Lion’s Share: United’s New Route to South Africa’s Safari Hub Has Mileage Upgrade Opportunities

As airlines jockey for position in the new world of travel, United elites have options.

On September 9, United announced new service from New York/Newark to Johannesburg. It’s the perfect springboard to your very own safari adventure all over the continent. And it’s just a short hop to Cape Town from there, too. Daily service begins March 27, 2021.

The Bad News First

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s a growing trend of increasingly limited “free” award availability in the airwaves. This isn’t unique to United either—you won’t find any free award seats to this region with Delta or South African Airways.