$580 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa to Chicago

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Chicago departing on 4/15. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Chicago

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Chicago, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to Chicago, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from South Africa to Chicago

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from South Africa to Chicago that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from South Africa to Chicago

Wed, May 13 - Wed, May 27
Etihad Airways Logo
9:45 am - 8:35 am
JNB
-
ORD
29h 50m
1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
2:00 pm - 8:15 am
ORD
-
JNB
35h 15m
1 stop
$899Etihad Airways
Fri, May 15 - Wed, May 27
Etihad Airways Logo
9:45 am - 8:35 am
JNB
-
ORD
29h 50m
1 stop
Etihad Airways Logo
2:00 pm - 8:15 am
ORD
-
JNB
35h 15m
1 stop
$901Etihad Airways
Tue, Jun 16 - Wed, Aug 19
Turkish Airlines Logo
4:35 pm - 9:40 am
CPT
-
ORD
24h 05m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
11:25 am - 11:50 am
ORD
-
CPT
41h 25m
1 stop
$1,004Turkish Airlines
Mon, May 4 - Fri, May 8
Qatar Airways Logo
12:40 pm - 4:50 pm
JNB
-
ORD
35h 10m
1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
7:20 pm - 4:00 am
ORD
-
JNB
25h 40m
1 stop
$1,033Qatar Airways
Mon, May 18 - Tue, May 26
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:00 pm - 9:40 am
JNB
-
ORD
22h 40m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
8:10 pm - 10:30 am
ORD
-
JNB
31h 20m
1 stop
$1,034Turkish Airlines
Thu, May 28 - Thu, Jun 4
Qatar Airways Logo
7:30 pm - 4:50 pm
CPT
-
ORD
28h 20m
1 stop
Qatar Airways Logo
7:20 pm - 12:55 pm
ORD
-
CPT
34h 35m
1 stop
$1,154Qatar Airways
Tue, May 5 - Tue, May 12
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 6:36 pm
CPT
-
MDW
29h 31m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:53 pm - 9:25 pm
MDW
-
CPT
25h 32m
2 stops
$1,300Delta
Thu, May 21 - Thu, May 28
KLM Logo
11:15 pm - 5:56 pm
JNB
-
MDW
25h 41m
2 stops
KLM Logo
1:22 pm - 9:20 pm
MDW
-
JNB
24h 58m
2 stops
$1,364KLM
Thu, May 14 - Tue, May 26
Delta Logo
8:25 pm - 6:33 pm
JNB
-
MDW
29h 08m
2 stops
Delta Logo
1:22 pm - 9:20 pm
MDW
-
JNB
24h 58m
2 stops
$1,399Delta
Tue, Jun 16 - Wed, Aug 19
KLM Logo
11:15 pm - 6:18 pm
CPT
-
MDW
26h 03m
2 stops
KLM Logo
1:00 pm - 9:25 pm
MDW
-
CPT
25h 25m
2 stops
$1,470KLM
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to Chicago

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to Chicago to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to Chicago?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Chicago was found on the route from Johannesburg, at $899 return. The most popular connection is from New York to Chicago and KAYAK users have found round-trip deals for as low as $118 in the last 3 days.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Chicago?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights to Chicago, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights to Chicago is February, where tickets cost $896 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and December, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,175 and $1,154 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $896.

How far in advance should I book a flight to Chicago?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to Chicago, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 10% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 9 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Chicago?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Chicago is Chicago Greater Rockford Airport (RFD), with an average flight price of $160.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$575
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 4% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from Johannesburg to Chicago O'Hare Airport

FAQs - booking Chicago flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to Chicago?

    In the last 3 days, the cheapest flight deal to Chicago was found on the route from Johannesburg, at $899 return. The most popular connection is from New York to Chicago and KAYAK users have found round-trip deals for as low as $118 in the last 3 days.

  • Which Chicago airport is closest to central Chicago?

    9 miles away from Chicago’s city center, Chicago Midway Airport is the closest of the 3 major airports in the city. There are 16 miles separating Chicago city center to Chicago O'Hare Airport, and 79 miles to Chicago Greater Rockford.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights to Chicago?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights to Chicago.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket to Chicago?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Chicago is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights to Chicago?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Chicago with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight to Chicago?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Chicago up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • How many direct flights to Chicago are there each week?

    Each week there are around 13,191 direct flights from within South Africa to Chicago. The most common day for departures is Thursday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Chicago

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest Chicago flight deals.

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from South Africa to Chicago

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to Chicago. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to Chicago. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Chicago? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8390 reviews
7.8Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
7.2Food
Airline reviews

Okay considering we had weather delays which the Pilot notified us of immediately!

8.0 ExcellentPaul A, Apr 2026
ORD - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Okay considering we had weather delays which the Pilot notified us of immediately!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

Flight from Fort Wayne to Atlanta was the smallest in terms of cabin space that I've ever seen. A carry on I've used for 20 years BARELY fit in overhead compartment. I'm 5'10" and felt very cramped. Not the best experience.

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the poor service and unprofessional staff we encountered when traveling with an infant. Our flight was delayed, and the gate staff failed to manage the boarding process appropriately. Due to incorrect, unavailable, or missing 'pink tag' stroller and car seat check-in procedures at the gate, we were forced to board last. Furthermore, the gate staff was rude and dismissive, causing significant distress to our infant. To make matters worse, one of our checked items—an infant sleeper/lounger—was returned to us broken. Given the unsafe handling of essential equipment and unprofessional treatment, I expect a prompt resolution regarding compensation for the damaged items.

We departed and landed early which was a nice surprise. The boarding process was slow.

N Everything was perfect from boarding to assistance to baggage in Tampa

Subpar. The seating on the plane is almost unbearable. We are literally touching and/or sitting on each other which is totally unacceptable and shameful. Pilots and crew was very accommodating and friendly.

The boarding was organized and informative but the plane was tight meaning that you were sitting on one another and extremely uncomfortable. It’s disappointing that can’t have common seating comfort on the plane.

Loved the crew! Sucks that we went from 1 hour and 8 minute layover to a 3 hour layover. But weather sucks like that.

I was told that they needed to check my bag at the gate and to pick it up at the gate in Richmond. No big deal. I know they can't control the weather, but we flew around RIC for 45 minutes to avoid the storm and were 25 minutes late leaving as well. Once we landed, we were told to go to baggage claim to pick up our luggage. I went to bathroom, paid for parking, and went to the assigned baggage claim location. United flight people came down with us as well. They got their luggage immediately. Next, South West people came down about 10 minutes later. They got their luggage next. We finally got our luggage around 30 minutes in waiting. Was not a wonderful experience. No reflection on Delta, but the ground crew was lousy at best.

The crew were unprofessional with a racist element. I was physically abused as well from one of the crew members

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Flight was ok but lack of communication cost me to literally beg to be put on another flight as connecting flight had departed

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

Short flight so it was okay. Nice crew, all very pleasant and professional. We were near the back in row 27 so just as we got our drinks, we started our descent so had to drink very quickly!

KLM remains a quality flag carrier airline which maintains its standards whilst all their competitors are lowering theirs.

Our first flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. However it was easy to book a later flight on their app.

The crew was generally professional. Though one of the crew members seemed to be easily annoyed, the others were fine and helpful. The green olives and almonds snack was really good. A great idea, and nice balance of tastes.

Every staff member was professional, friendly and courteous. The pizza twist was ok. It was warm but too much dough.

I had a terrible experience. My flight got delayed from Atlanta to Chicago on Monday April 6, 2026, and that led to me missing my next flight to Brussels. United Airlines didn’t provide me with any accommodation for shelter. I had to sleep at the airport in Chicago. The next flight I was put on didn’t leave until the evening hours of Tuesday 4/7/2026.

Food and drink service was very low quality. The flight attendants in business class must have been short some staff. Service was sluggish and not much English was spoken

The flight was officially delayed 3 times, and was actually later than that. Combined, it was a 3 hour delay, but there was no recognition (miles, voucher, etc). The crew seemed stressed. The captain sounded nervous in his announcements. The flight itself was smooth and uneventful.

Just a bad day to fly. Flight was delayed from scheduled 6:50 pm departure to 8:50 pm. Combination of factors mostly related to weather at the destination airport (which is where the incoming flight originated) which delayed the inbound flight over an hour. Once on board, we taxied but had to hold again on the taxiway for 10 minutes or so. We did not get wheels up until after 9 pm. The flight was smooth but about 18 minutes from our destination, we had to hold for several minutes more due to weather at ORD. We finally landed at ORD about 11:08 pm (accounting for the time difference, that was about a 3 hour delay from our scheduled departure time). It felt like we were never going to get to our destination. But the flight crew and attendants were very good. The movie selection onboard was also very nice. Got to watch half of a movie just during our taxi from the gate at ATL due to the delay!

3 hour delay…. Nearly 2 hours sitting on tarmac. Do better, United. Or at least have the sense to not say “we hope you enjoyed your flight with us” upon disembarking.

Flights were on time. Free Wifi on plane. Everything was well organized.

Economy plus was so cramped I could not use my laptop. It was beyond bad.

Would've been great if Lufthansa union cockpit pilots didn't strike for 2 days and caused a chaos to my returning plans to USA, and then after rebooking a flight 2 days later tge plane departed 35 min later. So I did not have a good experience.

Traveling to a place near Chicago?

Book flights to Chicago if you plan to visit one of these locations
Merrillville
Saint Joseph
Hammond
Portage
Lansing
Valparaiso
Chesterton
Schererville
Munster
Porter
Monticello
Griffith
Saint John

Everything you need to know for your flight to Chicago

Cabin class types available on flights to Chicago

Cabin classes available on flights to Chicago. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.