$65 Find Cheap Flights from California to District of Columbia

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Low seasonAugust
Cheapest flight$65
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 11% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from Ontario to Reagan Washington National Airport

Flights from California to District of Columbia: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from California to District of Columbia 
karenFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-IADJun 2024
Personal tips are bring your own food if you're hungry; keep foot space as open as possible for leg room; pack your patience
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-IADJun 2024
Get to the airport on time because traffic in LA is unexpected

FAQs for booking flights from California to District of Columbia

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from California to District of Columbia?

    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 California to District of Columbia.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from California to District of Columbia 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 California to District of Columbia?

    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 California to District of Columbia 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 California to District of Columbia?

    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 California to District of Columbia up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to District of Columbia?

    California and District of Columbia are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (201 flights per week), Air New Zealand (190 flights per week), and Virgin Australia (171 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in District of Columbia?

    There are 2 airports in District of Columbia. The busiest airport is Washington Dulles Airport (IAD), with 59% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in District of Columbia?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in District of Columbia is Baltimore/Washington Airport (BWI), with an average flight price of $229.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to District of Columbia?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to District of Columbia is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $417. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $579 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to District of Columbia?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to District of Columbia is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $390 on average. Morning departures are around 17% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to District of Columbia is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $472.

  • What is the cheapest flight to District of Columbia?

    The cheapest ticket to District of Columbia from California found in the last 72 hours was to Baltimore, at $144 round-trip. The most popular route is Los Angeles (LAX) to Baltimore (BWI) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $144.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to District of Columbia?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to District of Columbia is July, when tickets cost $330 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are October and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $504 and $496 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from California to District of Columbia?

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to District of Columbia, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 47% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to District of Columbia?

    From California, there are direct flights to District of Columbia from 4 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Los Angeles, with 518 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to District of Columbia are there each day?

    There are around 161 direct flights from within California to District of Columbia every day. Most flights (63%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to District of Columbia are there each week?

    Each week there are around 1,122 direct flights from within California to District of Columbia. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to District of Columbia?

    An average nonstop flight from California to District of Columbia takes 6h 38m, covering a distance of 2312 miles. The shortest route is Las Vegas (LAS) to Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) with an average flight time of 4h 19m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to District of Columbia each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to District of Columbia. Instead, there are 1,122 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What is the most popular destination in District of Columbia?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Washington, D.C. (100% of total searches to District of Columbia).

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from California to District of Columbia

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to District of Columbia? 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.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11212 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.1Food
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

Check in went pretty well and you didn't lose my bag. After I got a drink from the drink cart they charged me for it, and at the crazy overpriced airport rates. Never had that happen before, is that an american thing? what madness.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Oct 2025SJC - SEA
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Check in went pretty well and you didn't lose my bag. After I got a drink from the drink cart they charged me for it, and at the crazy overpriced airport rates. Never had that happen before, is that an american thing? what madness.

Kayak I had marked one carry on, one checked bag. Yet when it completed the purchase marked it as no carry on. Fail on kayaks side! Then extended flight delayed due to computer issues. Crew of the plane did awesome but fail on both kayak and alaskan

In both halves of the trip (going and returning) there were problems. Not exactly Alaska's fault, but still really difficult. Outgoing flight was canceled and rebooked twice due to a total ground stop of all Alaska's flights. This required me to change airports with minimal notice and I almost missed my flight transferring to the other airport (which was roughly an hour and a half away). On the return, the first leg was delayed by an hour, and the second leg was delayed by nearly 3 hours. This was a rough set of flights and the communication about all of these changes was minimal. Crew did their best however, so no fault there. Other thing to remember is there is no food on Alaska flights unless you pre-order. Take that into account when you choose airlines.

Check in online didn't accept my confirmation number so i could only check in with assistance at the airport and ended up with s creepy middle seat.

I was delayed several times. Missed a very important event. The airline only provided a $12 voucher after being delayed 3 times.

It was the most expensive Alaska Airlines ticket I’ve ever purchased. I had a middle seat with no legroom or space compared to any other middle seat I’ve hadThere was a silver box under the seat that took up 70% of my legroom on the most narrow 737 max the crew flat out would not help they would not help with bags they would not help with garbage there was no coffee,It was definitely not one of my better experiences on Alaska.

Sitting on the ground for 2 hours waiting for a gate wasn't fun.

It was a great experience, friendly staff and good snacks

Online check in didn't work. Somehow ended up with 2 Alaska rewards numbers and 1 for Hawaiian. No one at check in could figure out what to do. No one at check in could help me confirm an upcoming flight on Hawaiian Airlines.

Flight was delayed 14 hours! We missed an entire day of our vacation and had to pay for hotel that we didn’t use

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

The flight used a B767 with a very old interior from before 2014. The entertainment system did not work at all during the flight despite attempts to reset the system. It was like they flew this route just to be competitive.

Delayed flight (1hour) plus a long layover after an overnight flight with no backup plane available.

Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.

My husband upgraded our seats and I don't know if it was due to the type of planet was or if they didn't upgrade our seats. We were supposed to be in I believe comfort seats and they were just as tight as any other seat- no leg room and we are very tall people but at least it wasn't extremely cold. My husband did put in a complaint about our seating because he paid extra and if we would have known that the space and the tightness would have been the same, we just would have gotten the emergency row emergency row seats that we normally get. We love Delta but both our flights coming home we're not good. Oh I forgot to mention that on our flight to Hawaii our luggage wheels got broke and we had to purse new luggage on vacation then we never had this problem so we didn't know protocol and reported it after we got home only for them to tell is we only had 24hrs to report the damage. Not sure what was going on with Delta this vacation trip.

Crew was excellent. Comfort seats not as nice as other kinds of planes.

It was a great flight and the stewards and stewardess were all kind and accommodating!! The seats were comfortable and entertainment screen excellent!

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

There was a security issue at the airport and we were unable to land. We circled endlessly and then landed at another airfield for fuel. We then circled the airport again, almost landed but didn’t fully touch down before circling again. I am thankful to the crew for keeping us safe- the issue was the airline and staff at the airport getting us seats on our connecting flights. That part was hours of searching for someone and getting in double my steps.

Most aspects were good however if they assign boarding zones they ought to enforce them or why bother? My luggage from SAN-JFK-MAD was lost in NY so I without my main bag for two days upon arrival in Spain. They were helpful in tracking it and eventually delivered it to my hotel. The flub was because of a delay upon arrival in NYC. I had booked 2 1/2 hours between flights but we had to hold on the taxiway for an hour after landing while waiting for a clear gate which likely caused the baggage error.

The flight attendants were great, I joked with one I can’t remember her name, a blond, really sweet. I thought it was run well very professional. This was great i survived Spirit, I know for which I speak.

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

IAD with the archaic people movers is just a place to be avoided.

I understand stuff happens, but plane failures are likely due to lack of maintenance. Additionally, air conditioning wasn't working, no snack/drink service, no WiFi. Fortunately, the crew was communicative and light-hearted. United grabbed another plane and we were able to get to our destination.

It is clear that someone knew, and competent, is in charge of food at United Airlines at least for the international flights. I was flying in coach, but the choices of the dinner were excellent. Tasty, and appropriate size. I had the beef, which was a little bit like a shepherds pie, and it was good. Nothing comparable has been served on a United flight in years. It will not be confused with three star food, but it is very good for airline food. Even better was the breakfast choice between a cinnamon roll and a breakfast sandwich. I chose the breakfast sandwich which was absolutely delicious and which I would happily order again at my local Starbucks or Panera. It is clear that someone knew indifferent is in charge of the food and it’s about time.

Stuck on tarmac for two hours plus a 5.5 hour flight. Rude flight attendant. And no meals, not even for purchase!

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

The flight was flawless and we even arrived between 20 and 25 minutes early!

Always seated jammed in rear of aircraft Admirals Club food at DFW terminal D was absolute worst food experience and I pay $600/year to eat this dried out junk

Mostly good. Flight was crowded but Airline personnel were very friendly & accommodating. It would be good to have savory snacks rather than just sweet Biscoff cookies.

It was a red eye flight, so no meals were provided, but it was fine with snacks. The seats felt cramped and almost too narrow.

Very crowded flight but what can you expect these days?? Crew was accommodating.

The seats in economy were appeared to be quite thin and lack sufficient cushioning to be comfortable. Perhaps it was my seating position but the plane seemed notably load.

The entertainment package was vast and the selections were very current. Keep updating it was great.

The seat was so hard my tailbone was aching The crew was kind of a b**** because I made a joke that I didn't care if they close the door I total c*** when she was trying to f****** act like she was mad at me because I said that The flight was bumpy. Sure you didnt have control over that.

After we'd boarded , they canceled the flight. The crew didn't even know , we just all received text messages. Then after they deplaned us , AA was just like "too bad, go F your self, we sure ain't gonna help you"

Initial flight was cancelled at the time of arrival to the airport, flight alternative requires switching from direct to flight with a layover, and the plane felt like it would split apart, it was so rattle-y.

This airline sucks. They offer low rates then charge you for everything, the app does not work well, the seats are the most uncomfortable. Maintenance issues on the flight, and you still have to sit through their credit card commercials. People are nice enough but does not make up for overall poor experience.

The worst. We never made our connection and they did absolutely nothing to help us at the airport.

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the turn-style feature at gate 209B at LAX. Very efficient process. The gate staff also made several, clearly directed announcements so I felt very informed.

The seats were awful, hard plastic covered in sheet vinyl. The airline tries to scam you into paying extra to get seat together when the flight wasn’t full. They were going to separate a family with young children but my wife who had a row to herself gave up her seat so the young mom could be with her young boys. I’m never giving this airline my money again.

It was a short flight so no food or entertainment….

Frontier had yet another flight cancellation. Have never made a complete round trip with this airline without at least one leg getting cancelled. Miserable flights - dirty, uncomfortable planes that apparently always have issues since I've had multiple delays and cancellations with them.

Flight was delayed 3 times, would have been nice to have received text message instead of email notifications. Frontier app wasn’t even updated accordingly, no gate number disclosed. No agent at front desk of gate to inform of delay. Very confused and left if the dark

They changed the timing , first delayed by 4 hours then went back to 40 mins late, we had to run back to airport to not miss our flight. This is ridiculous

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

Everything you need to know for your flight to District of Columbia

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