$89 Find Cheap Flights from New York State to California

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Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$89
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 12% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 2% increase in price.
Flight from New York LaGuardia Airport to Las Vegas

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from New York to California 
BeverlyFlew with JetBlue
JFK
-
SFO
Dec 2025
Wear support socks which helps when you sit for a long time.
LuisFlew with Delta
JFK
-
SFO
Mar 2025
It’s a long flight, come prepared to either watch movies, read or sleep.
HowardFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
SAN
May 2025
Must have a tablet to watch videos. Bring a seat cushion.
Verified travelerFlew with American Airlines
JFK
-
LAX
Jan 2025
Be there on time it really need two hours for security checkups
Verified travelerFlew with Qantas Airways
JFK
-
LAX
Nov 2024
there was an instance where a non speaking couple didnt know when to board. people cut in front of them and the crew didnt respond. it would be nice if there were translators available to assist when needed. i get that you want people on board as quickly as possible. sometimes, it's like herding cats. but do assist the people who dont understand the language.
JulieFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
SFO
Oct 2024
Leave early. JFK can be messy. I couldn’t find healthy food choices so eat before you arrive.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
SAN
Oct 2024
Landing in La Guardia or Newark (New Jersey) is more convenient for commuting to Manhattan.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
SFO
Jun 2024
SFO is one of the most convenient and pleasant airports. When flying Alaska Air make sure to bring your food and a larger water bottle that usual (you get only two drink services (one small cup each) for a 6 hour flight.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
PSP
Mar 2024
Bring an iPad with lots of shows downloaded. The terminal at jfk is nice and small, easy to go thru security. Palm Springs airport is amazing. You step out and feel like you’re on vacation.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
JFK
-
SFO
May 2024
The airport food was limited and expensive. Best to bring a sandwich from outside…
LaurenFlew with JetBlue
JFK
-
LAX
Dec 2023
Be very careful that you don’t misplace anything. If you have to go through TSA multiple times, be sure to retrieve ALL your things even if it means you have to hold up the line unfortunately. Otherwise, there will be zero help to retrieve your things afterwards even though there are so many cameras.

FAQs for booking flights from New York State to California

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

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

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

    New York State and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (176 flights per week), Virgin Atlantic (158 flights per week), and Delta (148 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 Ontario Airport (ONT), with an average flight price of $224.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Monday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $357. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $456 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 morning, when round-trip flights cost $356 on average. Morning departures are around 44% 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 $638.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from New York State found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $145 round-trip. The most popular route is Buffalo (BUF) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $145.

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

    The cheapest month for flights from New York State to California is January, when tickets cost $277 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $538 and $534 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from New York State 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 14 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From New York State, there are direct flights to California from 1 city. This city is New York and there are 2,897 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 414 direct flights from within New York State to California every day. Most flights (40%) depart in the morning.

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

    Each week there are around 2,897 direct flights from within New York State to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from New York State to California takes 7h 18m, covering a distance of 2397 miles. The shortest route is Buffalo (BUF) 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 2,897 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from New York.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (33% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (28%) and San Francisco (15%). Searches for flights to San Diego (6%), to Ontario (5%) and to Santa Ana (3%) are also popular.

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

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from New York 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 11745 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.1Food
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Again, very smooth and all of the Alaska folks were great. They continue to meet all my needs.

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

Again, very smooth and all of the Alaska folks were great. They continue to meet all my needs.

Overall it was fine, however one of my two checked bags did not arrive and I was told it was left in Palm Springs. I don't understand how one of the two bags made it through fine but the other got lost .

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

I enjoyed the Starlink access but didn't have much time to use it. It also kept dropping me so I gave up. The food was very good though when I asked for a different "dessert" they didn't have anything. Chocolate Brownie Cookies are not suitable for everyone...maybe children. The flight staff were amazing - at least in First Class! My first time ever! The trip from Boise to San Diego was FAR better than going to Boise.

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 usually get upgraded so my experience is usually amazing. I did not get upgraded this time - which was fine - but the wifi had issues, the monitors were going in & out, & (though not Delta's fault) one of the gentlemen next to me desperately needed a shower.

The entertainment screens were not working and there was no air condition the entire flight. Very uncomfortable.

I really liked the legroom. I am 6’4”.a at For some reason our seats were not together and using the app to fix it didn’t work. Passengers were nice enough to move for us but you should absolutely ensure a parent sits with their child.

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

They changed planes and the new plane couldn’t carry enough fuel to fly across the country so we had to stop in Kansas City to refuel. Flight was delayed .

Flight was too crowded and seats are too small, especially since passengrs are getting larger. Having a middle seat is ALWAYS tough! Woman on my left was large & kept creeping in to my space. Flight personnel were great! Have more savory rather than sweet snacks please.

The crew took good care of us. The flight from ATL to SFO is a longer one, and there were multiple beverage offerings. I like the 757's that Delta uses. Good airplane that is comfortable. I do wish Delta would separate Priority boarding from the better seats. I would gladly take a smaller seat in an open row than be jammed into Comfort just to get priority boarding, just to make sure I don't have to check a bag.

Gate agent rushed to fill hot jetway with crowd so it took over 12 minutes to go from gate to plane. Just like a discount airline Pooly prepared cabin and third time that claim of rough air prevented any cabin service. Friends on a Southwest flight at similar time had service.

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

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

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!

Terrible. They canceled our early morning flight after midnight on the day of and had no available flights to rebook my family on for the next 72 hours. Yet they still had other flights that were not cancelled from JFK so it couldn’t be based on the weather. It felt like they canceled the flight based on it not being profitable enough for them. I am not interested in traveling with the again. The absolute worse customer service and lack of accountability.

First time flying with JetBlue and never again. I went to the counter to request meet and assist because I'm 74 and my wife is 79. I walk with a cane and my wife is handicapped and has her own wheel chair. I told the agent that my wife and luggage was at the entrance door. The ticketing agent said to me that they don't offer meet and assist. I need to bring them our luggage and then go back and get my wife in order to get my boarding pass. As I went back to get my luggage a Southwest agent along with a TSA agent recognized the situation and came over and took my wife and luggage to the JetBlue ticketing counter alongside the line and told the JetBlue agent to issue to take our luggage as soon as they could.

Flight was fine, price was good but food onboard was abysmal. I was on there for breakfast and lunch and dinner 845am EST to 845pm GMT and all I got was a yoghurt parfait, fruit and a piece of cake. Later snacks included an ice-cream brownie and a pizza twist. I was hungry by the time I landed and the airport amenities were closed. Not happy.

Very pleasant flight attendants. Gate crew rather loud chatting with each other.

Plane was in bad shape. TV’s and WiFi didn’t work. Plane need a refresh. Not enough room for bags.

Everything was great. I liked the text updates so that I never miss a gate change & I have all the latest info.

Worst flight experience ever flights canceled. JetBlue told us just did not even bother standing in line to come back in one and a half hours then without any information we had to go pick up all of our luggage and spend over $2000 in accommodation just to get home. JetBlue said that the next flight available for us to get home would be three days later. Absolutely absurd hasn’t offered to give us any compensation do not fly JetBlue horrible company. They said it was based on the weather and the weather is great in all locations that we would’ve been flying to total hoax. I think it’s a conspiracy theory.

Communication since no reason or explanation was given for 3 hrs delay

Excellent. Although they used to greet me as a mosaic member and provide a free drink, early boarding helps me to keep coming back to JetBlue.

Communication with the customer and stay is important. Staff off with a minor inconvenience but it worked out of course. Also this was a very old Mint Class plane. They snuck this one in on us. The updated aircraft are much better.

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to New York

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