$80 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to California - Compare and Save

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Cheap Flights from Des Moines to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$186
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$191
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$225
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$232
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$339
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$305
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$305
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$389
Reno
Reno1 stop$270
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$186
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$191
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$225
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$232
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$339
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$305
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$305
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$389
Reno
Reno1 stop$270
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines 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 Des Moines to California?

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to California from Des Moines usually cost between $422 and $659 in January.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $186 on Multiple Airlines (Jan 7-Jan 8).

What is the cheapest Des Moines to California flight route?

The cheapest ticket to California from Des Moines found in the last 5 days was to Burbank, at $62 round-trip. The most popular route is from Des Moines (DSM) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $360.

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

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $379 on average. Morning departures are around 101% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $868.

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

No, with an average price for the route of $377, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to California?

The cheapest month for flights from Des Moines to California is January, when tickets cost $378 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $502 and $460 respectively.

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

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to California on a Wednesday and more expensive on a Sunday. On your return trip to Des Moines, you should consider flying back on a Tuesday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

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

To get a below average price on the flight from Des Moines to California, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 26% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

August

Cheapest flight

$80
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 6% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 9% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to San Diego

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

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

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Des Moines to the following destinations at these prices or less: Las Vegas $138 one-way - $254 round-trip; Los Angeles $312 one-way - $399 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Des Moines to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Des Moines 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.
7.9
SouthwestOverall score based on 4219 reviews
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
7.4Entertainment
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

It’s too cold like fridge and they don’t offer a blanket with expensive price

6.0 GoodJiana, Oct 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

It’s too cold like fridge and they don’t offer a blanket with expensive price

A List preferred boarding was nice Asked for a mask and cheerfully received Denver bag check-in is tricky. Not near other checking desk. Have to navigate to east security and up to level six for bag checkin. TSA busy and 20 minutes process thru pre lines Denver train to gates quick but one more thing to plan time for and long concourse walk to gate

Not exactly Southwest’s problem, but the new Burbank airport is not great. No restaurants open and tons of work still to be completed. Can’t believe they opened the airport in that condition.

Southwest has lost most of what made it special. The flight attendants all used to seem fun and like they were having fun. Now they seem just miserable. They do NOT seem happy to give you your pretzels and drinks. They stick it in your hand or on your tray like it's an annoyance. They bark safety instructions at you. It's not just this flight but the last few SW flights I've had to SNA and SAN as well and it's not just me. I've informally surveyed my colleagues (business and leisure travelers) and these feelings are consistent. The tickets are similarly priced to other carriers and the seat assignments make boarding slower. The free luggage and free ability to change flights is still a differentiator. You lose that and there's virtually nothing special left.

Overall good experience...exception: very cold temp in teh cabin.

I liked how it boarded fast. I do not like how the seats are just too narrow, and I’m not a big person.

Despite paying for an ‘upgraded’ seat in row 1, I had to put my luggage in the middle of the plane. Snacks were bleh and seat was small and uncomfortable and I am not large. Attendants were fine but not super helpful. Plane just seemed outdated.

Delayed for no reason at all originally. Then they said it was due to weather conditions. Communication between kayak and Southwest was terrible because both displayed different delays and departure times for HOURS throughout the day. The plane then had technical issues which delayed us from taking off even longer. Didn’t actually take off until 11:45pm when the original departure time was 7:35pm. I didn’t get home until 1:30am the next day. I was exhausted and pissed off. I am not confident if I’ll fly southwest in the future or use kayak to book.

Flight was fine. Only thing was flight was delayed nearly 2 hours. Flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:50pm but didn't depart until 9:50pm. I got home around midnight. It was later than desired and I had to get up early next day to take kids to practice. I have noticed that last flight of day on West Coast for Southwest always tend to have delays.

Terrible delay today. also, waited 90 minutes for baggage to unload in Seattle earlier in the week.

I purchased a Polaris ticket. The plane did not have the lie flat seats - I was not notified. I actually can not believe they traded a dif plane and did not notify me or refund monies

⭐ Absolutely AWFUL Experience with United Airlines! If I could give United Airlines ZERO stars, I would. The seats have practically NO legroom, making the flight feel like being crammed into a tin can with nowhere to move. Comfort? Forget about it! And the fees? Absolutely ridiculous! They seem to charge you for EVERYTHING. You pay for your ticket, then get hit with extra charges for things that should be part of a decent flying experience. What’s next, charging passengers for breathing? Flying with United feels less like being a valued customer and more like being a walking wallet. The seats are uncomfortable, the legroom is pathetic, and the constant nickel-and-diming is infuriating. For the price you pay, you would think they could at least provide a little space to stretch your legs and a travel experience that doesn’t leave you feeling ripped off. Do yourself a favor and look at other airlines before booking with United. I certainly won’t be rushing to fly with them again. Absolutely disappointing from start to finish!

My flight from Boston to SFO was fine. Crew was friendly and helpful. Food was mediocre. Fright from SFO to MNL was not as good. My flight attendant was friendly but didn’t seem to have a lot of experience. She seemed overwhelmed. Also, this was the only red eye business class flight I’ve flown which only served dinner 2 hours after takeoff in a 13 hr flight. When I woke up 1 hr before landing, everyone was eating so I assumed bkft was being served. I pushed my button for help and no one came so I approached my flight attendant and she said they don’t serve bkft but she gave me choices for lunch or dinner. I routinely fly business class but I was disappointed with the lack of service and attention I was given on this flight. Also, most airlines will offer a snack or coffee before bkft is served but this was not offered during this flight. Overall, it was disappointing.

It's not United, but TSA security at Terminal A in Newark is a disaster and seriously makes me consider switching to flying out of JFK. The touchless TSA pre-check had a line of over 50 people and the bag screening was so slow that it limited the flow of people through the facial recognition process. It is the only airport that I frequent that has this issue and makes me reconsider whether I should fly out of Newark given the wasted time and frustration it causes. As I said, it is not a United issue but will impact United if people choose to stop utilizing Newark airport because of the poor experience.

The food could be much better. Also very unfortunate that most of business class seats were empty but I could not upgrade.

Bag got checked but I thought one personal item was guaranteed.

The seats are very small, that is all the staff did a good job.

The flight was for my mom in wheelchair the staff in Newark wer not friendly took a long time to even get a wheelchair she almost missed her flight because they finally got a chair few minutes before boarding they had to rush her to the gate. They took her carryon and checked it as a bag told her don’t worry free of charge but they charge the credit card anyway. She also told me the seats are not comfortable at all as if they were broken she could feel the bars in the seat SFO staff was much better overall she had the worst experience

Very rough getting into denver. my kid threw up it was so rough.

Liked that we left on time for each flight. Snacks not the best, but we're okay.

Terrible. We needed to change return flights due to an incoming hurricane. They would not refund our return flight.

The employees at Sioux Falls airport were friendly and helpful. As a veteran/retired military Allegiant allows two checked bags, one carry on bag and a seat on the plane all at no cost. The flight crew and pilots were friendly and very competent.

The check-in and flight crew employees are excellent. The flight was good and the seats were adequate.

The flights to and from Cincinnati were great at being on time for both, departures and arrivals. The planes could use some updating.

It was a dismal experience. The flight was delayed for 4 hours, and we spent hours in the plane, without air, during the summer. We were not provided with water, and the medical assistance was inadequate when it arose.

The landing the pilot was very smooth. The flight attendant was kind of rude.The boarding the plane in punta Gorda was not great made us wait out in the heat 😞

My exit seat was very comfortable Coffee was to be purchased but sodas free 😏

The flight was very delayed (in BOTH directions - outbound and returning). The flight was very very cramped. The plane taxi'd on the runway for a really long time, and I got claustrophobic being in such a tight seat. The pilot and crew both indicated that we were going to make up lost time due to the delay, but the plane arrived LATER than expected.

A foot rest for short legged people and a complimentary water would be nice.

The employees at the check-in counter said my disabled wife and I were going to be separated even though we picked seating together when we bought our tickets. They told us my wife would be seated in row 2 and I would be in row 8, because we bought our tickets from a third party. Fortunately the flight crew said: "No, you two need to be together, we'll fix this." Then they seated us together. We are 75 years old and flying is a challenge for us, so we appreciate all the help we can get. Your flight crew was awesome with us, and with the children on our flight as well. Thank You Allegent Air Lines! 🙂

Cabin staff were very disengaged, spoke with no eye contact, dismissive. Disappointing compared to my United experiences.

Flight attendants were pleasant and helpful. Pilot gave fair warning about turbulence.

Unfortunately the flight was delayed. On a positive note the status updates in the app/text message were good

extremely tight seats. seating next to a large person makes the space very uncomfortable. The crew is not very friendly either.

The flight was 3 hours and 40 minutes late. The communication around the delays was awful. I fly this route regularly and it is always late. I don't understand it. The flight attendants were not friendly and were generally loud. This was an overall bad look for American Airlines.

Too little snack and drink for almost 6:00 hr flight. Should have serve some food.

In flight connectivity (via T-Mobile) was often not working.

Terrible. Internet/kiosk glitch prevented baggage checkin. Line at ticket co in Ter was under serviced and did not move. Agents did not call for flight but rather allowed time to pass. Then told each person as they reached the front if line that it was too late to check bags so they’d have to rebook flights. At least 15 people missed the flight as a result of this incompetence.

It was exactly what I expected, actually arriving sooner than scheduled.

Terrible, they canceled my flight due to an issue they had, couldn't fly me into the same place within 24 hrs so had to fly in 2.5 hrs away from my destination and spend even more money. The customer service was terrible (except at the airport in Charleston). Had to call to get my checked baggage fees reimbursed 2 wks later in which one customer service agent was very rude, wouldn't listen and then hung up on me. The second lady I spoke with was actually able to help me with that part thankfully. Would not recommend flying AA.

It got me to my destination? However we were an hour delayed departing, and we never received any updates or notifications from staff. Poor communication and customer service.

My experience with Frontier was terrible. We were delayed for 2 hours. At one point during the wait at the gate I left to go get a sandwich - I was gone probably 15 minutes. In my absence, they decided to move our flight up, boarded and left. When I came back the two attendants were very rude and I unavoidably had to purchase another ticket on the next flight. During this whole time, the Frontier app did not update the departure time, so I was SOL.

Flight was delayed by about an hour, once we arrived at LAX we had to take a shuttle to the baggage claim - it was completely disorganized. The agents at the shuttles were rude and unable to provide any information. Frontier charges extra for everything from bags to drinks - at the end it ends up being more expensive than flying the better airlines

Tiny seats, no entertainment, no amenities, delays, they charge for carry on and their allowed personal item is smaller than in other airlines.

I really didn't like anything. Paid for my checked luggage online ($79) and then was told that I would have to paid another $79 for my carry on. Was not allowed to enter the terminal until 3 hours before my flight and when I finally was allowed to check my bag and enter, my flight was delayed 3 times. When I finally landed, we were all instructed to "run off the plane" as they had to do a quick turn around to Las Vegas. Me and several of my flying companions will never fly Frontier again.

Our flight was canceled. I will never use Kayak nor Frontier for travel again. The entire experience was a headache.

Terrible. The canceled my entire flight when I requested a refund for a trip frontier canceled trip one way.

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

I think Frontier was very good at communication. Their app worked very well. Loading was great and the flight was nice and easy.

Great for the price. No wifi or entertainment, but gate agents and crew were fantastic and we boarded quickly and left on time.

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