$60 Find Cheap Flights from District of Columbia to California

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Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$60
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 6% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 2% increase in price.
Flight from Reagan Washington National Airport to Ontario

Flights from District of Columbia to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from District of Columbia to California 
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
DCA
-
SFO
Jan 2025
Reserve your plane seat & bring something to eat in the plane.
PhallyFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
Oct 2024
Don't take too much stuff. Make sure to have the necessary documents or boarding pass ready.
RebeccaFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SAN
Sep 2024
Get something to eat in the airport, just in case there is no food onboard.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
DCA
-
LAX
Jul 2024
Easy access via metro, and by car with parking available walking distance from the terminal. Lots of seating and dining options near the flight boarding gates.
NoamFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
Aug 2024
Flying to the Ronald Reagan airport is closer and faster to D.C. than the Dulles airport.
BillFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
LAX
Jun 2024
At Dulles, you can spend 30 minutes getting to your AFTER clearing TSA
DeniseFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
May 2024
Bring your own device. No screens on the seatbacks.

FAQs for booking flights from District of Columbia to California

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia to California.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to California?

    District of Columbia and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (143 flights per week), Air New Zealand (101 flights per week), and Virgin Australia (94 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in California?

    There are 29 airports in California. The busiest airport is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with 38% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in California?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in California is Palm Springs Airport (PSP), with an average flight price of $273.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $399. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $520 on average.

  • 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 $380 on average. Morning departures are around 12% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $613.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from District of Columbia found in the last 72 hours was to San Diego, at $237 round-trip. The most popular route is Baltimore (BWI) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $254.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from District of Columbia to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from District of Columbia to California is July, when tickets cost $324 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are September and May, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $548 and $522 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from District of Columbia to California?

    To get a below average price on the flight from District of Columbia to California, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 44% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From District of Columbia, there are direct flights to California from 1 city. This city is Washington, D.C. and there are 655 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each day?

    There are around 94 direct flights from within District of Columbia to California every day. Most flights (35%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each week?

    Each week there are around 655 direct flights from within District of Columbia to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 16% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from District of Columbia to California takes 7h 52m, covering a distance of 2313 miles. The shortest route is Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 5h 00m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to California each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to California. Instead, there are 655 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Washington, D.C..

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (36% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (24%) and San Francisco (15%). Searches for flights to San Diego (7%), to Ontario (5%) and to Santa Ana (2%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from District of Columbia to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from District of Columbia 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
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11713 reviews
7.0Entertainment
7.8Comfort
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.1Food
Airline reviews

The whole experience went smoothly with no hitches along the way.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jan 2026
SAN - SMF
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

The whole experience went smoothly with no hitches along the way.

The flight was excellent and very friendly and helpful staff. Will travel again and recommend to friends. Thank you

I paid $168 each for myself and my daughter for an upgrade and we didn’t get any of the things mentioned by you/ site that comes with an upgrade. It was all just the same. One snack and one beverage. Nothing else. I don’t understand what the upgrade was.

One of the flight attendants treated my grandma who is 77 years old badly and would respond sarcastically. Example my grandma "do you have and honey by any chance" the flight attendant "does this look like a restaurant to you. She was also very rude to myself and my children giving us attitude and being sarcastic when answering.

we waited for 50 minutes to check a bag and missed a flight. do better.

The flight crew was very professional and pleasant. Our flight was delayed 3 hours, but Kayak informed me in advance

I really hate the seat assignment at the gate. I understand it is so families can sit together but it caused me and others a lot of unnecessary stress and confusion, enough for me to not fly Alaska again. The app is so awful that it did not even update my seat assignment on the boarding pass but sent me a notification of my seat... it showed in Apple Wallet but not in the Alaska app itself. That only made the stress worse. I think most people like myself prefer to know where they are seated at check in 24 hours before so they don't have to anxiously hang out at the gate the entire time. This is not a good use of your agents time either to be dealing with all of us asking where we are sitting. You should automatically assign the multiple seat purchases to be together before they check in and fill us solo travelers in those gaps as we check in.

Alaska Airlines have beautiful new airplanes that have comfortable seats but tight for a tall person like myself. They do provide upgrades to flyers but at a $140 cost. My flight went smooth and prompt as well as without a hitch. The flight crew were warm and friendly as well as very attentive. I'd recommend this airline over Frontier airlines any day.

Did not have In flight service on my round trip due to turbulence. I did not partake in In flight entertainment. Flight descending into LAX was very turbulent. It would have been nice if the pilot communicated with us during that rough descent into LAX to ease the minds of some of us more nervous flyers.

Before I even boarded this old white man , a fat Samoan lady, and a short brown guy were at the desk. They asked if we could have 15 volunteers to get free checked bags cause it was a full flight. I waited in line, I got up to the short brown guy and he asked for my boarding pass and I showed him, he said that he can’t check my bag because I wasn’t given a seat yet. So he had me go to the next line with the old white guy, but before I switched lines I asked him, well if I go to that line, will I be able to check my bag so I waited in line and he said yeah, it doesn’t matter , I’m good. So I switch lines and wait in the line of the old white man, with every guest before me he was very sweet , making small talk, smiling and had great eye contact( all of the people he was talking to was white) I come up and he doesn’t look at me , then says I’ll be right with you, I wait for him to initiate and when he does he’s like what’s up? I was like the man next to you told me I needed to get checked in before I can check my bag. He’s like what’s your last name and I say Valenzuela , and he said we’re not there yet, all while not smiling, no eye contact like he was with the other guests. He said we’re will call you when I get to you. So I go sit down and I’m sitting down for less than a minute and he calls me and someone else. I go up and say Valenzuela and he’s like who are you and I’m like Valenzuela , he’s like hmm and says don’t go anywhere and calls someone else. I finally get my seat and I go back to the short brown man and ask if I can check my bag and he said there isn’t any room available and I was like? Wait you told me and then the fat Samoan lady said yeah we don’t need anymore bags thank you. I was dumbfounded and just walked away. So rude. Terrible experience and terrible communication on their end.

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

The flight crew was extremely rude and especially not helpful when our flight was delayed.

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

The lead steward kept singing about "San Francisco" and hotel California---more annoying than humorous....needs work. Flight was smooth and on time.

Still a fan of open seating. Flight was on schedule and arrived on time. The 737 MAX is very comfortable.

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

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

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

Unbelievably poor service from flight attendants. They didn’t even do water service on a four hour flight. Just disrespectful.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

Plane boarded early a quickly, was mostly full. We left close to on time. And landed early.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

The internet service I paid for didn’t work at all and the flight crew was not very friendly.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

Amazing I love American. I’ll never fly anyone else if I can help it.

Everything about the flight was lovely. My only suggestion would be to offer a few more options of tv series from Apple TV or HBO.

After the door had been closed, the cockpit makes an announcement that catering is running late and it is not the airline's fault. It is their fault in the sense that we had to sit for 2 hours or more when we could have stayed in the terminal. Poor communications between catering and airline. This caused a young man to lose his temper and he went storming out hitting objects. He had complained to the gate agent that he had already waited at the gate 7 hours and when can the airplane leave? Airilnes do a poor job of explaining delays, maintenance issues, etc. whereas being truthful may gain more sympathy or understanding.

We were told the flight was delayed 5 times, then it was moved to the next day.

The experience with American Airlines was good, although the Philippines Airlines flight was much better (better seats, better food, better entertainment options, overall better). Again, the MIA to LAX flight was fine, but nothing in comparison to the comfort and accommodations of the Philippines Airlines flight from LAX to MNL.

Loved the crew . Absolutely no complaints. Except for luggage lost

Wish some foods provided rather than just biscuit/cookie for flight more than 2 hours

We are too tired and frustrated to comment politely at this point

The flight crew was rude. We were in first class and no one even offered water until an hour after we were in the air. Horrible experience

Great. Quick and quiet and east. The breakfast choices were a welcome surprise!

It was costly and difficult to check in. $85 to take a small suitcase with me, carry on or checked and $75 on the return trip, Plus $25 if I didn't check my self in check in $25, because I couldn't do it on the kiosk. Small very uncomfortable seats, waited on the runway for near an hour each way. It was my worst flight to date.

It was ok. It was expensive to check 2 bags ($75.00 per bag), and then it took a long time to wait for shuttle to take us from one terminal to the terminal where the plane was taking off at LAX. And all of this for a flight where we had to pay for any food or drink that was not water.

It didn’t happen. I booked it and then was told it wasn’t available and then forced to pay far higher prices for a worse option

A 630departure flight Delayed 6hours! They changed my gate, I moved to the new gate. Had our flight on the screen for 12noon departure. I go get above to eat, check screen again and the flight was gone, no notice no announcement, nothing!! They sent my bag on the flight I wasn’t on, got it back to me 3days later. Thank goodness they did refund my money but I will NEVER fly them again.

Due to weather, my flight was delayed, further delayed, then canceled. I eventually got through to a support person who helped me find a different route out of MSP, but to get to DIA, they didn't want to, but eventually did help with the connection ticket purchase. But even this replacement flight was delayed time and time again, and I would have missed my connecting flights and I didn't want to get stuck in a layover city, so after 12 hours at the airport with two young boys who were very tired, we just cancelled our plans and spent the week at home, instead of Nana's.

Plane and crew on board were fine. Everything else was terrible.

The third party booking with cheapflightsfares was awful. Kayak should NOT partner with them. They sold me a bundle including seat selection and carry-on, but did not book the carry-ons with Frontier, so I’m out of pocket for $414 more while I await resolution.

This company socks. It's fraud. They canceled our flight yesterday, and today we were late because of a really long line at the check in bag. At the rebook station, there was ton of people. The workers were all rude. I am gonna make a report to FTC.

One of the worst travel experiences I've had. Had a flight scheduled with CVG to RSW on VLSWQX this morning departing at 5:30. Two individuals at the gate and one was in training. Not her fault but she didn't have the ability to check people in resulting in at least 15 families that didn't make it on the plane because they weren't checked into the system in time. When arriving at the airport to drop off our prepaid checked bags, the bag drop off agent asked if we could check our bags at the gate because of the long line. We said no problem so arrived at the gate by 5:00. They told those people that had previously paid for checked bags to stand off to the side while they let others that either didn't have a checked bag or their bag was already on the plan through. Realizing the gate workers had an issue, they either called for help or this lady showed up late for work as she didn't arrive until 5:15. The worker who had been there training the other individual and working diligently to make sure all passengers got on board. He even said that at one point all people that are currently in line are fine but asked the person in training to stand outside the ticketing area around 5:15 to notify any late travels that the flight was in boarding process and they arrrived too late. At that point, we're sill standing off to the side with our pre-paid checked bags patiently waiting. When the new lady arrived she couldn't have been more rude. It was an awful seen. Essentially they had asked for those without an assigned seat to board last, those with pre-paid checked bag stand off to the site and any traveling with a larger items that needed to be checked at the gate (such as a stroller), wait on the side. They realized that the flight needed to leave on time so the gate attendant shut the gate. So anyone without a seat assignment, those that had pre-checked bags, and the worst one I saw was a mother with two infant children was in line with use because she was asked to stand to the side because her stroller. When they shut the door to the plan they told her she could no longer get on. Her checked bags were already on the plane with her car keys in them, and the lady told her we couldn't accept anyone else on because the door was shut. She didn't even have a way to get home from the airport. Truely evil behavior. I've flown Frontier enough to know customer service is not a top priority in the company's mission, but this was an all-time low. I'm sending this after an 18 hour drive that our family just completed to Bonita Springs . I felt really bad for the lady being trained and the other individual trying to help, but when the new lady came to the gate she was truly one of the rudest individuals I've ever met. One lady had been there since 4am but because she didn't have an assigned seat they wouldn't let her on the plan.

I loved the staff on the plane. So friendly and helpful! However, there was an argument and misunderstanding by the staff and a customer at the gate, and the staff member was being unprofessional. When we arrived in Atlanta, we waited 1.5 hrs for our luggage to arrive. When I asked the airport attendant, they said Frontier had the longest wait for luggage out of any airlines, and that they could not be held responsible for the delay.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to District of Columbia

Cabin classes available on flights to District of Columbia. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.