$54 Find Cheap Flights from Illinois to California - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Illinois to California departing on 8/26. 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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Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$54
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 St. Louis to Las Vegas

Flights from Illinois to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Illinois to California 
MarkFlew with American Airlines
ORD
-
LAX
Jun 2026
Get there early, only one TSA line open and thew queue was very long.
MikeFlew with American Airlines
ORD
-
LAX
Sep 2024
Arrive early, grab a bottle of soda before getting on the plane and open it in the terminal. If you wait until flying the pressure will decarbonize the drink.

FAQs for booking flights from Illinois to California

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Illinois 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 Illinois to California.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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 Illinois 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?

    Illinois and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (333 flights per week), American Airlines (311 flights per week), and Air Canada (284 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 40% 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 San Diego Airport (SAN), with an average flight price of $208.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $381. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Monday, where round-trip prices are $505 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 $351 on average. Morning departures are around 49% 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 $787.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Illinois found in the last 5 days was to Los Angeles, at $192 round-trip. The most popular route is Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $192.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Illinois to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from Illinois to California is September, when tickets cost $198 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and May, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $274 and $257 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from Illinois to California?

    To get a below average price on the flight from Illinois to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 23% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 11 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From Illinois, there are direct flights to California from 1 city. This city is Chicago and there are 3,308 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 410 direct flights from within Illinois to California every day. Most flights (34%) depart in the evening.

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

    Each week there are around 2,869 direct flights from within Illinois 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 Illinois to California takes 4h 52m, covering a distance of 1668 miles. The shortest route is Moline (MLI) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 3h 24m.

  • 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 3,308 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Chicago.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (32% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (20%) and San Francisco (14%). Searches for flights to San Diego (9%), to Ontario (6%) and to John Wayne (Santa Ana) (4%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Illinois to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Illinois 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
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12590 reviews
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

The flight was on time, seats were comfortable, crew is friendly and professional. Nice flight overall. Thanks!

10.0 ExcellentElena, Jun 2026
DFW - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

The flight was on time, seats were comfortable, crew is friendly and professional. Nice flight overall. Thanks!

No WiFi. Terrible food. Very long walk to the gate and from the gate after landing. Gate changed without notice.

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.

The flight was delayed so we didn’t get into San Diego until almost 1 AM. Otherwise, it was lovely.

My flight got canceled never left san diego and miss out my fam event

would have been nice for flight to not be delayed by 2 hours so that we had to pay $80 to get home since BART had shut down. i thought a 10pm arrival would leave enough time to account for delays but i was wrong.

I like that volunteers were asked to check in their carryons for free. And then they come out of the carousels within 20 minutes as promised.

The landing was a little rough - but a good flight overall! :)

The issue was not alaska airlines. The ticket you printed was innacurate.

Pretty terrible. The aisles on this flight were too narrow so we had to carry our baby, care seat, luggage, travel stroller step by step down the aisle slowing down a lot of passengers in the process. Not only was this a safety hazard but remember that scene from game of thrones where Cersei walks naked through the streets? It felt about as excruciating as that except both me and my husband were carrying 50lbs of weight while everyone from the flight attendants and passengers dolled out comments like “that stroller doesn’t fit in the overhead compartment and you should check it at the gate” when it is a travel stroller that absolutely fits and did fit in the overhead compartment. The flight said it was 30 min delayed but in actuality we did not take off until 1.5 hours past the original time. It was absolutely terrible. Alaska also charged us 200 dollars just in baggage fees even tho we took the time to buy two check on baggages via their app and bought an extra seat for our child and they still refused to overlook our first time flying with them. Everyone in general looked super miserable and traveling with them with a child is pretty much untenable. Lastly I originally thought I had booked an AM flight for my family but it was a PM flight which I knew was not going to end well since we had a 1.5 year old with us on a flight that gets in 9p. I ended up calling Alaska to try to change the first leg for a change fee, and would even have accepted half of a refund to book a completely different flight but of course they refused and absolutely allowed no flexibility to plans so I guess my revenge was our baby cried for 3 out of the four hour flight and hopefully convinced every miserable person on that flight to never fly Alaska again 🤷🏻‍♀️

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.

Flight was delayed more than 2 hour do the scheduling issues and then some confusing weight and balance matters, followed by a miscommunication with the tower on which runway was going to be used based on the airplane weight. All these things should have been figured out in advance. Instead of arriving at 12:30 a.m. we arrived at 2:30 a.m. very difficult to find a taxi or other transport at SFO. Luggage was delayed. An extension of an unpleasant flight day

no entertainment options available on a 4+ hour flight. packed in like sardines. one bathroom. late flight.

The crew was great. Very friendly and responsive. The plane was old, small and tight. We ran out of overhead space and I had to check. Middle seat was particularly tight.

Several missed and almost missed connections. It felt like everything was being patched together last minute without enough resources and it ended up being an extremely stressful experience that basically ruined our weekend on the west coast. What a waste.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

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.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

A bit rush for transit. Food and entertainment are not available

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

Was a pain having to leave the plane and reboard but glad the plane was fixed

My flight was delayed for a whole day, so I lost a day of my vacation.

Flighty delayed on boarding - then group 1 had to check their carry on bags but groups 3 and beyond could carry bags on - very inconvenient for weekend business trip with no checked baggage. Then delayed on the runway - before take off. No communication from pilot on why or how long. Wifi/Entertainment didn't work for 4+ flight. Upon arrival, attendants announced wrong carousel for baggage claim - everyone was waiting at the wrong place for their checked bags. This was a mess united!

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.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

My boarding pass wouldn't pull up in the app very easily and had to really dig through my email. That caused a delay in TSA..

Baby cried a lot. Nothing anyone could do about it. Just part of flying.

The flight crew was fantastic! Which the seats had a small TV.

My husband and I pre-ordered our food, but they did not have my husband’s order, and my cheese plate was very average. I asked for a blanket and was told they don’t carry blankets on domestic routs. The flight was on time and smooth!

5 hour flight - full flight - not enough room to use my computer - slightly delayed - Admirals club was excellent quality food, drink made up for flight seating. No food offerred on flight, you ahd to prebook.

Boarding was a mess - the agent basically called every group in rapid succession, so there was no organization at all. The economy seats are a joke, and main cabin extra seats were sold out when I purchased my flight. As such, I was locked in the same position for four hours. Being 6’6”, it was impossible to get my bag out from under the seat in front of me, and I couldn’t have used my laptop even if my bag were accessible due to the minuscule seat pitch. Also the wifi was broken. American is a joke - can’t wait until they merge with Spirit.

Horrible scam. Make you pay extra for more leg room then switch your seat as you’re boarding to a regular seat. Never fly American!

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.

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

The crew was mostly okay. The flight attendant who answered our questions was curt and unhelpful unfortunately. He seemed upset and I understand having off days.

Very bad! No good service delayed my second connection flight

They canceled flight. Hard to believe there was even a plane incoming for us to get on

Plane was down graded and I lost my uncharged exit row with more leg room. No mention or offer of refund from podium. Flight attendant was nice to explain this happens often and that I could request a refund via online form submission. I did this and have heard nothing back.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to Illinois

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