December 2026 Flight Planner
Pick your route, your dates and who is flying. The planner shows which days clash with school closing and public holidays. One tap then opens those exact dates on Travelstart's live search, with every passenger already filled in.
Plan your trip
Flying with a baby under 2? Add the infant on Travelstart's passenger selector after the search opens.
What December looks like
Orange days are school holiday; red days are public holidays. Days with a blue outline are dates we priced on Johannesburg → Cape Town (see the table below).
December 2026
January 2027
Schools close Wednesday 9 December 2026. They are expected back around Wednesday 13 January 2027, but the 2027 calendar was not yet gazetted when we checked, so confirm with your school.
Johannesburg → Cape Town: what the dates cost
The cheapest one-way economy fare for one adult on Travelstart's live search, checked on 21 October 2026. Tap a fare to open that exact date. Prices move daily, so treat these as a guide to the pattern, not a quote.
| Date | Cheapest | Next cheapest |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 11 Dec 2 days after schools close | R2,239 › CemAir · cabin bag only | LIFT R2,749 FlySafair R2,799 |
| Sat 19 Dec peak getaway weekend | R2,429 › CemAir · bag incl. | FlySafair R2,649 SAA R2,839 |
| Sun 3 Jan return-home weekend | R1,809 › LIFT · cabin bag only | Airlink R1,879 SAA R1,929 |
| Wed 13 Jan schools back (expected) | R1,609 › Airlink · bag incl. | LIFT R1,639 SAA R1,929 |
What the check shows: the same route cost R2,429 on Saturday 19 December and R1,609 on Wednesday 13 January — R820 less per person. For a family of four that gap is real money, if your dates can move. FlySafair and LIFT fares above are cabin bag only: on Travelstart a 20 kg FlySafair bag added R210 and a 23 kg LIFT bag added R245 when we checked on 17 October. Airlink, SAA and CemAir fares marked "bag incl." already include one.
More December data: December price watch · every Johannesburg–Cape Town flight · school-holiday flights by city
Five rules for booking December flights
Search with every passenger, not one adult
A fare for one adult tells you little about a family booking. Seats sell in fare buckets: if only two seats are left at the cheap price, four people pay more. The planner fills in adults and children so the price you see is the price for your group.
Price the bag before you compare
FlySafair and LIFT headline fares exclude a checked bag. Airlink, SAA and CemAir usually include one. Compare totals with the bags you actually need. Our baggage cost calculator does the sum.
Move the return, not just the departure
Everyone leaves after schools close and comes home before schools open. If you can come back after 13 January instead of the first weekend of January, try both in the planner.
Read the final total on Travelstart
Travelstart adds its booking fee before payment and shows it. If price is all that matters, compare that total with the airline's own website for the same flight. How booking works.
Spread the cost if you need to
Travelstart offers Payflex instalments. Read what buy-now-pay-later really costs and how flight lay-by works before you commit.
Questions
When do schools close in December 2026?
Public schools close on Wednesday 9 December 2026.
Which days are public holidays?
Wednesday 16 December (Day of Reconciliation), Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Saturday 26 December (Day of Goodwill).
Is January cheaper than December?
On Johannesburg–Cape Town in our 21 October check, yes: R1,609 on Wednesday 13 January against R2,429 on Saturday 19 December. Other routes behave differently, so search your own dates.
Does VistaVoyage sell the tickets?
No. The planner opens your search on Travelstart, where you book and pay. VistaVoyage may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the fares you see.
You book and pay on Travelstart, not on VistaVoyage. VistaVoyage may earn a commission on qualifying bookings at no extra cost to you. Affiliate policy · Who runs this site · Corrections. School calendar: 2026 public school calendar as published; 2027 opening not yet gazetted at time of checking.