$46 Find Cheap Flights from California to Iowa - Compare and Save

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Cheap Flights from California to Iowa

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Sort by: Cheapest
Omaha
2h 35mNonstop
from $96per person
Des Moines
2h 50mNonstop
from $101per person
Cedar Rapids
3h 09mNonstop
from $127per person
Moline
3h 10mNonstop
from $216per person
Sioux City
5h 23m2 stops
from $344per person
Useful Info

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$46
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 11% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from Las Vegas to Omaha

FAQs for booking flights from California to Iowa

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from California to Iowa?

    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 Iowa.

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

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

    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 Iowa 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 Iowa?

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

  • How many airports are there in Iowa?

    There are 7 airports in Iowa. The busiest airport is Des Moines Airport (DSM), with 61% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Iowa?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Iowa is Des Moines Airport (DSM), with an average flight price of $309.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Iowa?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Iowa is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $355. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $534 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Iowa?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Iowa is generally in the morning, when round-trip flights cost $385 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Iowa is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $695.

  • What is the cheapest flight to Iowa?

    The cheapest ticket to Iowa from California found in the last 5 days was to Des Moines, at $124 round-trip. The most popular route is Burbank (BUR) to Des Moines (DSM) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $124.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to Iowa?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to Iowa is October, when tickets cost $248 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $351 and $339 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from California to Iowa?

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to Iowa, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 15% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to Iowa?

    From California, there are direct flights to Iowa from 2 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Los Angeles, with 13 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to Iowa are there each day?

    There are around 3 direct flights from within California to Iowa every day. All flights depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to Iowa are there each week?

    Each week there are around 15 direct flights from within California to Iowa. The most common day for departures is Thursday, with 20% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to Iowa?

    An average nonstop flight from California to Iowa takes 5h 14m, covering a distance of 1443 miles. The shortest route is Las Vegas (LAS) to Omaha (OMA) with an average flight time of 2h 35m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to Iowa each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) flights to Iowa. Instead, there are 15 short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What are the most popular destinations in Iowa?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Omaha (43% of total searches to Iowa). The next most popular destinations are Des Moines (26%) and Cedar Rapids (15%). Searches for flights to Moline (13%), to La Crosse (1%) and to Mason City (0%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from California to Iowa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to Iowa? 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4194 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.0Food
8.6Crew
8.1Boarding
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

The Southwest airline was ok. A big thank you to Kayak team (David), who worked with me on Sunday afternoon to rebook my travel from Burbank, CA, to CVG. My original flight on Sunday was delayed, so I had to cancel Sunday flight and rebook my travel to Monday. Could not have done it without help from David from Kayak team. Ante Soda GE Aerospace

10.0 ExcellentAnte, Aug 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

The Southwest airline was ok. A big thank you to Kayak team (David), who worked with me on Sunday afternoon to rebook my travel from Burbank, CA, to CVG. My original flight on Sunday was delayed, so I had to cancel Sunday flight and rebook my travel to Monday. Could not have done it without help from David from Kayak team. Ante Soda GE Aerospace

Seated at front bulkhead for a smidge extra leg room away from home and on flight back home. Away crew was very proactive about assuring our carryons had space close behind us (because no seat in front of us our personal items had to be in a small bin overhead). They actively required passengers place overhead luggage on its side so more items could fit in bins. Home crew made no such efforts. I had to struggle back rows to get overhead bags upon landing, no crew help then either, and some disgruntled passengers as I and others retrieved our bags. There was a system that worked pretty well. The home bound crew just didn't feel like working.

Red eye from San Diego. Temperature of the cabin was way too warm and the air duct flowed very little air.

I think Southwest is the number one airline that anyone can fly I have flown for the first time Frontier and what a joke and their customer service United was a very strange experience I'm only sticking to Southwest from here on out for sure

Great job Southwest! My family doesn't fly often but we felt safe the whole time.

Flight was delayed, full flight and I had to change gates. Southwest flights are always late later in the day.

Was fine, delayed and feels like southwest is always late

The entire experience from boarding to landing was amazing! The crew were very friendly. Will definitely be back.

Delayed flight, lack of information, boarding process is a mess as is the carryon luggage causing issues when leaving the plane….just a poor experience.

Love Southwest! Always a good trip with a happy crew who goes out of their way to be kind and fun.

Boarding, time to take off, in flight offerings, and staff were all great. I recommend using UA for this short flight.

This was an auto-rebook due to being delayed from an earlier UA connecting flight. The boarding was fine, but they sat me in a middle seat when my original booking was a window seat. Overall, the flight was fine as it still got me to my final destination.

The flight out of Fresno boarded 1.5 hour past scheduled and made me miss my connecting flight from SFO to SEA.

I missed the flight due to maintenance issues. This is the second flight I’ve missed in four days because United allows such little time between layovers. Very disappointing

My return flight to Honolulu (UA 1170) was on a 777-200. I’d forgotten the weird seating arrangement in first-class (2-2-2); I was in 1B, so I faced the passenger in 1C. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the flight computer, so we left LA an hour late (6:05pm). The meal I chose was Korean BBQ Glazed short rib. It was served with a nice salad and fried rice. This meal was better than breakfast on the outgoing leg. All in all, a decent flying experience. Ratings: 777: 3.75, food: 3.5, service: 5 (out of 5).

A long delay. Don't travel late in the day.

The seat was comfortable. There was a lot of turbulence. If it weren't for that,it would have been okay.

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

Flight was great. Efficient boarding. Short flight. Early arrival. Friendly flight crew. The entertainment system did not work well. Could not access it until the aircraft reached 10K feet or more. Lots of glitches.

No food service almost missed because of first flight delays

The flights to and from Cincinnati were great at being on time for both, departures and arrivals. The planes could use some updating.

It was a dismal experience. The flight was delayed for 4 hours, and we spent hours in the plane, without air, during the summer. We were not provided with water, and the medical assistance was inadequate when it arose.

The landing the pilot was very smooth. The flight attendant was kind of rude.The boarding the plane in punta Gorda was not great made us wait out in the heat 😞

My exit seat was very comfortable Coffee was to be purchased but sodas free 😏

It was poor a four hour delay and no explanation for the delay. What’s a 35 dollars going to do. It also made me miss my car rental,

It was on time. Flight was comfortable. Staff was nice. It was the way a flight should always be.

The price was the only good thing about this flight. It was scary during takeoff when the plane tilted side to side. It made me feel very nervous as I have never had a take-off that unsmooth. There was no on-flight movie or music options and the only complimentary option was water. Other airlines offer trail mix or a caramel cookie and pop options as complimentary. This flight was a 2.5 hour flight. I understand for shorter flights not having options, but a flight 2 hours or longer should offer more complimentary options and in flight entertainment. Also the seats did not recline and for a longer flight reclining seats are a must for comfort.

A very pleasant flight but it would be greatly improved with wifi to help entertain kids

A three hour delay to board and then another hour on the tarmac because they couldn't get a tractor? Ugh.

Terrible. Still have not received the refund from them. They sent it to some account that I don't even know. Spoke with costumer service and they are unable to help.

On time and stellar premium class service. Not liking non LCD display in seat backs - miss the convenience of not using your own device.

It was my first time flying with Alaska Airlines and it was a pleasure!

Plane had mechanical issues. We had to de plane and board a different plane and were an hour late

More space for economy, and the bathroom size is only for people with size XS

We enjoy the professionalism and cleanliness of the staff and aircraft. We are grateful to the experiences pilots and flight crew

The boarding by groups is pointless. The first two groups worked fine, but almost Noone boarded in goups three thru five leaving the vast majority boarding when group six was called. It defeated the purpose of spreading out the crowd.

I blame kayak for my last trip to dca. Kayak cancelled my direct flight and put on a one stop flight and made lost whole day from my vacation and had not even refunded my ticket.

delayed multiple times. no resolution on anything from AA customer service. was put on hold in chat to talk to manager. was 6th in line to talk to manager for more than TWELVE HOURS - from sometime around 9AM until well after I had gone to bed that evening. no explanation, no attempt to make it right. just a five hour delay because of repeated maintenance claims

Was the most uncomfortable I ever had in the air. Felt like I was trapped in the seat legs cramped and was just horrible. The flight to DSM was a lot better. Even being on a smaller plane was better. Staff are outstanding. No complaints about the people.

It was exactly as I expected, on time, smooth flight, courteous staff.

The seats are tiny and they don’t recline. The planes are dirty and very small. You have to pay for carry on and even the personal item that you’re allowed is smaller than with other airlines. Flights are usually delayed and there’s no screens or any amenities or entertainment.

I really didn't like anything. Paid for my checked luggage online ($79) and then was told that I would have to paid another $79 for my carry on. Was not allowed to enter the terminal until 3 hours before my flight and when I finally was allowed to check my bag and enter, my flight was delayed 3 times. When I finally landed, we were all instructed to "run off the plane" as they had to do a quick turn around to Las Vegas. Me and several of my flying companions will never fly Frontier again.

I paid for the upgraded bundle. Was worth it! Great experience round trip!

It was awful ....my first time flying on it and I will NEVER fly it again ....everything about it was terrible .....most especially the flight attendants

They didn’t offer a water, even after I asked

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

It was ok. It was expensive to check 2 bags ($75.00 per bag), and then it took a long time to wait for shuttle to take us from one terminal to the terminal where the plane was taking off at LAX. And all of this for a flight where we had to pay for any food or drink that was not water.

When I wanted to check in 3 hours prior to boarding time, the employees mentioned “a little over an hour delay” so I waited for an hour then I went to go look for food in the terminal and most people from that flight were in the same area looking for food. Finally I decided after food to check to see if it’s anytime closer and now it’s 2 mins until boarding closes?! What are you kidding me? I didn’t receive anything via sms about boarding now nor via email or on the intercom. I luckily made it through, barely, and then there’s no room for my carry on mind you I’m in the very first row so I had to place my purse in one further row back and my carry on sections down. Not sure who pays for better seats to get your stuff placed all over the plane but that was the worst experience I’ve ever had flying with anyone.

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.

More options for your flight to Iowa

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