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Air to Cape town.

Stellie

Planning trip to Africa next year. Opinions please on best airline(Business class) flying from United States to Cape Town South Africa , Non-stop preferably, if possible OR one international stop prior to Cape town. Just flew Delta One to Iceland. Disappointed with their business class. Thanks All!

Comments

British

First question, which is your US airport?

Stellie

St. Louis originating. I believe United flys out of D. C Non Stop.

Smiling Sam

Per Flight Connections here are the places you can fly from to Cape Town. It shows New York, Washington D.C., and Atlanta from the US.

Stellie

Thanks Sam. Helpful.

SandyFeet

Stelline, I think EWR and JFK are often lumped together as “New York”. United’s Polaris class direct from Newark to Cape Town is great.

Stellie

Thanks Lady Bombay!

British

I think the forum member CathyandSteve lives near you. Hopefully she may be able to help as she has been to that area of Africa.

OurTravels34

Ok just looked at FlightConnections.com. I can see how this can be very useful. Very interesting.

Stellie

Cathy and Steve may I ask why you chose not to fly non-stop from Cape town to a hub for United in either Wash D.C or Newark? Or Delta in Atlanta ? And then onto St. Louis? Why the extra stop in London? (Unless you like British Or American better then United or Delta?)

Smiling Sam

OurTravels34 - Ok just looked at FlightConnections.com. I can see how this can be very useful. Very interesting.

You're welcome!

OurTravels34

I’m flying to Livingstone, Zambia next year and deciding where I would like to break up the flight; I’m hoping Dubai or DOHA only because they seem the most interesting. The flight from Atlanta has one less stop. That is a consideration. Regardless, I know I have to have a layover somewhere overnight coming from California. I haven’t quite figured it out yet. It’s going to be a long flight. Any suggestions will be useful and appreciated. Thanks.

Smiling Sam

OurTravels34 - I think your choice of routing and airlines to Southern Africa gets down to your personal drivers:
a) total travel time, including layover times
b) airline preference
c) desire to stop and see what along the way
d) number of stops and where those stops are (eg. Heathrow avoidance)
e) cost

From Tucson, assuming a reasonably close cost it would be a Tucson/Atlanta/Cape Town routing for me. That said, the prices directly from Tucson when going overseas are rarely competitive with prices from a coastal US city.

OurTravels34

Thank you.

janet_dzubow

We just returned from that trip. We live in PA and took United Business from Newark (direct flight) to Capetown and direct flight from Johannesburg to Newark. The flight to Capetown was not daily, so we went a few days early and did some touring in Capetown ahead of time. Both flights were nice. Very long and worth the $ for business class.

Stellie

Thanks Janet. Can't book air until Sept. 2023. But this sounds great.

AlanS

cathyandsteve
11:17AM
. . . . We have an upcoming trip to Istanbul… and we are flying Lufthansa stl to Germany… then to Istanbul. It will be our first time flying to Europe direct.

If we can find flights that bypass intermediate stops at LHR, AMS, and CDG to avoid layover hassles and Euro business for the second leg, we do it, whether on Delta, our usual carrier, or another like Turkish. Except for our recent trip where we flew from our home airport directly to Paris (Delta has only one flight a day) for the start of the tour, we must usually go via JFK or ATL.

Smiling Sam

Cathy - Is your flight from Germany to Istanbul on Lufthansa? Is it a Euro-business class flight? If so, I hope the flight isn't too long.

I'm in the same camp as Alan trying to avoid Euro-business class flights if at all possible, especially if the flights would be over 2 hours in length. Oftentimes when having to get to lesser European cities (from a airline flight hub perspective) the Euro-business class can't be avoided.

MS78

Did that journey to So Africa Elegant last year. Flew from Chicago to CapeTown using Emirates, so went through Dubai. Spent 2 days in Dubai on the way in order to break up journey and to see the sites, including the Expo. Most of the journey is on their 777. the plane to Capetown was older than the Chicago Dubai plane. Flight from Johannesburg back to Dubai was the A 380, so got to experience that plane. I thought they did a good job.

LindaV

We just recently booked S Africa Elegant Adventure for May 24, 2024. We fly from Phoenix and Tauck found great business class flights on United Phoenix to Dullas/D.C. and then direct to Capetown and for return Johannesburg to Newark with a connection from there back to Phoenix.

Stellie

Thanks LInda. Going on that trip mid July 2024. I'm hoping for either United business from St. Louis to Newark or D. C. direct to Cape town as well.
They said it's to early to make my air reservations. Does United still only have 3 flights scheduled per week going East and 3 flights going West direct to Cape town? I'm doing the Namibia trip after South Africa Elegant Adventure so I need to arrange a flight from Victoria Falls to Windhoek and then Windhoek to either Johannesburg or Cape town and then home.

British

We are going to Namibia in a couple of months, we fly from Doha to Windhoek going, you could do that in reverse.

Sandman

Does anyone know when you get to the airport in Johannesburg from Victoria Falls on the last morning of the tour? I am looking to book flights out of Johannesburg.to Dubai and want to make a reservation. We will be on the September 18 tour and are excited about this trip. Sandman

Stellie

sandman 3:30PM.

Sandman

Thanks, Stellie, I think a can book a 7:10 flight to Dubai on Emirates without a problem.

Mary Margaret McClure

On United Airlines: Non-stop Newark to Capetown going. Non-stop Johannesburg to Newark on return. Piece of cake!

MikeHenderson

We did that United Newark to Capetown flight and it was nice. The aircraft was almost new and the business class seating was excellent. Our return from Johannesburg was a different routing - we went up to Heathrow and then to LAX.

JanP

We are doing this trip in September and our UA routing is Chicago-Dulles-Cape Town; J’berg-Frankfort-Chicago. The layovers are reasonable, and also flying business class.

Stellie

Mary Margaret McClure same route. Business. It's a long flight at 14 1/2 hours going. But LOVE that it's non-stop!

Quest

United flies nonstop EWR - JNB every day
United flies nonstop EWR - CPT (THREE DAYS A WEEK)
if you put search on the day when there is not the nonstop ie 4 other days -- it does not inform you of this 3xwk nonstop.
After Botswana tour, added an extra day at One & Only -- so could take the long nonstop CPT - EWR.
Capetown is worth spending an extra day meandering around the V&A waterfront.