IMPORTANT: 

Students aged 14 years or younger at the time of the GLA program will be required to travel as an unaccompanied minor. 

Read about these specific airline policies here.

Flight Requirements:

• Arrival

  • • • Arrive between 05:00 (5am) and 18:00 (6pm) on the day your program begins in Johannesburg, South Africa (O.R. Tambo International Airport; airport code: JNB)

        • Please note that you will commonly depart 1 day before your program start date.

• Departure

  • • • Depart anytime after 13:00 (1pm) on July 10 out of Durban, South Africa (King Shaka International Airport; airport code: DUR)

      • GLA will have an Airport Coordinator available at the JNB airport on July 10 to assist with the transfer between the domestic flight & the international flight. Please allow a 2-3-hour layover when transferring through Johannesburg. Recommended airlines the domestic flights are FlySafair and LIFT. 

Important Note on South African Airways:  GLA recommends that you DO NOT purchase a flight with South African Airlines. The airline has been amid financial troubles, heading toward liquidation & bankruptcy. (It is common for booked travel to remain non-refundable if an airline goes bankrupt.) When researching flights to your GLA program, we implore you to look at alternate options, such as those outlined in the GLA Flight Portal.  

More reliable Alternative Regional Airlines include Airlink, Qatar, Emirates, Kenya Airways, and Ethiopian Airlines. 

Suggested Route:

The suggested route - is usually the most direct, least number of stops, and always leaves from a US gateway airport. Oftentimes, multiple students from the same program will be on this flight, simply because it is a popular route to take. We cannot guarantee that other students will be on this flight, but very often there are. You do not have to take the suggested route - it is just one option. You may take any flight you wish that falls within the flight parameters above.

Suggested Route - Option 1:

• • Delta Airlines - Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg (JNB)

  • Delta Airlines - Johannesburg (JNB) to Atlanta (ATL)  - For the 21-day program an additional domestic flight from DUR to JNB for the return is recommended on FlySafair or LIFT (allow 2-3 hrs between flights)

Suggested Route - Option 2:

• • United Airlines - Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg (JNB)

  • United Airlines - Johannesburg (JNB) to Newark (EWR)  - For the 21-day program an additional domestic flight from DUR to JNB for the return is recommended on FlySafair or LIFT (allow 2-3 hrs between flights)

Suggested Route for Unaccompanied Minors

• • Read more about unaccompanied minors here. 

Recommended Travel Agency Partner

If you are looking for some guidance in booking flights, GLA has partnered with ScholarTrip in order to simplify the process. Regardless of how you plan on booking your flights, we recommend you speak with our travel agency partner first to ensure that you are getting the best deal and that you are booking the correct itinerary per GLA requirements and airline policy. 

ScholarTrip 

• • REQUEST: Click Here 

  • QUOTES: 1-2 Business days

  • HOURS: Monday to Friday 8:00 (8am) to 18:00 (6pm) Pacific Time

  • SERVICE FEES: Booking Fee $15 USD

Please do NOT book your flight until you've received the go-ahead! This will come either in the email titled, "Welcome Aboard! Save this Email!" or in a subsequent email.