$76 Find Cheap Flights from Detroit to California - Compare and Save

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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 Angeles2 stops$289
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$314
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$348
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$251
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$352
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$264
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$379
Bakersfield
Bakersfield2 stops$359
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$601
Merced
Merced1 stop$479
Reno
Reno1 stop$294
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stops$289
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$314
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$348
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$251
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$352
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$264
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$379
Bakersfield
Bakersfield2 stops$359
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$601
Merced
Merced1 stop$479
Reno
Reno1 stop$294
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?

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to California from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport usually cost between $305 and $569 in October.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $289 on Frontier (Oct 2-Oct 5).

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

The cheapest ticket to California from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport found in the last 5 days was to San Francisco, at $359 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 $359.

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 $551 on average. Morning departures are around 8% 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 $789.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California?

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?

The cheapest month for flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to California is January, when tickets cost $388 (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 $516 respectively.

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

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 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 26% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 6 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$76
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% 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 $156 one-way - $264 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Detroit to California

 
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 4199 reviews
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.0Food
Airline reviews

Seated at front bulkhead for a smidge extra leg room away from home and on flight back home. Away crew was very proactive about assuring our carryons had space close behind us (because no seat in front of us our personal items had to be in a small bin overhead). They actively required passengers place overhead luggage on its side so more items could fit in bins. Home crew made no such efforts. I had to struggle back rows to get overhead bags upon landing, no crew help then either, and some disgruntled passengers as I and others retrieved our bags. There was a system that worked pretty well. The home bound crew just didn't feel like working.

4.0 OkayMather, Aug 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

Seated at front bulkhead for a smidge extra leg room away from home and on flight back home. Away crew was very proactive about assuring our carryons had space close behind us (because no seat in front of us our personal items had to be in a small bin overhead). They actively required passengers place overhead luggage on its side so more items could fit in bins. Home crew made no such efforts. I had to struggle back rows to get overhead bags upon landing, no crew help then either, and some disgruntled passengers as I and others retrieved our bags. There was a system that worked pretty well. The home bound crew just didn't feel like working.

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.

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.

Delayed 7 hours Crew and employees were nice Extra long flight but at least we got in

I love how the flight crews are now saying what the weather will be like, when we can expect to be able to get up and use the restrooms etc. I have to say also that our flight crews this trip were incredible - fast and courteous - and somehow managed to do the service even on these short flights with a few bumps. The only reason for an ok rating on entertainment was because these short flights are on planes without seatback displays but that's ok because I just download shows on my iPhone beforehand.

Our flight from Detroit to LaGuardia on Thursday 8/20 was delayed from 555 to 910 due to storms and a ground stop at LGA. It’s never fun to be stuck at the airport but I thought the desk crew and captain handled it well and kept us informed. I especially liked how they referred to us as their “LaGuardia family.” I am a loyal delta customer and this is one of the reasons why.

The meal tray was not usable it was completely uneven

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.

I did bought anything… I don’t understand how this book appears to me . Ridiculous

My flight from Honolulu (UA 1221) was on a very old 757, no video monitors anywhere. If you wanted to watch a movie, you needed to do so using the United app on one’s phone. WiFi was $8 for Mileage Plus members; I demurred, choosing to spend my time reading a novel using the Kindle app on my Samsung S26. The meal was okay … Breakfast on any domestic airline is so-so as a rule and this one was no exception. The best part of the meal was the fruit plate and the warm croissant. The highlight: The flight left on time and arrived early.

The plane left over an hour late. I missed my connection going to Tokyo. They haven’t sent my bag to Thailand, where I ended up. It took me over 32 hours to get here. Very bad experience so far. I hope they can fix this and get my bag to me, within 24 hours it doesn’t look good at this time.

The flight was excellent. Their was no service as we boarded, the flight attendants spent about 30 minutes just taking and not really caring that the cabin was about 80 degrees and did not offered any beverage to first class passengers or any passenger. The flight from DEN to ONT is not long but not under an hour, we received one drink and bag of chips if you were lucky. I was in first class…. I did leave my hat on the plane and it only took less than five minutes for a United rep to locate and bring it to me.

The app logs you out right when you are boarding requiring all passwords and reservation number for the flight. Super annoying

The pre-order only approach for fresh food is really challenging

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.

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

The seats cushion on my seat (exit row) needs to be replaced. It felt like I was sitting on a bar rather than a seat cushion. Also, I was in the middle seat and I sat next to an oversized guy (window seat) and he took up about 25% of my space. Otherwise, the experience was good. :)

Worst experience ever, extremely disorganized airline with super rude crew for first class passengers. I have submitted feedback to AA customer care online that this was my worst experience traveling in over 30 years

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