Publications
Partners
Cape Town - With penny-pinching becoming the norm for battered South African consumers, finding the most economic travel option is a matter of concern for many.
So what is the least expensive way to travel? Research by SouthAfrica.TO indicates that Mango Airlines offers the cheapest flights in South Africa 68% of the time. And if Mango's flight prices are still too expensive for you, you could try Shosholoza Meyl train trips. Most of the time Shosholoza Meyl economy class trains are cheaper than Intercity buses.
Even though Shosholoza Meyl doesn't offer a direct route from Cape Town to Durban, their train trips via Johannesburg are usually cheaper than taking a bus travelling direct from Cape Town to Durban.
Rob Baker, CEO of SouthAfrica.TO, said: "Because of the importance of cheap flights to the South African consumer, we keep a close eye on it, and have fastidiously maintained records for many years now, and have even had the Reserve Bank request access to our data.
"Most of the time the cheapest flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town are from Lanseria Airport, while if you're flying from Johannesburg to Durban the cheapest flights are usually from OR Tambo International Airport.
"Shosholoza Meyl economy class trains are usually cheaper than buses, and out of the Intercity buses, City to City is usually cheapest from Joburg to Cape Town and Joburg to Durban; and Citiliner from Durban to Cape Town".
Baker cautioned that even though Mango Airlines is the cheapest most of the time, it's far from always the case. He recommends checking the airfares of all airlines: "Even full service carriers like British Airways Comair are sometimes cheapest."
- Fin24
Rob Baker is co-owner of South Africa Travel Online. Follow him on twitter on @southafricaTO.
So what is the least expensive way to travel? Research by SouthAfrica.TO indicates that Mango Airlines offers the cheapest flights in South Africa 68% of the time. And if Mango's flight prices are still too expensive for you, you could try Shosholoza Meyl train trips. Most of the time Shosholoza Meyl economy class trains are cheaper than Intercity buses.
Even though Shosholoza Meyl doesn't offer a direct route from Cape Town to Durban, their train trips via Johannesburg are usually cheaper than taking a bus travelling direct from Cape Town to Durban.
Rob Baker, CEO of SouthAfrica.TO, said: "Because of the importance of cheap flights to the South African consumer, we keep a close eye on it, and have fastidiously maintained records for many years now, and have even had the Reserve Bank request access to our data.
"Most of the time the cheapest flights from Johannesburg to Cape Town are from Lanseria Airport, while if you're flying from Johannesburg to Durban the cheapest flights are usually from OR Tambo International Airport.
"Shosholoza Meyl economy class trains are usually cheaper than buses, and out of the Intercity buses, City to City is usually cheapest from Joburg to Cape Town and Joburg to Durban; and Citiliner from Durban to Cape Town".
Baker cautioned that even though Mango Airlines is the cheapest most of the time, it's far from always the case. He recommends checking the airfares of all airlines: "Even full service carriers like British Airways Comair are sometimes cheapest."
- Fin24
Rob Baker is co-owner of South Africa Travel Online. Follow him on twitter on @southafricaTO.
