$89 Find Cheap Flights from California to Iowa - Compare and Save

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Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$89
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 12% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from San Francisco to Des Moines

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 60% 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 $388.

  • 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 $372. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $566 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 $386 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 $430.

  • 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 $265 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 $265.

  • 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 $253 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $354 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 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 19% 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 14 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 afternoon.

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

    Each week there are around 17 direct flights from within California to Iowa. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 24% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to Iowa?

    An average nonstop flight from California to Iowa takes 5h 23m, covering a distance of 1451 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 17 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 (39% of total searches to Iowa). The next most popular destinations are Des Moines (29%) and Cedar Rapids (22%). Searches for flights to Moline (9%), to La Crosse (1%) and to Mason City (1%) 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.
7.9
SouthwestOverall score based on 4219 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
7.0Food
7.4Entertainment
Airline reviews

the flight was significantly delayed. Not much was done by the airline to compensate passengers

2.0 MediocreChristopher Ryan, Oct 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

the flight was significantly delayed. Not much was done by the airline to compensate passengers

Boarding now takes twice as long since going with assigned seats.

Not exactly Southwest’s problem, but the new Burbank airport is not great. No restaurants open and tons of work still to be completed. Can’t believe they opened the airport in that condition.

Flight boarded 2.5 hours late (my second southwest flight of the day with late departure), the gate agent was grumpy and unhelpful. Said she was "tired so we aren't going to follow normal boarding order". No complaints about the actual flight crew.

I liked how it boarded fast. I do not like how the seats are just too narrow, and I’m not a big person.

Despite paying for an ‘upgraded’ seat in row 1, I had to put my luggage in the middle of the plane. Snacks were bleh and seat was small and uncomfortable and I am not large. Attendants were fine but not super helpful. Plane just seemed outdated.

Southwest has been a nightmare. Delayed flights, missed connections, systems down. Never again am I flying southwest.

had to check bag at gate when there was still overhead bin space. As usual the WIFI didn't really work.

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

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

One of my checked luggage was damaged. Cracked on the top by the handle.

I have been flying united for a long time but now I’m done

Delayed - leaving, delayed getting to the gate at destination. What should have been a very easy flight and experience was not.

Better management of the boarding process. Is there any way you could forward all the window seats first? That's the Way Reno Air used to do it, and they had the fastest boarding in the industry!

Wifi is very frustrating - could not connect and therefore unable to work on the trip

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

Terrible. We needed to change return flights due to an incoming hurricane. They would not refund our return flight.

The employees at Sioux Falls airport were friendly and helpful. As a veteran/retired military Allegiant allows two checked bags, one carry on bag and a seat on the plane all at no cost. The flight crew and pilots were friendly and very competent.

The check-in and flight crew employees are excellent. The flight was good and the seats were adequate.

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 😏

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 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.

American Airlines was horrible! The layover flight to DFW was delayed with no clear communication and for us having to stay the whole day which led to staying a night in Dallas was comped with 2 $12 dollar vouchers and a crappy hotel. We missed a whole day in Tokyo for our honeymoon and stressed the whole 24 hours. We were supposed to leave at the same time the following day, but that was delayed hours again. And instead of letting the delayed flight go first, they let the flight that was scheduled ahead of us. American should refund us the day wasted in Dallas that should have been in Tokyo! We had lost out on paid events that we can’t get refunded. When we finally did leave, it was a good flight. You would think that was the only issue with American but we from the LAX layover, we were delayed 6 hours and were given a $12 dollar voucher that covered a drink only. The only communication we were given then was that because they were delayed in a prior flight we were delayed again. I don’t understand why it was only with American that we had such a bad time with! They have definitely left a sour taste in our mouths for our honeymoon! And then they did send an email saying we could have 2K miles…. For what? To be delayed into another day and miss our flight again?

The delay was not handled well and the offers to move flights and get travel credit was also not ideal.

No food on 4.5 hour flight, wi-fi did not work. Terrible experience for a long haul flight.

first leg from san diego to chicago, only had cookies for snack. 1 flavor of sparkling water chicago to washington dc had option of cookies, pretzels, or gold fish. had 2 flavors of sparkling water. 2nd flight better however the best part was there was no delays!!! Got to chicago and washington dc early. That was wonderful!!!!

Multiple delays and made us miss the connecting flight and lost our bags

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.

Air was off while waiting on the runway and the temperatures became very uncomfortably hot. Flight attendants were very loud and rude the entire flight.

I booked tickets from San Diego to Cincinnati months in advance to attend my sister’s wedding, a wedding where I was serving as the officiant. At 10:00 PM the night before my 6:00 AM flight (just 8 hours before departure), I received an alert that my first leg to Denver was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight to Cincinnati. When I called Frontier customer service, they informed me that they couldn't get me on any other flight that would get me there in time for the Saturday wedding, let alone the rehearsal dinner. Because I had a critical role in the wedding, I was forced to buy a last-minute ticket on another airline for three times the original price, it costing me well over $1,000 extra. Even with the emergency flight, I still missed the rehearsal dinner entirely. When I spoke with Frontier, they agreed to refund my original ticket, but showed zero care or accountability for the massive financial burden and distress they caused. Their "compensation” for causing me to spend an extra $1,000+ and miss an irreplaceable family event? A $75 Frontier voucher. Frontier completely dropped the ball. Their customer service showed zero empathy letting me know that it was Frontier who was the real victim by refunding my ticket price, and their reliability is non-existent. I will never fly Frontier again, and I strongly advise anyone who actually needs to arrive at their destination on time for an important event to book with literally any other airline.

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.

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