$76 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 5/9. 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 Angeles1 stop$196
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$287
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$219
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$319
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$367
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$300
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo2 stops$352
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$383
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$475
Redding
Redding1 stop$442
Reno
Reno1 stop$317
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$250
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$196
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$287
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$219
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$319
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$367
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$300
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo2 stops$352
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$383
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$475
Redding
Redding1 stop$442
Reno
Reno1 stop$317
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$250

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

Mon, May 4 - Sat, May 9
Frontier Logo
10:05 am - 4:38 pm
DTW
-
ONT
9h 33m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:50 am - 11:59 pm
ONT
-
DTW
10h 09m
1 stop
$160Frontier
Tue, May 5 - Mon, May 11
Frontier Logo
7:55 am - 10:05 am
DTW
-
ONT
29h 10m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:06 pm - 6:43 pm
ONT
-
DTW
19h 37m
1 stop
$162Frontier
Wed, May 6 - Tue, May 12
Frontier Logo
7:45 am - 11:49 pm
DTW
-
ONT
19h 04m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:50 am - 11:59 pm
ONT
-
DTW
10h 09m
1 stop
$163Frontier
Tue, Apr 28 - Mon, May 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:50 am - 7:32 pm
DTW
-
LAS
15h 42m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:20 pm - 11:59 pm
LAS
-
DTW
23h 39m
1 stop
$165Multiple Airlines
Thu, May 7 - Wed, May 13
Spirit Airlines Logo
8:47 am - 6:19 pm
DTW
-
BUR
12h 32m
2 stops
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:14 pm - 12:14 pm
BUR
-
DTW
14h 00m
2 stops
$257Spirit Airlines
Thu, May 7 - Wed, May 13
Spirit Airlines Logo
8:47 am - 6:19 pm
DTW
-
BUR
12h 32m
2 stops
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:14 pm - 12:14 pm
BUR
-
DTW
14h 00m
2 stops
$267Spirit Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Wed, May 13
American Airlines Logo
5:32 pm - 11:29 pm
DTW
-
PSP
8h 57m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:01 am - 12:45 am
PSP
-
DTW
15h 44m
1 stop
$367American Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Wed, May 13
American Airlines Logo
1:30 pm - 9:38 pm
DTW
-
PSP
11h 08m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
6:01 am - 12:45 am
PSP
-
DTW
15h 44m
1 stop
$372American Airlines
Wed, May 20 - Sat, May 23
Delta Logo
12:15 pm - 4:28 pm
DTW
-
PSP
7h 13m
1 stop
Delta Logo
12:29 pm - 11:59 pm
PSP
-
DTW
8h 30m
1 stop
$397Delta
Wed, May 20 - Sat, May 23
United Airlines Logo
7:15 am - 12:02 pm
DTW
-
PSP
7h 47m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:17 am - 10:14 pm
PSP
-
DTW
11h 57m
2 stops
$402United Airlines
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 May.

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 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $239 round-trip. The most popular route is from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $239.

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 in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $252 on average. Morning departures are around 2% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $406.

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 $461, 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 $266 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $375 and $359 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 6 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$76
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 8% 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 $157 one-way - $338 round-trip; Los Angeles $178 one-way - $432 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
DeltaOverall score based on 8406 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.2Food
7.9Comfort
7.8Entertainment
Airline reviews

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

8.0 ExcellentBarbie, Apr 2026
BOS - SFO
Read more Delta reviews

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The usb chargers would work only occasionally for 5 mins and wouldn’t charge after that. Had to keep trying repeatedly at each of the seats in the row.

The crew bent over backwards to thank us for flying and make us comfortable. The food service was quick and efficient. The Captain communicated and said goodbye and thank you as we departed. They really stood out!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

my mom urmila patel needed a wheelchair which was not available on the curbside. she needed to walk almost 50 meters inside (at the risk of falling) and then had to wait in line to get a wheelchair (this is not ok). Once obtained she had to seat in it for 30-45 minutes for someone to take her in thru the checkin process (which was fairly smooth and easy). the lady who helped her with her checkin process was very courteous and helpful

Staff at the check-in counter were friendly, happy and helpful. They tagged our bags and sent us to “bag drop off” but were not very clear about where that was. The airport was busy we headed off in what we thought was the right direction until a gentleman waved us down and actually came after us. He was the baggage handler for Delta and recognized our “deer in the headlights “ look-he brought us to the right area (which was marked as the Southwest Airlines Drop Off) and sent us on our way. Wonderful guy, low key and working with a big smile on his face. Loved it. Loved him.

Arlene was a great flight attendant. I also liked how one of the other flight attendants gave us a heads up about snacks and asked everyone to remove their headphones when it was their turn to order. Good idea.

I haven’t flown economy in over 20 years but it was not bad. Room by my feet for my bag and seat was roomy enough. Surprised in a good way.

The cabin temperature was nice and cool. The wifi was not working.

As previously noted, this flight was great: departure was timely, the crew was friendly and attentive, and wifi connectivity was seamless. In particular, I appreciated that the flight attendant just told me to stow the laptop right before takeoff/landing, and trusted me to do so (which I did!).

Packed in plane small uncomfortable seats elbow to elbow nobody wants to be in that situation for the money they paid

Checking in united could not figure out my star alliance gold. Baggage did not get marked priority and didn't receive boarding passes. When got to SFO lounge personal fixed everything Immediately

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.

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

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.

Flight delayed for more than 16 hrs and no effort was spent to provide an alternate

Overall we had a good experience during our flight from San Francisco to Houston.

it was a very short flight so my expectations were low.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.

A first class seat should fit a fat person, and this doesn't. The trays in the armrest are less functional than an ordinary tray in the back of the seat.

The experience at checkin for my American Airlines flight from Sacramento to LAX was very good including the assistance I received in getting my bags checked in and boarding passes printed. Was pleasantly surprised the my bags were checked through all the way to my destination at Clark International Airport in Angeles, Philippines.

Smooth flight. From the early boarding and all were on board before departure time and arrived early in ONT. Great crew. Thank you!!!!

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.

The flight was significantly delayed for 6.5 hours because of snow. There was no communication once the plane returned to the gate regarding when the flight would resume. Other flights were departing while our flight was being unloaded for reasons unknown. Our flight also seemed out of the queue regarding further deicing, refueling, and waiting to Taxi to the runway.

They are always late and seats was also not having working charger

Always Good ,… Spirit customers are high class Delta customers are self proclaimed elites and American crews you can hear them complain about everything (they’re loud)

No WiFi, no outlets to charge phones, no complimentary beverages on a 6 hour flight

Flight was delayed more than 3 hours, and the metro had stopped running by the time we got to the terminal well past midnight, so I was stranded, alone, with no way to get home until the metro started up the next morning.

My flight was cancelled I missed time at work and got a parking ticket

Flight was delayed due to waiting for crew! Flight attendants did not offer us food or drinks. Did not communicate with them at all other than at boarding and leaving the plane.

Crew was very nice. Take off and landing were great. Economy seats are not comfortable. Extra cost for snacks.

Flight has been canceled 10 minutes before the departure time and no explanation was given. What a joke of a company

Everything was OK, the deicing took a long time, our connections were almost missed.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours and we had no food or water or chargers

Horribly late because they had no crew!!! And then jet bridge didn’t work!! Then we arrived at a gate at lax miles away that we had to take a shuttle to a terminal!! I was over 3 hours late to getting the LA! Should have been here at 8:30 and at an appointment at 10:30 and arrived and left lax at 11 am!! Horrible experience!!!

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

It was an early flight and most people napped/slept and the crew let us which was nice.

The crew acted like they had never done this and kept barking passive aggressive orders at people. + the security line + the delay + sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours + none of the apps or signage updating with correct times

More inflight connection. And leg space is horrible. And the paying for baggage I'd ridiculous!!!

My flight was originally from SAT to MCO connecting from MCO to ORD. We got diverted to ATL and than Frontier staff there was sooo un helpful first they said they couldn’t give us any accommodation since our flight first got delayed that cancelled and now it’s 221am and I am still in ATL since they said they need to create a new flight my final destination is ORD and I have been delayed twice and cancelled. With no real help the frontier app didn’t work no email updates over all such a horrible experience

There's no seats that lean back with little leg space i wad uncomfortable the entire flight. Your charges for extra baggage is despicable and costly!!

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

Flight was canceled. Most upsetting was message from Kayak, stating that the flight was canceled and click with Kayak for details regarding rebook, refund details. THERE'S NO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY KAYAK EXCEPT THAT FLIGHT IS CANCELED. AND NOW THIS SURVEY TO FIND OUT HOW WAS THE FLIGHT !!!!!!!

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

Gate not determined until I got to the airport - hard to plan the trip to the airport.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports