South African Airways

South African Airways (SA) is a Star Alliance member based in Johannesburg (JNB). The airline went through a major restructuring and relaunched in 2021 with a much smaller network, focused on regional African routes. It no longer flies the long-haul network it was once known for, but it remains useful for getting around southern Africa on Star Alliance miles.

South African Airways

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Which miles can you use to book South African Airways?

Because South African Airways is in Star Alliance, you can book its award space with partner miles, including:

  • United MileagePlus: no fuel surcharges, and united.com is also the easiest place to search
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Avianca LifeMiles: often the cheapest, no surcharges
  • Turkish Miles&Smiles

How to search for South African Airways award space:

The easiest place to search is the United Airlines website. United displays Star Alliance partner availability, including South African Airways, and you can search without holding any miles.

Step 1

Log in to your United Airlines account on united.com. If you don’t have an account yet, signing up is free.

Step 2

Select the Book Travel box and fill in your trip details:

  • Select either Round Trip or One Way
  • Enter your departure and arrival city. For South African Airways, think regional routes touching Johannesburg (JNB) or Cape Town (CPT), like JNB-CPT, JNB-MRU, or JNB-LOS
  • Enter your dates
  • Select the number of passengers
  • Select Award Travel

Then click Search.

South African Airways Book

Step 3

Pick the flight option that fits your schedule. Watch the connection times carefully, as some options have very long layovers.

If you would like to search a different day, use the calendar to scan nearby dates. Regional African routes usually have decent availability outside school holiday periods.

Make sure you select the Saver Award, as standard awards cost far more miles and usually can’t be booked with partner programs anyway.

South African Airways Flight

Step 4

Choose your preferred flight and open its details. Write down the following information: flight number, dates, and cabin class.

Step 5

Now book with the program your miles live in. If it’s United miles, book right there on united.com. For other programs (Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Miles&Smiles), check their website first, since most can book Star Alliance partners online now. If the flight doesn’t show, call the program and read the agent the exact flights you found. They should be able to see and book the same space for you.

Tips before you book

  • The screenshots above show an older United site design. Menu names have shifted slightly, but the flow (log in, award search, pick saver space) is unchanged.
  • For getting TO South Africa from the US or Europe, you’ll be flying a different Star Alliance carrier (United, Lufthansa, Ethiopian) and connecting to SAA regionally. Search the whole journey as one award on united.com.
  • If united.com shows nothing, cross-check the same route on aeroplan.com. Partner sites occasionally disagree on the last seat or two.