A traveller holds a South African passport with their boarding pass ready to take on an adventure.
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As the Easter weekend approaches, South African travellers face significantly higher airfares, with key routes experiencing price spikes due to increased demand.
We did a comparison of fares across major domestic airlines, including FlySafair, South African Airways, LIFT, CemAir and Airlink, which shows that passengers can expect to pay anywhere from under R1,000 to nearly R4,000 for a one-way ticket, depending on the route and timing.
The Easter weekend is a busy weekend travel period, which pushes prices well above typical off-peak levels. While domestic fares on popular routes like Cape Town to Johannesburg can dip below R1,500 during quieter periods, the current pricing shows an increase in demand and limited seat availability.
Flights departing on Friday, April 3, and returning on Monday, 6 April, are seeing the steepest increases.
Cape Town to Durban
On the Cape Town to Durban route, one-way fares range between approximately R1,200 and R3,800.
Budget carrier FlySafair has fares starting around R1,200, while full-service airlines such as South African Airways and Airlink are priced at the upper end of the range.
Johannesburg routes remain competitive
The busy corridor between Cape Town and Johannesburg continues to offer the most competitive pricing due to high flight frequency. One-way tickets are currently ranging from about R1,200 to R2,800 across airlines.
Similarly, flights between Durban and Johannesburg are among the cheapest domestically, with fares starting as low as R900 on budget carriers and rising to around R3,000 on premium options.
Limited routes push up prices
Travellers flying between Gqeberha and Cape Town are also facing higher fares due to fewer available flights. Prices on this route are currently ranging between R1,000 and R2,500, depending on the airline and departure time.
LIFT does not operate on this route, reducing competition and contributing to higher pricing.
Travellers urged to plan carefully
Industry trends show that flight timing plays a major role in ticket pricing. Early morning and late evening departures are generally cheaper, while mid-morning flights tend to be the most expensive.
Passengers are also advised to factor in additional costs such as baggage fees, which can add between R300 and R800 to the base fare.
With prices expected to remain volatile throughout the weekend, travellers are encouraged to book early and consider flexible travel times to secure the best deals.