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Delta Airlines began daily service from Atlanta to Johannesburg in December 2006 using Boeing 767 aircraft with 24 Business Class seats.
The outbound flight takes about 16 hours, 17.5 on the return, including the refueling stop in Dakar, Senegal. With flights that long, the comfort of a Business Class seat is important.
Delta’s lowest fare for a Business Class seat is $7,058, which is about the same as its only competitor on this route, South African Airways.
While SAA offers free companion tickets via Amex's International Airline Program, the "applicable" fares skyrocket to $11,854+.
The cost of a Business Class seat on Delta is 120,000 SkyMiles, a relative bargain.
There’s also a rare opportunity to upgrade off the lowest economy class fare (M class) in the $2,000 neighborhood -- in many cases a better deal for a Business Class seat, in that you'll earn miles and elite credit with any SkyTeam carrier. Usually Delta's upgradeable fares are as much as 50 percent more than the lowest fare.
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Good Mileage Availability
Because it a relatively new route, there are still a number of flights left with decent or better availability of Business Class seats when you use your miles.
I had the opportunity to book 4 business class tickets at once, without too much hassle and with the dates we wanted. We have flown SAA business class many times and we are hoping for the best as they do not have the flatbed seats that SAA has to offer. Has anyone had the experience on this flight in business?????? Your comments would be insightful. Gavin San Diego, California
My son and I flew Delta from NYC to Atlanta to Johannesburg in May 2007. I converted AMEX points to Delta miles and paid about $2,000 per ticket. (I got the idea for this from First Class Flyer--kudos to them!) I thought this method of obtaining Business Class seats was an excellent value! The flight to Johannesburg is long and there's no way around it. If you're not exhausted when you arrive, you will be the next morning. We did not hear the alarm clock that following morning and almost missed the flight out of Johannesburg to Namibia. While the Delta may not have flatbed seats, they seats were quite comfortable and the Delta staff was superb!
I flew this to JNB in March, 2007 by cashing in Delta miles so the price was perfect. It's not that bad, even without the flat bed seats. If you're overnighting in JNB to catch a flight the next morning, I strongly recommend staying at the Intercontinental right at the airport (you can walk to it).
I only have 80000 delta miles, how can I get two business class tickets to s. africa paying for coach and upgrading
I am flying UA from Seattle to Dullles and then SAA to Johannesburg... alas i do not have enough miles on united as a partner airline to upgrade... any tips on being able to upgrade reasonably??? leaving on the 22 jan.... most appreciated
WCHAPMAN, could you purchase enough miles to upgrade or transfer in from some other source?
Just flew my family of 4 this route over december. I must say it was not that bad. The seats were a little narrow so you cannot lay sideways, but overall it was a good deal if you can trade miles for these tix. When we landed in Dakar the plane was cleaned and was searched by Senegalese security for what, we do not know. They removed the seat cushions and searched the entire seating area which was out of the ordinary. My concern was not what they were looking for but what they were leaving behind. Anywhoo other than this all was well. I still want to talk to Delat to see what the scoop was with the search. Gavin T, San Diego, California
SAA is definitely the way to go for getting to S. Africa. I saved about $2,000 by booking my Business First (I think it was called) thru my travel agent who booked thru a consolidator. The service was superb, the seat was extraordinary, everything was on time &, thanks to "No Jet Lag" tabs, felt fine on arrival in Capetown. I also had spent the nite at a hotel at the airport in NY as I didn't want to make the whole trip from Phnx all at once. Smart decision.
Flying to S.A. for 2010 world cup, looking for all recommendations
I am looking into flying to South Africa in Feb. of 2009. Trying to figure the best way to accomplish this. Would like a recommendation on this. I currently have around 219,000 miles. Would like to see what the best option will be. Buy a coach and upgrade to Business or use my miles to get the business tickets. Appreciatte any thoughts.
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Have elite flyer status in United (Premier Exec), BA (silver) and Northwest (Silver). What is best way to get 3 Bus or First Class tickets Denver to Jo-Burg- for post Christmas-New Years celebration (2-3 weeks in So Af)? Economy is not interesting on two 15+ hour segments. Appreciate any or all ideas you may have. Respond to arth95@hall-group.com. Many thanks
I made the Delta flight from COS to Atlanta to JoBurg early this year. I'm 6'6" so any seat is going to be a test. The upgrade I did was easy. The seat was comfortable, the cabin service was far better than I expected. This is a good flight. The only difficulty was changing in JoBurg for a flight to Cape Town. The airport is far from easy to move around in due to seemingly endless rennovations. Got in to Cape Town on a SoAf flight late evening and was fully rested by 6 AM. I'm a birder and photographer and was in the field with no difficulties that first morning.
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