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Find cheap flights from Charlotte to California from $45

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Charlotte to California departing on 5/7. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Sun 5/26
Sun 6/2

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Best California Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Los Angeles
Los Angelesnonstop$90
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$163
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$136
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$172
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$324
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$308
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$501
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$487
Arcata
Arcata2 stops$462
Redding
Redding2 stops$406
Reno
Reno3 stops$142

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

June

Cheapest flight

$45
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 2% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 14% increase in price.
Flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles

FAQs - booking California flights

  • Are there services for those with limited mobility at the airports in Charlotte and California?

    Yes, each of these airports along this journey is ADA-compliant. At Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and at any of the arrival airports in California, you will have access to accessible restrooms and water fountains, communication assistance, and wheelchair assistance free of charge. You can also request assistance with boarding and deplaning, including during any layovers. If you need to use these services, contact your airline in advance.

  • What are some common layover airports on the route from Charlotte to California?

    You will find many direct flights from Charlotte to Florida depending on your destination, but some routes will require one or two layovers. If you fly with Frontier from Charlotte (CLT) to San Diego International Airport (SAN), you will have a layover in Denver. Those flying with American Airlines to Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) will have a layover in Dallas (DFW), while those flying with United stop at Denver (DEN). If you are flying to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with Delta will stop in Atlanta (ATL), while those with American Airlines stop at Dallas (DFW) and those with Frontier stop at Denver (DEN).

  • Are there any direct flights from Charlotte to California?

    Yes, there are a lot of direct flights from Charlotte to California. You will find direct flights from Charlotte (CLT) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on board Spirit Airlines and American Airlines. Direct flights to San Diego International Airport (SAN) are operated by American Airlines. Direct flights to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are on board American Airlines, as well. There is also a direct flight to Sacramento International Airport (SMF) on board American Airlines.

  • How can I make my flight from Charlotte to California more sustainable?

    Eco-conscious travelers should consider booking nonstop flights when possible to reduce the amount of fuel burned during takeoffs and landings during their flights. Also, consider flying with Delta Air Lines or Frontier, two of the most sustainable airlines flying this route. Finally, pack light and consider booking an economy-class seat. 

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to California from Charlotte 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 Charlotte 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 to California with an airline and back to Charlotte with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Charlotte 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 to California from Charlotte up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Charlotte to the following destinations at these prices or less: Los Angeles $135 one-way - $297 round-trip
  • Morning departure is around 10% cheaper than an evening flight, on average*.
  • Those flying from Charlotte, North Carolina, to California will be using Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) as their departure point. This airport is a hub for American Airlines, US Airways, PSA Airlines, and more. Aside from Charlotte, this airport also serves nearby cities like Belmont, Gastonia, and even Newport, South Carolina.
  • Travelers who want to book the cheapest flights possible from Charlotte to California can expect to fly to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on board Spirit Airlines. These are usually direct flights, but sometimes they have a layover in Chicago. If your flight has a layover, you will need to self-transfer.
  • Those flying out of Charlotte will usually have access to some airline lounges depending on the airline they are using. You can find the American Airlines Admirals Club in the terminal as well as a USO Lounge, an American Express lounge, and The Club CLT.
  • Travelers wanting to visit the Napa Valley in northern California should consider flying into either San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or Sacramento International Airport (SMF). These are the two closest major airports to Napa Valley.
  • If you want to visit Yosemite National Park in California, your best bet will be to fly into either San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) or Sacramento International Airport, as you will have easy road access to Yosemite National Park from these nearby airports.
See more tips
*Average of the lowest prices shown in KAYAK’s search results for departures within the next 30 days

Top 5 airlines serving from Charlotte to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Charlotte 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.
8.0
DeltaOverall score based on 10975 reviews
8.0entertainment
7.9comfort
7.4food
8.2boarding
8.6crew
Airline reviews

There was a loud squeaky sound the whole time we were flying.

6.0 GoodEliza, Apr 2024SAN - LAX
Read more about Delta reviews

There was a loud squeaky sound the whole time we were flying.

Had a broken tray in business class. Crew just shrugged it off.

I didn’t like that I could not select my seat and was assigned a seat when I checked in at LAX

Great experience overall. Check in at Austin was congested as they only have about 6 check in kiosks, one was broken, and there was a lot of Spring Break travelers.

Bag drop off was slow and annoying. Only 2 agents at the entire delta desk, and no one directing traffic for what line to be in, many confused people slowed down the process. Boarding was fine. Seats in Delta comfort plus were fine. Snacks were great! Definitely a bonus. The entertainment system was awful — old, slow, not responsive, and completely unable to play games due to some kind of error. But on the other hand, thank you to Delta for the free WiFi. That made it better.

Everything was very good other than I had selected a specific seat when I booked the flight and they changed it once I checked-in the day before my flight. I was still in first class but lost my aisle seat for a window seat. Being tall, the aisle offers more comfort so I always select an aisle seat.

Flight diverted in SD. Later take off in Seattle by 1.3hrs

Temperature in the plane was quite warm for the entire flight - actually just outright hot making for an unoleay4 hours. Crew either couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything about it. No acknowledgement or apology. All passengers were commenting on how hot it was.

Crew was not friendly when I went to request a seat change.

Really impressive staff at airport and on plane, especially given how busy it was

So so. Terrible aircraft choice for that leg of the flight.

delay several times and wait extra long to board. no entertainment service because there are problem for some rows. always encounter some delays for the last flight of the day.

On time every leg of the journey and exceptional staff at counter, gate, and on board. I haven’t travelled in US for a long time and was genuinely surprised how pleasant this was.

This was a Lufthansa flight. Disappointing main meal. Very rough over Canada and arrival at FRA. IFE was almost unusable.

Too many fees (but that seems to apply to all airlines nowadays)

For a 22 minute flight all you expect is for it to be safe and comfortable

Flight from CLT to DUS via MUC ticketed by United Airlines and operated by Lufthansa. 2nd leg of flight from MUC to DUS was cancelled and no notification provided. At check in , Lufthansa agents at airport were unable to locate record and wanted us to contact United Airlines directly.

I was not able to buy food in the flight. They refer to include your Credit card in the APP, and if you are not from USA (i have a credit card form Canada) it is not possible

Over two hours wait to get wheelchair assistance from arrival to the departure gate for LA was unreasonable even though there appreared to be heavy demand.

Airline did not explain reasons why flight was delayed two hours. Explanations were badly needed and rarely provided. Problem seemed to clearly be the airline’s fault and not the fault of the weather or airport.

The flight was great but board was a nightmare. The gate was changed 4 times during the layover period

i suspect i caught flu on this flight as i could hear someone coughing a few rows back and ended up with flu a few days later. also tiresome to have to watch movies on my device by holding up smartphone screen, would have liked to have in seat display.

Plane took off without me, my stepdad and a dozen other passengers. It went from an hour delay to boarding in 15 montures without notifying anyone. Names were not called overhead. Now I’m missing a day of work and stuck in Charolette overnight paying for a hotel and Ubers out of pocket

We sat on the plane for 1 hour because the airline was short handed could not be unloading.

Flight delayed 3 times. We were directed to go to a gate across from our gate. The plane wasn't there yet so we had to wait for it to arrive, then deplane everyone and then wait again for the plane to be cleaned. After 45 minuites we were allowed on the plane. The first plane had mechanical issues. The 2nd plane must have had bathroom issues because we did not have any food service whatsoever. No snack or beverage. That made for a long time not to have anything considering that we had just made it to the original gate and we had no time to stop to get food or a drink. Then we didn't want to leave the gate to get food because we wouldn't know how much longer the delay would be. Then the next gate change. Had we been told that the total time would have been aprox 45 min later we would have left to get food and a beverage. We had to wait again for the okay to the pilot to take off so we were on the runway for another 20 min. Overall, we were delayed over 2 hours which felt like 4 hours.

Plane was good but was delayed. probably not AA fault but caused a 1 hour delay. Seating was cramped.

I had trouble finding a boarding pass because I had an hour between Flights and American did not see my flight I believe because I was ticketed through KAYAK. I did not have enough time to go to the desk before boarding so I went to the desk and told them while I was boarding and they had a boarding pass for me within three minutes. Nice. I paid extra to have more legroom and it is definitely worth it for a six hour flight. I would’ve paid for a decent dinner, but they didn’t offer anything but a snack box —not good for six hours.

Charlotte airport is miserable. For American I always have to connect from the end of terminal E to the end of terminal B and the stupid moving walkways are always broken. And the flights to all seem of least importance so they never leave on time in either direction.

Overall a fiasco. My first flight was delayed so late that I would have missed my connection. I had to cancel the flight and reschedule for the next morning. I took over half an hour to retrieve my luggage. I already paid $30 for checked in luggage for the flight I didn't take. When I checked in for my new flight on app I paid another $30. I went to the kiosk for my luggage tags and was charged $40. (My baggage didn't make it on the connecting flight but was delivered at 10:00 that night.) Later that day I requested a refund of the baggage fees. I received an email stating my refund was complete in the amount of $234.62. I didn't realize that meant my return flight was canceled until I tried to check in at the counter. They had refunded the wrong thing. It costed me $381.10 to book a new flight home. At least my baggage made it home with me.

First of all , lucky I caught our flight changes and we actually flew into chicago then Fort Myers

First the good, everyone was friendly and efficient. Flight was smooth and plane was very clean and new. Now the bad, seats have almost no padding on your behind. I was in exit row so I had tons of leg room for a 6' 2" bean pole with long legs. Everything was extra - water, soda, snacks everything besides oxygen. Ya get what you pay for, and my flight was cheap as you could ever want it, so no worries.

First the good, everyone was friendly and efficient. Flight was smooth and plane was very clean and new. Now the bad, seats have almost no padding on your behind. I was in exit row so I had tons of leg room for a 6' 2" bean pole with long legs. Everything was extra - water, soda, snacks everything besides oxygen. Ya get what you pay for, and my flight was cheap as you could ever want it, so no worries. They dont really bother you about carry-on size, I brought a descent sized backpack and they didnt even check.

They charged me 212.00 for a heavy check in bag at the gate. The pricing and process was so confusing - as if it was designed to purposefully gouge customers who need to board plane. That experience combined with the outrageous price charged will prevent me from ever flying Spirit again. And I’ll be sure to tell the story to anyone who cares to hear.

The text told me it was changed to Terminal E and Gate D5. But with no one on site to ask questions there was confusion on where to go as all the gates were E's. Then we took the skyline to the D area. We left to get something to eat. No announcement was made but my daughter happened to asked and they told her our gate was moved to D12. I will not fly Spirit again.

The agent at the check in desk was absolutely rude. The rest of the team after that was good, but the check in process at LAS was miserable. The woman at the desk spoke like we were stupid and was rude throughout the process.

Its so random that they only allow 40 pounds on checked bags when all airlines take 55. They then charge you for each 10 extra pounds, so my checked suitcase was $130 and the flight $30 ... its like whattt, im for sure not traveling with Spirit again

Actual CLT experience was rough. I've never seen the airport as bad in regards to security lines and wait. (For not being a holiday) A lot of folks missed their flight this morning. Spirit is fine. But wasnt offered a beverage somehow. No worries but some how I missed it.

So bad. The check in process was laborious and the check in agent didn't seem to know how to manage the process efficiently and was confused about how to check in my son's sports equipment. The baggage fees were outrageous and so expensive. $90 for a carry on bag? And $200 additional for 2 check ins. The security lines were insanely long and the terminal was not very nice in the Spirit area. $5 for a water on board. It was my first and last time flying Spirit - I tried to save $ by flying them due to the accommodating schedule but I should have paid for Southwest, because it would've actually ended up less expensive due to the free bags with Southwest. There were no charging ports on the airplane, no wifi and really uncomfortable seating. The flight crew were great though, courteous and efficient in their boarding. Flight was delayed 1 hour, but we made up 15 minutes in flight.

My experience was better than expected. What I did find not so great was the seats. Very little room, they did not recline and the tray table was the size of a post card. There was no food to try, just standard snacks that you had to pay for and I don’t know of any entertainment. I would fly again even though everything was an upcharge. Flight was on time with little disturbance

thy don't even ofer water we have to buy it for $4.49 and paid for our cary on bags $100 each we never will fly in this company again.

They cancelled the flight then did nothing to help us rebook. It was awful - I won’t fly with them again

The truck that was refueling the plane drove away with the hose still connected to the plane and ripped part of the plane off with it

The boarding time. I was in Section 1 the lady in charge just let people in section 3 without see us. Make a line , I have to step out and ask her. We were in the line and she just take my ticket and that’s it, so if I don’t ask her she could leave us at the end! We paid more for that privilege and. She doesn’t care….

See my previous comment which is mostly about our flight from Phoenix to SFO

The check in at the airport was awful. Told I need to pay for a bag. The item was taken at screening. I went back to get my $ back and they gave me a coupon with a QR code that doesn’t work. Worst costumer service ever!!!!!

4 hour delay because they used our aircraft to fly a different segment (per the captain)

Lost baggage on my connecting flight. 24 hours later, still no update on my bags.

I had to cancel within 1hour of the reservation an they put you through hell to . no live customer service desk. I'm handy caped and they make it almost impossible to cancel. They are steeling my money. You should not have that airline on your site. Contact me and I will give you all info. Of what the are doing to me just notable treatment they are set up like that to take people

absolutely horrific. delayed flights, overbooking. over charging. nightmare service beyond words. stay away.

My husband didn't get boarded on this flight. He was asked to pay $50 extra by the Frontier staff to get two boarding passes for check-in at the Las Vegas airport. He refused to pay this extra $50 charge and tried to do check-in online by himself but it seemed to be late with only 7 mins left. It ended up that my daughter and my husband missed the 7-minute time window. They had to take the next non-direct flight which took more than 12 hours from Las Vegas to San Francisco, a very poor experience for them.

Book cheap flights from Charlotte to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

5/11Sat
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 05mCLT-LAX
5/18Sat
nonstopSpirit Airlines
4h 45mLAX-CLT
$90
5/14Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 05mCLT-LAX
5/21Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
4h 45mLAX-CLT
$91
5/11Sat
1 stopFrontier
13h 35mCLT-SAN
5/15Wed
1 stopFrontier
13h 37mSAN-CLT
$136
5/11Sat
1 stopFrontier
13h 35mCLT-SAN
5/18Sat
1 stopFrontier
9h 03mSAN-CLT
$137
9/21Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 34mCLT-SNA
9/25Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
8h 55mSNA-CLT
$220
5/8Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 08mCLT-LAX
5/13Mon
1 stopAmerican Airlines
6h 52mLAX-CLT
$237
5/7Tue
1 stopDelta
7h 48mCLT-LAX
5/13Mon
1 stopDelta
8h 21mLAX-CLT
$244
6/19Wed
1 stopDelta
7h 26mCLT-SAN
6/23Sun
1 stopDelta
7h 08mSAN-CLT
$279
5/29Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 34mCLT-SFO
6/26Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 06mSFO-CLT
$377
6/26Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
8h 31mCLT-SJC
7/1Mon
1 stopUnited Airlines
9h 07mSJC-CLT
$411

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Recent one-way flight deals

5/7Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 16mCLT-LAX
$45
5/7Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 16mCLT-LAX
$46
5/18Sat
1 stopFrontier
12h 56mCLT-SAN
$76
5/16Thu
1 stopFrontier
23h 29mCLT-SFO
$80
5/26Sun
1 stopDelta
7h 55mCLT-LAX
$127
5/15Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 48mCLT-LAX
$150
5/25Sat
1 stopAmerican Airlines
7h 16mCLT-LAX
$160
5/25Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 35mCLT-SAN
$160
5/25Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 39mCLT-SMF
$187
6/12Wed
1 stopDelta
8h 00mCLT-OAK
$198

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Last minute flights from Charlotte to California

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

4/30Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 16mCLT-LAX
5/10Fri
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
21h 28mLAX-CLT
$160
4/30Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 16mCLT-LAX
5/10Fri
multi-stopSpirit Airlines
16h 45mLAX-CLT
$169
4/30Tue
multi-stopFrontier
11h 56mCLT-SFO
5/4Sat
multi-stopFrontier
8h 02mSFO-CLT
$218
4/29Mon
multi-stopFrontier
24h 21mCLT-ONT
5/2Thu
multi-stopFrontier
8h 27mONT-CLT
$243
4/27Sat
multi-stopDelta
7h 52mCLT-LAX
4/30Tue
multi-stopDelta
10h 07mLAX-CLT
$294
4/27Sat
multi-stopDelta
7h 52mCLT-LAX
5/4Sat
multi-stopDelta
7h 42mLAX-CLT
$306
4/27Sat
nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 20mCLT-LAX
4/28Sun
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 50mLAX-CLT
$385
4/27Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
13h 32mCLT-LAX
5/14Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 50mLAX-CLT
$387
4/27Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
7h 30mCLT-LAX
4/28Sun
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 50mLAX-CLT
$394
4/27Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
10h 53mCLT-SAN
4/28Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
11h 28mSAN-CLT
$531

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