- Flights around South Africa will be especially pricey this festive season, with travelling on Friday 16 December for the long weekend being the most expensive.
- FlySafair is the most affordable option for flying one-way from Johannesburg's OR Tambo to Cape Town that Friday, with airfares starting at R2,782.
- Flying aboard South African Airways, on the other hand, will be the most expensive, with flights starting at R4,438.
Flying around South Africa this festive season will be more expensive than usual due, largely, to a lack of airline capacity. Travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town for the long weekend coinciding with the Day of Reconciliation on 16 December is especially costly, with South African Airways (SAA) the most expensive option.
The first festive season in two years without any lockdown restrictions is expected to see a boom in both local and international travel. Airfares during December are traditionally much more expensive due to demand, and booking early is essential to finding a bargain.
This year, flying has become even costlier – with much longer lead times – brought about by the collapse of domestic airlines, most notably Comair's Kulula.com and British Airways, which accounted for roughly 40% of the country's seat capacity. Volatile jet fuel prices haven't helped either.
Predictions are that holiday airfares will be five times higher than at off-peak, with the supply shortage in the domestic market making travel even more expensive, according to Dinesh Govender, CEO of Discovery Vitality.
Domestic fliers who haven't yet booked their December trips are unlikely to find a one-way flight from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport to Cape Town for under R2,000 before Christmas.
Flying between 15 and 18 December, which includes the long weekend, will be the most expensive.
And although there's no way of getting around high airfares for the 16 December long weekend, ticket prices range from around R2,700 to nearly R4,500, with the last remaining seats selling out fast.
Flying on Friday 16 December, from Johannesburg OR Tambo to Cape Town is cheapest on FlySafair, at R2,782 for a one-way ticket for a flight that departs at 19:45. Morning flights start at R3,284.
Small-aircraft operator CemAir is second-most affordable, with airfares starting at R3,314 for a flight departing Johannesburg at 07:00 on Friday
LIFT airline still has tickets from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Friday 16 December, starting at R3,515. This starting airfare applies to flights throughout the day, except the 10:00 departure, which is already sold out.
Airlink's fares for the long weekend begin at R3,638 for flights departing Johannesburg throughout the day, starting at 06:20. The 10:25 flight is sold out.
SAA is the costliest of all major domestic airlines for a flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town on 16 December. Airfares aboard SAA start at R4,438 – around 60% more expensive than FlySafair's cheapest flight on the day – with all "saver" and "plus" seats already sold out.
Note: Due to heightened demand for December flights, airfares are constantly changing. The airfares quoted above, directly from the respective airlines' online booking platforms, were correct at the time of publication.