants who without wasting any time acted astonished and as fast as lightning was able to find him a better seat a few rows in front. Please note, all the charging plugs were not working for the three seats. In summary, below are the reasons for the low rating: 1. Charging for a broken seat: Kenya Airways should not charge for a defective seat. If a seat is defective and is paid for, the airlines should work out a way to either refund the customer or move the customer to a better seat – regardless of skin color. 2. Below Par Customer Service: Do not debilitate a customer’s request especially when a paid for service is not delivered – regardless of skin color. Assuming that I am comfortable with having to either keep alerting the flight attendant or relying on my wife’s seat to perform some of the functionality I may need is ridiculous. 3. Biasness / Inequality / Prejudiced Behavior: The Caucasian/ White male was treated with more favor. Not only was he moved around to make sure he was comfortable (free of charge) but all his complaints were resolved immediately without any hesitance. On the contrary, I being a black man of African descent who had paid an additional premium for his seat, I was completely ignored and told to settle for what I got.

It has been 1 week since arriving at my destination and I still have not recieved my kite surfing bags. Office will not communicate properly on location or when my bags will arrive. No advice on what to do on luggage that has not arrived in over a week. Simply not happy with Kenya airways at the moment.

Excellent. They canceled our flight & put us up for the night. Then upgraded us. We are impressed

Every host and pilot were very professional. My next flight would be upgraded from economy to the next group.

I asked for a window seat and when I got on the plane 24A did not have a window so was very not happy, but good and entertainment was good and the staff was very good, so the only complaint was the seating.

Flights were actually with Aer Lingus outward and American Airlines & Aer Lingus on the return journey. Outward flight with Aer Lingus was good but the return flight with them was not so good as our seats were in a poor condition (15A & 15C) and looked like they needed replacing! The American Airlines flight from Miami to JFK New York was good and the seats were very comfortable and spacious (32D & 32E)

Awful. Flight delayed and we missed our long flight to Rome. It has been a nightmare and we have still not arrived. It was NOT a weather delay, just poor planning by AA

My seat was in a good row. In our section it was the first row. But it was difficult tooperate seat entertainment features > table, screen, even though I often fly.

Boarding was as fast and efficient as possible. The flight crew were amazing and extremely friendly. We enjoyed our flight.

There was nothing to like besides the crew. The comfort of the airplane was poor (seat did not work properly and it was not comfortable). The “entertainment” system did not work! On a flight that last nearly eight hours, (which is advertised as having excellent entertainment options), that is unacceptable! Passengers should have been given free WiFi for the flight. The food served on the flight was below school lunch grade food. (With one exception, the ice cream snack). The chicken entree was tough and nearly impossible to cut and eat. The “pizza” served later in the flight was worse. The chicken pizza had a dry crust and the “toppings” were equally not enjoyable. The amount of chicken and cheese were almost non existent. Overall not a flight we would want to repeat!!

There was a problem in the luggage because there were not porters

2-1/2 hours on tarmac after arrival to DFW, lost connection to London, 3 hours wait for customer assistance, stayed on our own account in DFW, no replacement flight for 5 days, had to cancel the entire travel and return to Monterrey today.

My worst flying experience so far. This flight was delayed a total of 42 hours and diverted to New York before it was finally cancelled. It was delayed 4 and a half hours in London. As we were scanning our boarding passes at the gate they advised that the flight was being diverted to JFK since the delays caused us to missed the open hours for Charlotte international customs and immigration. We were assured multiple times by airport personnel, flight attendants, and the Pilot that we would land at JFK go through customs and immigration and then reboard the plane to fly to Charlotte in the same night. When we landed in New York the pilot advised us as we were retrieving our carry on luggage that we were delayed till 10am the next morning and to see guest services to get a room for the night. During this time I had to purchase a room for a family member in Charlotte which drove over 4 and a half hours to pick us up from Charlotte. This could have been avoided if American Airlines had been up front about the delay. Then after standing in line for over 2 and a half hours at guest services we were taken by taxi to a hotel 30 minutes out of the way. Luckily I looked for other flights that night and found one at 8 am to get on. The initial flight which we were scheduled to fly to charlotte in was delayed 12 more times and was finally cancelled 42 hours after it was supposed to land. I am unaware of what happened to the guest that were supposed to fly on the flight after we were placed on another flight but 42 hours in delays for a direct flight is absolutely ridiculous.

Book cheap flights from South Africa to the United States

Recent round-trip flight deals

10/20Sun
1 stopKenya Airways
36h 20mJNB-JFK
10/26Sat
1 stopKenya Airways
28h 30mJFK-JNB
$713
10/5Sat
1 stopKenya Airways
36h 20mJNB-JFK
11/4Mon
1 stopKenya Airways
27h 30mJFK-JNB
$716
7/24Wed
1 stopDelta
30h 00mJNB-JFK
8/26Mon
2 stopsDelta
26h 11mJFK-JNB
$776
7/24Wed
1 stopDelta
30h 00mJNB-JFK
8/26Mon
1 stopDelta
26h 55mJFK-JNB
$778
7/21Sun
2 stopsUnited Airlines
44h 14mJNB-LGA
7/30Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
59h 00mLGA-JNB
$859
6/25Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
26h 00mJNB-JFK
7/9Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
58h 45mJFK-JNB
$877
7/22Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
30h 30mJNB-JFK
8/7Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
27h 45mJFK-JNB
$893
10/1Tue
1 stopBritish Airways
22h 50mJNB-EWR
10/14Mon
1 stopBritish Airways
30h 10mEWR-JNB
$906
9/12Thu
1 stopKLM
22h 10mCPT-JFK
9/19Thu
1 stopKLM
20h 55mJFK-CPT
$924
9/12Thu
2 stopsKLM
25h 35mCPT-JFK
9/19Thu
2 stopsKLM
22h 55mJFK-CPT
$1,031

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Recent one-way flight deals

9/9Mon
1 stopKenya Airways
36h 20mJNB-JFK
$389
9/8Sun
1 stopKenya Airways
21h 20mJNB-JFK
$430
9/4Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
22h 50mJNB-EWR
$681
9/28Sat
1 stopBritish Airways
24h 35mJNB-EWR
$682
9/5Thu
1 stopDelta
26h 00mJNB-EWR
$806
9/4Wed
1 stopKLM
21h 10mCPT-JFK
$806
8/27Tue
1 stopDelta
30h 56mCPT-LGA
$816
7/11Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
15h 30mCPT-EWR
$847
7/1Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
15h 30mCPT-EWR
$852
8/12Mon
1 stopKLM
22h 10mCPT-JFK
$868

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Last minute flights to the United States

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

6/14Fri
multi-stopKenya Airways
36h 00mJNB-JFK
6/16Sun
multi-stopKenya Airways
20h 05mJFK-JNB
$878
6/14Fri
multi-stopKenya Airways
36h 00mJNB-JFK
2/18Tue
multi-stopKenya Airways
27h 30mJFK-JNB
$887
6/16Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
30h 07mCPT-EWR
7/25Thu
multi-stopUnited Airlines
26h 50mEWR-CPT
$1,180
6/16Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
33h 30mCPT-LGA
7/25Thu
multi-stopUnited Airlines
27h 20mLGA-CPT
$1,186
6/16Sun
multi-stopBritish Airways
28h 10mJNB-JFK
6/21Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
31h 15mJFK-JNB
$1,191
6/16Sun
multi-stopDelta
22h 55mCPT-JFK
6/23Sun
multi-stopDelta
33h 00mJFK-CPT
$1,255
6/16Sun
multi-stopDelta
22h 55mCPT-JFK
6/23Sun
multi-stopDelta
21h 35mJFK-CPT
$1,271
6/13Thu
multi-stopKLM
25h 55mJNB-JFK
4/3Thu
multi-stopKLM
22h 40mJFK-JNB
$1,295
6/15Sat
multi-stopKLM
22h 10mJNB-JFK
4/5Sat
multi-stopKLM
22h 40mJFK-JNB
$1,302
6/14Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
49h 17mJNB-ATL
6/20Thu
multi-stopBritish Airways
39h 42mATL-JNB
$1,454

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Flights to the United States

Return flight deals:

United States - South Africa

Cabin classes:

$5,308
$3,592
$1,374
$685

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