$433 Find Cheap Flights from China to California

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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 for flights to California
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
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Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

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

What is the cheapest flight to California?

These are the best round-trip prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to California from China found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $693 round-trip. The most popular route is Guangzhou (CAN) to San Francisco (SFO) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $1,058.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from China 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 China to California is November, when tickets cost $703 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,550 and $1,430 respectively.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights 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 China to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 15% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

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 Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $734.

Good to know

Low seasonMarch
Cheapest flight$433
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 2% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 12% lower on average.
Flight from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Los Angeles

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from China to California 
Verified travelerFlew with Air China
PEK
-
SFO
Mar 2026
Only tip, eat before boarding the plane, Airline food, not just Air China, has become worse over time. Air China's food was better prior to the pandemic.
Verified travelerFlew with China Southern
CAN
-
LAX
Oct 2024
Wear comfy shoes it is a long flight. If you can try to get a window seat cause the middle seat is super uncomfortable. But the flight is amazing and even though it is a long flight I had fun
Verified travelerFlew with Sichuan Airlines
TFU
-
LAX
Aug 2024
1. Make sure the passport information has been correctly recorded with the ticket, otherwise you will not be able to pass custom/security at China. Ticket purchased overseas often misses such info. 2. Arrive at the airport early. 3+ hours would be my recommendation.
Verified travelerFlew with China Southern
WUH
-
SFO
Jun 2024
Monitor flight information closely in case unexpected cancelation. Other than that, everything was good.

FAQs for booking flights from China to California

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

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

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

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $1,166. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $1,405 on average.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from China to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from China to California. 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 China 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.
8.1
Asiana AirlinesOverall score based on 512 reviews
8.5Crew
8.0Comfort
8.3Boarding
7.6Entertainment
8.0Food
Airline reviews

Kayak uses scammer sites to steal money from their victims.

2.0 MediocreTim, Apr 2026
ICN - BKK
Read more Asiana Airlines reviews

Kayak uses scammer sites to steal money from their victims.

Kayak along with airfare assay are attempting to steal my money. Charges are being pressed.

Customer service and attention to details. The food was good.

Felt like the oldest plane in Asiana Fleet. Screen was 5-6in only and no charging at all. Movie selection wasn't great.

When one asks for water because they are dehydrated, bring more then a sip or two in a small cup. Bring them a whole bottle.

Food could be better it was okay. Entertainment seems dated it was something but in this day and age could be a lot better.

I am thankful that I was able to fly using Asiana

Better screens, it would have been nice to have more comfortable seats.

It was great, but my bag was not loaded onto the connecting flight. I'm currently getting it resolved. If this isn't a problem, everything else was excellent.

Very clean ,flight attendants very professional,nice , Boarding was very easy

I liked the service. The touch screen needs improvement as well as movie choices.

My only suggestion is a way to not be woken up for food. … like maybe something you can place on you if you’d prefer to miss food than be woken up

After each meal was served I didn't see any flight attendant offer coffee or tea to the passengers after the initial drinks were offered. Other flights I had been one it was standard procedure to offer hot drinks after the meal service.

It was great. It was my first time with Cathay Pacific and I really recommend.

Selected ovo lacto meal because I’m ok with milk products but not any meat. It was terrible. We had the same selection back in October when we had traveled and it was pretty good at that time. It was gross this time.

I was mid plane and they were already out of the main beef entree....ugh!

Flight delayed first from bad weather, then after boarding there was a problem with the plane. We had to get off and onto another plane...connections were missed and the trip took an additional 10 hours!! Pre-paid seatting was not honored due ro last minute carrier changes. Most of the trip was on Japan Airline.

Vegetarian options should be included with every meal. Even just simple steamed vegetables and whole grains would capture a wide audience.

Cramped, hot and the plane was grubby. Also the plane was an hour late and it took an hour to get my luggage once I got to LAX.

Extensive delays, poor organization to board people, as it felt like chaos to get inside of the plane. No lines, everyone gathering together like a mayhem, very confusing. Passengers out of hand and rude, which is not the airlines fault. However, there should be rules, e.g., not letting one passenger take 2+ spots in the overhead bin.

Poor seats. Not helpful crew. The food was awful.overall very very bad experience. Traveled with the family of 5

did not get a notification about seat selection ahead of time. We didn't end up sitting together.

I was denied boarding at the Brisbane airport and it seems like I won’t get any refunds from the airline

In my return flight they couldn’t identify my ticket or boarding pass, I had to go to 3 different counters until I was able to get my boarding pass. The food was on, it was the bear minimum. They didn’t even recognise that I was a Muslim and can’t eat meat, chicken or pork. In one of the trays I believe they served me pork. The staff were very pleasant, but they need to be aware of their surroundings more carefully, one of them stuck her lower belly right into my face! I was shocked and very uncomfortable.

Overall I had good experience with China Southern airline. Nothing to claim. I hoped they could improve the meal quality that is.

Wow very impressed by the quality and attentiveness of service of China Southern. Lived the blankets! Will definitely fly with them again. Despite language barriers, a few attendants know enough English to understand our rudimentary Mandarin and respond to basic questions. Although they don’t explain the beverage and meal service on the website or ticketing documents, they offered regular beverage cart and snacks during the beginning hours and end hours of the long, transoceanic flight. A full meal at the beginning and end of the flight as well, and a midflight small sandwich (dinner roll sized) but we weren’t hungry and didn’t try that one. The expectation is that every sleeps during the middle of the flight. We were on a “redeye” departure from LAX with a morning arrival in China, so I don’t know if this service pattern is the same for other flights. The domestic flight we took from Guangzhou to Harbin offered conventional refreshments and meals like a US flight service. Note that they didn’t offer diet sodas. If you like to stay hydrated, I recommend bringing plenty of your own. It is served in small cups like any other drink. You can ask for a bottle but they’re tiny - about 6 ounces.

China Southern was not the problem. I booked my flight through Kayak and also received a booking reference and alert details regarding departure time and gate numbers… however Kayak NEVER actually booked my flight! We were stranded at the airport without a flight for a long awaited holiday!

The connection between LA and Atlanta was too much stress

Terrible boarding experience,,food is very poor that I I . Never going book this airline again.

The crew were kind, patient and responsive. The service was excellent, even though we travelled the cheapest economy class. We arrived at our destination 40 min early, which for a 15+ hour flight is a great bonus. The boarding seemed a bit "loose", but got us boarded on time, and the plane was off exactly @ 0:30 hrs.

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

we did a return flight from Paris CDG to SFO. This trip was much better than the departing flight SFO to CDG. The food was better quality, the crew was nicer, and the interior of the plane seemed cleaner.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

We got to get extended leg room in Econ plus that was great. It was nice having our own dietary needs met with our meals, and the connecting flights had it as well. Only negative were the seats my bottom was/is really sore after a ten plus hour flight. Those seats are horrible, understandable for as many people use them. So we are going to purchase a gel seat pad.

Flight to Japan was was better across the board than the return to USA. Entertainment: Movie selection was old and not to my liking. Way too many woke choices. Not enough selections for sports or drama. Service: some of the crew were great. Not all. I paid for business class. a premium. Some of the crew thought they 'had' t do there job instead of wanting to serve and be polite. Food: Way to Japan was good. Way back to USA bad. Boarding: Wat out did not offer Business only; had to go thru general. If you pay for business, you should get business perks. Suggest you look for other than United for travel to Asia

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

The head flight attendant made the trip excellent. He was very accommodating.

The economy seats on the 777 was not as cramped as I had feared, but the food was terrible.

The meals were not the greatest and lacking of appetite but everything else was spot on

Overall, excellent: check-in, boarding, service, and food. The Business Class seating is a little less private and spacious than the world's premier airlines, but still very good for a long haul flight.

On time. Friendly and helpful flight attendants. The plane was clean. Having a wine available would have been nice.

Your staff was exceptional. Could teach the other airlines-rules on etiquette, and service. Excellent landings on flights, carried out by your pilots. Only complaint is long delay on return flight in Beijing, onto Vancouver.

Worst than I expected, crew was not attentive, meal was as disgusting , they didn’t even drink selections as they would to other passengers. I felt discriminated

cannot get seat information for LAX to IAH when check in in XI,AN

UA is ok. But check in was a very bad experience

I hate that you cannot check in online and when you are at the airport, there aren't any aisle seats left. Also, they could work a little on subtitles for their movies (not everyone is a native English speaker).

Nothing to complain of, the only reason I am not giving better marks is that I am used to flying with ANA and they are the top.

It's terrible that we can't do online check in because we didn't buy the tickets directly from Air china. It was not explained until I contacted Chatdeal and we could not sit together.

Everything you need to know for your flight 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.