$621 Find Cheap Flights to California

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 1/8. 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.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
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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 Angeles1 stop$996
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$998
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,291
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$1,647
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,460
Fresno
Fresno2 stops$2,461
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$996
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$998
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,291
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$1,647
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,460
Fresno
Fresno2 stops$2,461

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

Fri, 24 Apr - Wed, 3 Jun
Fiji Airways Logo
11:35 - 13:05
BNE
-
LAX
18h 30m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 10:35
LAX
-
BNE
17h 40m
1 stop
$996Fiji Airways
Fri, 24 Apr - Wed, 3 Jun
Fiji Airways Logo
13:15 - 13:05
SYD
-
LAX
16h 50m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 11:50
LAX
-
SYD
18h 55m
1 stop
$996Fiji Airways
Wed, 13 May - Fri, 29 May
Fiji Airways Logo
11:35 - 13:55
BNE
-
SFO
19h 20m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
22:35 - 10:35
SFO
-
BNE
19h 00m
1 stop
$998Fiji Airways
Thu, 21 May - Wed, 3 Jun
Multiple Airlines Logo
06:00 - 13:05
BNE
-
LAX
24h 05m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
23:55 - 10:35
LAX
-
BNE
17h 40m
1 stop
$1,092Multiple Airlines
Mon, 1 Jun - Fri, 31 Jul
Multiple Airlines Logo
06:00 - 13:05
BNE
-
LAX
24h 05m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
23:55 - 10:35
LAX
-
BNE
17h 40m
1 stop
$1,184Multiple Airlines
Thu, 4 Jun - Tue, 9 Jun
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 10:20
MEL
-
SFO
21h 20m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
18:30 - 11:35
SFO
-
MEL
24h 05m
2 stops
$1,247Air Canada
Tue, 12 May - Tue, 19 May
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 10:20
MEL
-
SFO
21h 20m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
19:30 - 11:35
SFO
-
MEL
23h 05m
2 stops
$1,254Air Canada
Fri, 8 May - Sat, 23 May
United Airlines Logo
10:55 - 09:41
MEL
-
ONT
39h 46m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
05:00 - 08:15
ONT
-
MEL
58h 15m
2 stops
$1,431United Airlines
Wed, 10 Jun - Sat, 20 Jun
United Airlines Logo
10:55 - 12:12
MEL
-
ONT
18h 17m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
13:18 - 08:15
ONT
-
MEL
25h 57m
2 stops
$1,435United Airlines
Tue, 12 May - Tue, 19 May
Delta Logo
09:15 - 12:19
SYD
-
ONT
20h 04m
2 stops
Delta Logo
06:00 - 06:50
ONT
-
SYD
31h 50m
2 stops
$1,442Delta
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 San Francisco, at $997 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 $1,103.

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 $1,751 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $618 for the route Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Brisbane to Los Angeles which costs $1,879 on average, and Melbourne to Los Angeles, which costs $1,647 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 October, when tickets cost $1,406 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $2,045 and $1,874 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 $1,323 on average. Morning departures are around 35% 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 $2,418.

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 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 7% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 8 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 Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $1,550.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$621
Best time to beat the crowds (7% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (19% more expensive on average)
Flight from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to San Francisco

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 $1,653. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, when return prices are $1,776 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 Brisbane $3,085, from Melbourne $4,056, from Sydney $4,685
  • 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 237 reviews
8.5Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.2Boarding
8.1Comfort
7.6Food
Airline reviews

Fiji Airways always goes above and beyond. If anything I'd say the food was less enjoyable than in the past. But that in no way lessened the experience with the cabin crew or the excellent attentiveness and service they provided throughout the entire trip!

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

Fiji Airways always goes above and beyond. If anything I'd say the food was less enjoyable than in the past. But that in no way lessened the experience with the cabin crew or the excellent attentiveness and service they provided throughout the entire trip!

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

Great food, wonderful staff made a long flight seem short

Everything was great . Arrived on time was smooth plane was clean. Crew/Staff was friendly and helpful.

Everything from the staff to the comfort of business class was excellent. This is one of my new favorite airlines.

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

We have had an absolutely horrific experience so far getting home from Australia on a $18,000 + flight we booked with you. The flight did not deplane in Dallas because there was no available gate or staircase. We sat in the plane for 3 hours waiting to deplane. As a result we missed our connecting flight to New York. American Airlines put us up in a hotel several miles away. We waited 45 minutes for a shuttle and The shuttle driver was horribly rude and unhelpful. They offered us $70 vouchers for food but actually there was no food left when we arrived minus some chicken nuggets and corn dogs. It was awful. Horrible way to end a vacation. There has to be accountability here.

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.

Again, Fijian hospitality was genuine, very comfortable, only improvement would be the entertainment. Why Do they only have 5 episodes of TV shows and from like season three...

The flight was smooth and on time. Entertainment options were lacking and there was no food, other than some very boring snacks.

A better selection of entertainment would have been nice. I found nothing that appealed to me as a middle-aged traveler. The flight attendants were gracious, helpful, and attentive. It also would have been nice to have more bathrooms as the flight was full and the plane was big.

Appreciated the ability to get an earlier flight home after flying in from in from Japan. No problem with boarding or crew service. The limited choice of snacks, compared to previous years. Aircraft seats seem to be getting harder and more uncomfortable all the time. Overall, happy to be home

Great service. Food could be improved but overall a very good airline

Wonderful trip. Everyone from checking in to the gate to the flight itself was amazing - kind, helpful, and has a beautiful smile.

This flight was the second leg of a trip that began in Auckland, New Zealand. I was unable to find a way to select seats in advance. The boarding passes we were given in Auckland did not have seat assignments for the second flight. There was no way to check on it until personnel showed up at the gate in Los Angeles, immediately before boarding time. The flight was overbooked by one, and since I was traveling with my sister, we needed two seats. We waited in considerable anxiety for everyone else to board and when one person did not show up, we had to take whatever was left. At least we finally got on the flight although we were the very last to board. We were not able to sit together, of course.

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.

Nothing better than Air New Zealand. Top scores in every category.

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!

Good flight. On time. No problems. Plane was clean. Service was as you would expect. However nothing special, just a good flight.

Very friendly staff. No food service and no entertainment. Only 1hr 20min flight

High fees for excess checked baggage and somehow ridiculous rules for carry on bags.

Flight was late, food and drink an extra charge, my carry on is five rows behind me, and the seats are too narrow. Don’t ask me to be happy about it

I bought flights in August and there wasn’t a flight in the system

Our 6.30am flight was boarded then cancelled to fly at 10.55am . We were flying to Brisbane to attend a funeral at 12 noon an hour away . This means missing the funeral due to unreliability of Virgin . Unimpressed !!

It was with Link Airways and the Saab 340 jet was noisy and little comfort.

They didn’t sent my luggage I got it 24 hours later

Plane was late and they wouldn’t check our bags through to Tokyo

Overall experience was good but what really impressed me the most was the care the flight attendants took of a sick passenger who was sitting in front of me. The flight attendants would come and check on her quite regularly providing her support and comfort. Brilliant service!

On the Qantas flight, I could barely hear some of the announcements. It was better when I could read them on the screen.

Good check in and helpful staff. Delayed for 1 hour. Took about 45 Mins to get baggage’s at DFW . Food was average ( Hindu meal ) . Overall it was good experience

Our boarding and flight was very good. However when we landed and pulled in to the gate it took 55 minutes for the jet bridge to be positioned next to the aircraft. That caused us to miss our ground transportation and it caused us unnecessary last minute transit planning and expense. Our flight was AA1733 on March 17, 2026

We booked with Qantas instead of Delta and we instead flew on American Airlines. American is not our favorite to go on. No leg room and the width of seats are a joke. Your are packed like sardines on American flights.

My experience was great overall. Tanya was particularly friendly and helpful the entire trip. I was very pleased with her customer service skills. The plane was an older aircraft but the entire way was comfortable with barely any turbulence at all. Qantas should speed up its fleet renovation. Totally recommend using this airline.

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.

Qantas is always subpar beyond comfy chairs for a domestic flight

an hour late, then had to disembark on back stairs and take 4 flights up to get to main airport. No warning, and difficulty for those with canes and poor knees.

Flight arrived late with no one to help over 30 people rebook. I slept at the airport.

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

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

we did a return flight from Paris CDG to SFO. This trip was much better than the departing flight SFO to CDG. The food was better quality, the crew was nicer, and the interior of the plane seemed cleaner.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

We got to get extended leg room in Econ plus that was great. It was nice having our own dietary needs met with our meals, and the connecting flights had it as well. Only negative were the seats my bottom was/is really sore after a ten plus hour flight. Those seats are horrible, understandable for as many people use them. So we are going to purchase a gel seat pad.

Flight to Japan was was better across the board than the return to USA. Entertainment: Movie selection was old and not to my liking. Way too many woke choices. Not enough selections for sports or drama. Service: some of the crew were great. Not all. I paid for business class. a premium. Some of the crew thought they 'had' t do there job instead of wanting to serve and be polite. Food: Way to Japan was good. Way back to USA bad. Boarding: Wat out did not offer Business only; had to go thru general. If you pay for business, you should get business perks. Suggest you look for other than United for travel to Asia

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

The head flight attendant made the trip excellent. He was very accommodating.

The economy seats on the 777 was not as cramped as I had feared, but the food was terrible.

Terrible experience! delay 2 time and say i dont have ticket

It was amazing. I had several upgraded seats on my flight out. Everything went smooth with no delays.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California