$61 Find Cheap Flights from Orange County 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 Orange County to California departing on 7/12. 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$61
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 John Wayne (Santa Ana) to Las Vegas

Flights from Orange County to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Orange County to California 
RonaldFlew with Alaska Airlines
SNA
-
SFO
Apr 2025
The airport security can take a long time, the bathrooms are not always available near the gates due to construction, repairs, remodels.
BryanFlew with Southwest
LGB
-
SJC
Oct 2024
Because it's a smaller airport, you can arrive at the airport a lot sooner if you're not checking a bag.
CongFlew with United Airlines
SNA
-
SFO
Nov 2024
Nothing really, being clothes that are easily taken off like shoes at the security will always save time
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
SNA
-
SFO
Feb 2024
Long Beach and SNA are convenient airports for flying out of Orange County. I wish I knew about the size of the plane which caused a fee for checking one small bag that normally was a carry on for other airlines such as SouthWest.

FAQs for booking flights from Orange County to California

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

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

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

    Orange County and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (280 flights per week), Air New Zealand (224 flights per week), and Delta (191 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 Santa Rosa Sonoma County Airport (STS), with an average flight price of $173.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Orange County found in the last 5 days was to San Francisco, at $165 round-trip. The most popular route is John Wayne (Santa Ana) (SNA) to San Francisco (SFO) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $165.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Orange County to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from Orange County to California is July, when tickets cost $132 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are February and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $228 and $214 respectively.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From Orange County, there are direct flights to California from 1 city. This city is Los Angeles and there are 3,522 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 504 direct flights from within Orange County to California every day. Most flights (31%) depart in the morning.

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

    Each week there are around 3,522 direct flights from within Orange County 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 Orange County to California takes 5h 53m, covering a distance of 260 miles. The shortest route is Long Beach (LGB) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 1h 10m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to California each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) flights to California. Instead, there are 3,522 short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (46% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (31%) and San Jose (8%). Searches for flights to Reno (5%), to Sacramento (4%) and to Oakland (2%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Orange County to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Orange County 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 12582 reviews
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

The flight itself was great. But we had to wait over an hour to deplane so I missed my train. Not the crews fault. They were wonderful!

4.0 OkayJanet, Jun 2026
BUR - STS
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

The flight itself was great. But we had to wait over an hour to deplane so I missed my train. Not the crews fault. They were wonderful!

Over all it was great. My original flight was canceled but they quickly rebooked me. I was frustrated because I had to cancel my entire plans for the day but all considered, not bad. The crew tried to keep us calm while we sat in the plane for was felt was an hour or so but they could use a bit of a script. The seats were comfortable and I would give it another try.

Not able to get boarding pass for domestic connection flight when check in at international airport. I was told I need to get connection flight boarding pass after I entered US. It us very inconvenient.

Wish there were more complimentary drinks available - only had water and apple juice. Also - no snacks were provided during the flight, but we were offered some items as we exited the plane.

It might not have been their fault, but there was a two hour delay due to weather. Then we boarded and were about to leave when they said there were more problems at the destination, took us back to the gate where we had to fully deplane. But then five minutes later, they said everything was fine and to get back on the plane. This was the part that pissed everybody off.

The gate agents begged us to check our carryons. They BEGGED us, over and over, and said that the flight was completely, totally full, and said that if we don't check our bags, it will cause huge delays. They finally said that "group suchandsuch will be required to check bags!" So I checked mine. Well, the flight wasn't close to being full, and many of the overhead compartments were *empty*! Moreover, my bag was delayed at the carousel, and it wasn't on the carousel that was posted. COME ON, AIRLINE, you can look at the seating for the flight on your computer and decide whether it's really necessary to beg and beg and beg people to go through the hassle of checking their bags! This is annoying as hell and makes me not want to use your crummy airline ever again.

Flight delayed no communication. The gate was changed so many times.

It is a hassle to not have entertainment screens on the backs of the seats.

I had to change my flight last minute due to a medical emergency. Their agent was compassionate and extremely helpful. This airlines really cares about making travel, for fun, work, or an emergency a customer-focused experience. Thank you!

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

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.

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

The lead steward kept singing about "San Francisco" and hotel California---more annoying than humorous....needs work. Flight was smooth and on time.

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

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

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

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

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

Late plane. Only one crew on the ground so we b had to wait for Denver flight to come in, board, and depart. At 78 yrs of age I was not pleased trying to get my connection. What really made me angry was the notification you sent me to hurry up or I would miss my connection. Why tell me to hurry up when you got me in late. It was not a good way of treating customers.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

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

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

Very disappointing given gate agent behavior. Filed a formal complaint with United.

Flight delayed. WiFi connectivity very poor if not existant. Last minute arrival forced me to run to catch my connection.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

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.

Was put into a seat right behind the toilet that had no entertainment possible but did have plenty of leg room over noisy part of plane.

American delayed the flight for a crew rest period. The delay occurred late in the evening - the earliest i can find is 10:20 pm. With a 6 am flight anyone on the flight would have already have been asleep (unless you are insane, a vampire or on drugs) and at least for me i was already on the way to the airport at 445 am the next morning when i discovered they delayed the flight until 9 am. Given the incoming flight was in the air at 6 pm the evening before this should have been figured out a lot more timely that was there only crew to use. Just frustrating given there is no consideration for customer experience anymore in flying.

Flight: Started on time. Comfortable flight. Arrived on time. Crew: Very cordial and helpful. Drinks and snack was served with a smile. Overall enjoyed the trip. Regards, Hari Doss Chanchala Doss

To have arrived on time and not 3 hours late after having already spent $100 to change to an earlier flight, only to arrive back home close to the original flight time.

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 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.

The flight landed at LAX we were then bussed to collect our bags. That process took nearly as long as the flight. Luckily we weren't in a hurry!

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

Charges unexpected. For seat that didnt recline. Please reverse extra seat and carryon charge. Bad business that is a bait and switch.

I couldn’t check in because the app didn’t work. It took 3 Frontier employees at the counter to get me checked in. Flight left 3 hours after departure time

Stop changing gates at sfo. When you are elderly going back for it’s not fun.

There was no easy way to check in. I don't want to install an app to checkin. I will use alaska from now on because they have a web check in method that is easy.

Horrible! The short distance flight ended up taking 5 hrs! There was a 3 hr delay for the flight to take off and there was a 70 min wait on the tarmac for some bogus reason that the pilot said the gate he was supposed to board was taken up. After a 30 min wait he said the plane that was supposed to push out of the gate called a medical emergency and 40 min later he ended up boarding another gate. For the initial 3 hr delay there was no information/alert about the gate or delay in the app or the boards up until the boarding time and even beyond! Had to walk all the way to the end of the terminal to find the frontier staff to ask what was going on. Avoid this airline at all costs! If you have carryon bags or checked bags , their prices come equivalent to the prices of more reliable airlines. They are the worst in timeliness at 60% (reported as delayed) this year (check the data) by a high margin even compared to the second worst airline. If you are ok with having a miserable flight experience with the odds close to flip of a coin, feel free to try them. If you value your time , money and flying experience, stay away.

I went to the Frontier counter in San Jose at 1030am or so on Sunday 10/13/24 to see if I could get an earlier flight to San Diego in lieu of my reserved 630pm flight. One thing led to another, and I was able to obtain an open seat for about $ 56. on the earlier flight. Fine. Then the agent asked if I "was checking a bag". Not knowing that carry-ons cost extra per Frontier policy, I thought that she meant a regular checked bag. Therefore, I said no. Once I got to the gate, the same gate agent who sold me a ticket told me that I had to pay $99 for a carry-on, and that all bags were extra on Frontier. Having never flown on Frontier, I was not aware of this. Part of the issue was that she was not a native English speaker, so there was a miscommunication as to what "bag" meant. I would have preferred for her to have clearly let me know at the front counter that any bag including a carry-on cost $99. It would have had the same outcome, as I had to take my carry-on. But it got hectic at the last minute at the gate itself. The baggage policy should have mentioned "including carry-ons" when we first spoke.

Most horrible airlines. Please avoid it. It's ok to spend $50 extra for delta, united or Alaska

The trip was good but the last minute changes I didn’t like because I had already talked to the attendee and they didn’t help me with my ticket I was having trouble checking in and when the time was up they help me but charge me for that and last minute luggage it was a small bag. After I was in the airplane I realized you were charging because the flight was almost empty and you have to get the money some how. Thanks for everything.

Our flight was delayed by four hours without notice, the app for getting my boarding pass is super confusing, and I wasn’t able to check a suitcase without paying for a higher cost package

Everything you need to know for your flight to California

Cabin class types available on flights to Orange County

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