Business & First Class flights to Africa

Africa is a long way to fly, which is exactly why it rewards a premium cabin, and why the routing matters as much as the price. There are more nonstops than there used to be — Delta from Atlanta to Johannesburg and Cape Town and from New York to Lagos and Accra; United from Newark to Johannesburg and Cape Town; Kenya Airways from New York to Nairobi; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; EgyptAir to Cairo — but for many itineraries the best cabin and price is a one-stop on Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa or Turkish Airlines. The Gulf hubs are particularly strong for East Africa, the Indian Ocean islands and safari circuits; London, Paris and Amsterdam for West and Southern Africa.

Flight times. New York to Casablanca is about 7 hours — barely longer than Rome. Cairo is 10½, Lagos and Accra roughly 11, Nairobi 14½, and Johannesburg and Cape Town 15–16 hours nonstop. Via Doha or Dubai, add a three-hour connection but gain a Qsuite or Emirates First seat for both legs. Nearly all long African routes fly overnight in at least one direction, so the flat bed is the difference between a safari on day one and a hotel bed on day one.

First Class. Emirates and Etihad fly First on many US–Gulf sectors and onward to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi and Cairo, and British Airways First operates London–Johannesburg and London–Cape Town. On nonstop US routes, business class is the top cabin.

When to go. Southern Africa's safari season is the dry winter, May–October; Cape Town's summer is November–March and peaks at Christmas through February. Kenya's Great Migration river crossings run July–October. Morocco is best in spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November). Egypt is October–April. Lagos and Accra see their biggest premium demand every December, when the diaspora flies home for the holidays and "Detty December" — book those dates by September. The cheapest months across the continent are generally April–May and September–early November, outside those peaks.

Gateways. Atlanta and Newark are the nonstop doors to South Africa; New York for Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Casablanca and Cairo; Washington for Cairo and Casablanca. From everywhere else — and from the West Coast for everything — plan on one stop, and let us pick the hub that keeps you in the better cabin.