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Flights cheaper than buses!

17 April 2009 flights
surveyed on 21 Mar 2009

There are 2 superheros flying from Durban to Cape Town on the 17th April...going by the names of Wonderous 1time & Super Mango.Whilst Mango is R7 cheaper than 1time, I prefer the 1time flight as it leaves at 1800 (Mango's 2140 departure time is a bit late for me). Amazingly, both 1time & Mango flights are cheaper than most bus and train prices!

one-way flights from Durban to Cape Town *
bus trips from Durban to Cape Town

Mango: economy class
flight JE387 departs DUR 2140 arrives CPT 2350

500

City to City bus
departs DUR 1745 arrives CPT 1830

410

1time Airline : economy class
flight 1T647 departs DUR 1800 arrives CPT 2000

507

Citiliner bus
departs DUR 1645 arrives CPT 1900

410

Kulula Air : economy class
flight MN6306 departs DUR 1800 arrives CPT 2005

888**

Shosholoza Meyl economy class
leaves on Wednesdays

410

Mango Flex
flight JE387 departs DUR 2140 arrives CPT 2350

960

Greyhound bus via Bloemfontein
departs DUR 1130 arrives CPT 0915

515

BA - British Airways : economy class
flight BA6306 departs DUR 1800 arrives CPT 2005

996**

Translux bus
departs DUR 1700 arrives CPT 1745

540

Mango Plus
flight JE387 departs DUR 2140 arrives CPT 2350

1113

SA Roadlink bus
departs DUR 0630 arrives CPT 0730

599

SAA - South African Airways : economy class
flight SA627 departs DUR 1945 arrives CPT 2155

970

Intercape bus
departs DUR 1100 arrives CPT 1400

680

South African Airways business class
flight SA627 departs DUR 1945 arrives CPT 2155

2817

Shosholoza Meyl tourist class

690

BA - British Airways : business class
flight BA6306 departs DUR 1800 arrives CPT 2005

2805

Baz Bus
7 day pass

1250

* one-way flights from Durban to Cape Town leaving Durban between 1349 & 2146 on the 17th Apr.
** Kulula flight MN6306 is the same flight as BA flight BA6306 (just over a hundred rand cheaper). Click here to find more tips for booking cheap flights.

Flights cheaper, buses more expensive

We've been keeping track of the cost of bus trips (coaches) and plane trips over the last year, and it's interesting to see that there's a 63% difference in their inflation rates - bus prices have gone up by 29%, whilst flight prices have fallen by 34%.

Flight price inflation

Bus price inflation

-34%

+29%

Cape Town from the sky

Isn't it wonderful to be visiting a new city when you're a pilot - just hop over to the local flight club, borrow a plane and take in the sights. Mike flew from his base in Johannesburg to Cape Town, and started adding to his 10 hours of flying time in Cape Town. They headed from Cape Town International Airport (CPT) over Athlone power station's old cooling towers to the City Bowl, Cape Town harbour, the V&A Waterfront, Green Point common (where the new soccer stadium is being built), Clifton, Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Kommetjie and Muizenberg.

Simonstown harbour - aerial view

Captains are "technical-minded control freaks"

"Quite a lot of the time captains are not much to write home about. They are technical-minded control freaks who spend most of their lives sitting on their backsides and moaning about mortgages as they fly across the Atlantic. They only get laid so much because they've got great uniforms and are in positions of power." extract from Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones (you can buy the book at Kalahari).

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