$33 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to California

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Chicago to California departing on 4/8. 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.
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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to California.
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Best California Flight Deals from Chicago

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

Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$87
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$151
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$87
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$136
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$129
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$160
Fresno
Fresno2 stops$197
Imperial
Imperial1 stop$297
Reno
Reno1 stop$140

Cheap Flight Deals from Chicago to California (CHI-USCA)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Chicago to California that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Chicago to California

Recommended round-trip deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly from Chicago to California.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
8:00 am - 10:16 amORD-LAS
4h 16mnonstop
1:01 am - 6:42 amLAS-ORD
3h 41mnonstop
$73Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Apr 6 - Mon, Apr 7
2:34 pm - 4:46 pmORD-LAS
4h 12mnonstop
12:55 am - 6:33 amLAS-ORD
3h 38mnonstop
$74Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Apr 8 - Wed, Apr 9
8:50 pm - 10:51 pmMDW-LAS
4h 01mnonstop
11:49 pm - 5:23 amLAS-MDW
3h 34mnonstop
$77Frontier
Find Deal
Sun, Apr 6 - Tue, Apr 8
8:01 pm - 10:33 pmORD-LAS
4h 32mnonstop
11:15 pm - 4:54 amLAS-ORD
3h 39mnonstop
$79Frontier
Find Deal
Mon, Apr 7 - Thu, Apr 10
7:57 pm - 10:12 pmORD-LAS
4h 15mnonstop
11:59 pm - 5:39 amLAS-ORD
3h 40mnonstop
$159United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Apr 26 - Tue, Apr 29
6:45 pm - 8:58 pmORD-LAS
4h 13mnonstop
11:44 pm - 5:22 amLAS-ORD
3h 38mnonstop
$161American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Apr 26 - Wed, Apr 30
7:30 am - 9:42 amORD-LAS
4h 12mnonstop
11:59 pm - 5:39 amLAS-ORD
3h 40mnonstop
$169United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Apr 9 - Wed, Apr 16
6:40 am - 9:05 amMDW-LAX
4h 25mnonstop
11:10 pm - 5:15 amLAX-MDW
4h 05mnonstop
$179Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, May 7 - Tue, May 13
5:15 pm - 7:15 pmMDW-LAS
4h 00mnonstop
11:45 pm - 5:20 amLAS-MDW
3h 35mnonstop
$188Southwest
Find Deal
Mon, Apr 28 - Wed, May 7
8:15 pm - 11:09 pmORD-SFO
4h 54mnonstop
11:59 pm - 6:17 amSFO-ORD
4h 18mnonstop
$189American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Apr 19 - Sat, Apr 26

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

March

Cheapest flight

$33
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 17% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to San Diego

Flights from Chicago to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Chicago to California 
MikeFlew with American AirlinesORD-LAXSep 2024
Arrive early, grab a bottle of soda before getting on the plane and open it in the terminal. If you wait until flying the pressure will decarbonize the drink.
Verified travelerFlew with IberiaORD-SFOOct 2024
Use Alaska Airlines. Great attention to detail. The staff is connected with the passengers and they anticipate what we will need , especially when traveling with wheelchair passengers
GerryFlew with United AirlinesORD-LAXJan 2024
The one unfortunate item with this flight, because the flight was full, everyone in group 3 and more had to tag their carry on luggage and have it checked. I my opinion, there was lots of available space on the plane for pack packs, coats etc that could all have been put under the seat. We cannot give up our carry on because of the medical needs

FAQs - booking California flights

  • Is ORD accessible to all?

    You can count on having a smooth experience at ORD if you’re disabled, as this airport is accessible to all. To cater to passengers with mobility impairment, it features drop-off areas equipped with curb ranks and mandates each airline that serves flights to California to offer wheelchair assistance. It has also invested in restrooms throughout the airport with wheelchair-accessible facilities. The said restrooms are three in Terminal 1, two in Terminal two, over ten in Terminal 3, and two in Terminal 5.

  • How can I travel to ORD from Downtown Chicago?

    In case you’re set to fly from Chicago’s ORD to California, you can travel to the airport from Downtown Chicago via a Blue Line train, a Metra North Central Service train line, a CTA bus, or a taxi. Boarding a Blue Line train, a Metra North Central service train, or a CTA bus is advisable if you’re on a budget. On the other hand, boarding a taxi is advisable if you value convenience. This is because, unlike its comparisons, a taxi will pick you up at your preferred destination and transport you directly to the airport.

  • Can I breastfeed my baby before my flight to California?

    Regardless of the Chicago airport you’re set to fly out of, you can comfortably breastfeed your baby while waiting for your flight since both transit stations offer nursing rooms equipped with comfortable seats, deep sinks, changing tables, and power outlets. At MDW, the available nursing room is in Concourse C, next to the yoga room. In contrast, at ORD, the rooms are available near gates B4, B10, and C 20 in Terminal 1, between gates E5 and F9 in Terminal 2, the Rotunda and gate L6 in Terminal 3, gate M20 in Terminal 5, and on Level 1 of the Multi-Modal Facility.

  • Is it possible to rent a car at LAX?

    If you want to rent a car once you land at LAX, you’ll be able to do so with ease since the airport features counters for Alamo, Avis, Fox, Enterprise, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Payless, Six, Zipcar, and Thrifty. The counters for these agencies are housed in the airport’s car rental center, accessible through purple Rental Car Shuttles. These shuttles are boarded on the Lower/Arrivals Level islands outside the Baggage Claim.

  • How long is the flight to California from Chicago?

    Flights to John Wayne (Santa Ana)0h 00m
    Flights to Long Beach4h 08m
    Flights to Los Angeles4h 23m
    Flights to San Francisco4h 38m
    Flights to Oakland4h 22m
  • What is the cheapest flight to California from Chicago?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Chicago found in the last 72 hours was $33 one-way, and $87 round-trip. The most popular route is from Chicago to Los Angeles, and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $36.

  • Which airlines fly to California?

    United Airlines flies most frequently to Los Angeles from Chicago. In general, Air Canada, Air New Zealand and American Airlines fly the most to California.

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

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

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

  • Book at least 1 week before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be February, March and April. The cheapest month to fly from Chicago is January.
  • Morning departure is around 1% cheaper than an evening flight, on average*.
  • You can board your flight to California at Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) or O’Hare International Airport (ORD). When selecting your flight, choose one that departs at MDW. Doing so is in your best interest because MDW experiences lower passenger traffic than ORD, meaning it has shorter queues.
  • When booking a flight to California, book one that lands at an airport close to your preferred destination. You can land at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Oakland International Airport (OAK) if you’re flying into Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Oakland, respectively.
  • Suppose you intend to fly to California with your pet. If that’s the case, you can let your pet relieve itself at ORD in one of the airport’s Service Animal Relief Areas. They are outside security on the lower levels of Terminals 1, 2, and 5 and inside security in Terminal 3 Rotunda and Main Hall.
  • If a small airport serves your California destination, use LAX as your travel base. This is because it serves commercial flights to nearly all small airports in the state. If you need assistance at MDW, visit the airport’s information desk at the Main Entrance of the Terminal. Here, you’ll find knowledgeable airport staff, always ready to help.
  • If you need assistance at MDW, visit the airport’s information desk at the Main Entrance of the Terminal. Here, you’ll find knowledgeable airport staff, always ready to help.
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 Chicago to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Chicago 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4292 reviews
8.2Boarding
8.1Comfort
8.7Crew
7.6Entertainment
7.1Food
Airline reviews

My flight to Chicago left and landed early. My return flight left two minutes late and arrived 2 minutes late. My seat selections were ideal! There were no snacks going to Chicago and no snacks on the return trip. There are no charging outlets on board.

10.0 ExcellentReginald, Mar 2025MDW - LGA
Read more Southwest reviews

My flight to Chicago left and landed early. My return flight left two minutes late and arrived 2 minutes late. My seat selections were ideal! There were no snacks going to Chicago and no snacks on the return trip. There are no charging outlets on board.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

One of the crew performed a hilarious skit to accompany the standard instructions. Passengers enjoyed it so much they applauded at the end!

Excellent experience. WiFi worked on this leg of My trip

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The plane arrived 25 minutes late, and the Wi-Fi was slower than it usually is.

Forget beverage, they didn't even have water for half the passangers?

My flight was scheduled for about 6:05 departure. There were 11 gate changes from 4-7pm and the flight was 3 hours delayed due to operational issues. The plane taxied around the airport for about half an hour before stopping to be de-iced. It would have been nice if we were alerted of the plan to de-ice prior to the 30 minute drive around the airport. The flight attendant was friendly, which was the only redeeming thing about this flight. As a former flight attendant for United, I was extremely disappointed.

Delays took 2hours and thirty minutes making me miss my connecting flight and make me sit in the Chicago airport for 9 hours

Had a short delay once we boarded the aircraft in Chicago, but it was fixed in no time flat then we were on our way. The pilot was able to make up the time lost and we landed 5 minute later then schedualed . Great service

Our seats were all the way in back of the plane,

The seats on this flight were almost roomy enough to be the basic amount needed for human existence. I think my favorite part of this flight was it landed at an A gate, which was the most palatial part of Sea-Tac I've ever seen - a massive improvement from the S gates.

The seats on this flight were almost roomy enough to be the basic amount needed for human existence.

The flight attendants in First Class were mediocre at best. They did not take our tray away until we were about to land and only did so when I press the call button. The United person at the United Club was asked to get us our boarding pass since we missed the flight due in Chicago. She argued that we did not have seats on the flight given to us in Moline. Furthermore, she was adamant that we did not have a First Class ticket. After I spent much time with her trying to show we were correct, she reluctantly agreed. She was probably the most incompetent ticketing person I have ever met and I have traveled 3 million miles on United plus many additional miles with other carriers. United has definitely deteriorated in more than on way.

Short flight - no food understandable. Flight was delayed for over an hour. Overall, it was good.

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

Was a pain having to leave the plane and reboard but glad the plane was fixed

Excellent! The gate agents were kind enough to rebook me on an earlier flight saving me from a 6 hour layover. Even my luggage made it despite the fact that the connection was technically too narrow. The flight itself was very comfortable, roomy, and clean. Plenty of space for my carryon items with plugs to charge my phone. After a long international flight of 14 hours, this was an excellent way to end my travels!

Great experience. Flight boarded easily. Departed early. Smooth flight. Great arrival in DC--almost no taxing! Almost direct to gate from runway. Crew was terrific. Same cookies and beverages in main cabin. I did not use the entertainment system on this flight.

Most of the delay was due to weather which is not what was at issue here. One delay was due to a missing flashlight and in the end the flashlight was actually found on the plane. The entertainment system is very limited. Live TV options offer only a few channels that are not very appealing. Boarding and deplaning are always difficult. It just takes too much time to get on and off the plane. On the plus side, I missed my connecting flight, but was easily able to book a later flight from the app while enroute.

You were more on time than United. I'm so over united delays.

The meals were mediocre and the alcohol selection was poor. I enjoyed the selection of movies and other entertainment.

I chatted with the captain before the flight, and similarly during the welcome announcement, he warned of a turbulent flight that may impact the in-flight service. However, once at altitude, he announced that the weather changed and he immediately turned off the seatbelt sign. But it appeared the cabin crew had already decided to take off this flight. They remained seated and then just chatted in the galley. The flight was fully catered, but only first class received service.

My flight attendant was attentive! The elderly person next to me was flatulent and the flight attendant could see that I was in distress and brought me some face masks

My boarding pass wouldn't pull up in the app very easily and had to really dig through my email. That caused a delay in TSA..

I had a TERRIBLE experience with the AA crew. I believe it was disability-related. It’s unlikely I will fly AA again.

Baby cried a lot. Nothing anyone could do about it. Just part of flying.

would be great to get basic water, soda at least and stop charging for carry ons

WiFi could have been a little more consistent - otherwise a phenomenal and positive experience. The 1000 mile giveaway was awesome!!!

Your crew is a representation of your Standards and Values. The crew from Seattle to LAX, was very disappointing. The crew was more interested in hanging out at the lobby area. Talking, laughing loudly and eating all the snacks. They did not do regular rounds to see if customers needed anything. This was a huge disappointment. I will no longer be flying with your airlines moving forward.

Loved staff help @ kiosk, staff on airplane. Commitment to punctuality. I sat in a "blocked" row, where the middle seat had no passenger & loved it! I appreciate not having to pay for water, which I've experienced even on international flights. Only negative was how dirty the bathroom was for a 4.5 hrs flight. But I don't think flight attendants monitor this.

- flight attendants not very friendly. - Paid for WiFi and plane didn’t have it working , never got a refund.

We got to fly on the new airplane. Much better as it’s roomier and cleaner than before. Most Importantly it’s much more comfortable. I still can’t move the seat back but the extra space made up for it. I didn’t taste the food or drinks because they charge for everything so I didn’t bother. I didn’t experience the entertainment because I downloaded my own movies on my phone. The crew was great. The flight itself was smooth . No complaints.

Your employees need to learn how to talk to people as creations of Yah. We are not their children nor are we lower than them.

I was comfortable because I upgraded. I would not have been comfortable in economy. It was a short flight so there was limited food service and no inflight entertainment.

I thought since I upgraded my seat I would get some perks. Free water, free snacks. Free carry on luggage.

It’s ridiculous to pay for carry-on luggage. I also wasn’t given an option to specify I have carry on bag at time of ticket purchase. I also could not specify I have carry on luggage at time of online check-in.

The flight itself was ok and the pilot was very communicative. However, our flight was delayed for almost 3 hours, the gate was changed 3 times and there was no communication as we were waiting. The flight staff was overall a little crabby...I understand as they probably had a long day but we all did.

Asked for a seat change to be w my wife at the gate they were great in sorting it out to make it happen

Everything went as planned. Crew was great. Seats were still not that comfortable.

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

The plane was clean, the crew was friendly and helpful. It’s a low cost airline so there was no food, drinks or in flight entertainment but we didn’t expect any of these things. In the room for improvement department, they should install USB ports in seats to charge mobile devices.

I was surprised that all baggage, including carry on, were charged. Each additional bag went up in cost. Really disappointed in the additional costs.

Charges unexpected. For seat that didnt recline. Please reverse extra seat and carryon charge. Bad business that is a bait and switch.

I couldn’t check in because the app didn’t work. It took 3 Frontier employees at the counter to get me checked in. Flight left 3 hours after departure time

Stop changing gates at sfo. When you are elderly going back for it’s not fun.

There was no easy way to check in. I don't want to install an app to checkin. I will use alaska from now on because they have a web check in method that is easy.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Chicago to California

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.

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