$55 Find Cheap Flights from Iowa to California

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Low seasonFebruary
High seasonMay
Cheapest flight$55
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 2% lower on average.
Flight from Des Moines to Las Vegas

FAQs for booking flights from Iowa to California

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

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

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

  • 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 Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $60.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Saturday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $147. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, where round-trip prices are $859 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 $183 on average. Morning departures are around 54% 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 $874.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Iowa found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $80 round-trip. The most popular route is Cedar Rapids (CID) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $80.

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

    The cheapest month for flights from Iowa to California is July, when tickets cost $366 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $587 and $546 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from Iowa to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 7 weeks before departure.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from Iowa to California takes 5h 28m, covering a distance of 1445 miles. The shortest route is Omaha (OMA) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 2h 50m.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (23% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (15%) and Los Angeles (14%). Searches for flights to Ontario (10%), to San Diego (9%) and to Sacramento (6%) are also popular.

Top 5 airlines serving from Iowa to California

Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Iowa 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4294 reviews
7.6Entertainment
8.0Comfort
8.2Boarding
8.6Crew
7.1Food
Airline reviews

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

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025LGB - SMF
Read more Southwest reviews

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.

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 hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The plane arrived 25 minutes late, and the Wi-Fi was slower than it usually is.

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.

Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly

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.

Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.

Great. Flight departed early and arrived early. Deplaning and baggage claim ww were quick.

They separated our seats and moved us to the back of the plane. Hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles used and this was my platinum member experience.

AC barely worked on a 50 minute flight. It was very warm the whole flight. Flight was very bumpy and hard landing.

Got on the plane and then needed to deboard the plane because they didn’t have any pilots?

The flight was canceled two hours before departure, it took over five hours to rebook us on another flight.

Rough day of travel all the way around. Wrong info given to us multiple times and mistakes in their booking making our trip 10 hours longer than planned. I’m bummed because I fly Delta all the time and love them. Mistakes happen. Just bummed that this was a rare trip our whole family was traveling together.

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

The gate was too far away for the connecting flight

Generally good. The aisles have gotten narrower which can slow down boarding. Flight crew was great! Healthier complimentary snacks would be appreciated. Due to earthquake in San Francisco we had to circle in air space for a bit but then had a smooth landing. I laud the flight crew for their patience ;)

The agents was very rude and they charged me $50 for a carry-on bag saying that it was too big and then I saw someone going on a plane with the same size bag as me

For the most part united was a good experience, how ever when they came by with the snacks and water, they completely passed by my wife and I. As we were in separate rows. On a 5 hr flight we were not offered water

Fantastic crew. Flight was delayed at last minute but we were given updates every 20 minutes and the crew was so friendly and considerate. I miss the touch screens on the back of the seats, wish they would bring that back though.

Awful. Worst airline I have ever been on. Crew were among the rudest people I have ever dealt with. United staff members were rude and disrespectful. My flight was delayed, causing me to miss a connecting flight. I understand things happen, but when staff start lying about what actually happened, that is when I have an issue. Just be honest, really it isn’t that hard. I’m being very honest with this review and I don’t find this difficult what so ever. In fact, because of United Airlines, my Christmas holiday was off to a really rocky start. As someone who has traveled across the world, it has only been United that I have had a truly awful experience.

Boarding always seems a bit chaotic. Seat spacing could leave more for leg room.

Good flight. On time. Boarding and seating was easy. Crew were really friendly, yet professional. Bathroom (by cockpit) was small but serviceable. Some the seats were showing some notable wear & tear, but were comfy. Very happy UA customer. TY! 🤛🏽💗

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

Easiest flights I’ve ever taken. Plane was comfortable without overly crowded seating.

Terrible. Still have not received the refund from them. They sent it to some account that I don't even know. Spoke with costumer service and they are unable to help.

I didn’t like it at all. I miss my second flight because of the delay on Allegiant Air now I m stuck in MCO.

Good, but a bit late on take off after loading. Don't like charging for carry ons!

First time flying with them and will definitely fly again in the future. Crew was so nice and friendly, fought was seamless. They are simple planes, no entertainment, but it’s fine for a short flight or if you have personal devices Rates are competitive, and they did so well with keeping the flight on time after a tropical storm, where other airlines had delays and cancellations.

They boarded passengers that sat in the back of the plane first, making boarding very efficient.

I didn't even take this flight. My plans changed and I couldn't get ahold of customer service and the website kept breaking down during the attempt to change the flight. I wound up taking another airline entirely and eating the cost.

The worst flying experience ever 3 delays. No accommodations. Had to deboard the plane after being delayed.

Posted a 20minute delay but didn’t delay at all. Caused boarding issues and confusion. Also, didn’t release baggage. Took over an hour and 20 minutes to get luggage.

Flight was good, boarding was a breeze, flight attendants were friendly and professional. There was a medical issue with another passenger and the crew handled it in a calm and professional way.

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!

Extraordinary service in business class, and very good breakfast and snacks. A really lovely flight.

This flight didn’t happen because AA agents didn’t let us board the flight

Plane was pretty clean, staff was friendly and helpful, flight left about on time arrived early. Took a long time to board and get off the plane - carry on items didn't have enough room so people had to move all around to find places.

The service and food needs to improve to catch up with other international flights

Would have been good to have a meal since it was a 5.5 hour flight

We boarded after several delays due to mechanical failure and a gate change. The seat cushion in the exit row was very compressed and offered no cushion, making the four-hour journey reasonably uncomfortable. The WiFi worked for a few people, but for most, it did not, and you cannot get entertainment unless you can connect—American Airlines flights do not have seatback screens, and you must use your mobile phone.

AA is always pretty solid. Was on time all the way around today so can’t complain!

Book cheap flights from Iowa to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

6/11Wed
nonstopAllegiant Air
3h 11mDSM-LAS
6/20Fri
nonstopAllegiant Air
2h 59mLAS-DSM
$84
6/11Wed
nonstopAllegiant Air
3h 11mDSM-LAS
6/25Wed
nonstopAllegiant Air
2h 59mLAS-DSM
$91
6/11Wed
1 stopDelta
9h 22mDSM-LAS
6/24Tue
1 stopDelta
7h 29mLAS-DSM
$217
5/25Sun
1 stopDelta
5h 48mCID-LAS
5/31Sat
1 stopDelta
7h 26mLAS-CID
$217
7/1Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
9h 15mDSM-LAS
7/4Fri
1 stopAmerican Airlines
7h 52mLAS-DSM
$222
5/27Tue
1 stopSouthwest
7h 40mDSM-LAS
6/3Tue
nonstopSouthwest
2h 55mLAS-DSM
$227
5/21Wed
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
8h 05mDSM-LAS
5/28Wed
1 stopAmerican Airlines
5h 00mLAS-DSM
$247
5/24Sat
1 stopSouthwest
5h 15mDSM-LAS
5/27Tue
nonstopSouthwest
2h 55mLAS-DSM
$253
8/6Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
3h 48mOMA-SFO
8/9Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
5h 57mSFO-OMA
$259
5/28Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 17mCID-SFO
6/4Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
5h 38mSFO-CID
$259

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Recent one-way flight deals

7/6Sun
nonstopAllegiant Air
3h 06mDSM-LAS
$55
6/11Wed
nonstopAllegiant Air
3h 11mDSM-LAS
$56
6/29Sun
1 stopDelta
5h 12mDSM-LAS
$109
5/30Fri
1 stopDelta
5h 26mCID-LAS
$109
6/3Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
8h 05mDSM-LAS
$114
8/13Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
5h 29mCID-LAS
$115
6/3Tue
nonstopSouthwest
3h 10mDSM-LAS
$119
8/13Wed
2 stopsUnited Airlines
10h 42mCID-LAS
$120
6/12Thu
1 stopAmerican Airlines
7h 07mOMA-SFO
$135
6/10Tue
1 stopSouthwest
4h 45mOMA-LAX
$144

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Last minute flights from Iowa to California

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/1Thu
multi-stopFrontier
14h 36mOMA-SAN
5/4Sun
multi-stopFrontier
11h 37mSAN-OMA
$181
5/5Mon
multi-stopFrontier
21h 31mDSM-LAS
5/8Thu
multi-stopFrontier
20h 55mLAS-DSM
$188
5/3Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 51mCID-LAS
5/5Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
7h 11mLAS-CID
$374
5/3Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
10h 39mCID-LAS
5/5Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
4h 59mLAS-CID
$379
5/3Sat
multi-stopDelta
12h 10mCID-LAS
5/5Mon
multi-stopDelta
13h 30mLAS-CID
$384
5/2Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 19mCID-LAS
5/5Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 46mLAS-CID
$409
5/3Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
7h 43mCID-LAS
5/5Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
6h 28mLAS-CID
$411
5/3Sat
multi-stopDelta
8h 38mCID-SFO
5/11Sun
multi-stopDelta
7h 31mSFO-CID
$422
5/3Sat
multi-stopSouthwest
8h 45mOMA-LAX
5/4Sun
multi-stopSouthwest
4h 55mLAX-OMA
$470
5/3Sat
multi-stopSouthwest
8h 50mOMA-LAX
5/4Sun
multi-stopSouthwest
4h 55mLAX-OMA
$476

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Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to Iowa

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

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