$673 Find Cheap Flights from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne 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 in flight searches from Melbourne to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Melbourne to California.
Travellers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 18% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Melbourne to California

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$1,015
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,015
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,310
San Jose
San Jose3 stops$1,498
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$1,015
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,015
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$1,310
San Jose
San Jose3 stops$1,498

Book Cheap Melbourne to California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights from Melbourne 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 from Melbourne to California

Fri, 2 Oct - Fri, 16 Oct
Fiji Airways Logo
13:30 - 13:05
MEL
-
LAX
16h 35m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 13:05
LAX
-
MEL
19h 10m
1 stop
$1,015Fiji Airways
Fri, 12 Jun - Fri, 17 Jul
Fiji Airways Logo
13:30 - 13:55
MEL
-
SFO
17h 25m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:25 - 22:35
SFO
-
MEL
30h 10m
1 stop
$1,015Fiji Airways
Wed, 22 Apr - Fri, 24 Jul
Fiji Airways Logo
13:25 - 13:05
MEL
-
LAX
16h 40m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:55 - 12:00
LAX
-
MEL
19h 05m
1 stop
$1,018Fiji Airways
Fri, 22 May - Fri, 29 May
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 11:50
MEL
-
SAN
22h 50m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
16:55 - 12:00
SAN
-
MEL
26h 05m
2 stops
$1,310Air Canada
Fri, 22 May - Fri, 29 May
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 20:55
MEL
-
SAN
31h 55m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
16:55 - 12:00
SAN
-
MEL
26h 05m
2 stops
$1,314Air Canada
Wed, 6 May - Mon, 18 May
Delta Logo
10:00 - 16:03
MEL
-
LGB
23h 03m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:44 - 07:50
LGB
-
MEL
26h 06m
2 stops
$1,332Delta
Wed, 6 May - Sun, 17 May
Delta Logo
10:00 - 16:09
MEL
-
BUR
23h 09m
2 stops
Delta Logo
16:50 - 07:50
BUR
-
MEL
46h 00m
2 stops
$1,332Delta
Fri, 24 Apr - Fri, 8 May
United Airlines Logo
10:55 - 12:20
MEL
-
ONT
18h 25m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
18:59 - 08:15
ONT
-
MEL
20h 16m
1 stop
$1,396United Airlines
Fri, 24 Apr - Fri, 8 May
United Airlines Logo
10:55 - 12:20
MEL
-
ONT
18h 25m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
18:59 - 08:15
ONT
-
MEL
20h 16m
1 stop
$1,398United Airlines
Fri, 3 Jul - Mon, 3 Aug
Air New Zealand Logo
10:55 - 11:49
MEL
-
BUR
17h 54m
1 stop
Air New Zealand Logo
18:42 - 08:15
BUR
-
MEL
20h 33m
1 stop
$2,653Air New Zealand
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Melbourne to California flights

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

How much is a return flight from Melbourne Airport to California?

This analysis is based on the cheapest return trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Melbourne Airport to California departing in October.

What is the cheapest Melbourne Airport to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from Melbourne Airport found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $1,147 return. The most popular route is from Melbourne Airport (MEL) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $1,147.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from Melbourne Airport 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 $1,216 on average. Morning departures are around 21% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,555.

Can I save money by flying with a stopover from Melbourne Airport to California?

The average return price for all direct flights, flights with one stopover, and flights with two stopovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $1,168, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Melbourne Airport to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Melbourne Airport 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 Melbourne Airport to California is August, when tickets cost $1,090 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of return tickets is $1,422 and $1,369 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to California?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Melbourne Airport to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If you are looking for a flight deal from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to California, look for departures on Mondays and avoid leaving on a Saturday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from California, Monday is the cheapest day to fly and Friday is the most expensive.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Melbourne Airport 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 Melbourne Airport to California, you should book around 8 weeks before departure, which saves you about 16% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$673
Best time to beat the crowds (8% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (17% more expensive on average)
Flight from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to San Francisco

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) 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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from Melbourne to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Melbourne to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. 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 Melbourne 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 239 reviews
8.6Crew
8.2Boarding
7.5Entertainment
7.5Food
8.1Comfort
Airline reviews

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

8.0 ExcellentJoseph, Apr 2026
NAN - HNL
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

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.

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

Boarded on time, smooth flight and "gentle" landing in Palmerston North. Ahead of time due to a tailwind

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

My experience with Underpricer was not great. The representative assigned to me did not tell me beforehand that selecting seats, which i could not do through ANZ, WOULD ADD SIGNIFICANT cost to my ticket (all flight segments were reg economy seats. The seat selections for the ticket, MCI-AKL, AKL-PER, PER-MCI, cost $284 USD. I WAS NOT TOLD AHEAD OF SELECTING SEATS chosen by the rep OF THE COSTS and never received an itemized invoice of the seat selections.). The costs of seat selection, an option solicited as a service, with no mention of costs, should have been disclosed to me prior to seat selection and certaily should have been itemized. For all I know, the $284 was not referred from the airline but made up and taken directly by Underpricer. Next, when i checked in, united couldnt find my ticket. This is probably why i didnt get a seat selection on that flight and couldnt check in online, despite Underpricer prompts to do so a week before departure, or at the kiosk at the airport. I had to wait for special help at the counter, then was told that because the flight segment, MCI-IAH, operated by United Airlines via the ANZ. ticket, had changed schedule slightly since I BOOKED MY FLIGHT, the MCI-IAH segment had been decoupled from the rest of the ticket because the IAH layover was now 12.5 hrs AND DID NOT QUALIFY AS A THROUGH FLIGHT TO AKL.. This meant my checked bag could not be checked through to AKL and id have to pick it up at IAH, THEN WAIT MOST OF the long layover WITH the large checked bag until ANZ counter in IAH OPENED for checkING just prior to the flight. Apparently, although underpricer had notified me of schedule changes, they did not update the ANZ TICKET, leading to this problem. Finallly, although I RECHECKED TH BAG IN At IAH 3.5-4 hours before the scheduled departure and the IAH-AKL segment was a direct flight, ANZ LOST MY bag and it took 4 days to find it and get it to me. Not fun.

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.

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.

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!

Very quick flight so no time for refreshments. We took off. Then landed. The end. Seats were too tight. Very cramped Grateful for the short flight cos moving around wasn’t possible

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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

Flight was 2.5 hours late leaving. We spent 50 minutes of that sitting on the plane with no explanation. They did reduce the time in the air so we arrived a little less late which was something. The cheese and crackers were okay but the wine was terrible.

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

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.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Melbourne to California

Information on your arrival and departure airports