$51 Find Cheap Flights from Minneapolis to California - Compare and Save

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Cheap Flights from Minneapolis to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$251
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$260
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$277
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$240
Palm Springs
Palm Springsnonstop$188
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$259
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$354
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$348
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$348
Merced
Merced1 stop$518
Reno
Renononstop$206
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$251
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$260
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$277
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$240
Palm Springs
Palm Springsnonstop$188
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$259
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$354
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$348
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$374
Redding
Redding1 stop$348
Merced
Merced1 stop$518
Reno
Renononstop$206
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Minneapolis to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis to California?

Flight prices are typical for this route right now.

Flights to California from Minneapolis usually cost between $240 and $369 in September.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $251 on Frontier (Sep 18-Sep 24).

What is the cheapest Minneapolis to California flight route?

The cheapest ticket to California from Minneapolis found in the last 5 days was to Oakland, at $174 round-trip. The most popular route is from Minneapolis (MSP) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $253.

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 $331 on average. Morning departures are around 4% more expensive 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 $416.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Minneapolis to California?

No, with an average price for the route of $460, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Minneapolis to California?

The cheapest month for flights from Minneapolis to California is November, when tickets cost $319 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $461 and $381 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Minneapolis to California?

If you are looking for a flight deal from Minneapolis to California, look for departures on Thursdays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from California, Friday is the cheapest day to fly and Monday is the most expensive.

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

To get a below average price on the flight from Minneapolis to California, you should book around 6 weeks before departure, which saves you about 33% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 22 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

September

Cheapest flight

$51
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 20% increase in price.
Flight from Minneapolis to John Wayne (Santa Ana)

FAQs - booking California flights

  • Do travellers flying with their pets from Minneapolis to California have to adhere to any special laws or regulations?

    Pet owners leaving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) Airport may relax knowing that their adventures will proceed with their pets because all airports along the Minneapolis-California flight routes accept pets. The MSP airport welcomes animals, and there are facilities for animal relief. Pet owners need to make sure their pets remain on leash always.

  • How do you travel from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to downtown Los Angeles?

    Six transportation options help to get travelers from Los Angeles International Airport to Downtown Los Angeles: taxi, car, bus, shuttle, towncar, and tram. Bus transportation costs about $3-$5 and takes 50 minutes to get from Los Angeles International Airport to Downtown Los Angeles. Taxis cost around $95-$120 and take 20 minutes to travel from Los Angeles International Airport to Downtown Los Angeles.

  • What must I do to get on the earliest flight from Minneapolis to California as soon as possible?

    If you plan to go from Minneapolis to California in the morning, think about staying the night before your journey at one of the hotels closest to the MSP airport. A hotel worth thinking about is the InterContinental Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, which can be reached by foot from MSP Airport in about 10 minutes.

  • How can I get to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) from the city's center?

    From Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, there are 6 methods to get to Minneapolis Marriott City Center: tram, car, bus, town car, and taxi. Busing, which costs about $1-$3 and takes 44 minutes, is the fastest and most cheap method to go from Minneapolis Airport to Minneapolis Marriott City Center. Taxis cost $30-$40 and take 14 minutes to travel from MSP to Minneapolis Marriott City Center.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis to the following destinations at these prices or less: Las Vegas $118 one-way - $224 round-trip; Los Angeles $190 one-way - $336 round-trip; San Francisco $229 one-way - $339 round-trip
  • Although Rochester International Airport (RST) and other local airports offer comparable flights to California, most passengers flying from Minneapolis to California choose to depart via Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) instead. Compared to other adjacent airports, this airport has better access to the public transit networks.
  • Travellers who intend to rent their preferred vehicles after arriving in California from Minneapolis typically prefer landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This airport is home to various car rental companies, including Budget, Enterprise, and Avis. These companies' reservation desks can be found in Terminal 1 of LAX.
  • Consider using Spirit Airlines, Delta, or American Airlines if you're flying from Minneapolis to California with children. These airlines provide in-flight Wi-Fi for passengers traveling from Minneapolis to California, allowing your children to download movies and stream their favorite children's TV shows live, which helps keep them from getting bored.
  • You can travel to California from Minneapolis and visit a range of cities near LAX Airport. LAX Airport can be used to access cities like Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, and Anaheim. The distance between LAX and the centers of each of the aforementioned cities is under 45 km; you can travel there by rental car, cab, metro, or bus.
  • Despite the fact that other airports, most notably San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and San Diego International Airport (SAN), may be able to connect travellers to California, many business travellers from Minneapolis to California chose to touch down at LAX Airport because of its closeness to Los Angeles, the major metropolis serving California residents. Because the majority of California's corporate offices are located in Los Angeles, the city is ideally suited for business travellers.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Minneapolis to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Minneapolis 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 4215 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Seated at front bulkhead for a smidge extra leg room away from home and on flight back home. Away crew was very proactive about assuring our carryons had space close behind us (because no seat in front of us our personal items had to be in a small bin overhead). They actively required passengers place overhead luggage on its side so more items could fit in bins. Home crew made no such efforts. I had to struggle back rows to get overhead bags upon landing, no crew help then either, and some disgruntled passengers as I and others retrieved our bags. There was a system that worked pretty well. The home bound crew just didn't feel like working.

4.0 OkayMather, Aug 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

Seated at front bulkhead for a smidge extra leg room away from home and on flight back home. Away crew was very proactive about assuring our carryons had space close behind us (because no seat in front of us our personal items had to be in a small bin overhead). They actively required passengers place overhead luggage on its side so more items could fit in bins. Home crew made no such efforts. I had to struggle back rows to get overhead bags upon landing, no crew help then either, and some disgruntled passengers as I and others retrieved our bags. There was a system that worked pretty well. The home bound crew just didn't feel like working.

Flight left on time and was early landing. Seats not comfortable and not enough space…

It would have been better if the flight was on time

No wifi, seems to be very common with Southwest currently. Everything else was normal.

Poor customer service, no accommodation for passengers when the flight was delayed over 5 hours.

The flight was late. The crew was rude. There was no food. Cramped and uncomfortable. Nothing about this flight was good.

It was rough. The staff was unprofessional, the choice of on board drinks terrible, it was cramped in space at every airport, they always ran out of overhead bin space so they pressured people to check bags for free or we couldn’t leave on the plane— so I did check my bag to help, and they nearly lost my bag. My bag did not arrive on the luggage belt, another man on my flight and I had to waste our time going to the baggage office to search for our bags. I would only fly southwest again if it was my last choice. Also, my flights were consistently delayed over and over again— at one point they straight up told us we were waiting for the pilot to arrive.

Was ok. Had about a 1 hour delay and snack was not good.

Good experience. 100% full plane BWI-MHT got pretty warm during short flight.

There were 30 people allowed to board before A group. Totally shitty. And WiFi didn’t work,

We were delayed so pilots can rest and had no WiFi the whole trip. First class seats are small compared to other planes

I am in a wheelchair The gate agent knew exactly how to boarding A wheelchair first also the flight attendant knew exactly what she was doing

The ac must have died, it was way to hot on this flight. Boarding g was chaotic. The flight was delayed for boarding. Not a great experience.

I missed the flight because the Minneapolis flight was 49 minutes LATE, and the Boise flight LEFT 24 minutes EARLY!

New high end luggage ruined/zippers broken, items missing. All happened on return flight from msp to mso. Do better! Not store bought luggage but high end personalized ogio custom embroidered luggage. Total slap in the face ontop of an extra luggage fee that took me 3 hrs on chat to resolve.

The plane was old and thus the seats were not good. No cushion left whatsoever, and it all was a bit worn out.

The only thing I would say is we tried to get on a standby earlier flight, but with our fair we couldn’t. That seems senseless to leave with open seats..

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!).

I was uncomfortably cold on the plane. Other than that it was uneventful and therefore as enjoyable as a plane ride can be.

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.

The app logs you out right when you are boarding requiring all passwords and reservation number for the flight. Super annoying

The pre-order only approach for fresh food is really challenging

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

Old 757 with poor entertainment system. United no longer partners with United for free text and email. O'Hara an absolute disaster! Limited gates clauses two hour delay. Unfortunately this appears to be the norm.

The SFO lounge closes at 12 midnight. My flight took off at 2AM

The Wi-Fi did not work, so you weren't able to watch entertainment on your own device. They did not have wired headphones so you couldn't watch it on the in-seat entertainment screen either. There was plenty of time to do a drink and snag service but the flight attendants chose not to.

Late- that’s what United does best. Missed my connection, rebooked to a flight 17 hours later and had to spend $500 on a hotel. What did I get? A $15 meal voucher. What can you get in an airport for $15. I hate United so much.

Standard flight with a drinks and a snack- overall very quick flight. The flight attendants were very strict, bordered on rude.

They did get us booked on a later flight, but it made us miss our connecting flight. So, we had to stay and another state overnight with no luggage or clothes. Because they kept our luggage at airport for next flight on the next day.

Loading was quick and efficient. The bate and switch with discount tickets were you are forced to pay for bag.

Everything went very smoothly! Thanks for a great first experience flying with small children!

Crew members great. Everything else a 0! Got on plane at 530am. Got de boarded for mechanical issue. Supposed to leave by 830 am. Zero communication from gate agents. Then supposed to leave by 230pm. Then delayed till 330pm. Still zero communication with gate agents. All they would say is if you have an issue call the 1800 number. You call and sit on hold minimum 45 minutes for zero answer. Finally board at 345pm didn’t take off till after 4pm! Sat in airport for 11 hours with 4 adults and 3 kids. Finally offered a $100 (we are sorry) voucher for next trip. Missed whole day in Florida had to change reservations in Florida! Absolute joke of an airline! And I usually really like sun country.

3 seperate extremely rude unhelpful staff. Delayed flight. Lost my bag

Exceptional take off and landing in snow and wind…thank you to the well skilled pilots!

I liked entertainment system being downloaded on my iPad. The selections were limited but I appreciated being able to use my own screen. The flight was just fine. My only issue was both terminals being far from the main airport. Especially stoning at LAX near midnight and having to wait for a bus to take us to baggage pickup. Very inconvenient.

Just fine but comfort is always an issue since the seats are so close

I did not take this flight because the reservation made by Kayak was wrong! Kayak owes me a trip from Minneapolis to Duluth.

The Wi-Fi was off, the arm rests are hard plastic.

I know the airline has been open for 40 years and the flight crew looked just as old. The flight attendants were not friendly and rude. They should think of retiring this crew.

Friendliest pros in the biz! Affordable tickets so my nonprofit can afford to fly to LA to pack thousands of meals for our neighbors experiencing food insecurity

Tiny seats, no entertainment, no amenities, delays, they charge for carry on and their allowed personal item is smaller than in other airlines.

I really didn't like anything. Paid for my checked luggage online ($79) and then was told that I would have to paid another $79 for my carry on. Was not allowed to enter the terminal until 3 hours before my flight and when I finally was allowed to check my bag and enter, my flight was delayed 3 times. When I finally landed, we were all instructed to "run off the plane" as they had to do a quick turn around to Las Vegas. Me and several of my flying companions will never fly Frontier again.

Our flight was canceled. I will never use Kayak nor Frontier for travel again. The entire experience was a headache.

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.

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.

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

My tickets got canceled on me by your site and I didn't have a flight. Then you kept sending me emails on the status of q flight I didn't have tickets for.

The plane failed preflight inspection, so we sat there for 90 mins while they tried to fix it. Ultimately, everything was remedied and we made our connecting flight; instead of a 2 hour layover at the airport, we spent it waiting on the plane.

The only issues had were outside of Frontier’s control or weren’t expected. It was a two hour flight they completed fast. We landed almost an hour ahead of schedule. The issues with no entertainment or food weren’t issues since there was no expectations. The issue of the loud or crying babies was outside of frontiers control.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports