$246 Find Cheap Flights from Central America to California - Compare and Save

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Low season

February

Cheapest flight

$246
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 19% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from Guatemala City to Los Angeles

Flights from Central America to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Central America to California 
Verified travelerFlew with United Airlines-Apr 2026
If you have a connecting flight in SFO you have to grab your bag and recheck it
AFlew with Copa Airlines-Jan 2026
Bring your own food and your own screen because you won’t have any for the next couple of hours.
LisaFlew with Copa Airlines-Mar 2025
You have to go through an additional security clearance at the actual gate, and there was a long line so I'd get to the gate right when it opens to avoid the additional long line.
RicardoFlew with Alaska Airlines-Mar 2025
BRING YOUR OWN SNAKS NOT MUCH HERE TO CHOOSE NONE OF THEM HEALTHY OPTIONS
RajFlew with Copa Airlines-Jan 2025
Pack your lunch or dinner with you either from airport restaurant.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Nov 2024
The airport is expensive. I would not buy things there. You don’t need to take off your shoes for security. Have your passport ready for boarding
Verified travelerFlew with Avianca-May 2024
Bring something to drink or eat, at least sweets especially if traveling with children or are elderly.
Verified travelerFlew with Avianca-Mar 2024
Bring a pillow Bring phones charged Bring your own entertainment Be patient for luggage to get off plane.
JulioFlew with Avianca-May 2024
Check carry on status before. Check in online to avoid lines.
MayumiFlew with Avianca-Jan 2024
Eat well before boarding and bring your own entertainment.

FAQs for booking flights from Central America to California

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Central America 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 Central America to California.

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

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

    Central America and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (55 flights per week), Avianca (50 flights per week), and Copa Airlines (42 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in California?

    There are 28 airports in California. The busiest airport is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with 40% of all flights arriving there.

  • 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 Oakland Airport (OAK), with an average flight price of $334.

  • 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 $498. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $614 on average.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $348 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $593.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Central America found in the last 5 days was to Los Angeles, at $251 round-trip. The most popular route is Belize City Philip S.W.Goldson Airport (BZE) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $251.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Central America to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from Central America to California is December, when tickets cost $249 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and September, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $433 and $362 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from Central America to California, you should book around 7 weeks before departure, which saves you about 28% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From Central America, there are direct flights to California from 6 cities. The city with the most direct flights is San Salvador, with 108 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 42 direct flights from within Central America to California every day. Most flights (44%) depart in the morning.

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

    Each week there are around 294 direct flights from within Central America to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 21% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from Central America to California takes 9h 05m, covering a distance of 2590 miles. The shortest route is Guatemala City (GUA) to Los Angeles (LAX) with an average flight time of 5h 08m.

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

    Each week, there are 28 long-haul flights (6-12 hour flight duration) and 266 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration) to California. There aren't any short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration).

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Los Angeles (86% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (11%) and San Jose (3%). Searches for flights to Burbank (1%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Central America to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Central America 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.
7.9
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 13142 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

Flight was a little rough, but that couldn’t have been avoided. The flight attendant that did the audio for the safety information talked like she had mush in her mouth, and was very difficult to understand.

6.0 GoodJim, Nov 2026
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Flight was a little rough, but that couldn’t have been avoided. The flight attendant that did the audio for the safety information talked like she had mush in her mouth, and was very difficult to understand.

Flight was late - waited for the pilot to arrive for over 30 minutes. There were no screens or entertainment options on the flight.

The staff was great, plane was nice, no tvs but trip was short so didn’t really matter

1. The internet with T-Mobile didn't work, so I had to pay $8 :( 2. We stayed more almost 40 minutes because our arrival gate was not available

I haven't flown Alaska in years, so this is my first time in a long time. Both the outgoing and return flights were delayed, which affected my plans at the destination, which were time sensitive. I've flown Southwest dozens of times without delays, so to come to Alaska for just one round trip and have both of them be affected tells me I need to go back to Southwest. Other items: I tried to join an earlier flight, and was denied, even though online it showed seats available. Seems like this would have been an easy way to make things right. The in flight WiFi on the flight down was nice, I watched half a movie and was really looking forward to watching the 2nd half on the way back, but the plane didn't have the same options available, so I had to pay to watch the movie on my own streaming service. Irritating. Given the competitive nature of flying and choosing carriers, I thought Alaska had a better reputation for the little things like this.

Excellent because of the flight attendant Wendy in first class. She is the by far the best flight attendant I have ever experienced!

Trouble linking to the Tmobile wifi. The legroom on the 737 was fantastic. No more knees touching the seat back in front. Plenty of charging plugs and inovative clips to hold phones and tablets.

Free tmobile wifi was great! Crew was efficient and friendly. Crew gate checked our luggage and let us board in group C because of it. Loved that! The best part was that our family (3) was seated together. Thank you so much!!!!!

Delays. Again. Haven’t had a good experience out of Seattle in most flights. The flight was delayed and passengers were all bunched in one area even after the doors closed when there were tons of empty seats. Attendants chastised passengers for wanting to move and even embarrassed one man for telling him tons of the empty seats were actually premium seating and he needed to go back to the back of the plane the seats have been getting increasingly uncomfortable and the snacks are terrible if you get one. No options for people who don’t/can’t eat sweets. Prices keep going up and amenities and service keep dropping. Air travel has become more like taking a very expensive bus.

The entire staff were professional. I was surprised at their commitment in every aspect. My first time flying the airline.

Smooth flight. Easy boarding. Come early. Check in line is long

Quick boarding and check in.. but premium seats don’t recline.. very hard to relax. But overall, it was a Great a satisfying experience.. Thank You

If they listen to you especially when there’s a problem with a passport now I lost my tickets and also my seat money

The worst airline I have ever experienced. Terrible customer service. Absolutely disgraceful

Checking bags at the airport, very confusing they make lines for different flights but they don’t have any signs, so if you are on the wrong line be aware they will send you to the end of the correct line. No priority for check in even if you pay and no priority to disabled persons and elderly persons.

Despite all the negative reviews, I took Volaris with a family of 4 (including a toddler and infant in arms). The only compliant was they charged me $70 to gate check our wagon (which we use as a stroller) and then it was not available for pickup at the gate (which is the entire point), so we had to get through customs and the airport with our luggage and no way to push our kids :(

Après avoir manqué l’avion aucune aide de la part des agents à l’aéroport pour trouver un autre vol

Más comida no cobrar tanto por los asientos y comida food

Worst airline ever!! Delays in all my flights!!! Do not flight with Volaris!

The departures screens in the airport showed the flight as canceled for some weird reason, but when I got to the gate just to double check, it showed it as on time, and not canceled. This was confusing, but ultimately I was able to get to where I needed to go.

This airline always trick us so we end up paying again for the luggage’s. This airline is worthless and take advantage of travelers .

Now days most airlines flying to Central America have a really poor service, but if you buy first class they will treat you better. I miss those days when flying was fun.

Friendly staff at all very easy check in and organize process

Horrible airline, upgraded to sit on seats made of stone. Staff were rude and on top of it they charge an arm and a leg for luggage 🧳 never again

The seats are the worst I upgraded to premium big mistake and it seems like no one likes there job very unpleasant

they don’t have TV Seat to Type in space

The plane was so old. I paid a ridiculous amount to fly business and there was no internet for six hours! This can't be happening in 2026 and especially in cross country flights where there are a high volume of business travelers.

The food could have been better and the entertainment could have better movies or streaming.

Connection times always good online, but not in reality when first leg is delayed (2 out of 2 times this trip).

Worst experience of the 5 flights we took on this vacation. We were in agony by the time we got off the plane because of the lack of cushion in the seats. A sandwich was offered to us within one hour of our takeoff that had pink pork. No gluten-free items were offered for our night meal. Breakfast was given about six hours later well after the sunrise . Strange food was offered: a poached egg that was barely heated and very liquidy, two salads (which is not a normal breakfast food), and a bread bun. We could barely eat any of it. No coffee! I drank green tea. Stewardesses had very nice smiles but never “checked in” with us. Also there was no button on the rooftop to call a steward. We were in terrible pain for more than 3 days after.

I purchased a Polaris ticket. The plane did not have the lie flat seats - I was not notified. I actually can not believe they traded a dif plane and did not notify me or refund monies

⭐ Absolutely AWFUL Experience with United Airlines! If I could give United Airlines ZERO stars, I would. The seats have practically NO legroom, making the flight feel like being crammed into a tin can with nowhere to move. Comfort? Forget about it! And the fees? Absolutely ridiculous! They seem to charge you for EVERYTHING. You pay for your ticket, then get hit with extra charges for things that should be part of a decent flying experience. What’s next, charging passengers for breathing? Flying with United feels less like being a valued customer and more like being a walking wallet. The seats are uncomfortable, the legroom is pathetic, and the constant nickel-and-diming is infuriating. For the price you pay, you would think they could at least provide a little space to stretch your legs and a travel experience that doesn’t leave you feeling ripped off. Do yourself a favor and look at other airlines before booking with United. I certainly won’t be rushing to fly with them again. Absolutely disappointing from start to finish!

My flight from Boston to SFO was fine. Crew was friendly and helpful. Food was mediocre. Fright from SFO to MNL was not as good. My flight attendant was friendly but didn’t seem to have a lot of experience. She seemed overwhelmed. Also, this was the only red eye business class flight I’ve flown which only served dinner 2 hours after takeoff in a 13 hr flight. When I woke up 1 hr before landing, everyone was eating so I assumed bkft was being served. I pushed my button for help and no one came so I approached my flight attendant and she said they don’t serve bkft but she gave me choices for lunch or dinner. I routinely fly business class but I was disappointed with the lack of service and attention I was given on this flight. Also, most airlines will offer a snack or coffee before bkft is served but this was not offered during this flight. Overall, it was disappointing.

It's not United, but TSA security at Terminal A in Newark is a disaster and seriously makes me consider switching to flying out of JFK. The touchless TSA pre-check had a line of over 50 people and the bag screening was so slow that it limited the flow of people through the facial recognition process. It is the only airport that I frequent that has this issue and makes me reconsider whether I should fly out of Newark given the wasted time and frustration it causes. As I said, it is not a United issue but will impact United if people choose to stop utilizing Newark airport because of the poor experience.

The food could be much better. Also very unfortunate that most of business class seats were empty but I could not upgrade.

Bag got checked but I thought one personal item was guaranteed.

There were three people in an economy seat in my row, but the row in front of me, which had the same class of service only had one person. I could barely move and the person in front of me slept on all three seats. If you had moved one person from my row to the row in front, the configuration would have been two on each row with the middle seat empty

It’s a new plane, but the most important detail is that the economy class seat doesn't recline—it’s completely fixed. The only one that reclines is in Comfort Class.

It was horrible. My experience with Avianca. I didn’t know it was Pakistan international Airlines but anyway, whatever it is it is bad horrible you guys need to upgrade everything in those planes. And you guys charge $130 for a carry-on did they wanna let me in with my carry-on that I travel everywhere with the luggage you guys are such a dog thank you

The fees for baggage were outrageous. $130 for carry on and $150 for check in for an international flight. The seats did not recline. We were not even offered water. Had we known all of this, we would not have booked Avianca at all.

I was shocked flying to El Salvador that they only give you water. Everything else you have to pay for. There is no wifi or entertainment and it’s an international flight. At least back in the day they had tvs on the plane and everyone watched the same movie. Also seats do not recline, even comfort or plus.

I did not like anything, first time I use company and for sure it will be the last time, they charge for simple operations that any other average airline wouldn't charge.

The good thing is the flight was on time and the crew was really nice. They can work better the arriving with staff

The inflight entertainment did not work on a 6 hour flight The cel phone chargers did not work There was a 45 minute wait for the luggage to get off the plane.

They could offer free food and drink like other international flights.

Flight attendants to show up on time, offer drinks and food.

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