$63 Find Cheap Flights from California to North Carolina

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Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$63
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 10% increase in price.
Flight from Ontario to Raleigh

Flights from California to North Carolina: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from California to North Carolina 
LeoFlew with American AirlinesLAX-CLTJul 2025
Avoid LAX. Personal experience. I have had less chaotic process in Ontario, CA airport. If transferring through another AA flight, consider Phoenix airport.
LeoFlew with American AirlinesONT-CLTSep 2024
Have plenty of patience for the casual travelers! They are oblivious of rules and etiquettes that slows down the process for everyone. Case in point, a guy held up the line trying to place both his personal item (should be UNDER the seat in front of you) and his carry on case horizontally. Obviously not aware of the big poster right in front of his displaying the proper way of placing his case on it's side. Slowed the whole line of people behind him. Also be mindful the agents in Ontario airport (or any smaller airports) might not be the most knowledgeable on the rules and regulations of air travel, luggage specification allowances etc. Stay patient!! Also the seats do not recline that well anymore on AA flights. So if you have back problems, be sure to bring some back supports.
Verified travelerFlew with American AirlinesLAX-CLTFeb 2024
Don’t red eye if you have to work the next day
MariFlew with American AirlinesONT-CLTJan 2024
Bring a blanket it's very cold on plane

FAQs for booking flights from California to North Carolina

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

    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 North Carolina.

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

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

    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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

    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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina?

    California and North Carolina are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are American Airlines (171 flights per week), Alaska Airlines (47 flights per week), and Qantas Airways (47 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in North Carolina?

    There are 10 airports in North Carolina. The busiest airport is Charlotte Douglas Airport (CLT), with 56% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in North Carolina?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in North Carolina is Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU), with an average flight price of $268.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to North Carolina?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to North Carolina is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $363. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $459 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to North Carolina?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to North Carolina is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $287 on average. Morning departures are around 6% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to North Carolina is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $424.

  • What is the cheapest flight to North Carolina?

    The cheapest ticket to North Carolina from California found in the last 72 hours was to Raleigh, at $201 round-trip. The most popular route is Los Angeles (LAX) to Charlotte (CLT) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $257.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to North Carolina?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to North Carolina is September, when tickets cost $324 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $548 and $486 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to North Carolina, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 14% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 25 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to North Carolina?

    From California, there are direct flights to North Carolina from 6 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Los Angeles, with 281 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to North Carolina are there each day?

    There are around 68 direct flights from within California to North Carolina every day. Most flights (51%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to North Carolina are there each week?

    Each week there are around 472 direct flights from within California to North Carolina. The most common day for departures is Friday, with 18% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to North Carolina?

    An average nonstop flight from California to North Carolina takes 6h 07m, covering a distance of 2169 miles. The shortest route is Las Vegas (LAS) to Knoxville (TYS) with an average flight time of 3h 43m.

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

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to North Carolina. Instead, there are 472 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What are the most popular destinations in North Carolina?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Raleigh (34% of total searches to North Carolina). The next most popular destinations are Charlotte (32%) and Knoxville (11%). Searches for flights to Norfolk (7%), to Asheville (4%) and to Greensboro (4%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from California to North Carolina

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to North Carolina? 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 4248 reviews
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

10.0 ExcellentGordon, Nov 2025SAN - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Crew could have been friendlier, maybe I'm spoiled by SW crews. In flight wifi was good. Would be nice to have more food offerings on a 4 plus hour flight

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Sacrament staff are always polite and helpful. Airport is easy to maneuver and boarding is straightforward.

As always, the entire Southwest experience was wonderful, from online booking to flight to baggage retrieval. Very grateful.

The weather could have been better. There was a 40 minute ATC delay in SFO because of marine fog and a micro cell storm delayed landing and take-off at Nashville. The gate was changed 5 minutes from boarding from gate B3 to gate C23 at Nashville airport.

The cabin was quiet for the redeye flight. The area was clean. The staff was great. The 787 Max was in good condition. Drawbacks were that the seat widths were tight for some passengers. The seat padding was at best average and for a long flight uncomfortable.

southwest just starting charging for luggage. hadnt realized it until it was too late. now out $70 when i couldve bought a carry on if i wouldve known. free bags was one of the only reasons i chose southwest over another airline (the other being no assigned seats, which is apparently also being changed). stupid business decision. wont be flying southwest anymore.

Delayed flight. Nicest crew member was a SW pilot flying seated next to me who kindly move to seat the final passenger. Flight extra delayed. My cup of refreshment of ginger ale was so packed with ice it was literally 2 sips.

No trays in our seats, we sat in first row, purchased a business class fare. Had to hold our drinks and snack in our hands. No plugs for our cell phones. Had to pay for it a drink cocktail each. Seats so uncomfortable.

Our flight from SFO to MSP was right on time on 11/15/2025. No delays. As we approached MSP at about 8 pm, we circled in the air until 8:40 pm so I don't call that efficient for MSP. I think the captain should announce the delay and why. (as if we all don't know that we are just circling around the area, slowing down, speeding up, slowing down.) Thank you. Marilyn Fischer

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.

Great experience on Delta. Staff from baggage check to flight attendants were very courteous and professional. My only issue was a personal preference for pretzels instead of the chips and cookies that were offered.

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

Older aircraft, no meal, only food was for purchase. Not impressed United.

Not pleasant trip cross country when the entertainment and WiFi system not working. No entertainment for entirety of route. Staff was rather nonchalant in that they dismissed the problem due to age of plane. It would have been nice to know this up front so I could have come prepared to read or download movies before boarding Coincidentally or not, there was a similar issue with the entertainment system on my previous flight I took on my fist leg of the trip. There are no seat TVs, so you must rely on the app when it works. United can do better. Also, what use it it to pay for boarding group 2 when half of the passengers are in the same line as you?

Premium Plus is a really good idea for longer flights

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.

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.

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.

Did not get any refreshments. Crew was very nice but limited. Small seats

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

Typically flights with AA are good. The staff are pleasant, welcoming, and efficient.

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.

We had 3 flights. 1 & 2 were on the same plane but we had to de-board just to re-board 30 mins later. That may have been due to a crew change though. Our 3rd flight had a couple “maintenance” issues that held us up. They were quickly resolved but it took forever for someone to bring the paperwork needed so we could leave. Apparently there was a computer glitch so a driver had to bring a physical copy. It delayed us about 1 1/2 hrs. The flights themselves were smooth & no problems. For boarding, I don’t know why they don’t start with the back of the plane & move forward. It would eliminate the back up from people trying to find their seats & put their bags in the overhead bins. Unless you’re on an overseas flight, there is no food, you get a beverage & either a small bag of pretzels or a biscuit cookie. Take your own food or snacks of you want something more.

The actual trip was fine, however, the changes made to our flights and the layovers were had to endure were awful.

Most things were ok but the main problem was the cabin staff; they were very abrupt and not very friendly. They were busy and often rushed, snatching drinks off people before finished and bossing them about.

Given it’s a red-eye into Charolotte, we didn’t get any food. The survey does not include “N/A” so the rating will be skewed.

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.

We fly American Airlines quite a bit. And we always fly business class when traveling internationally. We were a bit disappointed with the comfort of this particular plane as well as the entertainment options.

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.

Everyone seemed to be in zone 1 for boarding. Maybe break it up a little. Otherwise, smooth flight.

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.

Finally a Frontier on time and efficient. I've had problems before with your airline, but this time everything went fine.

Frontier is terrible. Paid for exit row, not given exit row, refused to refund fee.

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.

Everything you need to know for your flight to North Carolina

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.