United Airlines has returned to South Africa with its direct service from New York to Johannesburg. Flight UAL188 from Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg (JNB) departed last night at 22:03 EDT and is set to land at around 18:00 SAST. The inaugural flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, offers Polaris business class and Premium Plus cabins and will be a daily service.
Direct from New York to South Africa
With a gap in the market left by the struggling South African Airways (SAA), United Airlines has returned to South Africa with its Newark – Johannesburg route. The airline launched the daily service late last night, with flight UAL188 departing from Newark at 22:03 EDT.
United’s stop and start African foray
United last flew direct to South Africa in December 2019 with a thrice-weekly service from Newark to Cape Town, but the route was suspended due to the COVID pandemic. However, United still plans to fly this route in the future, with a date of October 31st penned in. The airline had tried to resurrect the route in 2020 but without success, due to strict travel restrictions and concerns around the ‘South African’ B.1.351 COVID-19 variant.
When fares went on sale for Newark – Johannesburg, passengers could snag a return ticket for as little as $792 (around R11,000) in economy. The move by United will be welcomed in South Africa, where a large gap in the market was left by South African Airways.
However, South Africans are still banned from entering the US without government approval. Those entering the US will also need to present a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours before flying and must have received their second vaccine jab at least two weeks before arrival.