$95 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to California - Compare and Save

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 8/11. 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
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights from Chicago to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$195
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$277
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$285
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$262
Palm Springs
Palm Springsnonstop$251
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$284
Imperial
Imperial1 stop$720
Reno
Reno2 stops$369
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$195
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$277
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$285
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$262
Palm Springs
Palm Springsnonstop$251
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$284
Imperial
Imperial1 stop$720
Reno
Reno2 stops$369

Book Cheap Chicago to California Plane Tickets

 
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.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Chicago to California

Tue, Aug 25 - Tue, Oct 6
Frontier Logo
2:41 pm - 11:50 pm
ORD
-
ONT
11h 09m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:00 am - 9:35 pm
ONT
-
ORD
13h 35m
1 stop
$190Frontier
Tue, Aug 18 - Tue, Aug 25
Frontier Logo
2:41 pm - 11:50 pm
ORD
-
ONT
11h 09m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:56 pm - 1:36 pm
ONT
-
ORD
15h 40m
1 stop
$192Frontier
Thu, Sep 3 - Tue, Sep 8
Southwest Logo
7:00 am - 9:15 am
MDW
-
LAX
4h 15mnonstop
Southwest Logo
11:55 pm - 5:55 am
LAX
-
MDW
4h 00mnonstop
$237Southwest
Fri, Sep 11 - Mon, Sep 14
Southwest Logo
1:50 pm - 5:30 pm
MDW
-
LAX
5h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
11:55 pm - 5:55 am
LAX
-
MDW
4h 00mnonstop
$243Southwest
Mon, Aug 24 - Thu, Aug 27
United Airlines Logo
8:03 pm - 10:50 pm
ORD
-
SJC
4h 47mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
2:10 pm - 8:35 pm
SJC
-
ORD
4h 25mnonstop
$262United Airlines
Mon, Aug 24 - Wed, Aug 26
United Airlines Logo
8:03 pm - 10:50 pm
ORD
-
SJC
4h 47mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
12:51 pm - 10:46 pm
SJC
-
ORD
7h 55m
1 stop
$272United Airlines
Tue, Aug 11 - Tue, Aug 25
American Airlines Logo
9:05 pm - 11:45 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 40mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
2:48 pm - 9:35 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 47mnonstop
$277American Airlines
Tue, Oct 6 - Wed, Oct 7
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 1:18 pm
ORD
-
SJC
9h 18m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:54 am - 6:53 pm
SJC
-
ORD
7h 59m
1 stop
$277Alaska Airlines
Thu, Aug 13 - Wed, Aug 19
American Airlines Logo
9:05 pm - 11:45 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 40mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
5:07 pm - 11:30 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 23mnonstop
$278American Airlines
Wed, Aug 5 - Wed, Aug 12
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:20 am - 11:49 am
ORD
-
SFO
7h 29m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 6:57 pm
SFO
-
ORD
9h 02m
1 stop
$286Alaska Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Chicago to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Chicago to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

How much is a round-trip flight from Chicago to California?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Chicago to California departing in August.

What is the cheapest Chicago to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from Chicago found in the last 5 days was to Ontario, at $185 round-trip. The most popular route is from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $200.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from Chicago to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $344 on average. Morning departures are around 48% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $774.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Chicago to California?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $462, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Chicago to California is September, when tickets cost $304 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $428 and $402 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Chicago to California?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Chicago to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

When flying from Chicago to California, you should consider leaving on a Thursday and avoid Mondays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Chicago, you’ll find the best rates on Wednesdays and the most expensive ones on Sundays.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Chicago to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Chicago to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 23% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 11 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$95
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 16% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Ontario

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Chicago to California 
MarkFlew with American Airlines
ORD
-
LAX
Jun 2026
Get there early, only one TSA line open and thew queue was very long.
MikeFlew with American Airlines
ORD
-
LAX
Sep 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.

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 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.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • 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.

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.