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Find First Class Flights to South Africa

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Latest first class flight deals to South Africa

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Cape Town
Cape Town1 stop£4,531

Good to Know - First Class Flights to South Africa

Low season

December

High season

March
Best time to beat the crowds (2% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.

FAQs for South Africa first class flights

  • What can I expect with First Class flights to South Africa with British Airways?

    British Airways are extremely accommodating to First Class flyers and will go above and beyond in their efforts to make them feel comfortable. As well as their exclusive lounges located in airports around the world, on the flight, you’ll be offered touchscreen handsets, noise-cancelling headphones and larger television screens. You can also benefit from a personal suite, top-class dining, and delicious beverages.

  • Are there First Class lounges at South Africa’s Airport?

    Those who hold First Class tickets can benefit from the large variety of exclusive premium and platinum lounges. If you have First Class flights to South Africa and you’re arriving at South Africa’s Airport, then take advantage of the SAA’s Arrivals Lounge or the Tambo International Airport. They’re the perfect choice if you’re looking at freshening up before exiting the airport or you’re waiting for a connecting flight.

  • What do Emirates offer to First Class flyers?

    Those flying with First Class flights to South Africa with Emirates can benefit from the First Class service on board. They offer world-class food to their First Class passengers and faultless service and amenities. The onboard menu includes the option of caviar and you’ll also be gifted with pyjamas for the long-haul flight, as well as a branded amenity kit.

  • What is the most popular airline offering First Class flights to South Africa?

    Among KAYAK users, British Airways is the most popular airline offering First Class seats on flights to South Africa.

  • Which airlines offer First Class tickets on flights to South Africa?

    Traveling to South Africa and want to offer yourself a First Class experience? Depending on the origin, the following airlines offer seats in First Class: British Airways and Emirates.

  • How does KAYAK find such good deals on First Class tickets to South Africa?

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

  • How much is a first class flight to South Africa?

    First class tickets to South Africa differ in price depending on the departure airport. On average, first class fares cost £6,048 for a return trip to South Africa, while the cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was £5,736.

  • What is the best airline for first class flights to South Africa?

    The highest-rated airline by KAYAK users offering first class flights to South Africa is KLM, with an overall rating of 7.8.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding first class flights to South Africa

  • Those looking to travel to South Africa from London can expect that the long-haul flight will average at approximately 11h 30min. First Class flights are essential for this long trip. With First Class flights to South Africa, you’ll experience luxury and premium seating, flatbeds, and the ultimate privacy, no matter the airline.
  • If you’re flying with First Class flights to South Africa with British Airways, then benefit from the Concorde Lounge and the First Wing Lounge located at London Heathrow Airport. These exclusive lounges are dedicated to British Airways First Class flyers and can both be found in Terminal 5.
  • First Class flights to/from Cape Town International Airport means that you can make use of the VIP lounges that are accessible to first class passengers. Make use of the Bidvest Premier Premium Lounges, they can be found in the Domestic Departures Terminal, as well as the International Departures Terminal. You can make use of shower facilities, beverages, newspapers, magazines, and more.
  • The most expensive day to fly First Class to South Africa is Tuesday, while the cheapest is Friday.
See more tips

Top 5 airlines flying to South Africa

Need help choosing which airline to fly first class to South Africa? 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 3548 reviews
7.9Food
8.1Boarding
8.2Entertainment
8.3Crew
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

The food was amazing on our flight. So many options for movies and shows to stay entertained for 12 hours.

10.0 ExcellentHumility, Oct 2024YYZ - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

The food was amazing on our flight. So many options for movies and shows to stay entertained for 12 hours.

Airline did not have enough vegetarian meals for all guests, and crew were not adequately trained to handle this.

We boarded via a mobile gate in Dubai. I don't care for the bus ride from the gate to the plane

The food options for children is limited The business class bed is not fully lie flat, and this is an uncomfortable sleep

Bad Cancel the flight Came back to work only 3 days after Horrible Won’t help with hotel while we stock Horrible Don’t fly with them

I wish Emirates had lights to Philadelphia (PHL) in USA.

Not too happy with ground staff at Dubai airport. We had asked for wheel chair, and we were told to walk a long distance, poorly organised. And then at boarding to Mumbai flight wecwere treated rudely by the local Emirates staff forced to check in our cabin bags, we told them we were transiting.

They were very pleasant and helpful. My husband and I were sitted apart. We asked if we could be seated together were told flight ws fuly booked but would try. After a while they were able to make it work we got seats together. Their food is good and attendents are very friendly/helpful.

The crew were friendly, dressed professionally and helpful when needed. The food was good to very good. The seats were comfortable and entertainment selections were excellent.   For that long of a flight Athens to Newark Economy is a little tight and the space became uncomfortable about mid-way. Next time I would try and get a Premium Economy seat. Especially for the return flight when one can be less enthused and tired. On the way to a vacation enthusiasm can outweigh discomfort.

Fresh energetic and friendly crew, great food, brand new plane and non stop entertainment

There was fog in Amsterdam so many flights were delayed because of the weather. Air France knew that the flight would be delayed by two hours but still boarded the plane on time. Instead of letting the passengers wait at the gate we were crammed into the plane. It was uncomfortable. No refreshments were given. I couldn’t charge my devices onboard.

I tried to upgrade to premium economy anis seat online during the checkin process. The payment didn’t work due to a technical glitch on KLM’s website. I wasn’t able to change my seat unless I called Amsterdam. Since I was in Canada and there’s a time difference this wasn’t practical. So when I arrived early to Ottawa airport my seat wasn’t available and I could only get a middle seat in premium economy which isn’t great. These middle seats are priced at the same rate as an aisle seat which makes no sense.

The food & entertainment really stood out in terms of quality. The nasi goreng & chicken satay were absolutely delicious. It’s great that KLM feature international cuisine.

Seats were comfortable crew members support was very good but AVML ordered or selected by us needs a lot of improvement.

Transavia flight. Couldn't select seat or anything prior to flight. No connection with klm systems. Seats are very crammed. Extremely no frills.

Seats were nice and comfy. Crew was polite and attentive. Business class is awesome and worth the money.

Flight left a few minutes late, but that's it. I wish the seats could be wider and recline more.

Overall a very pleasant flight. No significant issues on either flight. Amsterdam airport is very convenient for connecting

Great flight because I upgraded to Premium Comfort. Made a huge difference in the experience.

The baggage service at Malpensa was the worst ever. We wanted for over an hour without any information, they broke my suitcase, and the services of the local luggage services company was below any usual services level of a KLM partner.

Friendly staff, always good food , as comfortable as it can be in economy

We didn’t fly into Neuark , because it departed without us . We ran to a closed gate , and no staff to assist, then to a customer service center that was also closed, then briskly walked (20mins) to another customer center and got a ticket , waited 2 hours , got a flight to JFK instead, because of the time delay we Ran to catch our train home , and again our luggage arrived 3 days later delivery time at 3:45 in the MORNING!!!! Crazy!!!!!! Took a few days to shake off this disappointment of your service. You’re an embarrassment to customer service .

My luggage was lost and I did not receive any compensation

Pleasant up to Vienna. Afterward (Vienna- Zagreb) was an horrific experience

Leg room and seat back not a good recline (middle seat)

The option to check in the carry on bag for free was very convenient. If one checked bag could be included in the ticket price that would be even better.

It was very good, ,especially the working people in the plane, they are so polite.,thank you

They never gave any meal during the flight. We’ve flown for years and then doing this now is ridiculous.

Austrian airlines lost my bag in Vienna and it took 2 days to find it and deliver it to me

I paid for carry-on bag, but they did not let me take it on board, persuaded to check it in because the flight was full. I agreed to help them out, and they mixed up tag numbers and my bag got lost. I had very valuable things in there, and my whole vacation experience was ruined. I even asked the boarding assistant why the tag number was different from the assigned one, but they assured me it was alright and the bag will arrive to my destination. Nothing arrived of course. Incompetence of boarding assistants cost me the loss of all my things.

Terrible plane small airbus good for a 1 hr trip I booked business as it is. A night flight and 4hrs trip it was an ordinary economy seat with no one next to me what a joke what a stupid decision to buy business

For the price of the ticket it's probably the best service in the world

Everything was great except food . It as okay not good not bad

Seats are too cramped, but that is a problem with every airline. I actually enjoyed the meal served.

Crammed like sardines into the middle of the middle 4 seat row for an 11 hour flight was a terrible experience. No attempt made to help passengers sleep by dimming lights or shutting window shades. Small mediocre meals. Not enough good movies/TV options. Hopefully we will never have to do this again.

better announcing at the gate prior to boarding and better organization of various gps

Flight attendant served beverage to everyone during meal service and forgot about me. Had to call her several times until she realized it. Not a good service for a business class flight

The plane was good - on time! But can the stewardesses smile or actually be nice - not to bark the commands

This time, I traveled in the economy, and it was surprisingly better than the eco-premium (food, comfort, and crew were noticeably worse in premium!)

Edelweiss is now Nickle&dimming, not even a complimentary wine on the intercontinental flight. Sitting space is the smallest I have ever seen.

My only complaint is that the pocket in front of me was ripped and my things, like iPad and airline magazines, kept slipping to the floor.

Flight delayed yet again. Crew apathetic and unhelpful re affect on connecting flight.

I think Virgin is one of the best flying experiences, especially from/to the UK. The staff are so helpful and fun, the food is good, seats comfortable, goof entertainment and great value. Check in and boarding is pretty pain free. I also find that the other passengers are generally so kind and considerate than when I've flown other airlines.

Cabin crew on our flight showed lack of any customer service gruff and acting annoyed if you asked anything and I mean anything Example a man on the seat over dropped his beer on my husbands blanket We asked if we could switch out blankets cabin crew Said. No we don’t have any extras OK well can you take the wet one Cabin crew looked disgusted and annoyed Took it no OK or yes just a growl

Quick flight. But cabin crew were very noisy and talking too much, especially when we were seated at the back of the plane trying to sleep through the night .

My ticket was for Premium Economy and all the seats were taken, I was placed in Economy class and I’m looking for a refund.

Unfortunately delayed 2 hrs due to faulty tyre.. which had to be changed, but better safe than sorry.

The delay was an issue. Other than that. Every thing good

Hi vergin Atlantic service was good but the flight ticket agent travel up charge me extra 57 pounds as a airport charges, actually I refuse to pay but they say if I not pay £57 then they say you will not be able to travel from Heathrow to goa ,so for me there was no option and it was just 3 day before my departure so i paid, so please look in to the matter. And I have a receipt of £ 57 as well .thanks

Staff didn’t check cabin well for landing seemed more interested in chatting to each other. Food was poor and differed from pre order.

Book first class South Africa plane tickets

Recent return first class deals

3/12Tue
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
8/12Sun
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
£3,717
28/11Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
5/12Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 15mJNB-LHR
£4,149
15/1Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
25/1Sat
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
£4,210
15/1Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
25/1Sat
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
£4,215
29/1Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
10/2Mon
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
£4,238
26/1Sun
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
9/2Sun
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
£4,288
28/11Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
5/12Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 15mJNB-LHR
£4,331
16/1Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
26/1Sun
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
£4,518
14/1Tue
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
24/1Fri
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
£4,523
28/11Thu
1 stopMultiple Airlines
15h 20mLHR-CPT
5/12Thu
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 30mCPT-LHR
£4,531
31/12Tue
1 stopMultiple Airlines
23h 30mLHR-CPT
15/1Wed
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£4,534
22/1Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
30/1Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
£4,537
30/12Mon
1 stopMultiple Airlines
23h 30mLHR-CPT
15/1Wed
1 stopMultiple Airlines
15h 25mCPT-LHR
£4,543
15/1Wed
1 stopMultiple Airlines
15h 20mLHR-CPT
25/1Sat
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£4,626
15/1Wed
1 stopMultiple Airlines
15h 20mLHR-CPT
25/1Sat
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£4,632
11/1Sat
1 stopMultiple Airlines
20h 55mLHR-CPT
25/1Sat
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£4,636
27/2Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
13/3Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
£4,638
12/3Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
19/3Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
£4,988
14/3Fri
1 stopMultiple Airlines
15h 15mLHR-CPT
28/3Fri
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£5,116
11/1Sat
directMultiple Airlines
11h 35mLHR-CPT
25/1Sat
1 stopMultiple Airlines
17h 15mCPT-LHR
£5,301

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Recent one-way first class deals

12/11Tue
1 stopEmirates
19h 35mLHR-JNB
£4,567
4/4Fri
1 stopEmirates
18h 40mSTN-CPT
£4,851
9/11Sat
1 stopEmirates
28h 45mSTN-JNB
£4,869
8/12Sun
1 stopEmirates
19h 35mSTN-CPT
£4,885
8/12Sun
1 stopEmirates
20h 05mLGW-CPT
£4,889
8/12Sun
1 stopEmirates
17h 50mLHR-CPT
£4,918
17/12Tue
1 stopEmirates
18h 20mSTN-JNB
£4,926
17/11Sun
1 stopEmirates
37h 25mSTN-CPT
£4,938
19/1Sun
1 stopEmirates
37h 25mSTN-CPT
£4,944
22/11Fri
1 stopEmirates
24h 40mSTN-CPT
£4,958
2/4Wed
1 stopEmirates
18h 40mSTN-CPT
£4,961
14/2Fri
1 stopEmirates
37h 25mSTN-CPT
£4,964
5/4Sat
1 stopEmirates
37h 25mSTN-CPT
£4,981
16/11Sat
2 stopsMultiple Airlines
22h 25mSTN-CPT
£5,046
16/11Sat
2 stopsMultiple Airlines
22h 55mLGW-CPT
£5,050
15/12Sun
1 stopEmirates
18h 20mSTN-JNB
£5,056
30/12Mon
1 stopEmirates
37h 25mSTN-CPT
£5,059
17/12Tue
1 stopEmirates
18h 20mSTN-JNB
£5,062
14/12Sat
1 stopEmirates
18h 20mSTN-JNB
£5,076
16/11Sat
2 stopsMultiple Airlines
20h 40mLHR-CPT
£5,079

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Everything you need to know for your flight to South Africa

Cabin class types available on flights to South Africa

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