It will cost you a minimum of R1,460 to fly from Johannesburg to Durban and back this August.
This is according to flight price research conducted by TopAuto, though bear in mind the cost can vary depending on the time, day, and airline you choose to book your flight with.
Flights in South Africa are more expensive than usual right now due to the war in the Middle East, which has had a significant impact on jet fuel prices.
Earlier this year, South Africa’s largest domestic air carrier, FlySafair, noted that Jet A1 fuel has soared by 70% in a single week.
Consequently, the airline has imposed a temporary fuel surcharge on tickets, based on the length of the flight, to offset higher fuel costs.
What it costs to fly to Durban this August
We used Google Flights data to find and compare the lowest rates for every major airline in South Africa this August.
Interestingly, there were a lot of flights offered at the same base rate of R730 to R740 this month. This included weekend flights, even though these are typically more expensive due to higher demand.
These prices were listed for flights between 14 and 20 August, and 23, 24, 25, and 30 August at the time of booking.
One reason for the (relatively) cheaper flights is the poor weather, as the South African Weather Service issued a Level 6 alert this week over heavy snow and rainfall over parts of the country, making non-essential travel less appealing.
We filtered our search for a single adult travelling one-way in economy class non-stop on Friday, 14 August. These were the results.
Note that these figures are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change based on the time and day you book:
| Airline | Departing Flight time (14 August) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| FlySafair | 06h00 – 07h10 | R730 |
| Lift | 08h00 – 09h05 | R990 |
| South African Airways | 07h30 – 08h40 | R1,033 |
| Airlink | 09h25 – 10h40 | R1,046 |
| CemAir | 14h00 – 15h15 | R1,319 |
FlySafair was considerably cheaper than the other options at R730, though it also had the earliest departure time at 06h00, making it inconvenient for some.
However, FlySafair also had flights later in the morning for R830, making it still cheaper than the next-best option, Lift, at R990.
Shifting focus to the return flights, we booked for Sunday, 16 August with the same parameters as before.
These were the cheapest results for each airline:
| Airline | Returning Flight time (16 August) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| FlySafair | 06h00 – 07h10 | R730 |
| Lift | 10h00 – 11h05 | R1,230 |
| CemAir | 15h45 – 17h00 | R1,500 |
| South African Airways | 18h40 – 19h50 | R1,616 |
| Airlink | 11h15 – 12h25 | R1,776 |
FlySafair’s prices were identical, with a R730 rate for a 06h00 flight, and R830 to R929 for flights later in the morning.
However, the other airlines were much more expensive, with Lift charging a minimum of R1,230. SAA’s earliest listing was only at 18h40 in the evening at R1,616.
Assuming you pick FlySafair for both flights, the cheapest rate you can expect to pay is R1,460, with the caveat that you’ll have a very early departure on both occasions.
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