Fare data
Fare brackets shown on route pages come from the Travelpayouts Data API. Every Sunday at 03:00 UTC, an automated job refreshes the per-route minimum-price cache for the ~200 city pairs covered by CheapFlightsAfrica. Each cache entry is a point-in-time minimum: the lowest one-way fare available for the cheapest cabin on the most recently sold inventory, expressed in USD and converted from local-currency offers when needed.
We present brackets, not exact prices, because: (a) inventory rolls over hourly, (b) different distribution channels see different prices, and (c) USD-equivalent depends on the exchange rate at fetch time. The bracket bands shown ("from $X" / "typical $X–Y") reflect the trailing four-week minimum on each route. If a route has insufficient data (fewer than three observations in the trailing period), we mark the bracket as "limited data" rather than show a misleadingly narrow range.
Schedule and route data
Direct/connecting route claims, frequencies, and aircraft-type information come from three sources, in priority order:
- Official airline route maps and IR-page filings — Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Air Mauritius, Air Senegal, Royal Air Maroc, EgyptAir, Saudia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Delta, and other carriers serving Africa.
- National civil aviation regulators — SACAA (South Africa), NCAA (Nigeria), KCAA (Kenya), GCAA (Ghana), Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, Royal Moroccan Civil Aviation Directorate.
- Industry trade press — AFRAA (African Airlines Association) reports, IATA monthly traffic data, ch-aviation route-launch announcements.
When the three sources disagree (e.g., an airline's marketing page lists a route the regulator has not approved), we lead with the regulator and note the airline's claim as "announced, pending regulatory approval".
Hajj and Umrah data
Pilgrimage information is sourced from national Hajj commissions in priority order: NAHCON (Nigeria), South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC), GHC (Ghana), KAHCON (Kenya), and the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for destination-side rules (Nusuk platform, package categories, MOFA-issued e-visa procedure). Pilgrim charter information is cross-checked against AFRAA charter-route filings and SAGIA-licensed Saudi ground handler announcements. We do not interpret religious doctrine — we cite the relevant Hajj commission or recognised scholarly reference and link out.
Visa and consular data
Visa requirements and fees come from destination-country embassy or consular websites (primary), IATA Timatic database (cross-check via airline check-in interfaces), and recent (under 12 months) authoritative reporting on policy changes. We re-verify visa data on a quarterly cadence for high-volume routes and on a six-monthly cadence for the long tail. Every visa claim carries a "verified on" date in the article body.
Currency conventions
USD is the pan-African baseline, with ZAR, NGN, KES, GHS, EGP, and other local currencies shown inline in parentheses where useful for the reader's market. Exchange-rate conversions use the central-bank mid-market rate as of the fare-fetch timestamp. We do not embed live currency widgets that change after page load — the rate shown is the rate at fetch time, which preserves consistency between the price quoted and the dollar conversion alongside it.
Update cadence
- Weekly — Travelpayouts fare refresh (Sundays 03:00 UTC).
- Monthly — Editorial freshness sweep on pillar articles. Material price-change deltas (>15% from the prior month) trigger a re-verify and an updated "Last verified" stamp.
- Quarterly — Visa and consular data re-verification on high-volume routes.
- Bi-annually — Long-tail visa data and minor-airline schedule re-verification.
"Last verified" stamp — what it means
The "Last verified" date on each article reflects the date the data sources behind that specific page were last cross-checked. We do not bump the date for cosmetic edits, internal-link additions, or unrelated changes — only when an editor has re-confirmed at least the fare bracket and one external policy claim. This makes the stamp a meaningful freshness signal rather than a vanity field.
Corrections policy
Material errors get a public correction note at the top of the affected article, dated and signed by the editorial team. We respond to email correction requests sent to [email protected] within 48 hours. Minor typos are fixed silently; substantive corrections (wrong visa fee, wrong baggage allowance, wrong fare range by >20%) get a dated note that remains on the page indefinitely.
Affiliate model and disclosures
CheapFlightsAfrica earns a small commission when readers book through Aviasales, Hotellook, Skyscanner, Trip.com, Booking.com, AirHelp, and similar partner links. The price you pay is identical with or without the affiliate link. We do not accept paid placement, sponsored airline rankings, or "advertorial" content. See our affiliate disclosure for the full list of partners.
What this methodology does NOT cover
We do not produce live booking quotes — book directly through the linked partner to see the current price and inventory. We do not provide visa-processing services. We do not offer Hajj package sales or pilgrim assistance — those are the role of national Hajj commissions and licensed operators.