World Cup Flights

[eaststand85]

Going to start this off here unless any objections, mods please feel free to move to Fans Forum if you think it's more appropriate. Thanks!

My sister in law lives in Johannesburg so hoping to set up base there for the duration of the tournament next year. Have a couple of questions though in relation to flying to South Africa:


Does anyone know when the airlines will start releasing flights to SA and who are the best to fly with to Joburg? The obvious candidates such as BA, KLM, Air France and Lufthansa don't appear to have anything available yet.

Is flying the best way to move around the venues within SA or are there better alternatives?

If flying is the best way to get around SA then is there a multi trip ticket available (either as part of original ticket to SA or separately) or is it just a question of booking individual flights once final schedule (hopefully including Irish matches!!!) becomes known?


All assistance much appreciated!! :D:D

[endabob1]

eaststand85 I use this website
www.saflights.co.za

Not sure on how to link to another post so I've quoted it below


For internal flights I would use SAA but the other 2 are the South African budget Ryan Air equivalent, never tried them so can't really comment. The one thing I have heard is you need to book well in advance to get cheap flights. Internal flights in SA are generally not cheap, SAA & Comair (A BA Subsiduary) had a monopoly up until relatively recently.

www.flysaa.com
www.kulula.com
www.flymango.com

As mentioned elsewhere, the main roads are fine but SA is very, very big country
http://www.drivesouthafrica.co.za/distance-chart-south-africa.php

Basically Cape Town is 765km's from the next nearest stadium, unless Ireland get based here (which I doubt as I guess it'll only be the seeds who are "based" in on city") it will be a mission to get from Durban or Jhb/Pretoria down here, it's a 2 hour flight from either city and driving is only a realistic option one way.
That said if we were in PE & Cape Town (A lot of assumptions going on there) then it's a stunning drive, and well worth it.
http://www.southafrica.info/2010/
Is a website well worth checking out. Also I will try to stick an occasional update on here if I get any local news which is likely to be of interest.

I've since learned that there is on "basing" so teams will move around, which will make following teams a pain.
Also there is a train service but it is very slow, Cape Town to PE for example would take you about 9 hours roughly but by train it's a 24 hour trip on the posh
http://www.premierclasse.co.za/peroute.html

Seat61 is a belter for train stuff, but in SA I'd try to fly most places unless you are going to stay around Gauteng
http://www.seat61.com/SouthAfrica.htm

[eaststand85]

Cheers EndaBob, much appreciated. Is there another thread dealing with this already, couldn't find one?

[endabob1]

Not really a dedicated one, there's bits & bobs of stuff in the various 2010 threads, might be an idea to get it all into one though.

http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/2010/gallery/PublishingImages/Stadium%20construction/26_June_09_a.jpg
Cool pic of the glass roof going on the Green Point Stadium

[Claret Murph]

Yer a good shout would it be possible for one of the mods to put in a sub section 2010 world cup , it would make life a lot easier for all please .

[finbarrk]

The major airlines are usually 11 months in advance of flying date so getting close to that now.

[MickeyT]

There's actually a few flights coming available on www.opodo.co.uk at the moment. Prices are showing up as more than £1,500 apart from Turkish Airlines which is a bargain basement £650 or so. So pretty much like the accomodation it looks like the airlines are simply going to double their normal price and take it from there :mad:

[ParkLife]

I was assuming most airlines will be doubling there prices. That said, I was thinking to myself, would it work out cheaper to fly to a country that hasn't/won't qualify for the WC and fly out from there. Maybe get a cheap flight to Brussels,and on from there. If that country hasn't qualified then I don't see any reason for them to up their prices. Would I be right in saying that??

[finbarrk]

You would be fairly right but you would want to make sure that that country has direct flights otherwise it would take maybe 24 hrs to get there.

[endabob1]

It's a good theory except most flights from Europe come via London, Frankfurt & Amsterdam ...Hmm I'm noticing a trend here...
A usefull option is to fly via the arab world, Dubai or Quatar are good bets, and you can get a couple of days sunshine in before arriving home, also Turkish airlines generally do good deals but that would be a bridge to far for me, personally I'd rather pay more and do the BA thing.

[HarpoJoyce]

One way is to start looking for flights is at the distination airports, both Oliver Reginald Tambo Johannesburg and Cape Town International are both run by Airports Company South Africa.

O.R. Tambo
http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?pid=3230

Cape Town Int.
http://www.acsa.co.za/home.asp?pid=3444

Jo'burg busier than Cape Town.


It's a good theory except most flights from Europe come via London, Frankfurt & Amsterdam ...Hmm I'm noticing a trend here...
A usefull option is to fly via the arab world, Dubai or Quatar are good bets, and you can get a couple of days sunshine in before arriving home, also Turkish airlines generally do good deals but that would be a bridge to far for me, personally I'd rather pay more and do the BA thing.

I think using the Gulf states is a good option for those who find the big European airlines far too expensive and prefer not to travel on the African airlines. Although SAA, Kenya Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines would be considered good for getting down there.

Ethihad Airways fly from Dublin and use Abu Dhabi (UAE) as a hub. But as they heavily advertise on other sports in Ireland there may be boycott issues for some Rep. of Irl fans.
Route Map
http://ey.innosked.com/

Anyone wanting to stay a time and pick up another flight later.
Emirates use Dubai (UAE), down the road from Abu Dhabi, offer some reasonable stopover rates.
http://www.emirates.com/za/English/plan_book/dubai_stopovers_on_arrival/dubai_stopovers_on_arrival.aspx

(Gulf Air fly out of Bahrain and would need another regional flight or two to get a connection to RSA. http://www.globetravels.com/content/Airlines/Gulf_Air/Gulf_Air.htm)

[OneRedArmy]

It's a good theory except most flights from Europe come via London, Frankfurt & Amsterdam ...Hmm I'm noticing a trend here...
A usefull option is to fly via the arab world, Dubai or Quatar are good bets, and you can get a couple of days sunshine in before arriving home, also Turkish airlines generally do good deals but that would be a bridge to far for me, personally I'd rather pay more and do the BA thing.Turkish are a better airline than BA in my experience. Better service and newer planes.

In any case it's going to be tough to get seats on BA at any price as I think I remember reading they've done a deal with Thomson to block blook lots of seats for the England Fans travel club. Think they are already on sale through Thomson.

[Closed Account 2]

I'm looking at TAP Portugal (via Maputo, Mozambique or Luanda, Angola) or Air Berlin via Windhoek Namibia, but they are looking pretty expensive (£800 minimun) - I might try and fly to Tanzania and bus it down from there, there are trains from Dar Es Saalam to Zambia and then trains from Zambia to SAF via Botswana, or you can drive from Dar Es Saalam to Durban in about 1 week via the coast of Mozambique

[Newryrep]

Turkish are a better airline than BA in my experience. Better service and newer planes.

In any case it's going to be tough to get seats on BA at any price as I think I remember reading they've done a deal with Thomson to block blook lots of seats for the England Fans travel club. Think they are already on sale through Thomson.

Also against us is that England are certs to qualify and we might have to wait until a month later via the play off so any half decent deals out of the UK will be long gone when we come to book.

[stojkovic]

Sister lives in Jo'burg.

Usually flies via Dubai.

[finbarrk]

Just booked a return to Cape Town from Heathrow. Around €1,000. Expensive but its a direct overnight flight both ways.

[kevincronin2000]

Fans travelling to the World Cup finals in South Africa next year will find that the host nation is so pushed for accommodation that they may be encouraged to base themselves in neighbouring countries. Zimbabwe is being promoted as one of the most likely options.

South Africa's lack of hotels means that a system will also be incorporated whereby fans are billeted in local family homes. A further plan is to push for use of hotels in tourist areas that are not near World Cup venues and bus in supporters from afar. An example given by Fifa, the sport's world governing body, is to base fans on the picturesque Garden Route and transport them by bus to Durban, 750 miles away.

With only a year and a day until the World Cup final, these are just some of the headlines if you want to be daunted by what lies ahead. At a press conference last week, after South Africa's hosting of the Confederations Cup, Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, said that accommodation and transport were “now a big challenge”.


It is quite something for Blatter to acknowledge such blatantly inherent problems. He also said that, because of the chill of the South African winter, camping was not an option for visitors. This may come as a surprise to Polokwane, formerly known as Pietersburg, the northernmost host city, which is planning a campsite for 2,000 people in local school grounds. Again, the solution could lie over the Zimbabwe border, 130 miles away.

It should be acknowledged that this is fertile media territory. Before most leading world sporting events, the hosts' flaws are rich pickings for the press. Last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, it was reported, were going to be ruined by smog and human rights atrocities and the venues for the Athens Games four years earlier were never going to be built on time.

Yet there may not have been a top sporting event for which scepticism was better founded than South Africa 2010. A prediction here is that, by this time next year, hundreds, maybe thousands, will have missed kick-off times or matches because of transport problems. Another prediction is that South Africa will be unique, providing one of the best and richest sporting experiences imaginable. And also that there may never have been one where global goodwill has been stronger.

The World Cup is not only a landmark event for world football, it is a defining event for its host nation. And here's hoping that, once the football circus has been and gone, it will have defined it for the better.

Until 70,000 workers went on strike on Wednesday, it seemed that the one certainty for 2010 was the construction of the stadiums. They would be finished and would be splendid.

But, despite these recent problems, the evidence is persuasive. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth is a beauty. The new stadium in Nelspruit is built round 16 pylons made to look like giraffes. From the south stand of the (nearly finished) 46,000-seat venue in Polokwane, which backs on to a game reserve, there will be days when punters will be able to see the real thing. And in Soweto's (almost) rebuilt Soccer City Stadium, the players' tunnel has been designed like the inside of a goldmine, a reflection of the industry that gave Johannesburg its wealth.

It does not stop there. Only last November, the near-complete rebuild of another 46,000-seat venue, the Orlando Stadium on the other side of Soweto, was finished. And next week, financiers hope to finalise funding for the new 50,000-seat Amakhozi Stadium in Johannesburg, for the Kaizer Chiefs football club. Yet neither the Orlando nor the Amakhozi is needed as World Cup venues.

It is as if a packet of stadium seeds has been sprinkled over the Rainbow Nation. The question is not whether there will be enough world-class facilities for South Africa's World Cup. It is: are there too many? And when the World Cup has been and gone, can they really all fund themselves, as they profess, on a diet of rock concerts, religious festivals and the occasional big sporting event?

In an interview with The Times, Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the World Cup organising committee, scotched rumours that it was because of Fifa pressure that stadium hunger broke out. It was South Africa and its host cities, he said, that wanted to make a statement and post an advertisement for the country. An expensive advertisement it is, too. The World Cup “will strengthen this country's profile,” Jordaan said. “The world will be surprised.”

Indeed, the surprise for a first-time visitor to Cape Town next year will be turning right out of the airport on to the main road into the city and being confronted with the Langa township, a 60,000 (some say 250,000) tin-shack community at the roadside. Then, farther down the road, finding the new Green Point Stadium in one of the wealthiest, most attractive corners of the city. By the way, there is no public transport system between one and the other.

Green Point, at the planning stage, was to cost 1.2 billion rands (about £93 million) but is estimated now at R4.5 billion. In fact, it was not even in the original World Cup bid document because Cape Town was to host matches at Newlands, its historical rugby ground. The same is the case in Durban (costs climbing from R1.6 billion to R3.1 billion), where the magnificent ABSA Stadium was billed as a host until the city decided to build another stadium next to it.

There can be no starker picture of flawed planning than the Durban skyline. The city council agreed to the new Durban Stadium because it could be configured as an athletics stadium and therefore host the Olympics or Commonwealth Games. However, to fund itself post-2010, it needs Natal Sharks, the rugby team, to move from their ABSA Stadium home.

Yet the Sharks have no intention of doing so, and as Brian van Zyl, their chief executive, said: “Why move into an athletics stadium where the seating is too far from the field of play? We could never understand why they elected to build in the first place. The decision was totally irresponsible and, as a city rate-payer, it was very annoying.”

But this is no isolated case. The Super 14 rugby union teams bring in the cash, which is why Green Point also needs the Stormers to move from Newlands. Meanwhile, in Port Elizabeth, for the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, there is no Super 14 team and the Premier Soccer League club have been relegated.

And Polokwane has a city population of 250,000, is building a 46,000-seat stadium (with no roof on the east stand because of overspend), has no host team of note and not even a stadium management company appointed to find one.

It does not take Lovers Sibanda, the editor of The Speaker, the Polokwane newspaper, to mention the words “white elephant” and say that “it is supposed to be a business that sustains itself, but I don't think it will”.

Indeed, of the ten stadiums to be used for the World Cup next year, five have been built from scratch (total cost about R12billion) and not one appears to be a sustainable post-2010 business. Furthermore, only one of the five (in Port Elizabeth) was in the original bid document.

There will be many wonderful stories from next year's World Cup, but how and why South Africa 2010 went from its original, economically tight bid to its present shape may be the enduring one. And was it responsible of Fifa to let it do so?

Staging a World Cup is a huge investment and South Africa, of all host nations, needs a proper return - to have its reputation swelling, not its overdraft. The hope is that the World Cup will help the First and Third worlds of South Africa to edge closer. Let us hold that hope, but it is becoming a slim one.

Potential for lack of air-traffic control

There may be no greater test of the logistics at South Africa 2010 than those on match day at the airport in Polokwane. It is an example of how the country has benefited from the World Cup: the main building has been rebuilt, which would not have happened otherwise, but the new building is not remotely large enough to cater for World Cup traffic.

Polokwane, formerly known as Pietersburg, is the capital of Limpopo province, a stop-off 230 miles north of Johannesburg. The hope is that the World Cup will advertise the city as the gateway to Kruger Park. At present, the airport's daily traffic involves the arrival and departure of four 30-seat planes. Because airport traffic is counted only one way, Polokwane airport is used at most, therefore, by 120 people. The daily average is 100.

During the World Cup, however, this could increase a hundred-fold. At its peak, on match days, in Polokwane a procession of 20 Boeing 737s will come and go. At a minimum, 7,500 people will disembark every day; at most it will be 12,500.

The airport authorities have also been informed that, on arrival, they are expected to shift their punters from plane to bus in ten minutes. “You can plan for it, but how do you deal with it?” Sipho Mthombeni, the airport chief executive, said. “It will be a big challenge. Sometimes I lose sleep about it.” The ten-minute transfer? “I don't think it is possible,” he said.

He is charged with training 50 temporary staff and using a neighbouring plane hangar as a make-do arrivals lounge. “We have never experienced anything like this,” he said. “It is probable that it will not go as smoothly as we would like.”

[finbarrk]

It was never going to be easy Kevin! Although one never knows until the event takes place.

[endabob1]

Kevin, That's an interesting articale (if somewhat factually incorrect in places), I'm interested where you picked it up from?

[kevincronin2000]

off the bbc website i think.

if not the bbc it was the gaurdian or the times but almost sure it was the bbc

[ParkLife]

Did I hear correctly that those god awful plastic horns are now being allowed for the World Cup?? If so, it's going to be a huge disappointment when it comes to watching the games. I normally try to watch as many games as possible(If i don't go) on TV, but if those things are blowing the whole time then I'll be inclined to pick a few games and give the rest a miss. As will a lot of people I'm sure.

[finbarrk]

And if you thought they were loud at the rugby, they will be worse at the football.

[Colbert Report]

Wow. It really sounds like the World Cup next year might turn into a logistical nightmare.

I read a good article about how much money was wasted building new stadiums in Japan/South Korea back in 2002. Most, if not all, are empty all the time. Huge waste of money.

[endabob1]

Wow. It really sounds like the World Cup next year might turn into a logistical nightmare.

I read a good article about how much money was wasted building new stadiums in Japan/South Korea back in 2002. Most, if not all, are empty all the time. Huge waste of money.

I think the logistics of getting around SA is one of the big issues facing visitors, if Ireland (he says wishfully) qualify and end up playing games in Cape Town, Jo'Burg & Durban for example (I haven't check the schedule to see if that's possible) you're looking at a 2 hour flight from CPT to JHB or a 13/14 hour drive and Durban is further, I looked into driving up earlier in the year and it's 1,700 KMs!!!

I also hold the same fears for the future of the stadiums
The PE stadium does look great but it's likely to be a bit of a white elephant for a couple of years, there's no major local soccer side in PE and the rugby franchise isn't expected to join the expanding super 14 for another 2 years. The new stadium in Cape Town looks likely to have a similar fate unless they can persuade Western Province Rugby to move out of Newlands, the 2 local soccer sides are mainly based in Athlone Stadium in the cape flats, which is where they draw most of their support from. I can't see both of them moving to play in front of 5-10 thousand people in an 80+ thousand seater stadium except for when the Sowetto Giants of Chiefs and Pirates come to town.
In Durban they've built the new stadium right next to Kings Park which is the home of the Sharks and like cape Town KZN Rugby have no intention of moving in the short term. PSL side Golden Arrows will probably play there but they do not generate massive crowds.
So I expect the Cape Town & Durban Stadiums will get a few outings a year but the one in PE is a waste as it stands.

[OneRedArmy]

Wow. It really sounds like the World Cup next year might turn into a logistical nightmare.Talking to people who were out for the Lions rugby the feedback on logistics wasn't good. Ditto what the media reported about the Confed Cup wasn't particularly positive.

Up until 6 months ago I was definitely going to go whether Ireland were there or not, but I'm having second thoughts at this stage if the worst happens and we don't qualify I can't see me going.

[endabob1]

ORA
I would still advise coming, it's a great place to visit and I think people will be genuinely surprsied by how organised things are.
If Ireland don't qualify it's easier in a lot of ways because you can plan a schedule to suit you and take in games along the way, I would suggest a flight in to JHB, catch a couple of games there, go and see the Kruger park & the Apartheid Museum, then come down to Cape Town, take in some games here and see the Mountain, Winelands, Robben Island, etc.. then fly back to Europe form CPT, or obviously the other way around.

I think the Lions trip was planned to suit the Boks thus there was a test in Durban, then a midweek game in Cape Town and the 2nd test in Gauteng, thats roughly a 3,000 kms round trip in 6/7 days. The idea was not to allow the Lions time on the High Veldt to accclimatise before the second test.

[OneRedArmy]

ORA
I would still advise coming, it's a great place to visit and I think people will be genuinely surprsied by how organised things are.
If Ireland don't qualify it's easier in a lot of ways because you can plan a schedule to suit you and take in games along the way, I would suggest a flight in to JHB, catch a couple of games there, go and see the Kruger park & the Apartheid Museum, then come down to Cape Town, take in some games here and see the Mountain, Winelands, Robben Island, etc.. then fly back to Europe form CPT, or obviously the other way around.

I think the Lions trip was planned to suit the Boks thus there was a test in Durban, then a midweek game in Cape Town and the 2nd test in Gauteng, thats roughly a 3,000 kms round trip in 6/7 days. The idea was not to allow the Lions time on the High Veldt to accclimatise before the second test.I've been before endabob1, and I loved it. Would go back in ordinary circumstances in a heartbeat.

But if they alternatives are pay through the nose to a Ray Treacy type tour company to get a relatively central hotel, or stay hours away from the host venues then I'd rather watch on TV at home and visit again on my own time. Agree re Ireland not qualifying, I've no real desire to go anywhere near Jo'burg or Pretoria unless I had to.

We'll see how it pans out with Ireland over the next few months. Here's hoping 3 points on Saturday keeps the momentum going.

[endabob1]

As you've been before I'll let you off!
I should be on a commission from the SA Tourist Board, but I get f--ked off by the amount of negativity (especially in UK papers) from people who haven't been and are looking for excuses to condem 2010 to failure before it starts.
There are some problems, there is a crime issue but it's nothing like as serious as you would think by reading the UK press. Crime is a problem locally, but like all big cities (and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh) it's primarily in poor areas, especially where there are drug &/or gang problems. In general tourist areas are very safe and speaking for Cape Town I think it's safer than a lot of European cities & Asian cities I have visited.
Transport is an issue because of the size of the country but also locally you don't have the same level of infrastructure you get in Europe, that said taxi's are plentiful & relatively inexpensive (to those of you coming with Euros) and there are improvements being made, Cape Town (and Jo'Burg) are getting a Rapid Bus Transit system with seperate bus lanes to speed up public transport. The thing is you're not in Europe or the first worlld, it will be different than Germany or Japan or France or the US or Italy, but different does not mean worse.

[Newryrep]

As you've been before I'll let you off!
I should be on a commission from the SA Tourist Board, but I get f--ked off by the amount of negativity (especially in UK papers) from people who haven't been and are looking for excuses to condem 2010 to failure before it starts.
There are some problems, there is a crime issue but it's nothing like as serious as you would think by reading the UK press. Crime is a problem locally, but like all big cities (and I'm sorry if this sounds harsh) it's primarily in poor areas, especially where there are drug &/or gang problems. In general tourist areas are very safe and speaking for Cape Town I think it's safer than a lot of European cities & Asian cities I have visited.
Transport is an issue because of the size of the country but also locally you don't have the same level of infrastructure you get in Europe, that said taxi's are plentiful & relatively inexpensive (to those of you coming with Euros) and there are improvements being made, Cape Town (and Jo'Burg) are getting a Rapid Bus Transit system with seperate bus lanes to speed up public transport. The thing is you're not in Europe or the first worlld, it will be different than Germany or Japan or France or the US or Italy, but different does not mean worse.

endabob , I am less concerned with security as I think the governement will flood the place with police/army to make sure nobody has a bad experience security wise I am more concerned with infrastructure like hotels, bars restaurents. Will they be able to cope with the expected numbers. Budgets are likely to be stretched as it is and if there are a poor selection or not very many restaurents/bars etc the prices wil get jacked up accordingly (Even more than a usual WC)

[endabob1]

endabob , I am less concerned with security as I think the governement will flood the place with police/army to make sure nobody has a bad experience security wise

This is true, they are employing thousands of "special constable" types and seriously I would be astounded if there are any more than the usual petty theft's you get at any big events


I am more concerned with infrastructure like hotels, bars restaurents. Will they be able to cope with the expected numbers. Budgets are likely to be stretched as it is and if there are a poor selection or not very many restaurents/bars etc the prices wil get jacked up accordingly (Even more than a usual WC)

JHB (Pretoria), Durban & Cape Town will be fine for infrastructure, there are concerns for the smaller cites especially Polokwane & Bloem where hotel beds especially will be at a premium. for PE a lot of people will stay along the Garden Route (England have already booked the Pezula golf resort in Knysna http://www.pezula.com/ ).
Already I have heard stories of places charging extortinate amounts for rooms during the WC but I was talking to a guest house owner who said most places are just looking at it as a "second season", in SA the holiday Season is Dec/Jan when Schools get summer holidays and most people take their holidays. June/July is winter and thus normally very quiet here so while I'm sure there will be a certain amount of greed there will also be a lot of places just happy for the business especially if there is a quiet Christmas this year.
As for Bars/restaraunts my experience of Jhb/Durbs is pretty limited but Cape Town has loads, there is seriously no shortage of either, don't worry about that......
www.dining-out.co.za
www.eatout.co.za
www.wininganddining.co.za

Will give you an idea of the quantity & variety

[Closed Account 2]

endabob, what is your overall impression of Joburg and Durban? I've tickets for a game in each place, and - depending on what you read - beds in these places will either be very expensive premium business hotels or will be in areas of town that are a bit risky after dar (and some of the games are evenings) - incidently what sort of time will it get dark at night in June/July in SA?

[endabob1]

Edmundo

I've only been to JHB on business (actually I just passed through really on route to Pretoria) so I'm not the most reliable source but Jhb is a big city used to coping with large numbers for events. I think it's probably right that the better hotels will be expensive and in better ares, but honestly as long as you are sensible and get taxi's around you should be fine, most of Gauteng's nightlife revolves around secure malls, complex's etc..

Durban is a more relaxed place than JHB from my experiences Durban will be a better spot, it's got a lot of hotels along the beach front and while these wont be cheap, like JHB (and Cape Town) there should be ample accomodation, my advice is just to get in early. With all the information on the web it's pretty easy to research using tripadvisor etc..
If you're doing JHB & KZN (and you haven't been before) you should look at going to one of the game parks between games, these are bloody expensive but it's a fantastic experience and it would be a shame to come to Africa and not do it.
Also if you're going to JHB & KZN you should try to get to Cape Town aswell to give you a full view of SA, have you booked flights yet?

Sorry just checked the dark early question, I was In Pretoria in June and it was dark by 6, sunset about 5:30, there’s no such thing as dusk here, the sun drops from bright sunshine to dark in no time! Would imagine Durban is similar although I've only been in summer

[Closed Account 2]

Cool, thanks for the info, yeah I have flights to and from JHB booked, I've games in JHB, Durban, Pretoria, Nelspruit X2, and Port Elizabeth. If I can nip across to Cape Town for a couple of days I will, but if not I can go back another time in December / Jan.

I have a day spare between the two Nelspruit matches and plan on going to the Kruger then.

[HarpoJoyce]

http://www.flysaa.com/fares/nav/en/en_frameset.html?contents=/content/content.html?contents=/Shared/durban_airport_info.html

"South African Airways (SAA) will move its Durban airport operations to the new King Shaka International Airport in La Mercy, scheduled to be ready in time for the 2010 World Cup......"

[finbarrk]

Internal flights are not too bad with kulula.com because they allow cancellations and changes for small fees.
C.T. to Port Elizabeth on the morning of a match day is around €95 with them.

https://www.kulula-air.com/

[eaststand85]

Good article in today's Irish Times which includes some tips on transport between venues:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/1202/1224259892219.html

[finbarrk]

Intresting article eaststand. They reckon the murder rate will be down from 18,000 as there will be more policing. Hope so!

[gspain]

Internal flights are not too bad with kulula.com because they allow cancellations and changes for small fees.
C.T. to Port Elizabeth on the morning of a match day is around €95 with them.

https://www.kulula-air.com/

You can drive from Cape Town to PE.

Can you find anything from Jo'burg to Cape Town at a reasonable price? ~€500 on sky scanner and ZAR4,000 on Kulula.

The B&B owners and the airlines are out to ripoff fans.

The internet makes it very easy to compare May 2010 prices with June 2010. It is a disgrace. We've been lucky with world Cups as this is the first time the prices have been hiked. Athens did it for the Olympics and had their lowest hotel occupancy rates for years.

[eaststand85]

Intresting article eaststand. They reckon the murder rate will be down from 18,000 as there will be more policing. Hope so!

Ah, they also say you should be ok as long as you're travelling on your own and don't get to know anyone over there!! :p


The vast majority of crimes are accounted for by cases where the victim knows the perpetrator.

[endabob1]

Ah, they also say you should be ok as long as you're travelling on your own and don't get to know anyone over there!! :p

I've said it before and I'll say it again the crime rate is high in the poorest areas, this sounds harsh but it's true the world over. There are massive gang and drug problems in the townships and the murder rate is astronomical. In 99% of the areas you visit as a tourist yo uwill be unaffected by anything more than the type of petty crime you would get in Dublin or London.
Car Jacking is notorious around Joburg though, keep doors locked & windows up at all times and be alert at traffic lights (robots in SA!) don't leave handbags/cameras etc.. on the seat because they smash & grab.

[finbarrk]

You can drive from Cape Town to PE.

Can you find anything from Jo'burg to Cape Town at a reasonable price? ~€500 on sky scanner and ZAR4,000 on Kulula.

The B&B owners and the airlines are out to ripoff fans.

The internet makes it very easy to compare May 2010 prices with June 2010. It is a disgrace. We've been lucky with world Cups as this is the first time the prices have been hiked. Athens did it for the Olympics and had their lowest hotel occupancy rates for years.
J'burg to C.T. is €180 with Kulula. And thats on the morning of a match day.
Paris to Lyon was similar in '98. As was N.Y. to Orlando in '94. Not much of a difference anyway.

[gspain]

J'burg to C.T. is €180 with Kulula. And thats on the morning of a match day.
Paris to Lyon was similar in '98. As was N.Y. to Orlando in '94. Not much of a difference anyway.


Internal Flights in 1994 for the World Cup were $50 each way when booked this far in advance. Those flight deals were still available well into 1994. We used US Air but a lot of airlines had the same deal.

I didn't fly during WC98 but I saw no evidence of anyone ripping people off in this way. Train passes were very reasonable. Hotels were the normal prices and we even moved accommodation and still got decent rates.

I flew to Germany 4 times during the last world cup and no Aer Lingus flight cost more than €150 return incl taxes and charges. Ryanair were even cheaper but I didn't fancy 2 hours on a bus from Hahn.

Of course if you want to fly tomorrow you'll pay top whack but this is every flight every day on every domestic airline.

I've been to every tournament since 1990 and every host nation went out of their way to encourage fans to travel and make it easier and cheaper for them to do so. This is clearly not thye case here.

The cheapest fare any time Jo'burg to Cape Town return is ZAR3998 during the world cup. This is approx €370. You can pay a lot more. You can get it for €100 return outside the world cup timeframe .

The airlines and B&Bs are engaging in a giant ripoff. Thewre is no defending this. Itr is the first time it has happened at a World Cup on such a scale.

Mango who got great positive publicity for announcing they weren't going to ripoff fans like the other airlines then proceeded to bring out their cheapest fares that are 10% higher than Kulula.

The ripoff is very easy to see.

Go on any airline or accommodation booking system and compare the differences for May/August 2010 and June/July. I've been watching these for months. The prices haven't come down. Even B&Bs that were originally only 50%-100% dearer such as Bev's in Edenvale near Jo'burg are now back in the cartel. B&Bs are 300%-1,000% dearer.

Athens tried this ripoff for the 2004 Olympics and it turned out to be a disaster for tourism that year and subsequently. 2 friends ended up advertising for a homestay in order to get accommodation for the Olympics. In the end the Hotel occupancy rates were 20% - the lowest in years.

[theleprechaun]

For anyone who is still planning on heading over to South Africa, I can recommend Thomas Cook. I booked my flights back in August for €800 with ThomasCookSport flying with Etidad. It is via Abu Dhabi but I don't think that the price can be beaten. Well, I for one, could not find a better deal. According to their website, these prices are still available.

[finbarrk]

Mine was €200 more but it's direct from Heathrow with BA.

[saint dog]

For anyone who is still planning on heading over to South Africa, I can recommend Thomas Cook. I booked my flights back in August for €800 with ThomasCookSport flying with Etidad. It is via Abu Dhabi but I don't think that the price can be beaten. Well, I for one, could not find a better deal. According to their website, these prices are still available.

possibly one of the best airlines in the world