Here are a few tips to get a cheap flight to Africa and still find a seat:
Book in Advance
Book your flight at least two months in advance especially if you are planning to travel around Christmas. Flights fill up very quickly because they are relatively limited compared to many other world destinations. This is especially the case for African countries with small tourist industries.
Fly via Europe
Ask your travel agent to look into flights from Europe to Africa (especially Amsterdam, Rome and Paris) and then add on a flight from the US. This can work very well during the off-season when flights between Europe and the US are very inexpensive (November to mid-December and January to March).Flights via London used to be cheap, but a recent hike in airport taxes mean that savings aren't great anymore.
You can still book and price flights from the UK to many destinations in Africa using an online booking engine. Flight Centre UK is one I can recommend, it is easy to use and their prices look very reasonable. You can also use cheaptickets.com and plug in your whole itinerary, it will piece together flights via Europe for you.
Ex-Colonies = More Options
If you are flying via Europe, think ex-colonies to get the most flight options. For example, the most frequent flights to Namibia leave from Frankfurt. If you are looking for a flight to a West African country, use Paris as your hub. For East and Southern Africa most flights will go in and out of London.
Use Regional Hubs
- For Southern Africa, check out direct flights to South Africa (see below). There are several budget airline companies in South Africa which operate regionally to countries like Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Madagascar. South African Airways (SAA) is about to offer a direct flight from Chicago in May 2007 (with a stop in Dakar, Senegal) and airlines usually offer good deals on new routes to promote them.
- For East Africa check out flights into Ethiopia and Kenya. Their national airlines have extensive regional connections. Package tours to Kenya are popular in Germany and England so you can get some great deals by flying through Europe and getting a charter flight from there.
- For West Africa, Dakar in Senegal is the main regional hub these days with direct flights on both Delta and South African Airways (from the US). You can also get good deals by flying via Casablanca on Royal Air Moroc, but the layovers can be very long. The good thing about flying direct to Dakar is you can get a bus to various neighboring countries, which is often quicker than a connecting flight.
- For North Africa, direct flights from the US to Morocco and Egypt shouldn't set you back more than $800 - $1000. A popular option for travelers to Egypt these days is to add on a Kenyan safari, and using local airlines for this route may be cheaper than flying direct to Nairobi from the US.
Fly via Dubai
Emirates has an extensive network in Africa and you can get some great deals on flights to destinations like the Seychelles, Mauritius, Uganda, Johannesburg, Tanzania and more. The airline offers great service and the stopovers are minimal. The downside is it may add quite a bit to your flight time and not all their routes offer good deals.
Use an Experienced Travel Agent
Book with an agency that specializes in international flights or adventure travel. Adventure travel agencies will always have an air-only option available. I would recommend calling STA travel and talking to an agent. It's a worldwide student travel agency but anyone can use them and they'll know where Addis Ababa is. A good online source is BootsnAll Travel, they have airline deals per destination city in Africa.
Direct Flights
Direct flights from the US to Africa are usually more expensive than those via Europe just because you have far fewer flights and they fill up more quickly. A few examples of direct flights include:- Delta Airlines and South African Airways fly direct to South Africa from New York, Washington DC and Atlanta (some via Dakar, Senegal). Delta also recently launched direct service from New York to Accra (Ghana) and Atlanta to Lagos (Nigeria).
- EgyptAir flies direct to Cairo from New York
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Royal Air Moroc flies direct to Casablanca from New York.
- Ethiopian Airlines fly direct from Washington DC to Addis Ababa four times a week. You fly via Rome and briefly refuel, but you don't get off the plane.
Use Your Frequent Flier Miles
If you have miles on any airline you should be able to use them for at least part of your ticket to Africa. Even if your airline doesn't fly direct to Africa, codeshare agreements may allow you to use miles on different airlines, or you can at least use your miles to get to Europe and book a cheaper flight from there.
