Flights from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth

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To get on the cheapest flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth (PE / Madiba Bay / Ibhayi / The Friendly City / Die Baai / The Windy City) compare the prices of BA, Kulula, Mango, SA Express and SAA. Use the tool on the left.

Latest News

28 April 2013 Two Super Rugby teams who are to play each other on Saturday, the Southern Kings and the New South Wales Waratahs are placed on the same flight from Joburg to PE, sharing an Airbus A319.

5 Dec 2012	Mango Airlines launches daily flights from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, with an initial sale price of R599* 1-way on selected dates. Flight JE525 is scheduled to leave Johannesburg at 06h45 and arrive in PLZ at 08h25. "This is a long time in the making. We were created to make air travel more affordable and accessible to more South Africans. This will bring more people to your beautiful city. It will be a key economic enabler and bring friends and families together," said Nico Bezuidenhout, CEO of Mango. Mango managed to employ most of the Port Elizabeth airport staff who were retrenched by 1time airline.
1 Nov 2012	1time airline goes into liquidation, and quits flying the JNB-PLZ route.
June 2012	Kulula suspends its Johannesburg - Port Elizabeth flights, at the same time as implementing its new IT system.
30 Mar 2009	South African Express launches a twice daily service from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, using a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet Series 200.
28 Oct 2008	Kulula terminates its Johannesburg Lanseria to Port Elizabeth flights, due to a lack of passenger demand.
29 Oct 2007	Kulula commences operating flights from Johannesburg's Lanseria Airport to Port Elizabeth.

Airlines flying from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth

Airlines	Airports	Stops
British Airways	Johannesburg OR Tambo to Port Elizabeth	non-stop
Kulula Airlines	Johannesburg OR Tambo to Port Elizabeth	non-stop
Mango Airlines	Johannesburg OR Tambo to Port Elizabeth	non-stop
South African Airways	Johannesburg OR Tambo to Port Elizabeth	non-stop
South African Express	Johannesburg OR Tambo to Port Elizabeth	non-stop

A flight from JNB to PLZ takes about 1h40m.

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Road trip

The driving distance from JNB to PLZ is some 1114km & takes about 12 hours. You'd pass by Kroonstad, Bloemfontein, Colesberg, Graaff-Reinet and Uitenhage.

Top reviews

It's sometimes easy to forget just how important a function airlines fulfill in connecting families. "I was last on a plane in 1987. I was pregnant with my daughter and was flying home from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Since then I have not had the opportunity of going away and thereby have not flown in 26yrs. I have been at the airport so often in those 26 years, waving goodbye and welcoming home friends and family. I never imagined ever going away again myself. My daughter got married in December and relocated to Port Elizabeth. Needless to say it has been heart wrenching being so far from her. As a single parent on a tight budget it is not easy to get to visit. Being retrenched twice within 3 years was also a hard knock financially. We had been talking so often about me going up to see their home and spend some overdue quality time together. She made an unselfish request when asked what she wanted for her birthday. She said to her husband that instead of giving her a birthday present on Valentine's day (yes she is a Valentine's baby) that she would like her present to be a flight ticket for her Mom to visit. It had been 3 months since we had seen each other. Maybe not long for some but we have a very close bond that it seemed like a lifetime. The idea of flying made me apprehensive and nervous but I so desperately wanted to see her. After much debating and asking for leave it was decided I would fly.
It was quite traumatic at the time. Every time I thought of flying my heart raced. We convinced my brother to fly with me and he excitedly spoke about the taking off, the power of the engines, the whole experience he loves so much. He was like a little boy in wonder even though he is definitely not a little boy. I found myself continuously changing the subject. Eventually we decided on a date and he booked our tickets. I am so happy to say that my flight was pleasant and not as bad as I had envisaged. The ground and flight staff were great. I was too overwhelmed to eat or drink but will definitely in future. My overall impression was a good one. I felt at ease and happy to have taken this step. We are already making plans to make this more frequent, money and leave allowing of course." Rosa
Paula flew from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth to visit Kichaka Game Reserve: "It took about 90 minutes to get from Port Elizabeth to Kichaka. Just enough to make you feel like you are out in the wilderness (probably because you are). What a magnificent place, really words cannot describe the beauty, the people, and the wildlife, just spectacular."

Port Elizabeth Airport entrance

Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth by train

It's possible to travel by train from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, with the Shosholoza Meyl.

Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth by bus

A bus trip can be a great way to get from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth, as you get to see some of the landscape. Listed below are the options available. The time taken for the trip is on the right hand side:

Baz bus	This is a hop-on hop-off bus tour which Baz Bus runs across South Africa. Most popular amongst backpackers, it has stops at 180 youth hostels en route. They don't offer a direct route to Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg, but there are two options, both going via Durban. The first route goes via Swaziland and the second via the Drakensberg mountains. The times include compulsory stop-overs.	3 days (Swaziland) 2 days (Drakensburg)
Citiliner bus	Citiliner does not offer a direct route between Joburg and PE
Greyhound bus	The Greyhound bus route originates from Pretoria (Tshwane) for this trip. If you want to travel from there rather than Johannesburg, then add on 2 hours to the travel time. Stops include Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, Kroonvaal Plaza, Kroonstad, Welkom, Bloemfontein, Reddersburg, Aliwal North, Jamestown, Queenstown, Cathcart, Stutterheim, King Williams Town, Peddie and Grahamstown.	15h45m
Intercape bus	Intercape runs their Sleepliner busses on this route - Pretoria to Port Elizabeth. It is a direct route that includes stops in Vereeniging, Colesburg, Middelburg, Graaff-Reinet and Grahamstown.	14h45m
SA Roadlink	SA Roadlink have a service between Pretoria, Colesburg and Port Elizabeth. They don''t have a detailed map or list of stops	14h30m
Translux bus	Translux and CitytoCity offer a service along this route. CitytoCity is cheaper, but does take longer. No route map is provided.	16h00m (CitytoCity) 13h35m (Translux)

Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth flight route

Hotels in Port Elizabeth

Popular spots in PE include the Homeleigh Halt Guest House and Manor 38 in Summerstrand. The Kwantu Game Lodge is a bit more pricey, but more interesting. On the budget side there's the Victoria & Alfred Guest House.

List of PE accommodation options

Garden Court SA

Courtyard Port Elizabeth

Protea Hotel Marine