All sites do seem to consistently come up with approx £1200 don't they? You probably know this site already but just incase you don't
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=506

There must be someone there who would know! Try the BA one as well- it has a lot more members.

Just realised that was your first post and here I am directing you to another forum! Still that is us for you- if we don't know, we can point you in the right direction!
Welcome to HT Wes!

Rumours have it that a carrier called "Nationwide Airlines" have or are in the process of restarting flights from Gatwick down to Jo'burg with onward domestic connections to Cape Town. I know very little about them except they opearte a Boeing 767 on the route. Just maybe their prices are a bit more competitive during the Xmas period. However i acnnot comment on their reliability etc.

Nivsy

Hi try prices from Qatar airways,change plane in Doha dont know the price but the airline is top class.

Useful tips. I will keep an eye out for the new flights and price qatar as we are interested in going to Cape Town ourselves someday( very nearly went next Easter)

It's a popular route, at a popular time of year. If you are tied to using Virgin then would suggest you book now. Seats on your chosen days could sell out or only be available in a higher booking class (higher fare/same cabin)

The later you leave it, the higher the fares will go, i work for a flights department for a well know company. The best bet is to look at airlines that operate via another airport like Doha or Dubai. Ive heard that Air Namibia are doing good fares on there new Gatwick-Windhoek service with connections to Cape Town, so they may be worth a look.

Thanks for all your replies.

I have had a look at the other airlines and there routes and I think I might caugh up to go with virgin to get a direct flight, especially with 2 kids (one 2 year old)

Plus i already have one free flight with my air miles.

once again thanks for responding so quickly. This is a great forum with some top class posters.

Cheers,
Wes

My husband and I are going to Port Elizabeth for Christmas to stay with my parents and we have got a really fantastic deal with Qatar Airlines. They have only recently introduced their flights to South Africa and were selling them quite cheaply - £700 each in total for flights from Manchester to Port Elizabeth. We fly from Manchester to Doha, Doha to Johannesburg and then Jo'burg to PE. The last time we went we paid £650 each and that was August time, so this was a really good price. We did, however, book these flights in January.

Our internal flights from Jo'burg to PE are with Nationwide - they are just a small operator, nothing like BA or SAA who also operate there, but they don't have as many flights as the others and we've never flown with them before, so I can't say what they're like.

Gill

Nationwide flights fly to Cape Town from Gatwick.
Air Namibia do indeed fly from Gatwick to Windhoek and on to Cape Town and there fares are very good.
Kenya Airways are a good alt, as are some of the middle east airlines.
But i would strongly advise to try and book now, as the fare will go up.

Flight Fares are worse than the stock market.

I have been watching them on a daily basis and they consitanly change.

On the day of the bombing in London they dropped about £50. then went back up the next day.

1 week later they have dropped about £100.

I think i have found the flights I want.
Virgin Atlantic
Out: 25 December
In: 14 Jan
£700 (excluding tax) adults
£523 (exc tax) children

If I fly out 24th or 23rd then it goes up about £300.

These are direct flights to cape town, which I cant find with any other airline that can match it. SAA comes pretty close though.

Regards,
Wes

I used to fly to Cape Town regularly with my work and always used SAA as they were consistantly the cheapest and gave an excellent service. Even no fee upgrades on 2 flights!!

My daughter is looking for flight only to South Africa late June/early July, from Manchester. Their destination is Durban ultimately, but may have to fly to J'Burg, as on a budget!
Does anyone know the cheapest airline/websites for flights?

Try these
http://www.wefly.co.uk

Ady

travelsupermarket or online travel are usually very good,but Qatar airways have some really cheap prices from manchester to Jo burg via Doha if you dont mind the long flight,then get a lo cost flight to and from Durban via 1time or Kulula would be the cheapest way but a bit of a faff.
Hope this helps

Thanks for the information Ady and Paully.
At the moment Air France, KLM and Qatar seem to be the cheapest. As Qatar go via Doha does this mean a longer flight than eg a stopover in eg Paris? Has anyone flown Qatar economy? Wondering which is the best out of the three for long haul?

The flight by Qatar is much longer than the others which can be a drawback.KLM are excellent,have used them before,but their flight times are awful and will arrive in JoBurg too late to catch a connection to Durban.Havent used air France but their times are better.You might also want to have a look at Swiss website as they sometimes have good value flights.