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Not comfortable with email or a phone wallet? Read this instead.

Air travel used to mean queuing at a travel agent, getting paper tickets in an envelope, and printing a boarding pass at the airport. Today almost the entire process happens on your phone or computer — before you even pack your bag.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the technology involved in flying, you are not alone. Many people — including confident, capable adults — find the combination of online booking, email confirmations, digital check-in and boarding passes confusing and stressful. This article walks you through every single step, in plain language, so that next time you fly you’ll know exactly what to expect and what to do.

We’ll cover the main South African airlines — FlySafair, Lift and South African Airways — but the process is almost identical across all of them.

Before you start — what you’ll need

Before you sit down to book a flight, have these ready:

• A device — a smartphone, tablet or computer all work fine
• An email address — your booking confirmation will be sent here. If you don’t have one yet, read our article on setting up Gmail first
• A payment method — a credit card, debit card, or access to online banking for an EFT. Most SA airlines also accept PayFlex and other payment options
• The traveller’s ID number — South African airlines require your ID number when booking domestic flights
• About 20 to 30 minutes — don’t rush this. Do it when you’re calm and have time to read everything carefully

Step 1 — Finding the right flight

Open your browser (Chrome works best) and go directly to the airline’s official website by typing the address yourself:

• FlySafair: www.flysafair.co.za
• Lift: www.lift.co.za
• SAA: www.flysaa.com

Important: Do not search Google for “cheap flights” and click the first result. There are many third-party booking websites that look like airline sites but charge extra fees and can be difficult to deal with if something goes wrong. Always book directly with the airline — you pay the same price and have far better support if you need to make changes.

Once you’re on the airline’s website, look for a search box — usually right in the middle of the home page. You’ll need to fill in:

• From — the city or airport you’re departing from
• To — your destination
• Date — the day you want to fly
• Passengers — how many people are travelling

Click the Search button. The website will show you a list of available flights for that day, with prices. Times are shown in 24-hour format — so 14:00 means 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and 06:30 means half past six in the morning.

Choose the flight that suits you and click on it to select it.

Step 2 — Choosing your fare

Most South African airlines offer different fare types — usually a basic, middle and premium option. They look confusing at first but the difference is usually simple:

• Basic / Saver fare — cheapest, but you may need to pay extra to add luggage, and changes or cancellations may not be allowed
• Standard / Flexi fare — includes luggage and allows changes for a fee
• Premium / Business fare — most flexible, often includes meals and extra legroom

For most travellers, the basic fare is fine for a short domestic trip if you’re only taking a small bag on board. If you’re checking in a suitcase, check whether luggage is included or add it during booking — it’s almost always cheaper to add luggage when booking than to pay at the airport.

Select your preferred fare and click Continue or Next.

Step 3 — Entering passenger details

This is the page where you fill in the details of everyone who is travelling. Take your time here — spelling mistakes on names can cause problems at the airport.

You’ll need to enter:

• Full name — exactly as it appears on your ID or passport
• ID number — for South African domestic flights
• Contact number
• Email address — this is where your booking confirmation will be sent

Double-check everything before moving on. Most airlines allow you to correct minor errors later, but it can be a hassle and sometimes costs a fee.

Step 4 — Adding extras

Before you get to payment, the website will usually offer you optional extras — travel insurance, car hire, a specific seat, extra luggage. These are not compulsory. You can scroll past or click “No thanks” on all of them if you don’t need them.

One worth considering: travel insurance. It’s usually offered for a nominal fee per person and covers you if you need to cancel due to illness or emergency. For older travellers especially, this is worth the small extra cost.

Step 5 — Payment

This is the step that makes many people nervous — paying online. Here’s what to know:

Check that the website is secure before entering any card details. Look at the address bar at the top of your browser. You should see a small padlock icon and the address should begin with https:// — the “s” stands for secure. If you don’t see this, do not enter your card details.

You’ll be asked to enter:

• Your card number — the 16 digits on the front of your card
• The expiry date — printed on the front as MM/YY (month/year)
• The CVV — the 3-digit number on the back of your card, usually next to the signature strip

Click Pay or Confirm payment.

Almost immediately, your bank will send an OTP (one-time PIN) to your registered phone number. This is your bank’s way of confirming that it’s really you making the payment. Type this number into the box that appears on screen and click Confirm. You have only a few minutes to do this before it expires, so have your phone next to you.

Remember: your bank or the airline will never phone you during this process asking for your OTP. If anyone does, it is a scam — hang up immediately.

Step 6 — Your booking confirmation email

Within a few minutes of completing payment, you’ll receive an email at the address you provided. This email is your booking confirmation and it is important — don’t delete it.

The confirmation email contains:

• Your booking reference number — usually 6 letters and numbers, like TFY4K2. Keep this safe — you’ll need it for check-in
• Your flight details — date, time, flight number, departure and arrival airports
• A summary of what you paid for

Save this email or take a screenshot of it. If anything goes wrong, this is your proof of booking. You can also forward it to a family member for safekeeping.

At this point your flight is booked. Well done — the hard part is done.

Step 7 — Online check-in

Between 24 and 1 hour before your flight, the airline will send you another email inviting you to check in online. Online check-in simply means confirming that you’re coming and selecting your seat — it takes about 5 minutes and avoids a long queue at the airport check-in desk.

Open the email and click the Check in button or link, or go directly to the airline’s website, find the “Check in” section, and enter your booking reference number and last name.

You’ll be asked to:

• Confirm your passenger details
• Choose a seat from a map of the plane (window, middle or aisle — your choice)
• Confirm whether you have bags to check in at the airport

Once done, you’ll be taken to your boarding pass.

Step 8 — Your boarding pass

This is what confuses most people — and it’s actually the simplest part once you understand what it is.

A boarding pass is simply your permission to board the plane. It used to be a printed paper document. Today it is usually a page on your phone screen or a PDF you can print at home.

Your boarding pass will show:

• Your name
• Your flight number
• Your departure and arrival airports
• Your departure date and time
• Your seat number
• Your boarding gate (sometimes — this is often only confirmed closer to the time at the airport)
• A QR code or barcode — a black and white square or series of lines that the airport scanner reads to let you through

How to save your boarding pass:

On a phone: After check-in, look for a button that says “Download boarding pass”, “Save to phone” or “Add to wallet.” Save it to your phone’s gallery or to Apple/Google Wallet. Take a screenshot as a backup.

On a computer: Download the PDF and either print it (the airport will accept a printed copy) or email it to yourself so you can open it on your phone at the airport.

The golden rule: Make sure you can access your boarding pass without needing an internet connection. Download it or screenshot it before you leave home. Airport Wi-Fi is unreliable, and you don’t want to be searching for an email while a queue builds up behind you.

At the airport — what to expect

Arrive with enough time — at least 90 minutes before a domestic flight. Airports are less stressful when you’re not rushing.

Here’s the sequence once you arrive:

1. Bag drop — if you have a suitcase to check in, go to the bag drop counter for your airline. Show your boarding pass (on your phone or printed) and your ID. They’ll take your bag and give you a luggage tag receipt — keep this.
2. Security — you’ll pass through a security checkpoint. Remove your laptop from your bag if you have one, take off your belt and watch, and place everything in the trays provided. Your phone goes through the scanner in a tray too — pick it up on the other side.
3. Finding your gate — look at the departure screens on the walls of the airport. Find your flight number and it will show your gate number and boarding time. Gates are labelled — follow the signs.
4. Boarding — when boarding is called, join the queue at your gate. Have your boarding pass ready on your phone screen (turn the brightness up so the scanner can read it) and your ID in hand. The scanner at the gate reads the QR code on your boarding pass and beeps you through.
5. On the plane — find your seat number, store your hand luggage in the overhead compartment, and settle in.

A few things worth knowing

Your phone battery matters. Make sure your phone is fully charged before you leave home. A dead phone means no boarding pass. Consider carrying a small power bank.

Airplane mode at takeoff. Once the crew asks, switch your phone to airplane mode. Swipe down from the top of your screen and tap the airplane icon. You can turn it off again once you’ve landed and the crew gives the go-ahead.

Screenshots are your friend. Screenshot your booking confirmation, your boarding pass, and your seat number before you leave home Wi-Fi. This way you have everything you need even without data or signal.

Keep your ID on you at all times — not in your checked luggage. You’ll need it at bag drop, at security, and sometimes at the gate.

Try this now

Next time you or a family member is planning to fly, sit down together and go through Steps 1 to 5 on the airline’s website without completing the payment — just to see how it works and what information is needed. Most airline websites let you get all the way to the payment page before you need to confirm anything. Familiarity with the process before you actually need to do it makes the real thing far less stressful.

Was this article helpful? Share it with someone who is planning to fly — it could save them a lot of stress at the airport.