$664 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 13/9. 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$1,009
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,225
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$1,351
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,422
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,312
Fresno
Fresno2 stops$2,707
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$1,009
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,225
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$1,351
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,422
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$1,312
Fresno
Fresno2 stops$2,707

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, 19 Jun - Fri, 26 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
$1,009Fiji Airways
Tue, 14 Jul - Tue, 28 Jul
Fiji Airways Logo
06:15 - 13:05
SYD
-
LAX
23h 50m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 22:10
LAX
-
SYD
29h 15m
1 stop
$1,010Fiji Airways
Tue, 21 Jul - Tue, 4 Aug
Fiji Airways Logo
13:15 - 13:05
SYD
-
LAX
16h 50m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 22:10
LAX
-
SYD
29h 15m
1 stop
$1,012Fiji Airways
Sun, 7 Jun - Wed, 29 Jul
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
$1,013Fiji Airways
Wed, 22 Jul - Tue, 28 Jul
Air Canada Logo
10:00 - 13:37
BNE
-
LAX
20h 37m
1 stop
Air Canada Logo
17:05 - 07:05
LAX
-
BNE
21h 00m
1 stop
$1,180Air Canada
Thu, 4 Jun - Wed, 10 Jun
Air Canada Logo
10:15 - 13:34
BNE
-
LAX
20h 19m
1 stop
Air Canada Logo
14:35 - 07:05
LAX
-
BNE
23h 30m
1 stop
$1,202Air Canada
Wed, 3 Jun - Tue, 28 Jul
Multiple Airlines Logo
06:00 - 16:58
SYD
-
LAS
27h 58m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
06:50 - 07:20
LAS
-
SYD
31h 30m
1 stop
$1,216Multiple Airlines
Thu, 4 Jun - Wed, 10 Jun
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:15 - 13:34
BNE
-
LAX
20h 19m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
17:05 - 11:30
LAX
-
BNE
25h 25m
2 stops
$1,229Multiple Airlines
Wed, 18 Nov - Wed, 9 Dec
United Airlines Logo
11:50 - 20:20
SYD
-
ONT
27h 30m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
13:33 - 06:20
ONT
-
SYD
21h 47m
1 stop
$1,365United Airlines
Thu, 11 Jun - Tue, 16 Jun
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
$1,366United Airlines
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 $1,150 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 $1,150.

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 $1,602 on average. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks was $752 for the route Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX). The most popular routes on KAYAK are Sydney to Los Angeles which costs $1,949 on average, and Brisbane to Los Angeles, which costs $2,414 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 $1,369 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,940 and $1,886 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 $1,255 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 $2,423.

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 Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $1,172.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$664
Best time to beat the crowds (4% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (20% 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 Monday when return tickets can be as cheap as $1,530. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, when return prices are $1,656 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 $3,542, from Melbourne $4,240, from Sydney $4,755
  • 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 242 reviews
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
8.2Boarding
8.1Comfort
7.6Food
Airline reviews

Boarding had poor communication. Passengers didn't get clear directions to prepare for Boarding. The plane was an older model which had some issues with operating the seats (the staff was great). Due to age the seat cushions were compressed and less comfortable than expected.

8.0 ExcellentStarlet, May 2026
SFO - NAN
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

Boarding had poor communication. Passengers didn't get clear directions to prepare for Boarding. The plane was an older model which had some issues with operating the seats (the staff was great). Due to age the seat cushions were compressed and less comfortable than expected.

I thought Fiji and Fiji Airways was great. Looking forward to the next trip. Baggage claim at the end went to sh...t

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.

We got to experience Premium Economy from Sydney to Auckland and it was a great experience wiht Air New Zealand. The crew was friendly and helpful.

Great airline service by the staff. I highly recommend it

Time to upgrade those planes so you can provide first class.

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

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.

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.

There were no food or entertainment on this short flight. Friendly staff even before getting on the flight. The seats were snug but it was quick flight

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

We had a cancellation due to weather, but the American Airlines staff was very helpful. Once we got on a plane, the trip was great.

Great food and good entertainment options for the long flight.

It seems that qantas are trying hard to regain their status as Australia's premier airline. I only flew economy but happy with the service entertainment, food, configuration everything.

I never flew with alliance. Kayak is a joke and none of the flights or times were correct. Won’t ever use kayak again

I missed my flight due to unforeseen circumstances It was, however , an excellent price !

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

Very good overall. Highly recommend for all flying to Australia

Helpful staff when I felt unwell. Qantas need to have an audio/music channel so you can listen to various music/.artists

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.

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

First class ticket gets you no seat back entertainment? I have to bring my own laptop to see a movie? And most of their movies have ADS? No thank you. Worse: Tiny snacks only on a 2 hr flight?

Late plane. Only one crew on the ground so we b had to wait for Denver flight to come in, board, and depart. At 78 yrs of age I was not pleased trying to get my connection. What really made me angry was the notification you sent me to hurry up or I would miss my connection. Why tell me to hurry up when you got me in late. It was not a good way of treating customers.

No complaints other than luggage carousel was incorrectly guiding passengers to the wrong carousel on the screen.

Seats were not super comfortable and food was not good at all. If I had a chance I would definitely fly a different airline. Of course they are better than any budget airline, but not by much.

Flew steerage class. Short on leg room unless you pay more. No window unless you pay more. Etc. United is trying to squeeze every cent from you. It doesn’t make for any loyalty.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

Outstanding service, great food, friendly & efficient crew, safe & comfortable flight

Staff were not attentive, wifi did not work, cut my head in the bathroom due to the position of the soap on the sink, had blood running down my face, told staff, they had no expression no sympathy, didn't even say "sorry", they said "oh we will have a look at that" about 10 mins later the purser brought me a bandaid, still no sorry.... Shocking

The crew was great. Very friendly and responsive. The plane was old, small and tight. We ran out of overhead space and I had to check. Middle seat was particularly tight.

The flight was delayed from take off because only one runway was operational in San Francisco.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California