$599 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 2/10. 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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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$829
Typical prices: $1,007-$1,434
Ethiopian Air
Wed 3/18Wed 3/25
JNB - ORD • 2 stops
Cheapest one-way
$578
Typical prices: $525-$784
Qatar Airways
Tue 2/10
JNB - ORD • 1 stop
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 10% price drop
June
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Chicago!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
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, Mar 18 - Wed, Mar 25
Ethiopian Air Logo
2:30 pm - 8:40 am
JNB
-
ORD
25h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:15 am - 1:05 pm
ORD
-
JNB
19h 50m
1 stop
$829Ethiopian Air
Tue, Feb 24 - Mon, Apr 6
Ethiopian Air Logo
2:30 pm - 7:40 am
JNB
-
ORD
25h 10m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:15 am - 8:10 pm
ORD
-
JNB
26h 55m
1 stop
$850Ethiopian Air
Sun, Feb 22 - Mon, Apr 6
Ethiopian Air Logo
8:20 am - 7:40 am
JNB
-
ORD
31h 20m
2 stops
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:15 am - 8:10 pm
ORD
-
JNB
26h 55m
1 stop
$900Ethiopian Air
Tue, Feb 24 - Wed, Apr 8
Turkish Airlines Logo
7:10 pm - 10:05 am
JNB
-
ORD
22h 55m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
11:25 am - 10:30 am
ORD
-
JNB
40h 05m
1 stop
$908Turkish Airlines
Tue, Feb 24 - Sat, Apr 4
Turkish Airlines Logo
7:10 pm - 10:05 am
JNB
-
ORD
22h 55m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
11:25 am - 10:30 am
ORD
-
JNB
40h 05m
1 stop
$922Turkish Airlines
Thu, Feb 26 - Wed, Apr 8
American Airlines Logo
7:35 pm - 7:15 pm
JNB
-
ORD
31h 40m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
9:00 pm - 9:25 am
ORD
-
JNB
29h 25m
2 stops
$939American Airlines
Tue, Feb 24 - Mon, Apr 6
KLM Logo
11:59 pm - 6:40 pm
JNB
-
MDW
26h 41m
2 stops
KLM Logo
1:10 pm - 9:20 pm
MDW
-
JNB
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,013KLM
Mon, Feb 23 - Tue, Apr 7
Delta Logo
10:00 pm - 6:40 pm
JNB
-
MDW
28h 40m
2 stops
Delta Logo
9:35 am - 9:20 pm
MDW
-
JNB
28h 45m
2 stops
$1,016Delta
Mon, Feb 23 - Mon, Apr 6
Delta Logo
7:20 pm - 5:45 pm
JNB
-
MDW
30h 25m
2 stops
Delta Logo
9:35 am - 7:40 pm
MDW
-
JNB
27h 05m
2 stops
$1,019Delta
Wed, Feb 25 - Tue, Apr 7
KLM Logo
11:59 pm - 5:37 pm
JNB
-
MDW
25h 38m
2 stops
KLM Logo
1:10 pm - 9:20 pm
MDW
-
JNB
25h 10m
2 stops
$1,029KLM
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 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 $958 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and December, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,187 and $1,178 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $958.

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 0 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 46 days 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, with an average flight price of $134.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$578
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 1% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 3% lower on average.
Flight from Johannesburg to Chicago O'Hare Airport

FAQs - booking Chicago flights

  • 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 11,552 direct flights from within South Africa to Chicago. The most common day for departures is Monday, with 16% 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 4 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 8132 reviews
7.8Entertainment
7.9Comfort
7.2Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

I didn't take this flight. I changed the flight. Why am I getting surveys and notifications on flights that I change. Seems like a defect with Kayak.

2.0 MediocreTodd, Jan 2026
IAH - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

I didn't take this flight. I changed the flight. Why am I getting surveys and notifications on flights that I change. Seems like a defect with Kayak.

Delta One is extraordinary. I fly business when somebody hires me. I just wonder why there is such a chasm between business class and the insanely inhumane and nonsensical coach. The seats are not large enough to fit even my tiny wife. We fly 10% of what we did because we don’t want to pay 5-10 k but for $400 it’s unbearable. It seems like the accountants took over and made stupid decisions. Screw in 20 extra seats and make it so unbearable that people fly 90% less. Just put the damn price up and put some proper chairs in. But business, yay.

Timing, quality of service, promptness and courtesy of the staff

It was last minute due to weather - considering - it was amazing! Good smiles, friendly staff and they were making sure we knew what was going on when and where.

delta last minute gave me a boarding pass for a different flight with no confirmation that they were changing it

The service from the flight attendants were of supreme quality. They greeted and treated everyone with a wide smile. This is totally absent nowadays. Kudos to them!!!!

Excellent flight and got us around tough weather. Only issue was seat TV did not work and crew tried to reboot.

Very large passenger too space from my own seat. Arm board couldn’t be lowered because of his size. It wads very uncomfortable trip, as the flight was full couldn’t move anywhere having back pain because of the position in which I was the entire flight.

was sitting in the jet bridge for 10 minutes in -20 degree weather waiting for my bag

Very convenient considering that is a non-stop flight, but the Aeromexico still has old model planes, so the entertainment was very poor and the space for carry-on luggage was very limited.

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 service was great. However the lounge only gets passing grade

Cabin crew professional, polite and friendly, boarding was seemless, but come on KLM surely you can do better than a pack of cheesy biscuits as an inflight snack

This Japanese airline provides great service and very helpful in assisting their passengers.

Seated dude next to me even though lots of empty rows. But main thing was we sat on the tarmac after landing for 30 minutes because of, in the words of the dude who sat next to me, “operational incompetence”. We got changing directions about where to pick up gate checked bags. Pilot and flight attendant were awesome though.

It was a pretty standard flight... until the almost hour and a half spent on the taxi way. I get that the weather has been poor but the delay had nothing to do with the weather and more to do with a plane with several issues tying up the gate. I get that that happens from time to time but this has been EVERY flight I've been on for the past 5 years and I fly 3 to 5 times a year. This isn't just United... it's American, it's Delta. It's an issue with the entire industry. I work for UPS and packages on a cargo plane get better service than people do these days. Anymore I HATE flying.

I so appreciate the crew members on each flight of United. They are outstanding.

Reliable, nice crew, I fly often on that flight and I like it all.

Perfect flight. Smooth flight. Arrived 20 minutes early at destination. Excellent service.

The flights were on time which was great give. It was holiday travel season and there’d been some weather issues. The only complaint and this is every time with United is the terrible seat design. The head rest is not built for comfort and having my neck bent forward for a cross country trip reminded me while I try not to take United flights as a rule.

Everything was absolutely wonderful from check in to baggage claim. Staff was very professional and sweet. Will definitely recommend United to family and friends.

The staff was nice, however boarding taking 2 hours. That’s insane. Overall very bad experience, a lot of turbulence and when landed in Chicago was horrible. I don’t think I’ll flight with UA again.

An international flight on an apron is pretty unusual in my 40 years of traveling. Departure delay. Luggage despite over an hour connection did not make it to the flight. Actually still in Germany. My luggage was not moved until I reached my final destination despite knowing it to be left in Germany upon my arrival in Chicago. The service left me a little off, both going and returning from Europe. Light on in the cabin even during a night flight and lots of traffic no matter what. Maybe passengers want more service? As a frequent traveler i just want to be able to sleep, the food will be better at the destination anyway. So since the cabin crew woke me up I asked for a cocktail, I did not get the best response although sitting in row 20 premium economy. I usually fly premium economy or business and my 2 flight to Europe in 2025 with United both had luggage delays and other minor issues. American flights to Australia, Canada and Europe went smoothly and Premium plus feels very much like business light. Is United Club becoming a waste and Silver/Gold levels another waste??

My touch screen at my seat wasn't working, the films BA advertised on the website for this flight were not available, and the plane was a little dated, food was good and the staff were good, just let down by the aircraft facilities.

Did not like the seating configuration at all with 2+3+2 in business class. Lacking total privacy and comfort

The flight crew was kind, flexible, and accommodating. The seats on the plane were extremely uncomfortable.

Check-in experience, for business call please provide a premium experience

Lost my luggage, ran out of food choices in business class, ground crew was completely unapologetic.

Excellent. The crew and flight were great. Checking in was easy and everyone was very helpful.

Entertainment devices on A380 need to be fixed, the seats might do with updates.

Everything. Employees offered to help me because I had to use a cane.

Check-in and boarding were great. On flight staff were rude and disrespectful. Paid for extra room and found it incredibly cramped. Bathrooms kept in poor condition. Overall negative experience.

Great seat in premium economy, great food and drinks throughout lots of in flight entertainment. 1 hour 40 min delayed flying out , 2 1/2 hour wait at passport control in tampa

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.