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Cheap Flights to Johannesburg
"Where are the guys with the guns?" You may wonder on stepping out of the airport in Johannesburg - the media loves to paint a less favourable picture of crime in Joburg, but in reality it's not quite that bad (granted, if you stay on the right path)! In fact, OR Tambo International Airport is South Africa's busiest point of entry (the 2nd busiest is the Beit Bridge border post with Zimbabwe) into South Africa.
On time statistics at JNB |
||||||
Airlink |
BA |
Kulula |
Mango |
FlySafair |
LIFT |
|
May 2021 |
98,24% |
92% |
89,45% |
82.35% |
97.28% |
95.83% |
While arrival numbers have been down since April 2020, it is still interesting to note which domestic airlines have the best on-time performance.
Airlink has narrowly won scoring 98,24% compared to FlySafair's 97,28%. Newcomer LIFT has also performed well in May 2021, scoring 95,83%. Making these the three most reliable airlines when flying to Johannesburg.
Old on time statistics at JNB |
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Airlink |
BA |
Kulula |
Mango |
FlySafair |
SA Express |
SAA |
|
May 2015 |
92% |
80% |
91% |
84% |
94% |
75% |
94% |
Apr 2015 |
90% |
82% |
83% |
83% |
93% |
81% |
90% |
Mar 2015 |
92% |
85% |
87% |
83% |
96% |
85% |
90% |
Feb 2015 |
94% |
94% |
90% |
84% |
97% |
81% |
93% |
Jan 2015 |
93% |
90% |
86% |
90% |
94% |
81% |
89% |
Dec 2014 |
90% |
88% |
79% |
77% |
85% |
73% |
85% |
Nov 2014 |
86% |
84% |
78% |
85% |
84% |
76% |
85% |
Oct 2014 |
90% |
89% |
86% |
86% |
87% |
76% |
89% |
2015 |
92% |
88% |
85% |
85% |
95% |
80% |
91% |
Things to do in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is a true urban jungle, with high risers and shopping malls around every corner. Make sure that you make the most of this urban metropolis and hit up all the best international brands and historical hotspots. If given half a chance, do book a few days' of car hire and travel to one of Joburg's surrounding game lodges for a chance of spotting the big five.
Getting from the Airport
OR Tambo International Airport is the only major airport in South Africa with a train system from it - the Gautrain.
However, most people still hire a car. Compare Johannesburg Airport car rentals - Avis, Europcar Johannesburg, First Car Rental, Hertz, Sizwe, Tempest & Thrifty.
To travel the 28km from the airport to Sandton takes about half an hour: Take the R24 heading towards Johannesburg, take exit 113 to head towards the N3, follow the signs to the N3 northbound to Pretoria, take exit 121 to London Road and turn left onto Katherine Street.
To drive the 57km to Pretoria takes about 40 minutes. Take the R21 north, take exit 134 to the N1 to Pretoria, take exit 145 to the M2/Pretoria, turn right into Jan Shoba.
Photo credit :@av8alot
News
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16 January 2015 : FlyCemair will be launching flights between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein from the 23rd of January 2015. There will be two daily return flights during the week and one dialy return flight during the weekend.
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December 2014: FlySafair has started flying between JNB and Port Elizabeth as well as between Johannesburg and George from the 3rd of December 2014 with opening airfares from as low as R499*
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29 July 2014 : FlySafair will be relaunching their flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg on the 16th of October 2014. Check out their special airfares here.
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20 Feb 2014 : Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport has won the ASQ award for being the 5th best airport in Africa.
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Mango Airlines was the most on time for flights to Johannesburg in 2013 (some say this is because they schedule longer flight times)
Use the airline comparison tool on the left find cheap flights to Johannesburg's Lanseria Airport & O.R. Tambo International Airport across all airlines and book the cheapest flight to Johannesburg.
Subscribe to our mailing list to to be automatically notified of flight specials to Johannesburg. Navigate to our flight specials page to see which airlines are currently offering good airfares to Joburg. We also have a tips for cheap flights page which looks at some techniques you can use to get better flight prices (e.g. credit card bounty points).
Direct flights
Airlines flying direct to Johannesburg include South African Airways, British Airways, Kulula, Mango Airlines, SA Express, Airlink, LAM, Air Botswana, Air Namibia, Air Mauritius, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Arik Air, EgyptAir, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, Qantas, Singapore Air, Thai Airways and Air Malaysia.
Routes within South Africa
Flights to Johannesburg from outside South Africa
Johannesburg (and Cape Town, to a lessor extent) are the connecting hubs for flights to South Africa. As such there are many flights to Johannesburg from most major cities in the world. The most competitive flight route to South Africa is the London to Johannesburg flight route.
Flights to Johannesburg from Europe
Many of the major cities in Europe have direct flights to Johannesburg.
Flights to Johannesburg from the rest of the world
You can get onto a non-stop flight to Johannesburg from most of the major cities in the world.
My First Flight was to Johannesburg
21 October 2013 : "My first flight was from Durban to Johannesburg. It was during the winter of that year. My cousin and I were coming for a holiday. When we boarded the flight in Durban, the weather was fine. But we carried our jackets in our hands because we heard lots of stories about the freezing weather in Johannesburg. We enjoyed the flight and a few minutes before landing, we heard an announcement from the captain that we were going to land shortly and that it was minus 2 degrees. We immediately started shivering and put on our jackets. When we landed, we were so afraid to come out of the plane and we caused quite a stir. The air hostesses had to pacify us and help us out of the plane into the terminal. This incident happen 32 years ago in 1981." Thank you to Reshma Singh for emailing us this recollection of her first flight.
Overland
If you've got more time on your hands and/or are looking for a more environmentally friendly way of getting to Johannesburg why not purchase a Premier Classe train ticket (or Shosholoza Meyl or Blue Train).
All the major intercity buses operate trip to Johannesburg - Intercape, City to City, Greyhound, Citiliner and SA Roadlink.
About Johannesburg
Don't be fooled into thinking there's nothing to do in Johannesburg, and merely use it as a transit point to get to the rest of South and southern Africa. The top ten activities in Johannesburg are:
1 |
Immerse yourself in nature - go to the Rhino and Lion Park and pet the baby lion cubs. |
2 |
An organised trip through Soweto, become one with the history by stopping by the memorial of Hector Petersen (who died in the 1976 Soweto uprising). |
3 |
Visit Johannesburg's apartheid museum, and learn how a policy of apartheid was implemented (seperateness) from 1948 onwards. To understand what apartheid South Africa was like a visit to the apartheid museum is indispensable. |
4 |
Catch a lift to the top of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg's city centre, and view the city. |
5 |
If you've still got a head for hights over being at the top of the Carlton Centre, catch a helicopter flight over Johannesburg's city. |
6 |
And if the helicopter ride wasn't enough to unsettle your stomach, try some of the rides at the amusement park in Gold Reef City. |
7 |
Go watch the favourite South African sports of rugby at Ellis Park OR soccer at FNB Stadium (Soccer City) OR spend a day watching cricket at the Wanderers Cricket Ground. Alternatively go hiking boots at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve OR shoot the golf breeze at Johannesburg Golf Club. |
8 |
If you're not into sport, you can watch theatre at the Emperor's Palace (011-928-1937), Johannesburg Youth theatre (011-484-1584), People's theatre (011-403-1563) or the or the Ubunye theatre. |
9 |
The Bird Show at Montecasino is worth a watch, or visit Johannesburg's Zoo. |
10 |
Tired of the wildlife? Visit Johannesburg's Botanical Gardens, which is situated on the "West Rand". |
When to visit
In South Africa's summer (December, January and February) you can expect to experience hot days and electric lightning storms in the afternoons. In South Africa's winter (June, July and August) typical weather is sunny cool days with single digit temperatures at night.
Gautrain
The Gautrain is a very fast and effective way of getting from OR Tambo to Sandton or Pretoria. The train cuts down both on travel time and cost. See timetable and prices below:
Gautrain Station at OR Tambo -
Prices:
Times:
The brand new high-tech train arriving at the station -
We'd love to help you find a cheap flight to Johannesburg. Please email a review of your OR Tambo flight to cheapflights@southafrica.to and we'll give you a flight discount voucher to reduce the cost of your next trip.
