$34 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 6/12. 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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KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
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 Angelesnonstop$98
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$179
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$117
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$112
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$218
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$217
Imperial
Imperial1 stop$485
Reno
Reno1 stop$163
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$93
Los Angeles
Los Angelesnonstop$98
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$179
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$117
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$112
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$218
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$217
Imperial
Imperial1 stop$485
Reno
Reno1 stop$163
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$93

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 for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
Frontier Logo
9:56 pm - 12:10 amORD-LAS
4h 14mnonstop
Frontier Logo
3:00 pm - 8:56 pmLAS-ORD
3h 56mnonstop
$78Frontier
Find Deal
Sun, Jun 1 - Fri, Jun 6
Spirit Airlines Logo
11:50 am - 1:51 pmORD-LAS
4h 01mnonstop
Spirit Airlines Logo
11:46 pm - 5:25 amLAS-ORD
3h 39mnonstop
$82Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 28 - Fri, May 30
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:13 pm - 10:12 pmORD-SFO
4h 59mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:33 pm - 6:59 pmSFO-ORD
4h 26mnonstop
$179Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 10 - Sat, May 17
United Airlines Logo
2:33 pm - 5:23 pmORD-SFO
4h 50mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
6:10 am - 12:37 pmSFO-ORD
4h 27mnonstop
$188United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 24 - Tue, Jul 1
American Airlines Logo
7:40 am - 10:36 amORD-SFO
4h 56mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
11:55 pm - 6:10 amSFO-ORD
4h 15mnonstop
$197American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 3 - Tue, Jun 10
United Airlines Logo
9:00 am - 11:39 amORD-SFO
4h 39mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
6:40 pm - 12:59 amSFO-ORD
4h 19mnonstop
$198United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, May 30 - Fri, Jun 6
Southwest Logo
5:15 am - 9:25 amMDW-SFO
6h 10m1 stop
Southwest Logo
7:45 pm - 5:00 amSFO-MDW
7h 15m1 stop
$207Southwest
Find Deal
Tue, Jun 24 - Tue, Jul 1
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:59 pm - 10:49 pmORD-SFO
4h 50mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:33 pm - 6:59 pmSFO-ORD
4h 26mnonstop
$207Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Jun 4 - Wed, Jun 11
Southwest Logo
4:05 pm - 6:05 pmMDW-LAS
4h 00mnonstop
Southwest Logo
6:15 am - 11:45 amLAS-MDW
3h 30mnonstop
$209Southwest
Find Deal
Mon, Jun 2 - Wed, Jun 4
American Airlines Logo
10:17 pm - 12:40 amORD-LAX
4h 23mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
12:50 am - 7:02 amLAX-ORD
4h 12mnonstop
$229American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 10 - Wed, Jul 16
Useful Info

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.

What is the cheapest Chicago to California flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from Chicago to California.

The cheapest ticket to California from Chicago found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $115 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 72 hours was $115.

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 $688, 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 $228 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $376 and $323 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 Friday 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. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 5 weeks before departure.


Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
High seasonMay
Cheapest flight$34
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to John Wayne (Santa Ana)

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Chicago to California 
StephanieFlew with Spirit AirlinesORD-LAXApr 2025
Don’t go to LA and definitely don’t go to LA on Spirit. If I could give negative stars, I would.
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 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.

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $324 on average. Morning departures are around 55% 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 $846.

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.

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 4294 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.6Entertainment
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.1Food
Airline reviews

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025LGB - SMF
Read more Southwest reviews

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

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.

A bit rush for transit. Food and entertainment are not available

Smooth boarding process. Early departure, smooth flight, early arrival. The entertainment package has very good recent movie options. The flight crew were friendly and professional.

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.

I have long legs, my foot was out in the aisle and when a flight attendant came walking by and I didn't notice, instead of saying "excuse me" or anything like that, she kicked my foot. Extremely rude

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.

Worst airline ever! The guy weighing my bag had his foot on the metal plate and when I called him out on it, I got this stupid little smirk. La is a scam and so is Spirit Airlines. All the flight attendants looked like they hated our flight just as much as we did.

Very dissatisfied with spirit airlines after buying my ticket's they cancelled our flights with no reasoning.

Unclear pricing; ended up being charged an extra $52 just to get onboard

Spirit is awful. Too expensive for what you get. Stop nickel and diming.

Good crew and safe. However, comfort and being nickeled-and-dimed are my issues. $75 each way for luggage is exhortation. The space to the next seat is so close you cannot open a laptop. The magazine rack doesn’t hold your items. Not a fan.

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.

The reps working at the airport counter were dumber than a second coat of paint.

My costume jewelry was stolen out of my bag. Got to airport and my bag weighed 45 pounds- 5 pounds over cost me $100 Long lines in tier one. No entertainment No WiFi no free drinks or snacks

Not very good. Paid in excess of $400 for assigned seating for my family and that was not provided. I want that money back.

The seats were hard molded plastic covered in plastic vinyl. And the scam to charge people extra to sit together. Don’t they know we can just ask someone to trade seats. And watching the staff separate young children from parents… super classy. We had to guilt them into offering up our seats. This companies policies suck. Don’t give them your money.

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….

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.

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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