$80 Find Cheap Flights from Detroit 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 Detroit to California departing on 9/26. 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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Cheap Flights from Detroit to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$303
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$306
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$329
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$273
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$321
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$240
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$379
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$348
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$580
Merced
Merced1 stop$451
Reno
Reno1 stop$209
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$303
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$306
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$329
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$273
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$321
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$240
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$379
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$348
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$580
Merced
Merced1 stop$451
Reno
Reno1 stop$209
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Detroit to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Detroit 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California departing in August.

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to California from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport usually cost between $304 and $549 in August.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $303 on Frontier (Aug 29-Sep 2).

What is the cheapest Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California flight route?

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

The cheapest ticket to California from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport found in the last 5 days was to San Francisco, at $349 round-trip. The most popular route is from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to San Francisco (SFO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $349.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 $549 on average. Morning departures are around 5% 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 $786.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 $464, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California is January, when tickets cost $385 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $549 and $518 respectively.

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

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

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

How far in advance should I book a flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 21% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 7 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$80
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 4% increase in price.
Flight from Detroit to Las Vegas

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Detroit to California 
AndreaFlew with Spirit Airlines-Feb 2026
I chose Spirit because it was a lot cheaper. Expect a very uncomfortable seat for basic economy. Bring something to do because there is no back of the seat entertainment screen.
AngeliqueFlew with Spirit Airlines-Nov 2025
Know there is a shuttle to exit or get baggage
FelipeFlew with Delta-Jun 2024
Make sure you know where you are going it’s a big airport… if you fly delta you can ride the tram inside to get to your gate if it is far away.

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit to the following destinations at these prices or less: Las Vegas $207 one-way - $295 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Detroit to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Detroit 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 Detroit 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 4219 reviews
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Flight left on time and was early landing. Seats not comfortable and not enough space…

4.0 OkayLeo, Aug 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

Flight left on time and was early landing. Seats not comfortable and not enough space…

It would have been better if the flight was on time

Fairly good - the seats seemed more comfortable on this flight. The staff out of Detroit were quite friendly. But they directed us to the wrong carousel for luggage. :(

No wifi, seems to be very common with Southwest currently. Everything else was normal.

Poor customer service, no accommodation for passengers when the flight was delayed over 5 hours.

The flight was late. The crew was rude. There was no food. Cramped and uncomfortable. Nothing about this flight was good.

It was just okay, no frills, basic transportation with no luxury. No screens on the seats, no water or drinks on a short flight. Full flight but at least it was on time.

The first time I flew in the extra legroom section. It was difficult to notice a difference. I had bad luck with my neighbors. The crew was okay. Southwest has reduced the live TV options.

Southwest's seats are the least comfortable I have ever sat in.

Southwest is a discount airline. I get it. You take the (usually) good pricing with the bad (cramped). But Southwest is becoming more and more like the cut-rate airlines *cough* Spirit *cough*. It used to actually be a fun experience. e.g. paying for WiFi is bad enough - having to pay for it on each leg of a flight is ridiculous. Yes, I've seen your numbers that it only "impacts a small percentage", but you and I both know that is misleading at best. While I used to try to fly SW exclusively when flying domestically, now I'll look elsewhere very frequently and price being equal (or close) I'm going to the other carriers.

The meal tray was not usable it was completely uneven

Chaotic boarding at these gates, multiple gates squeezed in at the very end of a concourse, behind a restaurant. Agents gave up on boarding by individual zones. Flight itself was uneventful, which is all we hope for any more.

Weather in Atlanta necessitated an hour's hold on the tarmac before we could leave Detroit. The plane was packed, and I expected some surliness. But no! The crew was fantastic (jovial even!), responsive to people's needs, and kept us informed. Consequently, the passengers took the delay in stride, and what could have been an ugly situation turned out to be no more than a minor inconvenience. The crew were the stars here.

The flight was mostly smooth and direct (although it was 2 hours late). The glow of the flight attendant’s phone was annoying as I tried to sleep on this midnight flight.

Crew was real good, flight was smooth and came in early.

Everything went smoothly, although the usual gripes about airline travel were still present: the boarding process is inefficient, the snack selection is limited, and so on. Since there was extra space on the flight, the gate agent rearranged many people's seats to put people on the aisles and windows, leaving the middle seats empty, as much as possible, which was pretty great.

Meh. A late flight meant I missed my connections, and a 2pm LAX arrival turned into gettin in after midnight.

It was good until there was a 3 hour delay because there was not any pilots to fly the plane.

Was a great smooth flight from Detroit to San Diego.

Food could have been better. A little more leg room would have been appreciated.

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

Old 757 with poor entertainment system. United no longer partners with United for free text and email. O'Hara an absolute disaster! Limited gates clauses two hour delay. Unfortunately this appears to be the norm.

The SFO lounge closes at 12 midnight. My flight took off at 2AM

Delayed 2 hours while stuck on the aircraft. If the luggage was properly loaded the first time we probably wouldn’t have been delayed at all

Flight be on time would be a good start. Then train your flight attendants to be attentive and friendly. This time they completely forgot my row for the measly snack! United, do better!

It was a short, comfortable flight. It did leave an hour late due to the pilot having to be replaced (family emergency) but that didn’t inconvenience myself & my friend. The situation was explained, eventually.

There was a piece of plastic baked into my buttermilk biscuit! I have a pictures. The flight attendants in first class were really apologetic, and tried to rectify the situation. I I am very appreciative that they were able to give me some packets of pretzels and gummy bears. I understand they don't personally handle the food until warming it up so I know it wasn't their fault. I don't know whether it was a newer aircraft, or different food packaging, but I was happy that when the food was being warmed up - it didn't smell like plastic. Jokes on me with finding plastic in my food.

The seats were uncomfortable, as if the cushions haven't been switched out in many years. I felt like I was on an old bus. The food was delicious. thank you. Onboard entertainment, very limited. Unless you like violent movies. Why in the world would you have such severely violent movies on a plane? if you don't want to see such things, you don't have a choice. Have you considered that when choosing entertainment? Good god. Why would you have the Godfather? Or black women being brutally beaten with a club? Why in the hell would you put that kind of material on a plane? As for Kayak: Why when I ordered Qantas, was the plane on United?

This flight is a quick way to get to Chicago, but a bit expensive.

Staff friendly and app worked really well. Modest delays were frustrating

Awful! We boarded and then sat on the plane for 50 mins before having to deplane due to a maintenance issue which should have been addressed before boarding. Then we had to change terminals as there was no other plane for us at the current terminal. Then we waited another 2 and a half hours to board again only to wait for 50 mins on the plane again for the snacks to be brought from the broken plane. And once we were on the flight we still only got the complimentary cookie and soda or water. No food vouchers provided even though we had waited over 3 hours for our flight.

Our experience with American Airlines was extremely disappointing and honestly made an already exhausting international journey much worse. After flying all the way from Melbourne and dealing with significant jet lag, the American Airlines experience at LAX was the last thing we needed. The terminal and boarding area felt very old and uncomfortable, with little to no air conditioning and only old fans running in the area. Boarding was also through outdoor stairs rather than a jet bridge, which felt especially inconvenient after such a long journey. Even though we were traveling First Class, the onboard experience was surprisingly poor. There were no meaningful snack options, no decent coffee available to order, and the aircraft was so small that there was barely enough overhead space for carry-on luggage. The staff experience was also disappointing and lacked the warmth or attentiveness we had experienced on our international flights. To make matters worse, the flight departed late, extending an already very long travel day. Overall, the combination of the outdated terminal, uncomfortable boarding process, limited First Class service, small aircraft, poor staff experience, and delay made this an extremely unpleasant final leg of our journey. It significantly worsened our exhaustion and jet lag rather than making the connection home easier. Unfortunately, this experience was bad enough that I do not plan to travel with American Airlines again in the future.

The passenger in front of of me reclined their seat back all the way the entire flight. Their headrest was in my face the entire flight! I barely had room for the little plastic cup of water to fit on my tray table; can you make the seats and space between the rows any smaller??? You can’t even get up to use the restroom! Worst flight I’ve had in a very long time!

I was on a small regional flight from Detroit to Philadelphia. When we landed the outside cruise needed to turn something off with the engine, which took quite a long time. Then, when they allowed us to get off the plane it was outside. They took their time, unloading all the luggage and waited till they unloaded all the luggage before they brought it over to us. It was 9 o’clock at night freezing cold out, and there was no proactive hustle to try to get people their luggage. It was really one of the worst experiences I think I’ve ever had with American until a manager came over. I don’t think they were going to even consider pulling the luggage over to the people that had been waiting outside for at least 10 minutes in the freezing cold.

It was a good trip. Flight Attendants were friendly and responsive.

The trip was very smooth and they provided great customer service

It was on time, which is always a good thing. There wasn’t any food hence my okay rating.

It was a crazy day with a lot of delays and gate changes. Not a huge fan of the Charlotte hub at all.

We have been delayed and postponed 2days and nights…and still do not have our flight until tomorrow..

American Airlines is awful!! Will never fly with them again. Connection flight left early leaving 22 people in Charlotte with no way to get to Key West for 24 hours. Would not provide hotel or any other accommodations. Bags were delayed two days.

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.

Plane was hot and miserable and the crew was rude!

They switched our terminal 3 times and we were delayed for four plus hours!!!

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

Seats were extremely uncomfortable and it was very hot on the plane.

Xmas Day- Flights were on time for departure and arrival, baggage check in and boarding process were hassle free, baggage also arrived without any delay. Satisfied customer on this journey.

Boarded late, no communication as to why, a lot of turbulence

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports