£216 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom

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Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to the United Kingdom

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to the United Kingdom to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to the United Kingdom?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to the United Kingdom from South Africa found in the last 72 hours was to London Gatwick Airport, at £125 return. The most popular route is Cape Town (CPT) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was £125.

How much is a flight to the United Kingdom?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to the United Kingdom from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to the United Kingdom costs £478 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was £125 for the route Cape Town (CPT) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Cape Town to London which costs £549 on average, and Johannesburg to London, which costs £597 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom is October, when tickets cost £526 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and September, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is £655 and £630 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to the United Kingdom, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below-average price on a flight from South Africa to the United Kingdom, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 5% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in the United Kingdom?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in the United Kingdom is London Gatwick Airport (LGW), with an average flight price of £285.

Good to know - Cheap tickets from South Africa to the United Kingdom

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight£194
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 2% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Cape Town to London Gatwick Airport

FAQs for booking flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from South Africa to the United Kingdom is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from South Africa to the United Kingdom with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from South Africa to the United Kingdom?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from South Africa to the United Kingdom up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to the United Kingdom?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to the United Kingdom is Monday when return tickets can be as cheap as £586. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, when return prices are £616 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to the United Kingdom?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to the United Kingdom is generally in the evening, when retur flights cost £507 on average. Morning departures are around 100% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to the United Kingdom is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is £593.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from South Africa to the United Kingdom

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from South Africa to the United Kingdom? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3488 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.3Crew
7.9Food
8.0Comfort
8.2Entertainment
Airline reviews

I liked the newer aircraft CRJ-550 since it had WIFI and the seats are more spacious.

8.0 ExcellentUsha, Jan 2026
BHM - ORD
Read more Emirates reviews

I liked the newer aircraft CRJ-550 since it had WIFI and the seats are more spacious.

The plane was old so the entertainment system was difficult to operate. The crew did advise earlier. The plane was landed and parked away from the gates, which added 20+ mins to the overall arrival

There is an issue with A380 when it arrives in Munich, because a business class passengers like me have to wait for the first class passengers to disembark, which takes some time while you are also offloading economy passengers this causes an issue at customs where your business class passengers end up behind a large bulk of economy passengers This is a frustration and the early dislocation should be and is supposed to be a benefit of business class

Premium economy was worth it-comfort was definitely better than economy class. The seats were more comfortable, blankets and pillows thicker

Super flight. On time departure and arrival. Very good service. Luggage arrival at DXB was a little delayed but you can’t have everything the very best :)

Wonderful Premium Economy experience. Felt as good as Business Class for food and entertainment. Comfortable sleeping too

The food options were excellent for Economy. It was difficult to find the lounge after clearing security and boarding was clunky

Crew were excellent and the bar service and chat fantastic. Cheese board delicious. Amenity kit good, very disappointing not getting pyjamas on this leg of the flight and needed to reuse from earlier flight.

Crew were very good. Food service was a little slow and disappointing not having on demand dining and only 3 options. Amenity kits and pyjamas were excellent.

This was my first time flying with Emirates. Overall, the experience was very good. I thought the seats in economy would have been a bit more comfortable, but, they seem to be on par with other airlines. The food was excellent and very satisfying. If you can afford it, I would definitely suggest upgrading to at lest premium economy seats for long haul flights.

Flight was on time, staff are friendly and helpful onboard.

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Flight was ok but lack of communication cost me to literally beg to be put on another flight as connecting flight had departed

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

First of all we couldn’t check in online, then we learn at the airport we were on stand by for KLM’s mistake of overbooking. The seats were not comfy at all. Our luggage got lost.

Ad experience - been flying many years with them but they are losing out to other carriers with their service and bagage / seating policy. My 2 12-yo kids were not placed with the parent. Absurdity.

Short flight so it was okay. Nice crew, all very pleasant and professional. We were near the back in row 27 so just as we got our drinks, we started our descent so had to drink very quickly!

KLM remains a quality flag carrier airline which maintains its standards whilst all their competitors are lowering theirs.

Food has been disappointing in both legs of flight to india

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated

Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.

I was not expecting to deplane on the tarmac. A shuttle took us to the airport. All communications were in English and German. Staff was very nice.

A bit more space? Not practical, I know. I felt squished in but part of that could have been the man sitting next to me.

The plane was delayed by two hours in Chicago which led to us missing the next flight. Lufthansa rebooked the flight and booked us a hotel for the night in Frankfurt. The level of customer service and getting us taken care of was superb. The flight crew and the service on the ground was superb.

It was good service. The very low economic seats where not comfortable

Excellent once on board. Security staff at Johannesburg rude and aggressive.

This is my second time to fly this year with Lufthansa and both times they dropped the ball. My ticket was very cheap and l would not be honest if l said that l had some high expectations for that price. Fly delay 6 hours. Screen in fey seats around me didn’t work. Food for dinner was ok but breakfast was so poor. We had connection in Frankfurt for Vienna. Because of delay they gave us fly with 30 min layover time. We got to Vienna but our baggage was late of course. Long story short it took us almost 24 hours to get to the final destination. Very bad experience

It was my first experience in business class. It was everything I expected and more. Service was impeccable, food was delicious and I felt rested once I arrived to London

The staff are extremely rude maybe even racist, I’ve never been treated so poorly in my life. I will never fly with Lufthansa Mor Discovery Airlines again.

Waited on tarmac 30 min before take off everything else was fine

Delayed flight with no explanations; no jetway boarding so we had to stand on the tarmac in the cold rain. Baggage was lost.

This review if for American Airlines. From London to LA, British Airways customers flew American Airlines and there was a small incident on the plane with a customer that was sitting next to me. She had a gluten free meal which she selected online. The flight attendant brought her food and both times, it contained gluten (bread, cracker) and by the second time, the customer mentioned about the issue to the flight attendant because she is highly allergic to gluten. Customer was very gentle and just wanted to note that both her meals contained gluten on the tray. The whole situation could have ended really well if flight attendant just apologized and mentioned she would relay the message to the responsible party. Instead, she entered defensive mode and started making some BS excuse about how the cracker that was supposed to be mine, fell onto her tray instead. Mind me, I already had that cracker on my tray. I doubt I would be given two. Also, she mentioned that the bread from the previous meal was gluten free. REALLY? I ate that bread and it tasted like it had PLENTY of gluten. The whole situation was handled so poorly, not only by that one flight attendant, but by 2 others. The reason I intervened is because the customer sitting next to me was tearing and all she did was mention the mistake which could have cause her health great damage, and instead she received attacks and excuses. AA, you should train your employees how to better handle situations like this. A 'well, I don't see why this problem is a big deal since you (the customer with allergies) read the ingredients and avoided eating the cracker that "accidentally fell" from the tray of the customer sitting next to you,' should not have been coming out of a flight attendant's mouth.

Continue to be disappointed that the “food” for “ordinary” fare paying passengers is poor - on this flight it consisted of a packet of two biscuits and a small bottle of water … not even offered a “free” cup of tea or coffee. Suggest a review of the “menu” and offer a hot drink to ordinary (economy class) passengers. On this route there are many far cheaper flights available - paying almost £200 for a flight that could have been bought for less than half this price should have some “perks” - offering hot drinks to all passengers would, in my opinion, be a cost effective measure which would improve the image of British Airways.

Aircraft was comfortable even in economy, clean. Entertainment screens were excellent and. Hoice was very good. Good was just ok. Crew was not bad.

Entertainment system didn't work well. Also no new movies and limited choice of other programmes. . And only one USB A charger option. Most modern electronic items needs USB C. Planes should offer both

I was unable to board the flight because I was unable to acquire a visa , Brexit changed my ability to get an ETA, I’m a Trinidad citizen and it takes weeks to get a visa

The issue was not with BA it was with the link yoiu sent fopr booking the flight

The space in the seat was okay, the staff were friendly, the entertainment system, my touch screen was not working and some of the films listed on the website for the flight were not available.

BA flight from London NY had old BC configuration with 2+3+2 seating with open seats which was not comfortable and lacked privacy

Flew business- but plane was dirty, food horrendous. Too many business class seats diluted service levels overall.

Loved the boarding option from Business class lounge, experience on flight was excellent, plenty of good food choices

Everything you need to know for your flight to the United Kingdom

Cabin class types available on flights to the United Kingdom

Cabin classes available on flights to the United Kingdom. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.