DTW - LAX

$48 Find Cheap Flights from Detroit to Los Angeles

1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Los Angeles

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to Los Angeles.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to Los Angeles.
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Expert advice
Booking Insights
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Detroit to Los Angeles

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airlines
Spirit Airlines

Spirit offers low fares with options to add carry-on or checked bags for a fee.


Upgrade to Big Front Seat for 20-inch width and 11” extra legroom.

Delta

Delta offers free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members on domestic flights.


Delta's Comfort Plus seats offer up to three inches extra legroom.

Read more about Deltaby Stefanie Waldek
Airports
DTW

For early departures, consider staying at an airport hotel offering parking deals and shuttle service to DTW, saving time and hassle.

Read more about DTWby Ramsey Qubein
LAX

For quick rideshare pickups, head to LAX-it. Walking from Terminals 1 and 7 takes about five minutes, often faster than the shuttle.

Read more about LAXby Stefanie Waldek
Our travel experts
Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez

Expert on Spirit Airlines

Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez is a seasoned managing editor in aviation with over a decade of industry experience. His work has been featured on prominent platforms such as FlyerTalk and TripSavvy, establishing him as a respected voice in aviation journalism.

Read more
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on Delta and LAX

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Ramsey Qubein

Ramsey Qubein

Expert on DTW

Ramsey Qubein

Ramsey Qubein

An avid traveler and aviation expert who has visited 173 countries, all 50 states and seven continents, Ramsey Qubein flies nearly 400,000 miles a year. As a North Carolina-based freelance journalist for publications including Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes, USA Today and Bloomberg among others, he explores the latest trends in aviation, hospitality, cruises and business.

Read more
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Detroit to Los Angeles flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Detroit to Los Angeles to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

Find cheap flights to Los Angeles
Find cheap flights to Los Angeles

Planning a trip from Detroit to Los Angeles? KAYAK’s data-powered insights will help you find cheap flights. Learn the best time to fly, how early to book your ticket, and other tips to secure great prices.

What is the most popular layover airport when flying from Detroit to Los Angeles?

Percentage of 1-stop round-trip flights from Detroit to Los Angeles chosen by KAYAK users via each layover airport in the last 12 months (only includes trips with the same layover airport on both legs).

Chicago (ORD) is the top choice – 24% of KAYAK users who clicked on 1-stop flights from Detroit to Los Angeles picked an itinerary connecting there.

What is the cheapest layover airport when flying from Detroit to Los Angeles?

Average round-trip price for 1-stop flights from Detroit to Los Angeles clicked by KAYAK users in the last 12 months (only includes trips with the same layover airport on both legs).

Flights via Houston (IAH) offer the most affordable fares, with an average round-trip price of $157.

Which layover airport offers the shortest total travel time from Detroit to Los Angeles?

Shortest average total travel time for 1-stop one-way flights from Detroit to Los Angeles via different layover airports, based on KAYAK user data from the last 12 months.

Consider flying via Chicago (MDW) for the shortest journey. The average one-way travel time for flights connecting there is 6h 45m.

Which layover airport has the quickest connection when flying from Detroit to Los Angeles?

Average layover duration at different layover airports for 1-stop one-way flights from Detroit to Los Angeles, based on KAYAK user data from the last 12 months.

If you prefer a quick connection, Charlotte (CLT) often has the shortest layovers from Detroit to Los Angeles, with an average of 0h 57m.

 AI-powered savings tips

KAYAK's tips to save more on a Detroit to Los Angeles flight

When planning a flight from Detroit to Los Angeles, it's important to consider several factors to get the best deal. Generally, Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly, while September is the cheapest month.

Advance Booking: Book your flight at least 38 days in advance for the best prices.

Cheapest Airline: Spirit Airlines typically offers the cheapest flights for this route.

Layovers: Opt for a one-stop flight as it's usually cheaper than a direct flight.

Flight Route: Stick to the DTW - LAX route for the most cost-effective option.

This feature is powered by ChatGPT: an OpenAI-developed artificial intelligence model trained with KAYAK proprietary data and third-party data not verified by KAYAK. 

Good to know

Low seasonMay
Cheapest flight$48
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 0% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 33% increase in price.
Flight from Detroit to Los Angeles

When to book flights from Detroit to Los Angeles

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Detroit to Los Angeles based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.
  • Are direct flights offered from Detroit to Los Angeles?

    It’s possible to find many daily direct flights from Detroit to Los Angeles. You will find that these trips are oftentimes operated by either Delta Air Lines or Spirit Airlines. It’s also common to find flights operated by these airlines that require one layover before reaching your destination.

  • How can I travel from Los Angeles International Airport to the city center?

    An easy way to go from Los Angeles International Airport to the city center is by driving, which will usually take you around 35min in total. You can also use public transport, such as the LAX FlyAway bus, which will instead take you around 1h to reach Union Station, which is just near downtown.

  • Is there parking at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport?

    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport offers a selection of different parking options, including short-term parking, which can be used for periods of up to 24h. There are also a few long-term parking choices, in either the McNamara Parking Garage, the Big Blue Deck or the Green Lots. Each of these three parking options usually charges a 24h rate. If you would like valet parking, this is available in the McNamara Parking Garage.

  • Are there any hotels at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport?

    If you have an early flight, it can be convenient to sleep directly at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Directly inside the airport, you can find Minute Suites, which are soundproof and include daybeds. They can be rented either by the hour or for an overnight stay of 8h. Connected to McNamara Terminal, there is also the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport, which is placed directly across from a TSA entry point. This hotel offers both day and night rooms and offers a free shuttle service for guests that need to go to the North Terminal.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Los Angeles

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $129 or less one-way and $157 or less round-trip.
  • Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) is one of the main hubs for Delta Air Lines and is a focus airport for Spirit Airlines, so you will find that these two companies service numerous flights that depart from this location.
  • If you have a bit of extra time before your flight departs from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, you may want to head to the Delta Sky Club. This lounge has five locations in McNamara Terminal, several of which can be found in Concourse C.
  • Those that are traveling with small children can take advantage of the nursing rooms that are in each terminal of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). These rooms typically contain seating areas, outlets, changing tables, and running water.
  • To allow your pet to relieve itself and stretch its legs before you board your flight, look for one of the two outdoor pet relief areas at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. These areas include patches of grass as well as nearby trash cans so you can dispose of any waste.
  • When flying to Los Angeles International Airport for business purposes, you may want to get your shoes shined before heading to your important meeting or conference. You can conveniently find a Marvin’s Shoe Shine in Terminals 1, 4, and 7.

Prefer to fly direct from Detroit to Los Angeles?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County to Los Angeles.
Find which airlines fly direct from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Los Angeles Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County to Los Angeles

Monday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Tuesday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Wednesday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Thursday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Friday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Saturday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Sunday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Los Angeles to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County

Monday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Tuesday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Wednesday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Thursday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Friday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Saturday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

Sunday

Aeromexico, Air France, China Eastern, +6 more

Aeromexico, Air France, +7 more

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Detroit to Los Angeles

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Detroit to Los Angeles. 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 Los Angeles? 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 4244 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

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

4.0 OkayDavid, Aug 2025DTW - STL
Read more Southwest reviews

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

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Delayed and took off even later than the scheduled delay time

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The entertainment and wifi mostly didn't work on this flight.

Crew was friendly Love the entertainment in the seat head rest.

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

I love the free WiFi!! Crew was nice. Bathroom was decent. First time flying delta in a long time and I enjoyed it. Will definitely look into booking with Delta more but I think Delta is a little more expensive than the other airlines.

Kind staff. Snacks are small but that’s the new normal.

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

There is no room, no gluten free options, or any free internet/entertainment. You have to bring your own tablet or smartphone because there are no screens.

American Airlines is a mediocre airlines: they do not maintain the highest standard of cleanliness in the cabins, and the food is not well thought out. Service is not at top of mind compared to other international airlines such as Singapore Airlines, JAL or others.

Boarding gate in Honolulu was staffed with a great clerk with a soothing voice despite the flight delay of over an hour. Flight attendants in the plane were all grumpy, not pleasant looking bunch. Their sour attitude showed throughout the flight. Inly able to get a select few movies started. Most of the movie links in the “free entertainment” did not work.

Boarding was very efficient. Everyone got on board and we got on our way very quickly. It was frustrating that the entertainment app was not functioning properly. I was not able to activate some of the movies offered. The crew on this flight appears to be pretty grumpy. They had no smile on their faces. I felt like they were doing us a favor for being there.

Loved the staff, boarding and drink options! Wish the comfort of the seat could have been better nevertheless

Honestly, I haven’t flown American in years, probably due to the pandemic and my being unable to travel for certain periods in the last two years, but it was a good experience to dig out or obtain a new American Airlines account after many years of traveling for business with American in the past.

The trip was very smooth and they provided great customer service

One bottle of water and a package of cookies for comfort plus. We had to literally beg a flight attendant for an extra bottle of water later in the flight due to feeling dehydrated.

Flight boarded from Gate 39 at OGG, the farthest gate in the terminal. There were no Hawaiian themed amenities for the flight. The first class service was mediocre at best; I received not special welcome or recognition as an executive platinum member of American Advantage program. The flight attendants were more concerned with their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as we disembarked. Fortunately, the flight arrived at LAX a few minutes early.

Bigger seats. Board back to front! Disembark front to back!

We liked the woman who worked our gate and waited with us for our plane. We changed gates 3 times. Our flight was supposed to leave at 11:28am. We actually left after 5pm. It was not a good situation. This delay cost us a lot of money.

I didn't order food. I requested a Tomato juice and was given a boody mary mix. The serve needs to warn the customer what their given. It wasn't a huge deal, but I wasted $4.50.

Everything was fine, but there was no food or entertainment, so I didn’t know how to rate that.

Boarding was a breeze, however, two of the flights that I boarded with Spirit did not have Wi-Fi available.

Very good. Nothing more or less than expected. No complaints.

My experience with the spirit as a first time it was OK, but the seats need a little cushion, the problem I had the most impacted me was when checking in the scales were so off and wrong. It will tell that you would have more weight, which was not true. The scale was say that it had Thirty Eight Pounds, when get in the labels when we send the luggage into the band. It says that it was overweight. I really really dislike that because the scales are not accurate. If I use Spirit and I have that issue again. That will be my last time flying with the spirit, even though I like so much to service the planes, and everything else

Worst airline ever! The guy weighing my bag had his foot on the metal plate and when I called him out on it, I got this stupid little smirk. La is a scam and so is Spirit Airlines. All the flight attendants looked like they hated our flight just as much as we did.

Spirit is awful. Too expensive for what you get. Stop nickel and diming.

would be great to get basic water, soda at least and stop charging for carry ons

Your crew is a representation of your Standards and Values. The crew from Seattle to LAX, was very disappointing. The crew was more interested in hanging out at the lobby area. Talking, laughing loudly and eating all the snacks. They did not do regular rounds to see if customers needed anything. This was a huge disappointment. I will no longer be flying with your airlines moving forward.

Disaster. They lied every step of the way. We ended up being delayed due to crew and then allegedly abandoned the flight because of a curfew at LGA. No rebooking to LGA at any reasonable time. No hotel. No meal vouchers. Had to sleep in the airport and fly to Newark instead. Will never fly Frontier again.

What I expected, nickeled and dined and a frontier flight attendant loudly complained about her job and lack of communication as she headed to the gate on her cell phone. Not professional.

As every law enforcement agency I could imagine surrounded the plane and we didn’t disembark for 2 hours and then had to stick around for another hour to go get our personal belongings after leaving them behind and being bused away from the plane, it was scary and inconvenient. We were given no information as to why this was happening. Lack of communication with passengers was disappointing.

After boarding and un-boarding twice over 6+hours, the flight was canceled.

Severe turbulence. Captain never came on to reassure passengers after things settled down.

My first flight was delayed 5 hours. The 2nd flight was canceled til the next day and the never even tried to compensate for it. Worse I was delayed again on the flight the rebooked me on.

Boarding in Orlando was not good. Giant mob at the gate, should have been lines.

Decent clean onboard experience. Okay discount airline experience. Unfortunately, any customer service interactions are difficult and unhelpful. There is no service. Also, a premium seat only gets you premium boarding if you line up first. Once they start general boarding you must go to the back of the line. Not very premium

baggage clamed had to wait over a hour and half for all people on my flight it was terrible

The ticketing agents were rude but then we had a great gate agent very nice we had to ride a buss out to where the plane was parked but it was in some back corner of the airport when we got to the plane the captain who was great btw was cleaning the plane because the same rude ticketing agent told them they we not contracted to vacuum the plane. The ride to las Vegas was fine We had a connecting flight to Dallas. The flight was fine but when we arrived in Dallas everyone who flew on any frontier airlines the picked up bags from baggage claim D15 had to wait over a hour for their bags to start we arrived at 11:30pm ish to the gate we didn't leave the baggage clamed till 12:50 am very not happy and i used to fly frontier 4 times a week for work in Denver i will not be using them again

Everything you need to know for your flight from Detroit to Los Angeles

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