$102 Find Cheap Flights from North Carolina to California

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from North Carolina to California departing on 8/20. 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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Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$102
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 Charlotte to Las Vegas

Flights from North Carolina to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from North Carolina to California 
ManishFlew with Air New Zealand
RDU
-
SFO
Apr 2026
Long haul so make sure to get up and move around a bit.
HartajFlew with United Airlines
RDU
-
SFO
Dec 2024
RDU long-term parking can add 30-70 mins to your departure time. At terminal 2 in RDU, getting a taxi can take 2-5 mins, vs. waiting 10-30 mins for a car app pickup. :)

FAQs for booking flights from North Carolina to California

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

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

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

    North Carolina and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are American Airlines (143 flights per week), Air Tahiti Nui (50 flights per week), and Alaska Airlines (46 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 $205.

  • 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 $514. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $1,068 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 $503 on average. Morning departures are around 58% 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 $1,188.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from North Carolina found in the last 5 days was to John Wayne (Santa Ana), at $107 round-trip. The most popular route is Charlotte (CLT) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $388.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from North Carolina to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from North Carolina to California is January, when tickets cost $210 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $336 and $335 respectively.

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

    To get a below average price on the flight from North Carolina to California, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 13% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From North Carolina, there are direct flights to California from 2 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Charlotte, with 268 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 63 direct flights from within North Carolina to California every day. Most flights (44%) depart in the morning.

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

    Each week there are around 441 direct flights from within North Carolina 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 North Carolina to California takes 6h 25m, covering a distance of 2147 miles. The shortest route is Knoxville (TYS) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 4h 04m.

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

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (35% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (22%) and San Francisco (11%). Searches for flights to San Diego (9%), to Ontario (8%) and to John Wayne (Santa Ana) (4%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from North Carolina to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from North Carolina 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4243 reviews
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

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

2.0 MediocreIrene, Jun 2026
DEN - SFO
Read more Southwest reviews

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.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

Love me some Delta. One of the few airlines to recognize and support veterans. Easy boarding, flight was on time and arrived early and the flight attendants were excellent on this flight.

We sat on the runway for over an hour before departure. That was unwelcome.

Flight delayed four separate times. I’m now one hour hours late to landing.

worst flight ever from Delta, it got delayed and kept on delaying..

Everything went smoothly, although the usual gripes about airline travel were still present: the boarding process is inefficient, the snack selection is limited, and so on. Since there was extra space on the flight, the gate agent rearranged many people's seats to put people on the aisles and windows, leaving the middle seats empty, as much as possible, which was pretty great.

While they turned off most cabin lights to allow people to sleep, I was bothered by how bright the side lights still were. It was still quite bright for me in a window seat, when I wish I could have slept!

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The usb chargers would work only occasionally for 5 mins and wouldn’t charge after that. Had to keep trying repeatedly at each of the seats in the row.

The crew bent over backwards to thank us for flying and make us comfortable. The food service was quick and efficient. The Captain communicated and said goodbye and thank you as we departed. They really stood out!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

This was an overnight flight, and in the morning they did know coffee service. How you can throw passengers in a San Francisco airport at 5:40 a.m. in the morning and not giving them Coffee is a crime.

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

Service was professional and quick. Premium economy seat was comfortable given the class

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly at all times! They went above and beyond to get us into an earlier flight in San Diego to make our connection in SFO possible, because our original flight did actually not make it! I did so much appreciate the UA team and how they made this possible. We also didn’t have seats together on the long flight to Singapore, but they found us seats together last moment with no additional cost! Nobody sat next to us, so that we were able to sleep! Thanks to UA for improving their service and Underpricer for booking this trip! Please be careful: 1,5 hrs for transfer in San Francisco might not be enough time in the future

Packed flight, which makes it tough on crew and boarding staff (and the customers of course). But this was great boarding, clear instructions, etc. Traveling on the weekends are always fraught with danger as you have families and less frequent flyers thus more confusion. But this flight went as planned.

Destroyed my suitcase. Tired of talking about it. Cancelling my unite mileage plus account.

New plane was lovely. Crew customer service is always lax but expected. Kraft on time and arrived safely.

Seat pitch is horrible especially on the 15 hour flight. Gate crew at SFO was Outstanding. The flight crew was also great.

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! 🤛🏽💗

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.

Boarding was very efficient. Everyone got on board and we got on our way very quickly. It was frustrating that the entertainment app was not functioning properly. I was not able to activate some of the movies offered. The crew on this flight appears to be pretty grumpy. They had no smile on their faces. I felt like they were doing us a favor for being there.

Long 5 hour and 45 min flight and only one drink service and cookie snack

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

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

Plane was good but was delayed. probably not AA fault but caused a 1 hour delay. Seating was cramped.

Poor availability of food. Cold cabin temperature. Extremely long waiting time for a flight attendant to respond to a call button signal.

Flflight crew were amazing, kind, and considerate. Fofood choices were limited, and didn’t have a variation.

I was hoping that the food would be a little bit more selection,, but I understand with the airlines what they are going through flight was excellent

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 North Carolina

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