Long distance flights from Europe to southern Africa take between 10 and 12 hours, thereby requiring a bit of patience. The great advantage is that there is no or hardly any time difference. The traveller can enjoy his or her holiday from the start without having to get over a jetlag first.
The majority of all flight connections goes via Johannesburg, the most important hub of southern Africa. SAA South African Airways, British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa fly to Johannesburg.Swissair, Iberia, Emirates and Air France also fly to Johannesburg, but not as frequentlyIn Johannesburg one changes planes to Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Windhoek, Harare or the Victoria Falls.
Direct flights to Cape Town are presently being offered by South African Airways (daily from Frankfurt), British Airways, KLM and the LTU, which also flies to Windhoek directly.
Air Namibia flies on mondays, tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays from Frankfurt directly to Windhoek, with connecting flights to Cape Town or Johannesburg. The stop-over in Windhoek is free of charge.
Almost all flights from Europe to South Africa or Namibia go at night. The passengers start the trip in the evening and arrive the next morning. Day flights are only offered by British Airways and LTU.
A return ticket costs between 700 and 1500 Euros, depending on the season and the airline. The most expensive time is December and January as well as the holiday seasons in Europe. The travel operators specialised in southern Africa, who buy great numbers of tickets, can often offer tickets at lower prices than a local travel agency.
