Delta Airlines - What Am I Missing

I’m in the early planning phase for my next Safari. I’m looking at options to get me to Johannesburg. From there, I will be flying to either Zimbabwe or Mozambique. For this post, I’m focusing on the legs from St. Louis to a hub and then to Johannesburg.

Comparing Delta airlines to Emirates makes me wonder why anyone would choose Delta….unless they have a boat load of Delta miles to apply. The following is for a May 2027 booking.

Delta
Class: Delta One (their version of business class)
Itinerary: STL-ATL-JNB
Total Travel Time: 19 hours (including a 2 hour layover in ATL)
Cost: $11,700
Misc: DL arrives in JNB at 7:40pm which necessitates an overnight hotel stay

Emirates:
Class: Business
Itinerary: STL-ORD-DXB-JNB
Total Travel Time: 25 hours (including a 2 hour layover in ORD and another 4 hours in DXB )
Cost: $7,000 (including $350 for the American Airlines flight from STL-ORD)
Misc: EK arrives in JNB at 5:30am which allows me to catch a flight to Zim or Moz without a night at JNB)

Pros:
Delta - One less connection and 6 hours less total travel time
Delta - The new Delta One service is supposed to be nice
Delta - Guns can be checked straight through to JNB. Emirates makes me claim my guns from American in Chicago and recheck with them. Hassle.
Emirates - nearly $5K cheaper than Delta
Emirates - Dubai International beats the hell out of Atlanta-Hartsfield
Emirates - Newer planes, friendlier service, better food
Emirates - Early morning arrival in JNB gives you an option to skip the overnight in JNB

I’ve flown both routes and I’m amazed that Delta fills their planes while charging far more. Thoughts from those who’ve done the same?

Well, with 1k per hour, I'd fly Emirates. You may end up spending 6+ hours if Delta happens to canx the flight, which has happened often.

Emirates 5K cheaper, and 6 hours longer.

I’m already booked on Delta in main cabin direct next month yes cattle class but 15 hour flight for $3,000 round trip then $400 Airlink round trip to Windhoek

Rare Breed said:

I’m already booked on Delta in main cabin direct next month yes cattle class but 15 hour flight for $3,000 round trip then $400 Airlink round trip to Windhoek

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I hear ya. I ride in the cattle section as well. The savings almost buys another buffalo. That's what I keep thinking for 15 hours.

Having done Emirates biz out of Dulles, I'd do it again instead of Delta.
Pros: Outstanding service, better food, nice lounge, showers available, way cheaper, almost half of domestic airlines.
Cons: Long time in the air, layover and enroute, gets in late to Joburg. A lot of walking in the airport in Dubai.

Delta main cabin is $2700 for me from BWI-ATL-Jo'Burg. $12,000 cheaper than business Class. That buys a buffalo. Or a Friggin' Heym Rifle! That's why.

Also look at Qatar via Doha out of Dulles. Shorter layover than emirates and similar pricing.

And if you want to fly coach it is under $2,000.

I dont have the miles or money to do business, so I take the Delta in comfort or regular cabin and shortest flight time. I like get it over and then good nights rest on arrival. Use the extra money for animals and tips.

Rare Breed said:

I’m already booked on Delta in main cabin direct next month yes cattle class but 15 hour flight for $3,000 round trip then $400 Airlink round trip to Windhoek

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The same itinerary I laid out above costs about $2,000 in coach on Emirates. This includes the flight from STL to ORD.

I question how delta gets by with their prices and their service. Not so hung up on the service but it’s only occasionally when we fly that delta makes it on time or doesn’t cancel the flight.

No one wants to bring up what’s going on in Middle East? Comparing to United would be a more fair comparison. Emirates and Qatar are trying to maintain some market share while travelers regain confidence in their routes. I wouldn’t fly through Middle East at moment. It will be interesting to compare pricing next year.

I just did the Delta ATL-JNB circuit and got home this Monday. It's not a direct answer to your question but I did it in coach for something like $1850. It's a direct flight and saves me anytime in another country. For the cost savings over flying Biz class, I shot 2 cow buff and a klippie over the weekend. That's more than worth it to me.

375Fox said:

No one wants to bring up what’s going on in Middle East? Comparing to United would be a more fair comparison. Emirates and Qatar are trying to maintain some market share while travelers regain confidence in their routes. I wouldn’t fly through Middle East at moment. It will be interesting to compare pricing next year.

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The pricing I’m quoting is what it was when I booked for this August last October. Their pricing hasn’t changed much.

Green Chile said:

I just did the Delta ATL-JNB circuit and got home this Monday. It's not a direct answer to your question but I did it in coach for something like $1850. It's a direct flight and saves me anytime in another country. For the cost savings over flying Biz class, I shot 2 cow buff and a klippie over the weekend. That's more than worth it to me.

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That’s great if South Africa is your final destination. If going to Zimbabwe Johannesburg is a bigger pain because you can’t check your bags through. You have to clear customs twice.

Russ16 said:

The pricing I’m quoting is what it was when I booked for this August last October. Their pricing hasn’t changed much.

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But the price of fuel and other airlines have. I think it’ll be interesting to see once the Iran situation is fully resolved how Emirates and Qatar pricing will compare.

375Fox said:

But the price of fuel and other airlines have. I think it’ll be interesting to see once the Iran situation is fully resolved how Emirates and Qatar pricing will compare.

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True.

While not Africa I book domestic flights almost weekly for work and I actually haven’t seen significant increases on my regular routes at least from American.

It's been about 25 years since I've flown Emirates, but for business class, no way would I choose Delta over Emirates. Yes, a longer total trip time, but you get their lounge as part of your fare, you can always take a shower, rest up a bit in one of their massage chairs, then nap and snack as you like.

I know there are a lot of guys here who've had no issues flying EWR or ATL to JNB, but more than enough have that there's no way I'm risking 1 year's worth of planning to get canceled entirely or miss hunting days.

I talked to a number of locals at JNB when I was there for my first trip in '24, they all said the same thing about UA and Delta, and it was most ricky-tick unflattering.

For that alone, Emirates and Qatar both are worth it even if they were more expensive.

Emirates biz class also includes a car service to the airport which saves me about $200 in uber fare. Their top lounge access and if you’re in the A380 the stand up bar in the back.

No comparison to delta.

I flew the family over to Johannesburg this past May on Delta. It was Main Cabin, which wasn't too bad. Saved enough over business class to pay for a Cape Buffalo hunt for my son.

I've flown Delta last 13 trips to Africa with no delays or cancellations and never more than 15 minutes behind schedule. Maybe I just got lucky 13 times in a row, but if it ain't broke I'm not going to try to fix it. I leave a week from Sunday so we'll see if I can keep the streak going.