What it costs to fly between Johannesburg and Cape Town this December
South Africa is approaching its busiest travel season: the December holidays. Airports nationwide will be at their busiest peak, and as demand for flights increases, so too does the cost of a ticket.
This is especially true for those travelling between South Africa’s biggest airports: OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International Airport.
This is not only South Africa’s most popular flight route, but the busiest flight route in Africa, according to the 2024 World Air Transport Statistics released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The price of airfares is dynamic. As explained by travel agency Pentravel, airline revenue management works on an algorithm that adjusts prices based on information.
So prices fluctuate depending on: past bookings, remaining capacity, demand for the route, the possibility of selling more seats, base fares, tax, airport fares and fuel surcharges.
Because this relies on a system of supply and demand, ticket prices during the festive season are bound to be more expensive. Tickets can also fluctuate depending on how far in advance it is booked.
Travellers who have not yet purchased a ticket and plan to fly in the first week of December can expect to pay from R1,265 for a flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town, and at least R1,270 for a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
The ticket prices in this article are accurate at the time of publishing, but are bound to fluctuate depending on time and demand.
Cheapest flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town
Newsday analysed Google Flights to find the cheapest tickets for every airline for the first week of December,1 to 6 December.
Each ticket is for one adult travelling from OR Tambo International to Cape Town International.
| Airline | Cheapest Ticket Price | Date and Departure Times |
|---|---|---|
| Lift | R1,265 | 1 December (17:40) 2 December (20:05) |
| FlySafair | R1,321 | 1 December (17:40, 18:00, 18:15, 19:35, 20:05) 2 December (20:05, 20:30) |
| CemAir | R1,713 | 1 December (10:30) |
| South African Airways (SAA) | R2,068 | 1 December (18:45, 20:30, 21:20) 2 December (06:05, 07:10, 08:10, 08:55, 09:25, 12:20, 13:00, 17:30, 18:45, 20:30, 21:20) |
| Airlink | R2,450 | 7 December (07:30) |
Lift comes out as the cheapest option for the first week of December, but travellers will have to contend with a 21:10 arrival time, as opposed to the convenience of an earlier flight.
FlySafair has the most options for affordable flights, with the second cheapest fare at R1,321 available for multiple flights over 1 and 2 December.
Prices start low for the week, but gradually become more expensive as demand peaks closer to the weekend.
Cheapest flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg
Each ticket, using Google Flights, is for one adult travelling from Cape Town International Airport to OR Tambo.
| Airline | Cheapest Ticket Price | Date and Departure Times |
|---|---|---|
| Lift | R1,315 | 6 December (17:00) |
| FlySafair | R1,390 | 6 December (19:40, 19:50, 21:05) |
| CemAir | R1,848 | 3 December (08:00, 10:45, 16:00) 6 December (13:15, 16:00) |
| SAA | R1,954 | 1-6 December |
| Airlink | R2,233 | 5 December (06:05) |
For flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg, Lift again has the cheapest option at R1,315 for Saturday, 6 December, and FlySafair again has the most flight options for the cheapest price.
Loading ...
Having been airline staff for over 40 yrs. What the public must understand is that, when you study the IATA pricing ( Geneva ) – their pricing is on mileage and a FULL ECONOMY CLASS airticket ( Published according to mileage) is over ZAR8000.00 return on JNB CPT JNB route. Anything lower than that is a bargain BUT remember if the airline has a 100 seater aeroplane not all seats can be sold at eg ZAR1380.00 per oneway. The airline can actually open between 5 to 10 seats at that price then it moves up to the next level. So on and so on. Public must understand aircraft maintanance. Tyres/ landing fees/ parking fees/ a normal engine check about 15 yrs ago for half and hour was over ZAR 85000.00. At present jet fuel prices it has probably tripled if not more by now. Engine damage due to birds – you cannot comprehend this cost. DO YOU AS A PASSENGER WANT TO BE SAFE OR SORRY!!!!!!! Depending on the severity of the bird strike damage, the airline may opt for an engine repair, which can cost $1-5 million, or a full engine replacement, where a new Boeing 737 engine can cost $7-9 million, or even up to $24 million for certain models. This is not the old 747’s/707’s/AB300 etc. The bigger planes cost a lot more. How must the airline re-coup this if they sell all seats JNB to CPT oneway at ZAR 1380. The airline will be bankcrupt overnight.A Boeing 737 typically holds around 6,875 liters (1,820 gallons) of jet fuel, depending on the model variant. Given that average jet fuel prices hover around $3 per gallon, filling up this aircraft would cost approximately $5,460.