"The trail is the thing not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss all you are travelling for" Louis d'Amour
(Flight times stated below are indicative only and
may change without notice. Travellers should always check actual times with the
SouthAfricaFares.com Travel Fulfilment Centre. Seats on non-stop flights should be booked
early as they sell out quickly. Travellers booking late may have to take longer flights
with more connections and waiting time)
THE LONDON LOOP
Good connections ensure the popularity of this route. Direct flights to both Johannesburg
and Capetown and excellent services in London Heathrow ease the way for tired travellers.
Airlines - Air Canada and South African Airways, British Airways.
Connecting Airport - Heathrow. Amenities and stopover
options.
Alberta to South Africa - Non-stop Air Canada flights leave Calgary
every night for London. The departure time is in the early evening between 6.00pm and
7.00pm. In high season there may be a second flight at about 9.15pm. The early
evening flight arrives in London between !0am and 11am the following morning. Actual
flying time on the route is about ten hours. Travellers going straight through have a wait
in London of between 10 and 12 hours. The flights from London to South Africa leave in the
early evening at about 7.00pm (9.00pm for CPT) and arrive in Johannesburg or
CapeTown the following morning ( JHB 7.25am, CPT 9.35am). Actual flying time is about 11
hours.
South Africa to Alberta- Flights leave South Africa in the evening and
arrive in London the following day in the early morning. Air Canada flights leave London
for Calgary at about 1pm and arrive in Calgary at about 3pm the same day thanks to the
time change.
Helpful tips on this route from South Africa Fares members.
NEW YORK NEW YORK!
The SAA route. Not bad if the price is right! (Taxes and fees are higher than
other routes) Connector flights into New York may go via another hub in Canada or the USA
and there is usually an airport change in New York (bit of a rush) if the flights arrive
late (frequent). Amenities are not as good as Heathrow but New York is a very interesting
place to stop for a night or two. South African and other non-Canadian/US citizens may
need a visa for the USA.
Airlines- South African Airways from New York. Air Canada and other US carriers
connecting to New York.
Connecting airports - John F Kennedy and La Guardia. Click on airport name for amenities, terminals,
transfers and stopover information.
New York to South Africa. The flights leave New York five times a week at about
6.00pm.` Some flights have a stop. The flying time is daunting at a cool 15 hours (rising
to 17 hours if you have a stop). Arrival in Johannesburg is at about 4.00pm the following
day Add to that the connector flights to New York (usually red-eye or early morning
flights) and it all adds up to a lot of travelling.
South Africa to New York - Flights to New York leave at about 8.00pm and arrive
in New York early the following morning. That gives most of the next day to pick up a
suitable connecting flight.
Helpful tips on this route from South Africa Fares members.
THE FRANKFURTER
Flights through Frankfurt are as convenient as London. Less popular than the
London route, trans-Atlantic flights to Frankfurt often yield seats when London flights
are sold out. Stopovers in Frankfurt can be as rewarding as London particularly if time is
taken to visit the nearby Rhine winelands. SA citizens will need visas to leave the
airport.
Airlines - Air Canada to Frankfurt, Lufthansa or South African Airways into South
Africa.
Connecting Airport- Frankfurt. Amenities and
stopover information.
Alberta to South Africa - Non-stop Air Canada flights leave Calgary
every night for Frankfurt. The departure time is in the early evening at about 6.00pm. The
early evening flight arrives in Frankfurt at 11am the following morning. Actual flying
time on the route is just over nine hours. Travellers going straight through have a wait
in Frankfurt of between 10 and 12 hours. The flights from Frankfurt to South Africa leave
in the evening. First out is the South African Airways flight at 8.45 pm followed by the
Lufthansa flight at about 10.20 pm. The flights arrive in Johannesburg the following
morning between 7.30 and 9.00 am. There are also 3 flights a week into Capetown with a
stop in Johannesburg. Those flights arrive at noon in Capetown. Actual flying time is
between 10 and 11 hours. Some flights stop in Zurich which extends the flying time to over
13 hours - avoid those!
South Africa to Alberta- Flights leave South Africa in the evening at about
7pm and arrive in Frankfurt the following day in the early morning. Air Canada flights
leave Frankfurt for Calgary at about 2pm and arrive in Calgary just before 4pm the same
day.
THE
FRENCH CONNECTION
THE
FRENCH CONNECTION
For the romantic at heart - take the time and make the stop. A day in Paris will
really make your trip. We recommend a small hotel on the left bank - see Notre Dame,
Cruise the Seine, look down on Paris from the tower, stroll the narrow streets and dine at
a pavement restaurant. SA citizens will need visas.
Airlines - Air Canada to Paris via Toronto. South African Airways or Air France
into South Africa.
Connecting Airport - Charles de Gaulle. Amenities and
stopover information.
Alberta to South Africa - Air Canada leaves Toronto for Paris every evening
at about 7.00pm. The flight arrives in Paris at 8.35am the following morning. Actual
flying time on the route is just over nine hours. Travellers going straight through have a
wait in Paris of about 11 hours. The flights from Paris to South Africa leave in the
evening. South African Airways flights leave at just after 7 pm but there are only 3
flights per week. Travellers will need to carefully co-ordinate their trans-atlantic
flights. The flights arrive in Johannesburg the following morning at about 6 am. Actual
flying time is about 11 hours.
South Africa to Alberta- Flights leave South Africa in the evening at about
8pm and arrive in Paris the following day at 7am. Air Canada flights leave Paris for
Toronto at noon and arrive in Toronto 2.30pm the same day - time enough to catch a
connecting flight back to Alberta.
