We are happy to handle all air ticket arrangements for Ultimate Africa client’s purchasing pre-packaged or tailor-made / custom tours through our office. We do not handle air ticket bookings by themselves or for travelers who have made their safari arrangements elsewhere.

When you book your air reservation through Ultimate Africa the advantages are clear:

- Special fares aboard the world's most respected airlines (as low as US $650 economy class / US $6,380 Premier class roundtrip aboard South Africa Airways daily service from New York and Washington DC direct to Johannesburg, South Africa) and the convenience of reserving all of your holiday plans with a single telephone call. These special fares are available only from Ultimate Africa, and the flights we offer are specifically chosen to work best with your individual itinerary and activities. These fares are typically much lower than the airfares published by the airlines.

- Unlike many reduced rate fares offered by other agencies, Ultimate Africa clients are able to earn frequent flier miles on most tickets purchased through our office. As an example flying aboard South African Airways you can earn mileage on United’s mileage program; flying aboard KLM you can earn mileage on either Northwest’s mileage program.

- While most airfares require instant purchase, we can hold reservations up to 30 days without payment

- Unlike many cut price fares where seating is restricted until check-in we are able to reserve advance seating on nearly all flights.

Which airlines fly to Africa? Most of the major world airlines such as KLM, British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, South African Airways, Virgin and Swissair fly into Africa several times a week; many daily. We are able to arrange flights from most major cities in the United States via either Europe (most typically via London, Frankfurt, or Amsterdam) or via South Africa to the starting point of your safari.

Flying from the USA direct to South Africa you would fly aboard a combination of United to either New York or Washington DC and then non-stop to South Africa aboard South African Airways - our preferred carrier. This is by far the most popular way to reach Africa. Not only is it the most direct routing, the fares are typically lower than those charged by other airlines on alternate routings. In addition South African Airways has proudly won many international awards including Best African Airline, Best Domestic Airline (in South Africa), Best International Airline flying to South Africa, Best Cabin Crew in Africa, and Best Airline Based in Africa. Once in South Africa you would continue aboard South African Airways or another airline to your final destination for the start of your safari. We are also able to handle internal flight arrangements within Africa.

Insider’s tip: Over the last 20 years we have flown from the USA to Africa aboard many different airlines and via many different cities – we have flown aboard KLM, Virgin, British Airways, South African Airways, Air Tanzania, Air Zimbabwe, Kenya Airways, Balkan Airlines and others. We have flown via New York, Atlanta, London, Frankfurt, Bulgaria, Nigeria and many other cities to east and southern Africa! In our opinion the best routing (for those of us on the west coast of the USA) is to fly to New York and overnight before catching the morning South African Airways flight to Johannesburg. You are able to board the long flight well rested and arrive into Johannesburg without missing a night’s sleep.

Insider’s tip: By purchasing tickets through our office, not only do you receive reduced rates, we are able to be of assistance in the event that changes need to be made to your flights. As an example recent Ultimate Africa clients Jon and Barbara Sheffield were on safari in Botswana when South African Airways cancelled their mid day flight from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg. As we had booked the clients air tickets we noticed the change on our system and were able to rebook the guests onto the afternoon flight and notify the guests of this change. When the guests arrived at the Victoria Falls Airport several days later they noticed a large crowd of stranded travelers who had arrived for the mid day flight (which was cancelled) and were desperately trying to get onto the afternoon flight (which of course was now fully booked)! Our clients checked in and departed on the afternoon flight without incident. In our opinion good planning is the basis for a great travel experience and in this instance the Sheffield’s were very happy to know we were looking out for them.

If you plan to use mileage to fly to Africa we are happy to arrange only the inter-Africa flights and land portion of your safari. Please coordinate your mileage flights directly with the airlines concerned.

To book your Africa flights contact our Seattle office toll free 1 800 461 0682 or email.