There are several airlines flying between South Africa and the United Kingdom. To find cheap flights from South Africa to London, it is necessary to do a bit of research and compare airfares between airlines.

Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban represent the three major centres of South African air travel. Direct flights are possible between Johannesburg and London, and between Cape Town and London. Unfortunately, if you fly from Durban, you will have to fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town first, in order to connect to London.

Several airlines that fly direct, offer cheap flights from South Africa to London, including South African Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways and United Airlines. However, tickets need to be booked fairly far in advance to make use of any special offers. In addition, some conditions may apply, for instance only certain age groups qualify for discounted tickets.

Another way to secure cheap flights from South Africa to London, is to choose a cheaper fare on an airline which makes a stopover. Fifteen airlines fly from Johannesburg to London, making one stopover in their country of origin. These include Emirates, Qatar Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa.

A stopover flight doesn’t have to be boring. Depending on the duration of the lay over, it could provide you with a few extra hours to explore another city. However, make sure that you don’t need a visa to leave the airport. Having to purchase a visa could turn a cheap flight from South Africa to London into a rather expensive excursion.

In having to decide whether to go for a cheap flights between South Africa and London, but making a stopover in another city, or flying direct at a higher cost, the following should be considered. Non-direct flights take longer and there is a higher risk of lost baggage or delayed connecting flights. Direct flights save time, but could be significantly more expensive. There is also no opportunity to see or experience another city or culture, even if it is only in the airport building.