South Africans’ favourite local and international flight destinations – and what they cost
The latest Discovery SpendTrend report has revealed that the most popular local flight for South African air travellers is the Joburg-to-Cape Town route.
Meanwhile, the preferred international location is the United Kingdom.
The company recorded this data through its Vitality Travel platform, which saw 79,000 local travellers book 158,000 plane seats across all airlines in the country between 8 December 2024 and 14 January 2025.
Collectively, these individuals visited an impressive 90 countries over the festive period and flew an astonishing 320 million kilometres – equivalent to 420 trips to the moon and back.
Timing counts
The least expensive trip for the period under review was the one from Johannesburg to Durban, for which a one-way ticket cost in the region of R1,400.
Meanwhile, the most expensive one was the long trek from South Africa to the United States, for which Discovery clients paid a mean of R38,350 for a two-way flight.
Knowing that the festive season usually goes hand in hand with bloated ticket prices, we checked how much you would have saved through delaying your holiday by one month.
The top local flight routes and their average prices in December 2024 versus the cheapest possible option in February 2025 are as follows:
| Domestic route (one-way) | Price Dec 2024/Jan 2025 | Price Feb 2025 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg to Cape Town | R2,400 | R2,020 | -R380 (-16%) |
| Johannesburg to Durban | R1,400 | R1,140 | -R260 (-19%) |
| Cape Town to Durban | R2,600 | R1,620 | -R980 (-38%) |
This shows that there will only be marginal savings if you decided to extend your holiday trip by give or take a month, should you be travelling from Johannesburg to either Cape Town or Durban.
This is likely due to demand for these routes still remaining high throughout the year due to frequent business travel between these metros.
However, you’ll be able to save a considerable amount if you were travelling between Cape Town and Durban in February instead of December.
The top international flight routes and their average prices in December 2024 versus the cheapest possible option in February 2025 are as follows:
| International route (return) | Price Dec 2024/Jan 2025 | Price Feb 2025 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa to United Kingdom | R23,900 | R14,420 | -R9,480 (-40%) |
| South Africa to Mauritius | R15,250 | R15,900 | +R650 (+4%) |
| South Africa to United Arab Emirates | R21,050 | R15,800 | +R5,250 (-25%) |
| South Africa to Australia | R35,550 | R30,000 | -R5,550 (-16%) |
| South Africa to United States | R38,350 | R27,200 | -R11,150 (-29%) |
Like with the local trips, there are plenty of savings on the table if you fly internationally during off-peak times.
The only exception is Mauritius, though it’s possible that demand for travel to the tropical destination is very scarce at the start of the year while everyone gets back to the office and start pinching pennies once again.
Airlines may thus be trying to squeeze as much money as they can out of the few travellers who are going to Mauritius to keep the route profitable while planes are empty.
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