2010 World Cup Travel Guide: Flying To and Around South Africa

June 4, 2010 at 1:07 PM | by Chanize | Comments (0)

Outside Nelspruit/Kruger Airport

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! Next up, how to get to the games!

Let�s be real. Unlike previous "winters", flying to South Africa is unlikely to be cheap at this time due to the World Cup. Round-trip air from U.S. gateways like JFK, ATL and IAD on South African Airways,(don�t forget their partnership with JetBlue!) are starting at around $2,000. Yikes.

But this may be the one time where the ultimate fan (and those still holding on to their tax return) may consider upgrading to the flat-bed outfitted biz class (some routes are just double economy fares) for the 16-hr plus flight ahead. You�ll get to sleep and then hit the ground running once you land. Hey, if you�re gonna go for it, don�t do it half-assed.

Fares on Emirates, FIFA�s "official" airline, are also starting at $2,000 a well from San Francisco, Houston, and Toronto to JoBurg or Cape Town via Dubai.

As with all airplane tickets, do some shopping around. Due to Match�s initial overestimating of visitors and their subsequent releasing of plane seat and hotel room inventory, there are more opportunities to score decent last-minute deals.

Domestic Transfers:
The 10 host cities can be hundreds of miles apart, so these transfers may be the most important part of your trip planning if you intend to game-hop. Tour operator packages usually include transfers to and from the various stadiums on game day, but usually means those ticket holders must stay in a single city.

But those not booking a package can fly discount carriers such as 1time, Mango Airlines and SA Express, to travel between host cities like Durban and Johannesburg. For example, it�s a 17-hour drive from Cape Town to JoBurg, but only a two-hour, $65 flight via discount carriers 1time and Mango Airlines.

SA Express has also committed to offering 24-hour domestic operation on certain days during the tournament so no one gets stranded. And as of now there are still seats available.

Intercity Transfers:
On match days, free shuttle buses for ticket holders will run from major city's main bus terminals to the stadium. Airport-to-city service will also run 24/7 during the tournament.

[Photo: Chanize]Disclosure: Chanize Thorpe was hosted by South Africa Tourism on a recent assignment.

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