South Africans with last-minute plans to attend Saturday’s Durban July must be prepared to cough up more than R6 000 for a return flight, even during off-peak times. The Hollywoodbets Durban July, which dates back to 1897 and takes place at the Greyville Racecourse, is Africa’s biggest horseracing affair and the most prestigious occasion on Durban’s event calendar. It attracts thousands of visitors every year, both local and international.
Because of the popularity of the event, airfares have spiked. Moneyweb compared the ticket prices of the five domestic airlines for flights between Johannesburg and Durban. The departure date is Friday, 5 July, and the return date is Sunday, 7 July.
Sky-high fares Ticket prices are generally more affordable when passengers book flights weeks in advance. Flights booked at the last minute can cost R2 500 more on a low-cost airline such as FlySafair. ALSO READ: KZN restaurants to check out during Hollywoodbets Durban July weekend For the Durban July weekend, some of FlySafair’s ticket prices are more than double what they cost on less eventful weekends.
At the time of writing, FlySafair, which normally operates 19 flights between Johannesburg and Durban on Fridays, only had seats available for two flights this coming Friday – the infamous red-eye at 6am and one at 8.25am. In both cases the price is R3 305.
For the Sunday return there are still flights available in the more affordable category, at R1 652 for departures at 6am and 6.25.
