Seattle to Cape Town (SEA–CPT) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SEA Airport Page →
airlines charter/private
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 11 1-stop flights
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
ATL Atlanta 20h 49m AFAMAS DL Atlanta (ATL) to Cape Town flights
IAD Dulles 21h 15m ASAVCM UA Dulles (IAD) to Cape Town flights
EWR Newark 21h 57m ASJLTP UA Newark (EWR) to Cape Town flights
AMS Amsterdam 22h 37m DLVS KLSK Amsterdam (AMS) to Cape Town flights
LHR London 27h 50m ASAYBA BA London (LHR) to Cape Town flights
FRA Frankfurt am Main 30h 27m 3SDELH LHNH Frankfurt am Main (FRA) to Cape Town flights
IST Istanbul 30h 42m TK 6ETK Istanbul (IST) to Cape Town flights
DXB Dubai 33h 8m EK EKSA Dubai (DXB) to Cape Town flights
DOH Doha 34h 47m MHQRWB ASATAY Doha (DOH) to Cape Town flights
MUC Munich ~22h 35m LH Munich (MUC) to Cape Town flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Seattle to Cape Town
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
+9h ahead

While no nonstop service exists between SEA and CPT, 1-stop connecting options are available.

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for SEA to CPT.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
11
Hubs
~20h
Fastest
~34h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
571
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
SEA → CPT
43%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
43%
Return
CPT → SEA
90%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
90%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. SEA delays →

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+9h
Cape Town is 9 hours ahead of Seattle.
SEA: PDT · CPT: SAST

When it's 6:00 PM in Seattle, it's 3:00 AM (next day) in Cape Town.
Visa & Entry

US passport holders enter South Africa visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism or business. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least 30 days beyond your planned departure from South Africa, and you must have at least 2 consecutive blank visa pages (endorsement pages do not count). South African immigration enforces the blank pages rule strictly, and airlines may deny boarding if your passport does not meet this requirement. At O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg or Cape Town International Airport (CPT), immigration stamps your passport.

The 90-day stay cannot be extended for tourists. If you need more time, apply for a visitor visa at a South African embassy before travel. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if you arrive from or transit through a yellow fever endemic country (most of sub-Saharan and equatorial Africa, plus parts of South America). Direct arrivals from the US with no African transit do not need the yellow fever certificate. South Africa has 3 major international gateways: Johannesburg (JNB), Cape Town (CPT), and Durban King Shaka (DUR).

Delta operates nonstop from Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg, about 15 hours 30 minutes on an Airbus A350. United flies nonstop from Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg and from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Cape Town. South Africa uses the South African rand (ZAR), trading at roughly 18 ZAR per $1. The Gautrain runs from O.R. Tambo Airport to Sandton in 15 minutes for ZAR 185 ($10.30) and to Pretoria in 40 minutes. In Cape Town, the MyCiTi bus Route A01 runs nonstop from CPT airport to the Civic Centre in the city center. Card payments work widely. Uber operates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria. Domestic flights between JNB and CPT take about 2 hours on FlySafair, Airlink, or LIFT, with one-way fares starting at ZAR 600 ($33).

Getting to SEA

Link Light Rail runs from downtown Seattle (Westlake station) to the airport in 38 minutes ($3.50 peak). Trains run every 6–12 minutes during peak hours from 5am to 1am. Ride-shares run $30–50 from downtown; SR-99 and I-5 can be heavily congested southbound during afternoon rush (3–7pm).

Sound Transit 574 express bus serves Tacoma ($2.50–4). Sounder commuter rail connects Tacoma to the airport area via a shuttle.

SEA–CPT Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Seattle to Cape Town route.
Route details
Time difference+9 hours
Airlines (nonstop)0
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SEA
IATA / ICAOSEA / KSEA
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.8M
Elevation433 ft / 132 m
Destination: CPT
IATA / ICAOCPT / FACT
TimezoneAfrica/Johannesburg
Passengers/yr10.4M
Elevation151 ft / 46 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SEA to CPT flights.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Washington Dulles and Newark Liberty.
Cape Town is 9 hours ahead of Seattle.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Washington Dulles and Newark Liberty. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.