Despite fares rising by between 10% and 50% on many routes, only 10% of South African travellers have cancelled their holiday plans, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Southern African Travel Agents and Advisors (ASATA). That says everything about the South African traveller’s relationship with travel. But absorbing a crisis and navigating it intelligently are two very different things.

“The fuel crisis is real, and, in some cases, the cost increases are significant, but South Africans are still travelling,” says Sue Garrett, GM Supply, Pricing & Marketing at Flight Centre South Africa. “Our job is to help them do it smartly.”

Here’s what you actually need to know before your next booking decision.

What’s driving the price increases?

Jet fuel more than doubled in price between late February and early April 2026, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supply. The Middle East accounts for roughly 41% of European aviation fuel imports, and that supply has been severely disrupted.

The knock-on effects have been significant: 13,000 flights cut globally in May alone, nearly two million seats removed from the market, and Lufthansa announcing 20,000 cancellations through October. Closer to home, jet fuel at South African inland airports jumped 115% month-on-month as of 1 April, with coastal airports up 145%, and FlySafair’s temporary fuel surcharges rose nearly 400% in March.

A recent dip in global oil prices followed ceasefire talks, but experts are clear: even if the Strait fully reopens, it will take months for pricing to normalise. The fuel arriving at South African ports today was purchased at higher prices, so relief, when it comes, will be slow.

Should you wait, or book now?

Book now – and here’s why.

Capacity is being removed from the market while South African demand remains high. Less supply plus sustained demand points in one direction only: higher fares. The travellers waiting for clarity are, in most cases, waiting for prices to rise.

The good news? You can lock in today’s fares for travel up to 12 months out. For peak-season travel (school holidays and long weekends), Garrett says that booking four to six months in advance is advisable, as seats fill quickly.

“From a currency perspective, the rand is currently sitting at around R16.34* to the dollar, which is meaningfully stronger than the R17–R18 range South Africans were navigating for much of the past two years. That makes now a relatively favourable moment to lock in international fares. Waiting for a better rate is a gamble, and fare increases could easily outpace any rand strengthening,” Garrett explains.

One important note from Flight Centre’s Travel Experts: quote and ticket on the same day, particularly on international routes. Fares can shift between quote and purchase, and in the current environment, that gap can be costly.

Where is the value right now?

Surprisingly, some of the most competitive fares currently available are on routes that travellers might be avoiding out of lingering uncertainty.

Emirates has confirmed that 96% of its global network has been restored, and Qatar Airways is targeting more than 150 destinations from mid-June. Both carriers are currently offering fares that, on certain routes, are lower than pre-conflict February levels – in some cases, over 60% cheaper than non-Gulf alternatives on the same routes.

According to Garrett, for long-haul travel, Asia is currently the most competitively priced destination, with fares ranging from approximately R11,000 to R15,000 per person return, making countries like Thailand and India consistent value picks despite the broader disruption.

“Carrier selection has become one of the most important conversations we’re having with clients right now,” she says. “South African travellers who are still defaulting to non-Gulf alternatives out of lingering uncertainty are, in many cases, paying a significant premium for a risk that has materially diminished.”

The surcharge conversation nobody is having

When you see an advertised fare, it rarely tells the full story. Fuel surcharges appear on your ticket as YQ (fuel surcharge) or YR (carrier-imposed charges), and on some international routes, these charges alone exceed the base fare.

Surcharges are proportionally higher on longer flights, which means domestic and regional African travel is currently meaningfully more affordable relative to long-haul, simply because the surcharge component is smaller.

“The critical thing to know is that surcharges are fixed at the date of ticketing, not the date of travel. If you book today, you are protected against any future surcharge increases – unless you change your ticket – another compelling reason not to wait,” Garrett comments.

“Always compare the total ticket cost, not the advertised price. What looks like a cheap fare can carry a surcharge that significantly changes the picture,” she adds.

Flexible fares: worth it or not?

With 57% of South African travellers worried about losing money on non-refundable bookings, the flexible fare question is front of mind, and rightly so.

A flexible fare will typically cost R3,000–R8,000 more than the cheapest standard economy fare on the same route, depending on the airline and season. Whether that premium is worth it depends on your circumstances, but in an environment where airlines are cutting flights and adjusting schedules, the cost of inflexibility has rarely been more visible.

There is, however, a middle path worth knowing about. Emirates and Qatar Airways are currently offering complimentary date-change options on new bookings – a direct response to the uncertainty of the current environment. In practice, this typically means one or two permitted changes, with restrictions around ticketing and travel dates, and you would still pay any fare difference if the new fare were higher. The specifics vary and are changing frequently, so confirm the exact terms at the time of booking.

Travel insurance: the detail that matters most

Approximately 20% of South African travellers are now actively opting for “Cancel for Any Reason” (CFAR) insurance, even at a premium. If you’re considering it, there’s one rule that overrides everything else, according to Flight Centre’s Travel Experts:

Buy your travel insurance on the same day you pay your first deposit.

Pre-existing condition waivers and CFAR cover typically expire within 14 to 21 days of deposit. Miss that window and you may find yourself with a standard policy that doesn’t cover the scenarios you’re most concerned about.

“CFAR is an add-on to a comprehensive travel insurance policy, not a standalone product. It allows you to cancel for any reason and receive a partial reimbursement – typically 50–75% of pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs, which significantly reduces your exposure,” Garrett explains.

The case for not going it alone

“Travellers no longer want to navigate the current landscape alone,” says Otto de Vries, CEO of ASATA. “They want a professional in their corner who can guarantee flexibility and provide a safety net. No app or online booking platform can call an airline at midnight, fight for a refund, or redesign an itinerary in real time.”

Flight Centre’s own research, conducted before the conflict began, found that 97% of South African travel intenders see value in using a travel agent – the highest proportion of any market surveyed globally. In a Middle East crisis that has doubled jet fuel prices and made the cost of a wrong booking decision more consequential than ever, that instinct is well-founded.

South Africans haven’t stopped travelling, but the gap between travelling smart and travelling blind has rarely been wider.

*Based on ZAR/USD exchange rates on 25 May 2026.

The return of these services, beginning this week with Qatar Airways on 16 June and Turkish Airlines on 17 June, significantly enhances global connectivity and visitor access during the traditionally quieter summer months.

Qatar Airways is the first of the three carriers to resume operations to Seychelles this summer, with its return to Seychelles International Airport at Pointe Larue marking the start of an expanded summer schedule. From 16 June 2026, the airline will operate four weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, further strengthening Seychelles’ links through Doha and providing convenient connections to more than 150 destinations worldwide.

Adding to the positive momentum, Turkish Airlines has resumed flights to Seychelles, marking its first summer operation to the destination in three years. Previously, the airline served Seychelles seasonally between late October and March before suspending services during the summer period. The carrier will operate three weekly flights using an Airbus A330-300, connecting Seychelles to Istanbul; one of the world’s largest aviation hubs and a key gateway to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

As Turkish Airlines reintroduces its summer programme, the airline has implemented minor schedule adjustments during the initial launch period for commercial reasons. Until the week commencing 6 July, flights will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Sundays. Thereafter, the airline will increase operations with an additional weekly flight on Fridays, bringing the total to three flights per week.

The Russian market will also receive a welcome boost with Aeroflot scheduled to resume services on 8 July 2026. The airline will operate two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays, restoring additional seat capacity from one of Seychelles’ important source markets and providing greater travel options for Russian visitors seeking direct access to the islands. Commenting on the enhanced connectivity, Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer, Ms Vesna Rakic, said:

“At a time of intense global competition for travellers, the decision by Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Aeroflot to expand their presence in Seychelles is a strong endorsement of our destination. Improved air connectivity is key to tourism growth, giving travellers more choice while strengthening access from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Russia.”

She further added; “We sincerely thank our airline partners for their continued confidence in Seychelles. Their support is essential to maintaining strong international links and driving the success of our tourism industry. We are also encouraged by ongoing discussions within the aviation sector, with the potential for further positive developments in connectivity. While official confirmations are still pending, the outlook is highly promising. Together with our airline and trade partners, we remain focused on driving demand and supporting the long-term success of air services to Seychelles. “

With increased summer capacity from key international gateways, Seychelles is reinforcing its position as one of the most accessible island destinations in the Indian Ocean. Improved air access remains a critical factor in driving visitor arrivals, and the additional capacity provided by these airlines will support demand from multiple markets while offering greater flexibility and convenience for travellers choosing Seychelles.

Munetsi gave the figure at a side event co-convened by the SADC Secretariat and the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance (SATA) at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2026 in Durban. Visas, border efficiency and air access were all on the agenda, three angles on the same challenge. As SATA Project Lead Natalia Rosa told delegates, “Regional connectivity is the single most important strategic conversation the tourism sector should be having right now. Every other conversation, about brand, about positioning, about the growth of our visitor economy, is downstream of it.”

The machinery to achieve the goals set out in the SADC Tourism Programme 2020-2030 is moving. The SADC UniVisa is working through the inter-ministerial process towards the Heads of State Summit in August, a border post audit begins in July, and the air access study is complete and under review.

What industry is asking for

The private sector used the session to table proposals. Munetsi called for aviation policy, taxation and pilot licensing to be aligned across the region. Jillian Blackbeard, CEO of Africa’s Eden Tourism Association, proposed a SADC-wide border training programme with dedicated tourist channels and consistent procedures at crossings, the kind of standard the July audit could adopt.

Dimakatso Malwela, President of Women of Value Southern Africa, took the conversation somewhere it usually does not go. Her proposal, a supply development pilot across three to five member states, would bring women-led businesses into the tourism value chain and report measurable results inside twelve months. Her point was that connectivity moves visitors, but it does not decide who earns from them.

A live delegate poll showed where the consensus lay. New intra-regional air routes and one-stop posts at the busiest crossings were named as the changes most likely to shift things within two years.

The case for Team Tourism

“Team Tourism” kept coming up, because the reforms now under way only work when government and industry pull in the same direction. Governments can set the visa frameworks, the border procedures and the aviation policies, but none of it reaches a visitor unless the private sector is ready to act on it: itineraries built, operators briefed, agents able to sell the region as one place, not one country at a time.

Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa and SATA Chair, put the obligation on both sides. “Apex bodies across SADC must commit to coordinated action,” he said. “Governments cannot respond to fragmented briefs.”

On the UniVisa, the ICT systems, legal frameworks and revenue-sharing models are built, benchmarked against the KAZA UniVisa and the East African Tourism Visa. The founding group of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe provides a strong foundation for a pilot, and the August Summit is one of several moments where the pilot could be formalised.

A shared visa already makes travel between Zambia and Zimbabwe easier, so the model is proven. Scaling it is a step only government can take. The UniVisa needs an implementation roadmap and a go-live date. The air access study needs a public position on what proceeds, and by when. The July border audit is the moment to ensure training translates into consistent regional standards.

The private sector is getting ready, which is why SATA will keep pressing for all three together. A visa with no routes behind it, or open borders with no air access to use them, helps no one. Move them as one, hold every party to its part, and Southern Africa finally connects itself.

Some of the continent’s connectivity gaps have narrowed over the past year. Qantas added Perth to Johannesburg, Edelweiss introduced its A350 service to Windhoek, Air Congo announced a Brussels link to Kinshasa, and Ethiopian secured approval to serve Mauritius. If those routes can move from proposal to operation, why do others with similarly strong demand remain unserved?

That question sat at the centre of a discussion at AviaDev Africa 2026 in Gaborone, the continent’s main route development forum, where airlines, airports and tourism bodies meet to build new air links. It was chaired by Natalia Rosa, Project Lead at the Southern Africa Tourism Alliance (SATA).

The panel agreed that none of the stakeholders can make a route work alone. Airports need traffic, tourism boards need visitors and airlines need confidence that travellers have a reason to come. Rosa described it as a relationship, but as Keira Langford-Johnson, Business Development Director at Proflight Zambia, pointed out, not an equal one. The airline carries the risk, committing aircraft, crew and operating costs long before it knows whether demand will materialise.

Those costs do not move with the load. A half-empty aircraft burns much the same fuel as a full one, and no marketing campaign can change that. Airlines therefore look for evidence that demand will persist beyond a route launch. What they need, Langford-Johnson said, is proof that the market can sustain itself once the initial excitement fades. Too often that evidence never reaches the table. “What are people doing after they arrive? Where do they go? How do they move? That’s the data that builds a route,” she said.

Rupert Kraus of Discover Airlines, part of the Lufthansa Group, described a similar approach. Passenger numbers alone are rarely enough. He wants to see broader indicators of growth: hotels being developed, cargo volumes increasing and new industries investing in a destination. “If I only looked at the data in front of me, I’d struggle to justify the route,” he said.

With a limited fleet and a growing list of potential destinations competing for capacity, airlines need confidence that a market can support service over the long term rather than generate short bursts of demand.

The data exists, Kraus argued, yet it remains fragmented. Road transfer operators, charter companies and tourism businesses already collect much of the information airlines need to assess whether a route can succeed: who is travelling, where they are going, when they are travelling and in what numbers. Together, those datasets provide a far richer picture of demand than airlines often receive.

Langford-Johnson illustrated the point with three of Proflight Zambia’s recent routes into Livingstone, Maun and Windhoek, all of which emerged from conversations at AviaDev. None were obvious additions to the network, and Proflight does not launch new routes lightly. What changed was the preparation. Airport authorities, tourism boards and regulators arrived with a 72-page business case covering demand, market potential, operating costs and demographics. When information was missing, the airline asked for it and the partners supplied it. “If you’re not exchanging something, it’s just a meeting,” she said. The partners brought the evidence, helping build the confidence Proflight needed to launch the route.

Gathering the evidence is only part of the process. Keeping stakeholders aligned can be harder. As Tatamo Rakotozafy, Head of Aeronautical Activities at Ravinala Airports, explained, tourism authorities, airports and governments often approach route development with different priorities and measures of success.

The route is more likely to move forward when stakeholders can align around a shared economic objective. That common purpose becomes especially important when political priorities change or commercial pressures emerge.

Rakotozafy was describing alignment within a country. Justice Ofentse, Acting CEO of the Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO), argued that the same principle applies across borders. Smaller destinations, he said, are often more effective when they approach airlines collectively rather than competing against one another for the same aircraft and investment.

His argument was that the region should present itself as a single market, rather than a collection of individual destinations each making separate pitches to carriers.

One event could supply exactly the evidence airlines keep asking for. The 2027 T20 Cricket World Cup, shared by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, is expected to move more than 340,000 people across the three countries.

As Ofentse suggested, the tournament will test whether the three countries can present themselves to travellers as a connected destination instead of three separate markets.

Bronwen Auret, Chief Quality Assurance Officer at South African Tourism, acknowledged that creating that level of coordination requires effort well beyond the tourism sector. The tournament, however, provides a practical opportunity to bring together air access planning, tourism promotion and regional cooperation around a single event.

If the planning is done well, she argued, it could also generate valuable data on how visitors moved through the region and where demand was concentrated.

Those patterns are the evidence airlines keep asking for. Whether the region can bring them together into a convincing demand case may determine which of its long-discussed routes finally move from proposal to schedule.

The panel recording can be viewed here.

2026 is not the year to leave this important decision that late.

Three forces are converging to make this December the most competitive South African holiday season on record, and understanding all three is the difference between a December holiday that works and one that costs significantly more than it should.

Force #1: The fuel crisis is removing seats from the market

December’s capacity picture is tighter than it appears. While Gulf carriers have largely restored their networks (Emirates has confirmed it has restored 96% of its global capacity, and Qatar Airways is targeting 150+ destinations from mid-June), the fuel crisis is driving a separate and significant wave of capacity reduction across the broader industry.

Airlines have cut 13,000 flights globally in May alone, removing nearly two million seats from the market according to Cirium. Lufthansa has announced 20,000 flight cancellations through October, Spirit Airlines has ceased operations entirely, and Air France, KLM, Air Canada, Delta, and SAS have all trimmed their summer schedules. The reason in every case is the same: jet fuel has more than doubled in price since the conflict began, making routes that were previously profitable no longer viable.

December is South Africa’s most demand-intensive travel month. It’s also the month into which a portion of disrupted June and July bookings have been rerouted as some nervous travellers adjust their plans. The combination of compressed supply from fuel-driven flight cancellations and elevated demand creates exactly the pricing pressure that makes early booking essential.

“December availability is filling faster than usual this year. The travellers who act now will be accessing a meaningfully different market from those who wait until spring to book,” says Antoinette Turner, General Manager at Flight Centre South Africa.

Force #2: Fuel costs are embedded – and not coming down quickly

As mentioned, jet fuel prices have increased from approximately $831 per tonne in late February to a high of $1,838 by early April. The Gulf region normally accounts for approximately half of Europe’s jet fuel imports, but that supply chain has not recovered to pre-conflict levels and, according to industry experts, will not do so quickly even if the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens.

The fuel arriving at South African airports today was purchased at higher prices weeks ago. South Africa’s dependence on imported fuel, supply chain lags, and the domestic refinery constraints that have been a structural feature of the local market since 2021 all mean that global oil price movements take time to filter through to local pump prices, and longer still to affect airline fare structures.

“Fuel surcharges are dynamic,” explains Turner. “They’re recalculated and reapplied as fuel costs shift. South African travellers booking December today are locking in today’s surcharge level, while the travellers who wait until spring to think about Christmas are booking at whatever surcharge level applies then – and the direction of travel, in the absence of a full and sustained resolution to the conflict, is upward.”

Furthermore, a 25 basis point interest rate hike was announced at the MPC meeting on 28 May, adding further pressure to household travel budgets, and in April, the rand was 3.5% weaker against the dollar than pre-war levels. In short, the financial environment for South African travellers is not improving in the short term, so the argument for locking in December travel costs now – at current levels, with current flexibility policies – has never been more concrete.

Force #3: South Africans already know this – they just need to act on it

South African travel intenders are the most advance-booking market in the world. 96% actively adapt their travel plans to make travel more affordable, the highest of any market globally, according to Flight Centre’s global PR report. 48% cite booking flights and accommodation well in advance as their primary affordability strategy (again the highest globally) and 46% cite travelling outside peak season.

Rather than abstract preferences, these are the specific behaviours of a market that understands, better than any other, that timing is the most powerful lever available to the price-conscious traveller.

The December saving most South Africans are leaving on the table

Emirates and Qatar Airways have returned to South African routes with competitive fares and genuine flexibility built into new bookings. Both carriers are currently offering complimentary date change options – a direct acknowledgment of the current environment and a meaningful reduction in the risk of committing to December travel today.

On several key routes, Gulf carrier pricing is currently meaningfully below non-Gulf alternatives. The gap on certain routes exceeds 60%. For a December booking, where base fares are already elevated by seasonal demand, that gap compounds into a material saving per person. A family of four booking December flights to Phuket, Singapore, or London via a Gulf carrier versus a non-Gulf alternative could be saving tens of thousands of rands on the fare alone.

Book early. Book smart.

The December holiday that most South Africans are planning to sort out in a few months’ time is available now, at a better price, with better availability, and with the flexibility to adapt if anything changes between now and then.

“The travellers who act on this today will be the ones who look back on December 2026 as the holiday that delivered everything they hoped for – without breaking the bank,” Turner concludes.

JOHANNESBURG – You’re at the airport. Business class ticket in hand, you head toward the lounge only to be turned away at the door. Or your meeting moves and you try to change your flight, and discover the original ticket is non-refundable. Or you arrive at check-in with two bags, as you’ve grown accustomed to in business class, and learn you’re only entitled to one.

It’s the reality of “unbundling”: the practice of separating a standard airline ticket into its individual components. As an example, business class used to mean something fairly consistent. A lie-flat seat on long haul. Lounge access. Two bags. The ability to change your flight if the world intervened. You paid a significant premium for it, but you knew what you were getting. Those days are over.

According to Amadeus, the shift began in 2019, when Emirates introduced its special business class ticket – a stripped-down product that retained all the onboard comforts you expect (lie-flat seat, an elevated restaurant-style dining experience and top-tier entertainment system  ) but removed ancillaries like lounge access, seat selection and chauffeur services. It was a proof of concept: passengers would accept a reduced overall experience, at a reduced cost, if the seat itself remained premium.

Other airlines soon followed, with the likes of Qatar and KLM also introducing business class “lite” options. Come 2026? Tiered business class structures are fairly standard across the industry. The seat is the same. The cabin is the same. The ticket is not.

The three things most likely to disappear

Guaranteed lounge access is usually the first casualty. United’s unbundled “Base Polaris” fare includes access to a United Club lounge – not a Polaris Lounge, with its premium dining and spa facilities. Emirates’ base fare excludes complimentary airport lounge access. But as Mummy Mafojane, GM at FCM South Africa explains, for many travellers, particularly those on long-haul journeys with onward connections, the lounge is not an optional extra – it is a significant part of what they paid for.

“It’s very different for leisure travellers and business travellers,” says Mafojane. “Leisure travellers are often happy to pick and choose their perks. But business travellers rely on lounge access to work, decompress and even shower. No access can be an unwelcome surprise.”

Flexibility is the second to go. Base-tier business class tickets are frequently non-refundable and non-changeable – conditions that would once have been unthinkable at this price point.

“This is a particularly important consideration for travel bookers and travel programme managers,” says Mafojane. “2026 has already delivered a masterclass in travel disruption – at this point, locking yourself into a rigid, non-refundable ticket isn’t a saving; it’s a liability.”

Baggage is next. Finnair’s “light” business class fare excludes checked baggage unless the passenger holds elite Oneworld or Finnair Plus status. ZIPAIR, the Japanese low-cost long-haul carrier, goes furthest of all: its lie-flat business class seat includes nothing beyond the seat itself – no baggage, no meal, no seat selection. Everything is purchased separately.

The problem isn’t the product, it’s the presentation

ZIPAIR is actually a useful reference point. A lie-flat seat with each additional service priced individually and transparently, is a coherent offering. Travellers know what they’re getting. The more significant problem arises when legacy carriers sell something structurally similar, stripped of lounge access, flexibility and baggage, while marketing it under the same business class branding that has historically implied a comprehensive end-to-end experience.

For corporate travel programmes, the consequences extend well beyond a disgruntled traveller. A non-changeable ticket reissued during disruption, a bag fee at the counter, or a stranded employee with no flexibility and no recourse represents a programme failure, not just a personal inconvenience. Base fares also typically earn fewer frequent flyer miles and accrue less toward elite status – meaning the apparent saving at the point of booking may cost considerably more when the full picture is considered.

The corporate travel blind spot

For business travellers booked through a corporate travel management system, the risk is compounded. Many company travel policies were written when business class was a single, standardised product. They haven’t yet been updated to account for fare tiers within business class, meaning an employee may be booked on a base fare and arrive expecting the full experience. Travel managers, Mafojane explains, are increasingly having to specify not just the cabin class, but the fare tier, in their booking policies.

How to check before you commit

The fare tier name is your first signal. Base, Basic, Saver, or Light anywhere in the fare description is a warning to look further. Don’t rely on the airline’s general business class page, always check the specific fare conditions attached to the ticket you’re about to buy.

Confirm lounge access explicitly. Confirm baggage allowance in the booking summary, not the marketing overview. Check whether the ticket is changeable and refundable; if it is neither, you are holding something that functions more like an economy saver fare than a traditional business class ticket, regardless of what seat you’re sitting in.

“Obviously, travellers love a lie-flat seat, and all the space and comfort business class delivers,” says Mafojane. “But flexibility trumps all when it comes to a well-functioning travel programme.”

In other words, check the Ts&Cs carefully – and compare a premium economy fare with a ‘lite’ business class fare and decide which makes more sense on the day. If you hold elite frequent flyer status, check whether it restores any stripped benefits and be very mindful of which tiers you book.

What this actually means

None of this makes the tiered model inherently dishonest. For a leisure traveller with fixed plans, carry-on luggage only, and no interest in airport lounges, a base business class fare may represent genuine value – a lie-flat seat at a significantly lower price. The issue is assumption: the assumption that business class still has a fixed, reliable definition. It doesn’t. And in a managed travel programme, that ambiguity has a cost. A traveller turned away from a lounge, stuck on a non-recoverable ticket, or charged for a bag at the airport is an irritation at best and a significant unplanned expense at worst. Knowing which tier a ticket sits in, and what that means in practice, is now a fundamental part of the booking process, not an afterthought. And the onus sits squarely with the booker or travel manager.

Johannesburg – When a health crisis makes the news, the first instinct is either to cancel everything or to carry on as normal. Neither serve you very well.  Instead, start with five questions, asked before departure, not after something goes wrong.

1.Will my travel insurance actually cover this trip?

As Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller South Africa, explains, travel advisories can impact your trip cover.

“If you travel to a destination against official government ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings, insurers typically void your coverage for trip cancellations and medical emergencies related to the advisory,” says Hunes.

The timing matters too. Many insurers look at when the advisory was issued relative to when you bought your policy. If a severe advisory is issued before you booked your trip or purchased insurance, coverage is usually nullified.

“The advisory level at the time of departure determines a lot,” says Heunes. “Travellers who fly to a destination under an active advisory without checking their policy first can find themselves personally liable for medical, evacuation and repatriation costs that run into the hundreds of thousands.”

It’s an easy fix. Call your insurer or ask your travel management company (TMC) to confirm your specific cover before you book. Not after. And while you’re at it, also confirm whether your destination has any health entry requirements – including vaccinations or screening on arrival – and how your organisation will cover those costs.

2.Does my company actually know where I am?

A travel request form is not a tracking system. In a fast-moving health crisis, the difference between a company that knows you’re in a specific hotel in a specific city on a specific day and one that has you logged as “travelling in the DRC” is significant – and that gap can mean the difference between a swift evacuation and a delayed one.

Larger travel programmes have risk platforms that do this automatically. Many small to medium programmes don’t. If yours falls into the second category, ask your TMC what visibility they have (centralised booking systems and up-to-date traveller profiles make a big difference) – and what needs to happen before you fly.

Importantly, says Heunes, ask your team to register your trip with DIRCO. South Africa’s official travel registration system ensures the government knows you’re in a country if a coordinated evacuation needs to take place. It takes five minutes and costs nothing.

3.What is the health picture in the city I’m visiting?

Country-level warnings are a starting point, not the full story. An outbreak in a border province carries a different risk to one in a capital city with functioning health infrastructure, and a blanket advisory can make a safe trip look dangerous – and vice versa.

Your TMC should be able to provide destination-specific intelligence in addition to the government advisory. That’s where a global network makes a tangible difference.

“Partnering with a TMC that has a global footprint means you can access current, on-the-ground information and local support whenever you need it,” says Heunes. “Networks are a powerful advantage when it comes to duty of care.”

4.If the situation escalates and borders close mid-trip, what is the protocol?

Not “we’ll handle it” – the specific protocol. Who initiates the evacuation process in your organisation? Does your travel agent or TMC have a 24/7 emergency support line? Do you even have the number to call?

“The companies that manage crises well have done the thinking before the crisis, not during it,” says Heunes. “For smaller travel programmes, this is where a good TMC earns its keep – having those protocols already in place, already tested, so the traveller isn’t piecing it together from a hotel room.”

If your programme doesn’t have a documented escalation process, ask your TMC to walk you through what would actually happen, step by step. The answer will tell you a lot.

5.Can I leave early if I feel unsafe … and who covers the cost?

Fare flexibility is rarely top of mind when booking, but it becomes critical fast when a situation deteriorates. Many corporate fares, particularly at the economy end where SME travel budgets live, carry change fees or restrictions that make early departure expensive.

It’s also worth clarifying upfront who has the authority to make the call – whether the decision to abort a trip rests with you, your line manager, or someone further up the chain. In a crisis that moves fast, that ambiguity costs time.

Before you fly, confirm whether your ticket allows for early return, whether your company will cover the cost difference, and whether your insurance includes trip curtailment. If the answer to all three is yes, you can travel with genuine confidence. If not, at least you know what you’re walking into.

“Business travel is how small and medium businesses compete,” says Heunes. “It’s how you close deals, build relationships and show up in markets where presence still matters. The goal is never to stop travelling; it’s to travel in a way that’s informed, protected and sustainable. Ask the right questions before you fly, and you can do exactly that.”

Table of Contents

Johannesburg – Travel buyers and travel managers are, once again, navigating interesting times. The Middle East crisis has meant new routes, new hubs and a renewed focus on duty of care. Volatile oil prices and capacity constraints are squeezing costs at the same time. Travellers themselves are warier than they were a year ago, and the journeys they are being asked to take are often longer, with more stopovers and less margin for error.

Against that backdrop, travel perks carry more weight than usual. A flat bed, a lounge shower and a late checkout matter more when you have just flown an extra five hours via a new connection.

What makes this moment especially interesting is the picture sitting just behind it.

Before tensions escalated in February, airlines were betting big on premium economy and business class cabins – overhauling their fleets and offering passengers more space, connectivity, state-of-the-art inflight entertainment and, in some cases, hotel-like privacy. Hotels themselves are pouring investment into luxury and lifestyle properties, with the global luxury hotel market forecast by Skift to more than double to $369 billion by 2032.

All while travel programmes are balancing safety and traveller wellbeing against value and cost management. Competing priorities, all playing out in the small print of what your company will and won’t cover.

The airline perks you might not know about

Status used to mean miles flown. Today, it increasingly means money spent. As The Points Guy puts it, the “hamster wheel” of chasing flights is being replaced by credit card spend, shopping and bookings through an airline’s network of partners (including car rentals) rather than simply bums in seats. 

The perks are varied too – many unseen and underused. Most major programmes now let you extend priority boarding to companions, share lounge access with a plus-one, and occasionally use complimentary upgrades on partner airlines. Lounge access through the right credit card sits in the same category: a perk most eligible travellers underuse.

The biggest unseen perk, though, is corporate. As Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller South Africa explains, two passengers in the same business class cabin may have paid wildly different fares, depending on how the corporate fares were negotiated behind the scenes.

“Corporate contracts often come with soft ‘perks’ the retail flyer rarely sees,” says Heunes. “Including guaranteed availability, waived change fees, volume rebates, and sometimes even chauffeur transfers on carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways. This is exactly where a managed travel programme adds value beyond rate.”

What business class actually gets you

The world’s top airlines are getting very serious about their business class offering. Qatar’s QSuite offers sliding doors, “Do Not Disturb” indicators and customisable ambient lighting – not to mention a turndown service complete with pillows, a quilted mattress, plush blanket and PJs. Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite (winner of the World’s Best Business Class in the 2026 AirlineRatings Awards) has privacy pods, plenty of cubby storage, a 24-inch, 4K in-flight entertainment screen, free Wi-Fi and a 5-star, restaurant-style dining experience.

For Heunes though, business class is often misunderstood.

“While lie-flat seats are great, what corporate buyers are really paying for is productive time: the space to work on a laptop, sleep on an overnight flight, and arrive functional,” says Heunes. “For staff travelling on the long-haul routes that South Africans know so well, rest, productivity and morale means business class pays for itself before the seatbelt sign goes off.”

Hotel perks worth knowing

Hotels are arguably winning the perks race – with many designed around health and wellbeing.

The Wall Street Hotel in New York, for example, has partnered with the ness, a trampoline-based movement studio, to bring intentional, low-impact wellness directly to your room (complete with trampoline and sessions streamed on your in-room smart television). Shangri-La Singapore’s Horizon Club Business Rooms come with adjustable standing desks, dual 4K monitors on request, and complimentary pressing of business clothes. IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) has implemented acoustic doors and heavy soundproofing, while Hyatt’s premium properties supply white noise machines.

Quieter perks are worth knowing about too. Pillow menus, once an outlandish luxury, are now pretty mainstream at upper-tier establishments. The Benjamin Royal Sonesta has a 10-choice pillow menu, and guests can choose from anti-snore, buckwheat, cooling pillows, and Swedish memory foam tailored to their sleep positions.

More mainstream? Most hotels are happy to offer all sorts of things if you only know to ask: chargers, adaptors, sewing kits, toothbrushes and toothpaste, yoga mats, boardgames and even weighted blankets, sleep masks and slippers. Kimpton Vero Beach Hotel in Florida, USA, even runs a “Forgot it? We’ve got it!” programme, letting guests borrow accessories like sunglasses and handbags.

Again, for Heunes, it’s the more practical perks that make the difference.

“Early check-in and late check-out are huge for long-haul travellers,” says Heunes. “Flights out of South Africa often seem to land at unfriendly times. Always check with your travel management company what’s possible, and what can be negotiated. Some hotels also provide a complimentary shuttle service, which is a big perk in anyone’s language!”

What your company will and won’t pay for

Luxury hotels’ concierge services are well-versed in special – often eccentric – requests (including Evian baths, egg-free omelettes and VIP access to shows and events) but, in truth, when it comes to business travel things are far more boring.

As Heunes notes, internal scrutiny of spend has increased and buyers are expected to show financial control while supporting productivity, safety and traveller wellbeing.

Depending on the size of your company (and travel programme) the budget could expand to premium economy or business class on flights over six hours, full board, hotel Wi-Fi, laundry, reasonable tips, and increasingly, properties that support hybrid work with ergonomic desks and good connectivity.

What companies almost universally will not pay for is the minibar, in-room movies, spa treatments outside an approved wellness stipend, seat upgrades without pre-approval, alcohol outside client entertainment, traffic fines, anything for a travelling partner, and direct bookings outside the managed channel.

Which could leave modern business travellers in a slightly awkward position: flown upfront to Heathrow, ergonomically supported at the hotel, and quietly paying for their own packet of cashews from the minibar. “This is where travel policies are so important,” says Heunes. “Even companies with small travel programmes need to agree on perks and spend – and how reimbursements are managed. It is a core part of any travel programme.”

New data published in March 2026 by the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) in its Africa in the Air: Aviation and Tourism Outlook 2026 report reveals that, in the first 10 months of 2026 alone, 182.4 million departure seats are available across Africa, which is a 13.7% increase on the same period in 2025, and double the growth rate recorded between 2024 and 2025. International seats out of Africa have grown by 18.6%, and South Africa’s own departure seats are up 19.6% year on year – growth which has been driven almost entirely by international carriers competing for South African passengers, making it one of the world’s most commercially attractive long-haul markets.

The tourism numbers are equally striking. Africa recorded 10% tourism growth in the first nine months of 2025, the strongest of any region globally. Furthermore, five African nations feature in the UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer’s global top 20 best-performing destinations: Egypt up 20%, South Africa up 19%, Ethiopia up 15%, Morocco up 14%, and the Seychelles up 13%.

“What these numbers tell us is that South African travellers have never had more options for getting where they want to go,” says Sue Garrett, GM Supply, Pricing & Marketing at Flight Centre South Africa. “The routes are there, the capacity is growing, and the expertise to navigate it all is exactly what a Travel Expert provides.”

The hub network South Africans didn’t know they had

For decades, the Gulf hub model has defined how South Africans reach the world. Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi became the default stopovers on the way to Europe, Asia, and beyond, and with good reason. After all, the ME3 carriers offer competitive pricing and an unbeatable onward network.

What the current disruption has exposed is not the failure of that model, but the emergence of a parallel one. Africa’s own hub network, anchored by Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg, and Casablanca, has been quietly expanding in scale and capability to the point where aviation analysts are now describing it as offering genuine long-term network resilience.

“Africa’s expanding hubs now offer South African travellers real options, not as replacements for the Gulf carriers, but as a genuinely capable parallel network that makes the overall system more resilient. That’s good news for every South African who travels internationally, regardless of which carrier or routing they choose,” comments Garrett.

Here’s a closer look at what that network actually encompasses.

Addis Ababa

The continent’s most powerful aviation story. Ethiopian Airlines has 23.8 million departure seats scheduled for January to October 2026, up from 20.9 million in all of 2024, cementing its position as Africa’s largest international carrier. The airline has committed to a 30% co-investment in the new $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport, signalling that this growth is structural rather than cyclical.

Ethiopian Airlines’ Addis Ababa hub provides onward connections to several of South Africa’s most-loved international destinations, including the UK, Singapore, and Paris, three of the top five in Flight Centre’s Year in Travel 2025 report, as well as strong connectivity across East Africa, including Zanzibar, which ranked fifth on that same list.

Nairobi

East Africa’s premier transit hub is growing rapidly, with Kenya’s departure seats up 22.3% year on year to 10.2 million. Kenya Airways operates an expanding network that connects South African travellers onward to Amsterdam and London, both in Flight Centre’s top 10 international destinations for 2025, as well as to destinations across East and Central Africa. The airline’s layover programme, which includes city tours and half-day safaris to Nairobi National Park, has made it an increasingly attractive option for South African travellers willing to turn a transit into an experience.

Casablanca

Morocco is North Africa’s fastest-growing market, with departure seats up 21.8% to 22.5 million. Royal Air Maroc connects South Africa onward to Paris (South Africa’s sixth most popular international destination in 2025) and to various other European cities. Morocco’s open skies agreement with the EU means the country is served by both mainline and low-cost European carriers, giving onward travellers unusual flexibility on the European leg.

What Smart South African travellers should know now

The practical implications of Africa’s aviation transformation are immediate and specific.

The route landscape is more option-rich than it has ever been.

There’s now more than one viable routing option (often significantly more) for almost every destination in South Africa’s top 10 international list. For the first time, South African travellers are no longer dependent on any single hub or carrier to reach the world.

Hub choice is now a meaningful booking decision. Whether routing via Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Amsterdam, London, or a Gulf hub, South African travellers now have access to a genuinely diverse set of intercontinental connectors, each with its own onward network, stopover experience, and risk profile. Understanding those differences, and matching the right routing to the right trip, is increasingly part of what smart international travel planning looks like.

Flexibility matters more than ever. The current environment has demonstrated, at scale, that the difference between a refundable and non-refundable fare is the difference between a manageable disruption and a significant financial loss. Travellers booking with any carrier right now should prioritise fare flexibility above almost any other consideration.

The value of expert guidance has never been more concrete. Flight Centre’s Global PR Survey found that 97% of South African travel intenders see value in using a travel agent, the highest of any market globally. In a landscape where route options, hub resilience, airline schedules, and fare conditions are all shifting simultaneously, that expertise is both a convenience and a practical advantage with measurable financial implications.

“The South African travel market has always been resilient and resourceful,” says Garrett. “What this moment has revealed is that the aviation landscape serving that market is becoming equally resilient. Africa’s own hubs are growing in capability and confidence, and the Gulf carriers are returning stronger and more committed to this market than ever. For South African travellers who know how to navigate all of that, or who have someone helping them do so, the options have genuinely never been better.”

The Middle East disruption will resolve – its timeline uncertain, but its eventual conclusion inevitable. When it does, South African travellers will return to a travel environment that looks meaningfully different from the one they left. More connected, more resilient, and more African than it has ever been. That is not a consolation story. It’s the main event.

JOHANNESBURG – The UAE has lifted its airspace restrictions, the US-Iran ceasefire appears to be holding (as of 18 May 2026), Emirates has restored 96% of its global network, other Gulf carriers (including Etihad, Qatar and Saudia) continue to rebuild operations, and capacity constraints are gradually settling. By most operational measures, things are looking up.

Traveller confidence is a different story.

As Mummy Mafojane, General Manager of FCM South Africa, explains, geopolitical conflict – including fresh drone attacks – continues to impact travel decisions, with travel managers rerouting travellers, changing itineraries, delaying non-essential trips and taking a hard look at their duty of care policies.

What business travellers are actually feeling

South Africans are fairly resilient by nature. Covid, years of load shedding, economic volatility and the loss of more than one domestic carrier have produced travellers that know how to roll with disruption.

“But business travel complicates the picture,” says Mafojane. “When your company sends you somewhere, a grounded flight is more than an inconvenience. It can quickly become a question of duty of care, insurance, work and family obligations, corporate liability and personal safety, all at once.”

Global Rescue’s recent Traveller Sentiment and Safety Surveys show that 56% of travellers are more concerned about personal safety than a year ago. The travel risk and crisis organisation also found that:

• 82% of travellers express some level of concern about personal security risks abroad, including kidnapping, extortion and violent crime;
• 38% describe today’s travel risk as unpredictable;
• 36% believe international travel is more dangerous than it was before 2020; and
• 31% of seasoned travellers say illness or injury abroad is their biggest concern for 2026, followed by civil unrest or terrorism at 21%.

Can bosses still dictate where and when staff travel?

Legally, in South Africa, the short answer is yes: employers can generally direct where and when employees travel for work, provided the request is reasonable and aligns with the employment contract. In return, they must cover the costs, ensure safe working conditions and respect the employee’s fundamental rights.

Practically, duty of care has evolved well beyond a clause in an employment contract. ISO 31030, the international standard for travel risk management, now sets a benchmark courts use to judge whether an employer acted reasonably.

It requires senior leadership ownership (where the organisation’s appetite for risk is defined, documented, signed off at the top and reviewed regularly), pre-trip risk assessment, real-time tracking and a credible incident response plan. It also explicitly covers psychological wellbeing, not only physical safety.

For South African employers, it means that travel decisions can no longer be made in isolation from the traveller. A reasonable instruction is one that has been thought through, risk-assessed, properly supported and openly discussed with the person being sent.

“Travellers want clarity, choice and a sense that someone has thought carefully about the trip before they board,” says Mafojane. “The companies getting this right have moved from a purely compliance mindset to a conversation. Pre-trip briefings, transparent route options, and a clearly understood escalation path are no longer nice-to-haves; they are the foundations of a strong travel programme.”

The trust “signals” travellers are looking for

For Mafojane, the levels of disruption experienced in late February/early March proved that human-led crisis response – with experienced travel managers at the helm – isn’t going anywhere.

“Automated tools are brilliant, and they certainly speed up our response time, but travellers still turn to human support in times of genuine disruption,” says Mafojane. “A 24-hour line answered by an experienced consultant remains a valuable feature of a corporate travel programme.”

Reliable, consistent technology also builds trust over time.

“Travellers lose confidence quickly when booking systems, itinerary tools, expense platforms and tracking apps fail – or tell them different things,” says Mafojane. “An integrated system, from booking platform to traveller app, should be a reliable source of information. It’s an important aspect of duty of care.”

Finally, more than a passing nod to traveller wellness and wellbeing. Travellers notice the difference. Flexibility on rebooking, openness to bleisure (combining business and leisure travel) where it makes sense, proper pre-trip briefings that cover what to do when things go wrong, and post-trip recovery time are the markers that read as genuine care. “The programmes that will thrive over the next year are the ones that focus on traveller confidence,” says Mafojane. “Get that right, and the rest follows.”