$117 Find Cheap Flights from New Jersey to California

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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

Travelers love KAYAK
41 299 237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$117
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 7% lower on average.
Flight from Philadelphia to Las Vegas

Flights from New Jersey to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from New Jersey to California 
MitchellFlew with United Airlines
EWR
-
SFO
Apr 2026
security access line for Premier access was very reasonable, process was less than 10-15 minutes. Leave time for dropping off a rental car - is a bit of a walk and then AirTrain transfer due to the current construction - so allow time for less stress. take advantage of the tables in the boarding area for charging devices or doing work.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Mar 2026
This flight is very convenient, it should be noted that the security at Newark seems quite understaffed and not the most efficient so passing through it will always take at least half an hour.
AnjaliFlew with Spirit Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Dec 2025
look out for landing in the new terminal that is then a bus ride away from your luggage
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
SFO
Dec 2025
Bring your own food and in flight activity since they don’t supply any.
AracelyFlew with Spirit Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Dec 2024
Bring snacks and your own water bottle to stay hydrated.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
SAN
Feb 2025
My flight was not delayed, but my family had a flight earlier in the week that was, by 5 hours. My daughter says she'll never book a late afternoon flight as they seem most likely to be delayed. I personally like the timing and usually they cost less. Also, get on the plan with fully charged devices or a non-electronic form on entertainment.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Jun 2024
Make sure to get food before you get to the airport. Bring chargers for ur phone or your technological device.
BerniceFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
SAN
Jun 2024
Give yourself plenty of time to get through security.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Apr 2024
There are buses from Time Square Bus Terminal to Newark for $18 direct no stops you are there in 30 minutes.
MasakoFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
LAX
Apr 2024
Newark has few food options so pack something if you can. It’s not worth getting food at Newark.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
EWR
-
SAN
Feb 2024
Allow time for TSA (I had) or figure out the priority boarding (I didn't but will look into it for future flights), I thought they were pretty inefficient. A guy behind me was freaking out because he was going to miss his flight and a bunch of us let him cut the line in hopes he could make it.
SridharFlew with Spirit Airlines
EWR
-
OAK
Dec 2023
Fly light. Get seats in front. Make sure you get here before 10 - rental car place closes prior.

FAQs for booking flights from New Jersey to California

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

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

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

  • 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 Los Angeles Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $275.

  • 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 $369. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Monday, where round-trip prices are $486 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $371 on average. Morning departures are around 11% 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 $438.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from New Jersey found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $238 round-trip. The most popular route is Newark Airport (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $238.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from New Jersey to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from New Jersey to California is January, when tickets cost $342 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $549 and $462 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from New Jersey to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 39% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 16 weeks before departure.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from New Jersey to California takes 7h 07m, covering a distance of 2431 miles. The shortest route is Philadelphia (PHL) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 5h 14m.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is San Francisco (48% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Las Vegas (23%) and Los Angeles (15%). Searches for flights to San Jose (3%), to San Diego (3%) and to Ontario (3%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from New Jersey to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from New Jersey 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 12253 reviews
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
8.5Crew
7.8Comfort
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

No headphones provided. No gf food. Only 1 beverage cart run sAN to HNL. Rarely saw crew members

8.0 ExcellentDoretta, Apr 2026
FAT - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

No headphones provided. No gf food. Only 1 beverage cart run sAN to HNL. Rarely saw crew members

The check-in crew for Alaska was rude, unhelpful, and the opposite of customer-centric. We arrived 50 minutes before our flight and were told it was too late to check baggage. When I asked what the cutoff was, the agent started speaking in codes “D50” and yelling to their manager who also spoke in codes. They then tried to speak to me using these codes and all I wanted to know was the time of the cutoff, which they would not — or could not — articulate. They booked me and my family on the next flight while smirking.

Generally Good. Outbound flight was marred by a continuously s creaming baby. Fortunately the flight was only 90 mins long it would be nice if people traveling with small childres could be centered in one part of the plane. Also, you need to adapt your servey to include a "not applicable " option for things like food and entertainment, which are not offered on shorter flights. I fily Alaska by choice as given all the cirumstances, I fel\el you do a good job.

A solidly good experience, but would’ve appreciated more communication with regards to travel delays.

I wasn’t aware that we needed to supply our own screens for entertainment

Alaska Airlines staff go out of their way to accommodate my fragile musical instrument, every time. They are unlike any other airline. I've experienced this can-do attitude on several flights with different staff, so this must be the culture of their company. I appreciate Alaska!

No issues and clear sailing. What a preferred to have sat in one of empty seats other than my assigned seat that would be my only complaint if it was to complain.

Perpetually delayed, flight out was delayed almost 2 hours, flight home was delayed an hour and a half. On the way back no refreshments as an option, yet they gave it out to 1st class. No apology or notice of the delay going out both ways. Seats are nice feature wise, but the adjustable headrests don't stay up anymore. Feels more like a budget airline

The ticketing counter in SD was a mess. The lady handling the First-Class check-in seemed overwhelmed until a supervisor replaced her. It took almost 20 minutes to get once couple checked in, and then she started walking around the counters while 7 people just stood in line. Once her supervisor arrived, she announced she was going on break, never to engage with customers again.

It was a bumpy flight but the crew was very attentive and made it a safe and enjoyable experience.

Packed in plane small uncomfortable seats elbow to elbow nobody wants to be in that situation for the money they paid

Checking in united could not figure out my star alliance gold. Baggage did not get marked priority and didn't receive boarding passes. When got to SFO lounge personal fixed everything Immediately

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

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

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

Flight delayed for more than 16 hrs and no effort was spent to provide an alternate

Overall we had a good experience during our flight from San Francisco to Houston.

it was a very short flight so my expectations were low.

Entertainment and wifi were very sub-par - audio issues and no wifi

We were delayed and had to circle due to weather and had to divert for fuel. While I understand that you can’t control the weather I would have appreciated knowing that the crew wasn’t going to run out of hours and then having to spend the night in the Raleigh airport.

Messy plane that was falling apart Small screens that didn't work

I was traveling with two small kids and our TV s were the only ones not working. Informed the flight attendant who did nothing about them.

They forced me to check my hand luggage at the gate.

I specifically choose not to check bags to ensure I can proceed directly to ground transportation upon arrival. However, due to a recurring lack of cabin space, I was again forced to gate-check my rolling luggage after going through my luggage to take out electronics and batteries. This practice unilaterally changes the service agreement made at the time of purchase. JetBlue needs to find a better way to manage overhead space that honors the carry-on baggage allowance.

Still hasn’t left. Why are you asking how it was?

Flight was good wish there were more snacks options for such a long flight but stewardesses were very pleasant as was flight crew.

I was denied a plastic fork to eat my food and was told plastic forks are for paying customers who buy Jet Blue’s food. So I had to make a utensil out of a cup so nourish my body. Like a refugee. Because decency is dead.

I was especially impressed without efficiently the crew got passengers on and off. One of the stewards was slightly gruff, I thought. No big deal but that's what I noticed.

American Airlines is a miserable experience. It is predictably miserable, in the sense that every time I fly American, I brace myself for the certainty that it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable. But it is unpredictable in the sense that I never know if the flight will be on time or delayed nine hours (both happened to me this week). I never know if I will be able to sit in the seat that I selected when I purchased the ticket or if I will be told by Customer Service (!!!) that I must relocate from first class to a seat in the back of the aircraft with no explanation (both happened to me this week). Will the food be frozen and half defrosted, or scalding hot? Will the drinks be warm? Will the flight attendants be surly and mean? Will the toilets be cramped and foul? Will the seats be narrow and uncomfortable? Will there be a real electric outlet at the seat, or just an unreliable USB-2 port? Will there be enough seats in the boarding lounge or just a few? Will the boarding process be smooth and efficient, or will the gate agents mess it up and delay it needlessly for 30 or 40 minutes? Will the catering and cleaning crew be prompt or will they take an extra 30 minutes? Will the brakes on the aircraft work properly, or will the pilot delay takeoff for four hours while the ground crew attends to what can only be described as routine maintenance that should have been done the night before? I've eexperienced every one of these unpleasant things this year, 2026. The only thing I can reliably count on is that American will find a new way to make the experience of flying as miserable as they possibly can.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.

A first class seat should fit a fat person, and this doesn't. The trays in the armrest are less functional than an ordinary tray in the back of the seat.

The experience at checkin for my American Airlines flight from Sacramento to LAX was very good including the assistance I received in getting my bags checked in and boarding passes printed. Was pleasantly surprised the my bags were checked through all the way to my destination at Clark International Airport in Angeles, Philippines.

Smooth flight. From the early boarding and all were on board before departure time and arrived early in ONT. Great crew. Thank you!!!!

The flight was significantly delayed for 6.5 hours because of snow. There was no communication once the plane returned to the gate regarding when the flight would resume. Other flights were departing while our flight was being unloaded for reasons unknown. Our flight also seemed out of the queue regarding further deicing, refueling, and waiting to Taxi to the runway.

They are always late and seats was also not having working charger

No WiFi, no outlets to charge phones, no complimentary beverages on a 6 hour flight

Flight was delayed more than 3 hours, and the metro had stopped running by the time we got to the terminal well past midnight, so I was stranded, alone, with no way to get home until the metro started up the next morning.

My flight was cancelled I missed time at work and got a parking ticket

Crew was very nice. Take off and landing were great. Economy seats are not comfortable. Extra cost for snacks.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours and we had no food or water or chargers

Horribly late because they had no crew!!! And then jet bridge didn’t work!! Then we arrived at a gate at lax miles away that we had to take a shuttle to a terminal!! I was over 3 hours late to getting the LA! Should have been here at 8:30 and at an appointment at 10:30 and arrived and left lax at 11 am!! Horrible experience!!!

Once again, the staff seem to think they are above the customers and treat everyone with disdain, belittling people.

Flight was canceled 8 hours before departure for lack of operational control and prepositioning of a plane. Then had the audacity to say it was because of weather, however there was no weather here in California or New Orleans or in between. It was the weather in Florida, Florida it had nothing to do with our flight path just the plane was supposed to fly us. 8 hours is more than enough time to move a plane anywhere in the US. That left me with a bill of 1200 dollars to re book a flight oh and kayaks insurance what a joke. Probably will never use kayak or spirit ever again terrible companies terrible customer service. I’ll also let everyone and anyone know this was an abomination and only for the customer. Also will be making a report to the DOT on bad business practices on behalf of kayak and spirit as well as the BBB. Do better, take care of your customers and don’t suck

The airplane had a strange noise that was constant throughout the flight. Thankfully I had noise-cancelling over-ear headphones that muted much of it.

it was terrible. flight was cancelled hours before the flight without a given reason and no other booking available .

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to New Jersey

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