$494 Find Cheap Flights from Australia to California

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
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

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

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

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

Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

Get data-powered insights and trends for 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 round-trip 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 $888 round-trip. The most popular route is Brisbane (BNE) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $888.

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 $966 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,396 and $1,343 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 round-trip flights cost $996 on average. Morning departures are around 18% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,177.

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 the flight from Australia to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 12% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 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 $914.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$474
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 6% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 18% increase in price.
Flight from Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) to San Francisco

Flights from Australia to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Australia 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
Sep 2024
Ensure you have 2-3 hours layover You’ll likely need unless you don’t mind missing your next flight

FAQs for booking flights from Australia to California

  • 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 travelers 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 round-trip 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 Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $1,132. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $1,277 on average.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Australia 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 240 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.5Entertainment
8.1Comfort
7.5Food
8.6Crew
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.

Everything went smoothly, although the usual gripes about airline travel were still present: the boarding process is inefficient, the snack selection is limited, and so on. Since there was extra space on the flight, the gate agent rearranged many people's seats to put people on the aisles and windows, leaving the middle seats empty, as much as possible, which was pretty great.

While they turned off most cabin lights to allow people to sleep, I was bothered by how bright the side lights still were. It was still quite bright for me in a window seat, when I wish I could have slept!

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The usb chargers would work only occasionally for 5 mins and wouldn’t charge after that. Had to keep trying repeatedly at each of the seats in the row.

The crew bent over backwards to thank us for flying and make us comfortable. The food service was quick and efficient. The Captain communicated and said goodbye and thank you as we departed. They really stood out!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

my mom urmila patel needed a wheelchair which was not available on the curbside. she needed to walk almost 50 meters inside (at the risk of falling) and then had to wait in line to get a wheelchair (this is not ok). Once obtained she had to seat in it for 30-45 minutes for someone to take her in thru the checkin process (which was fairly smooth and easy). the lady who helped her with her checkin process was very courteous and helpful

Staff at the check-in counter were friendly, happy and helpful. They tagged our bags and sent us to “bag drop off” but were not very clear about where that was. The airport was busy we headed off in what we thought was the right direction until a gentleman waved us down and actually came after us. He was the baggage handler for Delta and recognized our “deer in the headlights “ look-he brought us to the right area (which was marked as the Southwest Airlines Drop Off) and sent us on our way. Wonderful guy, low key and working with a big smile on his face. Loved it. Loved him.

Arlene was a great flight attendant. I also liked how one of the other flight attendants gave us a heads up about snacks and asked everyone to remove their headphones when it was their turn to order. Good idea.

I haven’t flown economy in over 20 years but it was not bad. Room by my feet for my bag and seat was roomy enough. Surprised in a good way.

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.

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.

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.

Several missed and almost missed connections. It felt like everything was being patched together last minute without enough resources and it ended up being an extremely stressful experience that basically ruined our weekend on the west coast. What a waste.

Dinner was good, but the breakfast served in the morning was horrible.

Packed in plane small uncomfortable seats elbow to elbow nobody wants to be in that situation for the money they paid

American delayed the flight for a crew rest period. The delay occurred late in the evening - the earliest i can find is 10:20 pm. With a 6 am flight anyone on the flight would have already have been asleep (unless you are insane, a vampire or on drugs) and at least for me i was already on the way to the airport at 445 am the next morning when i discovered they delayed the flight until 9 am. Given the incoming flight was in the air at 6 pm the evening before this should have been figured out a lot more timely that was there only crew to use. Just frustrating given there is no consideration for customer experience anymore in flying.

Flight: Started on time. Comfortable flight. Arrived on time. Crew: Very cordial and helpful. Drinks and snack was served with a smile. Overall enjoyed the trip. Regards, Hari Doss Chanchala Doss

To have arrived on time and not 3 hours late after having already spent $100 to change to an earlier flight, only to arrive back home close to the original flight time.

American Airlines is a miserable experience. It is predictably miserable, in the sense that every time I fly American, I brace myself for the certainty that it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable. But it is unpredictable in the sense that I never know if the flight will be on time or delayed nine hours (both happened to me this week). I never know if I will be able to sit in the seat that I selected when I purchased the ticket or if I will be told by Customer Service (!!!) that I must relocate from first class to a seat in the back of the aircraft with no explanation (both happened to me this week). Will the food be frozen and half defrosted, or scalding hot? Will the drinks be warm? Will the flight attendants be surly and mean? Will the toilets be cramped and foul? Will the seats be narrow and uncomfortable? Will there be a real electric outlet at the seat, or just an unreliable USB-2 port? Will there be enough seats in the boarding lounge or just a few? Will the boarding process be smooth and efficient, or will the gate agents mess it up and delay it needlessly for 30 or 40 minutes? Will the catering and cleaning crew be prompt or will they take an extra 30 minutes? Will the brakes on the aircraft work properly, or will the pilot delay takeoff for four hours while the ground crew attends to what can only be described as routine maintenance that should have been done the night before? I've eexperienced every one of these unpleasant things this year, 2026. The only thing I can reliably count on is that American will find a new way to make the experience of flying as miserable as they possibly can.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Buying ticket from kayak instant booking was a huge mistake, never to be repeated again! The Kayak didn’t book the tickets directly, it handed it off to a third party Underpricer, that booked a code shared American Airlines flight operated by Cathay Pacific!! When managing the booking American Airlines would recognize the itinerary but wouldn’t let me do anything stating, the flight is operated by Cathay Pacific so go to their website. Cathay Pacific would recognize the itinerary, neither by reservation ID or ticket number…asking to reach out to the third party Underpricer….calling Underpricer resulted in no help like seat requests, mileage number or upgrade request, 15hr layover accommodation voucher guidance…so net in net avoid booking through three layers of intermediaries

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Flight was on time. Cabin attendants made no recognition of my name or being an Advantage Executive Platinum member.

Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to California

Cabin classes available on flights to California. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.