While dozens of airlines fly to all these destinations in Africa, there’s no way to track every single flight from every airline, so we’ll focus on the four major carriers in the United States and how your miles with them can help get you closer to a safari.
Alaska Airlines
As part of the Oneworld alliance, there are many Alaska Airlines partners that fly to Africa, including British Airways and Qatar Airways. But Alaska’s secret weapon to get to South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania lies in its partner Condor Airlines.
Flights from the U.S. to Africa are only 40,000 miles in coach and 60,000 miles in premium economy, each way. If you’re lucky enough to snag a flight in business class, a one-way ticket will set you back only 70,000 miles.
Prices are similar on British Airways, but expect to pay more in taxes and fees. The mileage cost runs 50,000 for economy, 60,000 for premium, and 80,000 in business class each way. You’ll notice the biggest difference in the taxes and fees. That same flight on Condor that might have only cost you $92 in taxes and fees will cost $268 for coach, $512 for premium economy, and $1,258 in business class with British Airways.
American Airlines
As part of the same Oneworld alliance as Alaska Airlines, American Airlines offers options to get to South Africa via British Airways and Qatar, but also via Etihad Airways. Flights from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg are a bargain at only 30,000 American Advantage miles in economy and 55,000 in Business Class.
One of the most accessible connections to make is via London and then off to Johannesburg. Coach flights from the U.S., if you manage to find the first leg of your trip on American Airlines and then connect to British Airways, can save you nearly $350 in taxes and fees. Flights start at 40,000 miles in economy and 75,000 miles one-way from the U.S. to Africa.
Windhoek, Namibia, is also an option for mileage flights as this route is serviced by its partner Qatar Airways, and flight options start at just 40,000 miles each way in economy.
Delta Air Lines
As part of the SkyTeam alliance, Delta shines with the availability of flights it offers to Africa. For starters, Delta has a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg. While prices using its own currency, Delta SkyMiles, can be outrageously expensive, you will be able to use flexible currencies like Chase Ultimate Rewards® or Citi ThankYou® points to offset the costs.
The little-known advantage with Delta is its partnership with Kenya Airways via the SkyTeam Alliance. While these awards are not bookable on the website, the Delta phone reps can check availability for its flagship New York to Nairobi route. Once in Kenya, you will be able to connect to any destination that Kenya Airways services, like Lusaka, Zambia; Johannesburg; Livingstone, Zambia; Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe; Kisumu, Kenya and more.
United Airlines
United also partners with a myriad of airlines providing service across Africa. As part of the Star Alliance, United has access to African carriers like Egyptair, Ethiopian Airlines, and, most notably, South African Airways. Other Star Alliance carriers like Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines offer service to many points throughout Africa.
If you want a more direct route, United does offer its own flights directly to Cape Town and Johannesburg from both Washington D.C. (IAD) and Newark (EWR). Since prices for mileage flights vary wildly, the only way to know how much something will cost is to fill in your dates and search for options. The good news is that if United doesn’t have availability, its search engine will offer you other options that might cost fewer miles.
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