$634 Find Cheap Flights to California – Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Australia to California departing on 23/7. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights to California

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angelesdirect$1,004
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,125
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,342
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,168
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,075
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$2,879
Los Angeles
Los Angelesdirect$1,004
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,125
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,342
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,168
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,075
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$2,879

Book Cheap California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to California that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to California

Thu, 6 Aug - Wed, 12 Aug
Delta Logo
09:15 - 06:05
SYD
-
LAX
13h 50mdirect
Delta Logo
23:00 - 06:50
LAX
-
SYD
14h 50mdirect
$1,004Delta
Sat, 7 Nov - Sat, 21 Nov
Fiji Airways Logo
14:00 - 12:00
SYD
-
LAX
17h 00m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
22:35 - 12:35
LAX
-
SYD
19h 00m
1 stop
$1,015Fiji Airways
Mon, 20 Jul - Wed, 5 Aug
Qantas Airways Logo
09:10 - 06:00
SYD
-
LAX
13h 50mdirect
Qantas Airways Logo
22:55 - 07:05
LAX
-
SYD
15h 10mdirect
$1,016Qantas Airways
Mon, 19 Oct - Tue, 10 Nov
Qantas Airways Logo
10:10 - 06:00
SYD
-
LAX
13h 50mdirect
Qantas Airways Logo
22:35 - 09:00
LAX
-
SYD
15h 25mdirect
$1,017Qantas Airways
Wed, 15 Jul - Tue, 18 Aug
Qantas Airways Logo
09:10 - 06:00
SYD
-
LAX
13h 50mdirect
Qantas Airways Logo
22:55 - 07:05
LAX
-
SYD
15h 10mdirect
$1,019Qantas Airways
Sun, 9 Aug - Mon, 10 Aug
United Airlines Logo
09:30 - 23:02
SYD
-
SFO
30h 32m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
23:00 - 06:55
SFO
-
SYD
14h 55mdirect
$1,125United Airlines
Mon, 20 Jul - Wed, 5 Aug
United Airlines Logo
10:20 - 12:12
SYD
-
ONT
18h 52m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
18:39 - 06:55
ONT
-
SYD
19h 16m
1 stop
$1,198United Airlines
Mon, 27 Jul - Tue, 11 Aug
Lufthansa Logo
10:20 - 22:37
SYD
-
ONT
29h 17m
1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
13:56 - 06:55
ONT
-
SYD
23h 59m
1 stop
$1,200Lufthansa
Thu, 1 Oct - Sun, 18 Oct
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 12:11
MEL
-
SFO
23h 11m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
16:35 - 12:35
SFO
-
MEL
26h 00m
2 stops
$1,368Air Canada
Mon, 12 Oct - Mon, 2 Nov
Air Canada Logo
06:15 - 10:20
MEL
-
SFO
22h 05m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
18:53 - 14:35
SFO
-
MEL
24h 42m
2 stops
$1,388Air Canada
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to California?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to California from Australia found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $908 return. The most popular route is Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $908.

How much is a flight to California?

The average and cheapest price for all round-trip flights to California from each origin found by users searching on KAYAK in the last month.

A flight to California costs $1,312 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $630 for the route Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Melbourne to Los Angeles which costs $1,608 on average, and Brisbane to Los Angeles, which costs $2,106 on average.

See prices from:

What is the cheapest month to fly from Australia to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from Australia to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Australia to California is August, when tickets cost $728 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,119 and $1,098 respectively.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

The average price for all round-trip flights from Australia to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, when retur flights cost $1,326 on average. Morning departures are around 34% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $2,539.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Australia to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below-average price on a flight from Australia to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 9% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in California?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in California is San Francisco Airport (SFO), with an average flight price of $875.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$634
Best time to beat the crowds (4% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (22% more expensive on average)
Flight from Sydney to Los Angeles

Flights to California: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew to California 
CharlesFlew with WestJet
MEL
-
LAX
Dec 2025
I had 5.5 hrs between my flight to LA and my flight from LA to Calgary. I barely made it! The plane to Calgary was loading by the time I got through in-flight delays, then inbound US customs, luggage pick-up, luggage drop-off, then TSA checks as I re-entered the secure zone, then fast-walk to the outbound gate. LAX is a difficult airport, designed last century when air travel was much more relaxed. So: plan for WAY more time there than you’d ever want.
Verified travelerFlew with United Airlines
SYD
-
LAX
Jan 2025
Bring some extra food! Long flight, you don’t get enough and quality is mediocre. No free snacks in between meals except for mini pretzels.
AurianneFlew with United Airlines
SYD
-
SFO
Sept 2024
Ensure you have 2-3 hours layover You’ll likely need unless you don’t mind missing your next flight

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Australia to California?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Australia to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Australia to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Australia to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Australia to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from Australia to California with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Australia to California?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Australia to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Wednesday when return tickets can be as cheap as $1,603. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, when return prices are $1,760 on average.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for cheap airfare to California? 25% of our users found return tickets to California for the following prices or less: From Melbourne $3,645, from Brisbane $3,822, from Sydney $3,843
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest California flight deals.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from Australia to California. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Australia to California? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 246 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.1Comfort
8.6Crew
7.5Food
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Left on time , arrived on time. Staff was awesome!!!!! Great flight!!!!

10.0 ExcellentNick, Mar 2026
NAN - LAX
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

Left on time , arrived on time. Staff was awesome!!!!! Great flight!!!!

A bit cramped in economy and the people in front wouldn’t put their seats up during meal service, crew did not help with that and I felt they could have done more about it.

The airline is ok, but it needs to improve it schedules.

In-flight entertainment options could use a refresh, Consider a tie-up with Spotify for more current music and with IMDB or other service for newer selections/movie ratings.

6 hour delay and they didnt try to make up any time during an over 10 hour flight

Entertainment was not good. Seems like liquor should’ve been advertised only beer and wine was even though I saw others getting liquor didn’t realize I could. And the food to me could’ve been a little bit.

Better connections, much better cabin crew, much cleaner cabin that Qantas, American and probably other carriers.

The flight attendants were extremely friendly and helpful. Everything ran on time. I highly recommend Fiji Airways.

Very clean aircraft. Friendly staff. New plane. Food quality was good. Not my flavor but I saw the effort.

I never went and I’ve tried calling to cancel the flight see if I can postpone for another date but every time they’ll transfer me to another personal.

The Premium Economy seats were very comfortable and the food was quite tasty. I did not use the entertainment system, but I was able to charge my phone and tablet with the seatback connection.

We had difficulty checking in as United didn’t recognize the confirmation number and the agent was not helpful. We went to the United Assistance desk where the agent was able to process our reservation. We also weren’t allowed to choose seats in advance.

Air New Zealand over sold our flight and tried to bump us to yesterday. After several calls we got booked to United about 6 hrs before our original flight. No apologies!

Please add more Bollywood movies and recent movies to the entertainment.

Flight was delayed by 2 hours. Got lucky that i had a long connection, else would have certainly missed my connecting flight. Food is just okay, specially the breakfast is worse . Asked for water 30 mins before landing, the response is that we are landing so everything is packed . I guess traveling in economy that’s what we get. Probably business class passengers would get a different answer. Only good thing is that wifi service is available from auckland to lax for most part Next time will try united or American and then compare.

Great except paying $240 usd for 2 pounds over on a checked luggage. Outrageous.

Kayak did not propagate my United miles account and I had to manually get credit.

Service was excellent and they’re very helpful and nice

Not a comfortable trip, the seats are not good, and they look old.

Couldn’t request a vegan meal somehow but I noticed other people getting them

Loved the food and beverages available, spacious economy class, excellent entertainment

Very good overall. Highly recommend for all flying to Australia

We had bulkhead seats in a A380 in the upper deck in seats 31 D and E. Storage was very limited other than in overhead bin - which is not within reach when in seat. Yet paying same price as others in premium economy who have a lot more storage within arm’s reach. Seems very unfair.

When I originally booked this flight, I was expecting to travel on Qantas. When the itinerary changed and the long-haul segment was operated by American Airlines, we were disappointed but remained open-minded. Unfortunately, the overall service experience fell far short of expectations. This was a long-haul international flight. Getting up periodically to use the restroom or stretch is inevitable, especially on flights of this duration. However, each time we stood up, we felt as though we were inconveniencing the crew. The tone and body language often suggested that we were in the way or disrupting something simply by moving about the cabin. As a result, I avoided getting up as often as I needed to and was physically very sore upon arrival. Meal service was similarly impersonal. The options were presented in single words “beef or veggie,” “pasta or beef” without any description of what was actually being served. There was little engagement or courtesy beyond that. Even simple expressions of gratitude were often not acknowledged. I am accustomed to no-frills travel and do not expect luxury. What was disappointing was not the absence of extras, but the absence of basic warmth and professionalism. On a long-haul international flight, small moments of courtesy and humanity make a significant difference. In this case, the experience felt transactional and dismissive rather than welcoming. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as there is a meaningful difference between efficient service and indifferent service.

Business seats not as comfortable or private as most competitors (e.g. Qantas was outstanding), and movie selection was much more limited than Qantas or United has been recently

Hard to move and get out of my seat when the passenger in front is in recline position.

I tried to check in online but was unable to do so. I stood in line for nearly two hours to check in. American Airlines was understaffed. When I finally got to the kiosk to check in, I was still unable to check in. No AA staff was available to help. Finally one of the airport security agents who was helping passengers became of lack of AA Staff told me: “I think the reason you can’t check in is that you are starting your name with an upper case letter when you write it. Just write it with all lower case letters.” That did allow me to check in. HOW COULD ANYONE POSSIBLY KNOW THAT IF THEY USE AN INITIAL UPPER CASE LETTER TO SPELL THEIR OWN NAME, AA WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO CHECK IN?????? Then I had to wait in line over half an hour again to drop off my baggage. Although I arrived at the airport 3 hours early, by the time I got to the gate, they had already started boarding.

Their aircraft are old and amenities lack way behind other international carriers leaving from BNE. Even in economy

Friendly staff, surprisingly good premium economy seats allowing good sleep/ snooze opportunity and very good menu.

Top notch service, good selection of snack and meal options, generous accommodation for luggage, and great selection of in cabin entertainment. I really appreciate the offering of pillows, blankets, sleep mask, tb&paste, and earplugs. The only complaint I can make was that my seat was horribly uncomfortable and lacked cushion.

The airline was fine, but I did want to share about Kayak's error through Underpricer. The original booking was purchased with ANA, and Kayak booked it with United. This is a mistake that should not be happening, since the price I paid was with ANA and that was my preference. I appreciate the efforts done to make this right by paying for the seat preference, but sitting in the back of the airplane under economy is not enough to make this error right. ANA Airlines was the experience I wanted considering this was a life time experience that my family and I wanted to have as part of our Japanese experience. Please work on your affiliation with Underpricer to make the right bookings that the customer pays for. In my situation, I could of paid less for a United ticket versus my original payment with ANA Airlines.

Uncomfortable plastic seats even in premium economy. No free wifi. Even paid wifi was spotty to nonexistent. Bad food. Much worse than economy on foreign carriers like Qantas.

Good flight. However, when booked flight with United, assumed the layover included by United in San Francisco of 1 hr and 40 minutes was sufficient . Not so and would recommend at least 2 hours or more. Needed to go through US immigration (very long lineups), then pick up bags, take all the way to another terminal, running because we did not have sufficient time. We made the flight because they held the door for us but luggage didn’t follow.

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

I found the staff to not be very attentive at all. When paying for Business Class you expect a certain type of service and that was not found. They were almost rude even

Great. Food going from Australia to the US was better than other way around, but still needs improvement in terms of quality and quantity!!!

Crew seemed annoyed by the fact we were there. Very unpleasant

Due to a cancelled flight the day before this flight only had 44 people. Best flight ever on international route. Food getting better. Can United provide fruit ex apples and bananas for snacks? Crew fantastic.

Honestly didn’t like anything. Crew was in rush . Food was ok and there was no whiskey. Have to pay extra $ if you want to drink whiskey . They only provide wine and beer.

Compared to other international Airlines the infotainment system is need of overhaul. Doesn't have music it's got a limited selection of movies but I was impressed that an American airline was showing the documentary on John Farnham an Australian singer!

not able to change flight, no customer service from KAYAK

Smooth ride but I wish they have better food selections.

Aircraft is designed with all 3 washrooms at the back of the plane, meaning that when there is service underway, there are no washrooms available and it gets very crowded at the back of the plane.

gave me complimentary food as the flight was not full and was attentive to my needs

The flight was smooth, the plane was spacious and clean, the staff was kind and the food was decent.

Flight crew was great, and even the crew for checking bags! I had a question for a friend of mine flying tomorrow and the man I talked to was awesome and answered my questions and looked up things for me when he didn’t have to! I was able to give her current & accurate info for her flight and she was so appreciative too!!

Crew at gate and onboard were just very OK, not very friendly and honestly seemed bothered to be there. I will give a shout out to still selling headphones for those who forgot.

Very disappointed with premier lounge. Food selection very poor, both coffee machines out of order. For the price you charge for an upgrade, the seats don’t fully recline, movie selection is old. Not very good value. Asian airlines are light years ahead at a more affordable price.

The flight was delayed, but not for weather. We landed over 3hrs later than planned.

The stag were helpful, kind and liked the passengers. The plane was pristinely clean! Great flight!

Everything you need to know for your flight to California