$120 Find Cheap Flights from Detroit 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 Detroit to California departing on 9/7. 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.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to California.
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Detroit to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stops$295
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$343
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$335
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$291
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$381
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$327
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$369
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$344
Arcata
Arcata2 stops$381
Redding
Redding1 stop$592
Merced
Merced1 stop$534
Reno
Reno1 stop$287
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stops$295
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$343
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$335
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$291
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$381
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$327
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$369
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$344
Arcata
Arcata2 stops$381
Redding
Redding1 stop$592
Merced
Merced1 stop$534
Reno
Reno1 stop$287

Book Cheap Detroit to California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Detroit 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.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Detroit to California

Sat, Aug 15 - Tue, Aug 18
Frontier Logo
12:27 pm - 8:10 pm
DTW
-
LAS
10h 43m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
11:17 pm - 6:20 am
LAS
-
DTW
4h 03mnonstop
$236Frontier
Wed, Aug 5 - Wed, Aug 12
Frontier Logo
6:10 am - 9:58 pm
DTW
-
LAS
18h 48m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
11:59 pm - 7:00 am
LAS
-
DTW
4h 01mnonstop
$237Frontier
Wed, Sep 2 - Sat, Sep 5
JetBlue Logo
6:05 am - 1:44 pm
DTW
-
LAS
10h 39m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
10:25 am - 11:59 pm
LAS
-
DTW
10h 34m
1 stop
$241JetBlue
Tue, Aug 25 - Wed, Aug 26
JetBlue Logo
2:48 pm - 10:48 pm
DTW
-
LAS
11h 00m
1 stop
JetBlue Logo
10:25 am - 11:59 pm
LAS
-
DTW
10h 34m
1 stop
$245JetBlue
Fri, Sep 4 - Sat, Sep 12
Delta Logo
4:16 pm - 6:13 pm
DTW
-
SFO
4h 57mnonstop
Delta Logo
10:59 pm - 6:30 am
SFO
-
DTW
4h 31mnonstop
$349Delta
Tue, Oct 6 - Tue, Oct 13
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 11:56 pm
DTW
-
OAK
6h 51m
1 stop
Delta Logo
1:15 pm - 12:03 am
OAK
-
DTW
7h 48m
1 stop
$369Delta
Tue, Jul 21 - Tue, Aug 4
American Airlines Logo
5:57 pm - 9:32 pm
DTW
-
PSP
6h 35m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
1:07 pm - 10:21 pm
PSP
-
DTW
6h 14m
1 stop
$381American Airlines
Tue, Aug 11 - Tue, Aug 18
American Airlines Logo
5:41 am - 11:53 am
DTW
-
PSP
9h 12m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 6:47 pm
PSP
-
DTW
9h 47m
1 stop
$383American Airlines
Mon, Jul 20 - Tue, Jul 28
Southwest Logo
8:30 pm - 12:15 am
DTW
-
OAK
6h 45m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
11:55 pm - 10:00 am
OAK
-
DTW
7h 05m
1 stop
$393Southwest
Mon, Jul 20 - Tue, Jul 28
Southwest Logo
5:25 am - 11:35 am
DTW
-
OAK
9h 10m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
11:55 pm - 10:00 am
OAK
-
DTW
7h 05m
1 stop
$398Southwest
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.

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 $504 on average. Morning departures are around 2% 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 $792.

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 $466, 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 August, when tickets cost $311 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and May, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $512 and $477 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 Wednesday, 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 28% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 7 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$120
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from Detroit to San Diego

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
DTW
-
LAX
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
DTW
-
LAX
Nov 2025
Know there is a shuttle to exit or get baggage
FelipeFlew with Delta
DTW
-
SAN
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 $193 one-way - $311 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.
7.9
SouthwestOverall score based on 4246 reviews
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

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

2.0 MediocreIrene, Jun 2026
DEN - SFO
Read more Southwest reviews

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.

No gluten free snacks. Seats felt worn or bare bones even though it was a new 737 MAX 8.

Plane was clean and comfortable. Flight attendants and gate staff were professional, friendly and efficient. Boarding and deplaning were orderly and efficient. All in all, the typical excellent Southwest experience.

Not having a five hour delay with little notice! The crew was very kind, though, and just as tired as we passengers were. The flight didn't depart until nearly 1 am...and no reason was ever given.

This leg was much better, but we did have to have a 3 hour lay o er after coming from a very exhausting hiccup with our flight from BNA to Den

The Air hostess were very rude on my flight from Houston to Austin . Their regular communication itself felt a they are shouting at people.

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.

Should never have had to go to Detroit from Orlando back to Tennessee!

Free & relatively fast Wi-Fi. Would've liked a wider drink selection.

Smooth flight. Left on time, and got in 15 minutes early. Onboard video was great

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.

Miserable. This entire round trip was miserable. I booked evening flights to and from Detroit on consecutive days that should have had me at my destination by 10:30. Instead I arrived after 3am on my flight to Detroit and after midnight on my return. Multiple unforced errors like awaiting bags to get put on the plane for almost an hour in Detroit and a 20 minute delay to pull up to the gate in Atlanta has me rethinking my assumption that delta is the best and most reliable airline

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

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.

This was an overnight flight, and in the morning they did know coffee service. How you can throw passengers in a San Francisco airport at 5:40 a.m. in the morning and not giving them Coffee is a crime.

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

Service was professional and quick. Premium economy seat was comfortable given the class

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly at all times! They went above and beyond to get us into an earlier flight in San Diego to make our connection in SFO possible, because our original flight did actually not make it! I did so much appreciate the UA team and how they made this possible. We also didn’t have seats together on the long flight to Singapore, but they found us seats together last moment with no additional cost! Nobody sat next to us, so that we were able to sleep! Thanks to UA for improving their service and Underpricer for booking this trip! Please be careful: 1,5 hrs for transfer in San Francisco might not be enough time in the future

Packed flight, which makes it tough on crew and boarding staff (and the customers of course). But this was great boarding, clear instructions, etc. Traveling on the weekends are always fraught with danger as you have families and less frequent flyers thus more confusion. But this flight went as planned.

Destroyed my suitcase. Tired of talking about it. Cancelling my unite mileage plus account.

New plane was lovely. Crew customer service is always lax but expected. Kraft on time and arrived safely.

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

Flight cancelled. Twice. And no communication. No gate agent. Went past boarding time and had to go and see email from AA. Airport communication was bad

It was so much better than expected, Ohare is not such a pleasant experience but American Airlines with the new, clean aeroplane and free Wi-Fi was outstanding and the crew so pleasant and helpful.

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.

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

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.

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