$45 Find Cheap Flights from Phoenix to California - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Phoenix to California departing on 9/12. 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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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Phoenix to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Phoenix to California.
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Flight Deals

Book Cheap Phoenix to California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Phoenix to California that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Phoenix to California

Wed, Jul 8 - Wed, Jul 8
Frontier Logo
2:04 pm - 3:17 pm
PHX
-
LAS
1h 13mnonstop
Frontier Logo
9:48 pm - 11:05 pm
LAS
-
PHX
1h 17mnonstop
$67Frontier
Wed, Aug 12 - Fri, Aug 14
Frontier Logo
9:58 pm - 11:13 pm
PHX
-
LAS
1h 15mnonstop
Frontier Logo
10:04 am - 11:27 am
LAS
-
PHX
1h 23mnonstop
$72Frontier
Tue, Jul 7 - Tue, Jul 14
Southwest Logo
6:20 pm - 7:40 pm
PHX
-
BUR
1h 20mnonstop
Southwest Logo
4:50 pm - 6:20 pm
BUR
-
PHX
1h 30mnonstop
$177Southwest
Wed, Sep 2 - Wed, Sep 9
American Airlines Logo
2:39 pm - 4:09 pm
PHX
-
BUR
1h 30mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
10:01 am - 11:33 am
BUR
-
PHX
1h 32mnonstop
$179American Airlines
Wed, Aug 5 - Tue, Aug 11
Southwest Logo
3:35 pm - 5:25 pm
PHX
-
OAK
1h 50mnonstop
Southwest Logo
7:45 pm - 9:45 pm
OAK
-
PHX
2h 00mnonstop
$181Southwest
Wed, Aug 5 - Tue, Aug 11
Delta Logo
9:51 am - 4:14 pm
PHX
-
OAK
6h 23m
1 stop
Delta Logo
5:00 pm - 11:41 pm
OAK
-
PHX
6h 41m
1 stop
$183Delta
Tue, Jul 14 - Tue, Jul 21
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:13 pm - 10:41 pm
PHX
-
OAK
7h 28m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:49 am - 11:23 pm
OAK
-
PHX
16h 34m
1 stop
$207Alaska Airlines
Wed, Aug 5 - Mon, Aug 10
Delta Logo
9:51 am - 4:14 pm
PHX
-
OAK
6h 23m
1 stop
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 12:06 pm
OAK
-
PHX
6h 06m
1 stop
$210Delta
Thu, Aug 20 - Sun, Aug 23
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 12:15 pm
PHX
-
SMF
5h 15m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:52 am - 11:31 am
SMF
-
PHX
4h 39m
1 stop
$267Alaska Airlines
Thu, Aug 20 - Tue, Sep 1
American Airlines Logo
4:35 pm - 6:25 pm
PHX
-
RNO
1h 50mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
11:30 am - 6:17 pm
RNO
-
PHX
6h 47m
1 stop
$275American Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Phoenix to California flights

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

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Phoenix to California departing in August.

What is the cheapest Phoenix to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from Phoenix found in the last 5 days was to San Diego, at $77 round-trip. The most popular route is from Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl Airport (PHX) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $84.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from Phoenix to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $349 on average. Morning departures are around 23% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $749.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Phoenix to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Phoenix to California is January, when tickets cost $158 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are May and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $289 and $274 respectively.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from Phoenix to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

For Phoenix to California, Saturday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Sunday is the most expensive. Flying from California back to Phoenix, the best deals are generally found on Friday, with Sunday being the most expensive.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Phoenix to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Phoenix to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 35% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 5 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$45
Flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Los Angeles

Flights from Phoenix to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Phoenix to California 
GeraldFlew with Alaska Airlines
PHX
-
SFO
Dec 2025
Know this is a regional jet Er175 with the smaller luggage bins
Verified travelerFlew with American Airlines
PHX
-
LAX
Jan 2025
Southwest seems to board and unload about as smooth as any airline - carry on items seem to work as smooth as any airline I have used. Southwest also does not charge to check bags which seems to encourage people to check bags instead of bring an enormous carry on item that does not fit well in the cabin.
KFlew with Southwest
PHX
-
LAX
May 2024
Book with a long gap if you have a connection on another airline. My flight from Phoenix was only 1 hr long but there was an over 2 hr delay in boarding. Luckily I allowed a 6 hour gap between flights for my other flight leaving overseas or I would have missed it. Many people like me fly one flight to LA which has a lot more international departures because it’s a lot cheaper to break the flights up than to book them together . So it’s important that flights are somewhat on time especially between different flights not connected with one booking.

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

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

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Phoenix to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Phoenix to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Phoenix 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 12521 reviews
7.8Comfort
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
7.1Food
Airline reviews

Great trip. No complaints. Impressed with the crew’s response to various challenges pre-boarding.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jun 2026
PDX - OAK
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Great trip. No complaints. Impressed with the crew’s response to various challenges pre-boarding.

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.

Having the internet available while flying was great. Better than having to choose from watching movies from a limited selection.

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.

I was very impressed at how Alaska Airlines handles people with medical needs.

Check in & bag drop was straightforward. Alaskair changed the gate approx 40 min before departure, and I only became aware due to Google wallet update to my boarding pass. Had to move from gate N1 to C9 which required use of the Train, luckily I had time available.

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.

My boarding passes were pulled from my Apple wallet and my 3 family members who were all sitting together in the same row all got put middle seats and were one of the last to board and barely were able to get our bags in the luggage bins.

Everything went smoothly from the transfer from Orlando to a quick board. Flight was not full and we were able to get underway a little early. My only critique is that in Orlando, they offered active duty service members and veterans to board ahead of their zones in the initial boarding process. They did not offer to veterans in San Diego. Both flights were comfortable

Terrible experience with an extremely obese passenger seated directly behind me - who snored and gagged so loudly, even throughout takeoff, that no one within ten rows could have gotten any rest even with earplugs! I get that this poor person has a serious health issue, and that Alaska (maybe) had no way to prepare in advance (though he did occupy two seats). Still there must be a way to take a six-hour flight without feeling like I'm next to a roaring grizzly bear.

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

For the first time in a long time, the Wi-Fi actually worked the entire flight! The flight crew was amazing as usual.

Great flight. I didn't get a drink because I was asleep whole on the flight.

The Air hostess were very rude on my flight from Houston to Austin . Their regular communication itself felt a they are shouting at people.

It was good from LAX to Phoenix, But the connection in Phoenix to Tulsa was not that great. The staff on both flights were great. The choice of free entertainment was ok nothing to brag about. The 45 min delay because of some electrical issue wasn't great from Phoenix to Tulsa. We sat there with hardly any air, The seat I had was between windows so the side of the plane pushed in on you. My being a bigger man it then made the seating area uncomfortable. The seats on the plane had no power to connect to recharge your phone or anything. I would recommend that they should look into a slot or clamp to hold your phone to enjoy while watching the entertainment choices hands-free. Also make it possible to raise the inner seat by the window be able to raise the arm rest up to make more room for larger people to set more comfortably. I would also say other then that stop price gouging the airfare or nickel and diming everything. Not fair for people having to fly for emergencies and be paying for higher prices due to the season or holidays. Your making your money either way and the cost of flying is still going to be the same regardless if there's 100 people or 200 people.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

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.

6 1/2 hours from Tampa to SFO on a Boeing 737. Cramped. No Service. No real food. One pass for coffee at the beginning and a second pass THREE hours later. And check-in in Tampa was nasty even by United standards. And I am at almost TWO million miles on United. It's a non-stop. But terrible service.

The flight attendants were very friendly, efficient, and helpful. The plane was ahead of schedule, and it all went very smoothly. Thank you.

not sure why you ask about food, I n3ver get food on flights except maybe cookies or pretzels. wifi was slow and in and out most of the flight not good.

I'm not sure American is capable of on-time arrivals and departures. When you land at ORD, you almost always get held on the tarmac because your gate is still occupied. I may have missed my connection, but that ended up up being significantly delayed as well. Once again, I finally got home well after midnight.

there are no options s for snack besides cookies would ve nice to have a salty option n

Early morning flight and no food in First Class except a "salmon" box. No thank you. Was informed before take off by Captain that the plane was not serviced before we boarded in Phoenix. How does that happen? Need more frequent additions/turn over on the Entertainment. Thanks

It was the most un-special flight experience in my life.

We called Kayak for a change due to the TSA situation in Atlanta. What we got was a canceled return flight (in error) and we had to find the mistake. Not happy with Kayak who blamed it on AA.

I would have liked vegetarian and gluten free options for evening dinner time flight. I would have like a pillow on the international overnight flight . The veg wrap and oaten desert on the international flight was good

The baggage claim experience was poor. The plane crew and the AA app said that checked baggage in CLT would be at carousel 7 but the sign at Baggage Claim said carousel 1. The carousel 1 sign had the correct flight # listed above the belt. But the luggage never came. I went to an AA baggage claim office after about 1 hour and the clerk directed me to another AA room that was poorly marked, with a closed door and no obvious way to know what to do. Finally someone opened the door and my bag was inside. The clerk was totally unable to explain why.

Lack of gluten free options in food service. I have Celiac disease and it appears you no longer offer special meals for people with dietary restrictions. I am a frequent flyer traveling into and out of Omaha airport. I have noticed over the course of several months that although our flight typically arrives ahead of schedule (awesome job AA!) - we typically sit on the runway for several minutes waiting for the ground crew to get in place. Not sure if it is a ground crew issue or a gate availability issue (due to construction at this airport). Seems to be more of a ground crew being on time issue.

The staff at the check in counter was so rude. Made you feel Incompetent

Frontier scheduled a 40 minute connection in DEN. What they failed to mention was that they “close the doors” 20 mins prior to departure, which means you only have 20 mins. Not enough time. Possibly against DOT regulations. Filing complaint.

The bag check, flight check-in, and onboard experience convinced my wife and me that we will actively go out of our way to avoid flying Frontier Airlines in the future. At bag check, we were informed that check-in could only be completed via the Frontier mobile app. Unfortunately, the app was extremely frustrating—sending us through repetitive, confusing loops that repeatedly forced us to decline add-on services with nearly every click. While most airline apps upsell, this one felt intentionally exhausting. As the process dragged on, we became genuinely concerned that my phone battery would die before check-in could be completed. We approached the bag check staff—who were standing together talking—and explained both our frustration and our predicament. They laughed. Later, my wife described the interaction as “gaslighting,” which felt accurate. We were then informed it would cost $25 per person simply to have our boarding passes printed. From that point forward, the tone of the experience was consistently hostile. The bag check employees were condescending and combative, behaving more like bullies than customer service staff. Unfortunately, that same attitude continued onboard. One flight attendant argued with me when I attempted to stow my backpack in the overhead bin. I explained that we had each paid $75 to check our bags specifically so we would not need to use carry-on space and could have adequate legroom. She demanded to see my ticket, pointed out that it said “no carry-on”—which I acknowledged—and I reiterated that this was precisely why we paid to check our bags. Her response was, “I don’t make the rules.” She then walked away, but not before asking if I “truly wanted to fly back to Chicago today?”—an unnecessary and unmistakable threat. It is also worth noting that despite booking our tickets together in the same transaction, we were not seated together. Upon our return to Chicago—where we could once again sit together—we compared onboard experiences. We both remarked on how unhappy the flight attendants appeared and how each of us was separately asked whether we would like to purchase a beverage. We declined. At no point was water mentioned as an option, leaving us with the clear impression that even water came at a cost—or that complimentary water, if available at all, was deliberately left unmentioned. Overall, the experience was shocking and deeply disappointing, but it was also a profound learning experience—one we will not forget and will not repeat. -Steve

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

Good for a budget airline! It was easy to get on, staff was really nice. Can’t say anything about the food or entertainment because it wasn’t available, which is fine.

It was costly and difficult to check in. $85 to take a small suitcase with me, carry on or checked and $75 on the return trip, Plus $25 if I didn't check my self in check in $25, because I couldn't do it on the kiosk. Small very uncomfortable seats, waited on the runway for near an hour each way. It was my worst flight to date.

Horrible. I would never fly Frontier again. The booking process is tricky at best, but fraudulent in my opinion. Frontier customer service did nothing to rectify my purchase -- I ended up paying more than double what I could have gotten from other airlines and nearly triple what I thought I was buying from Frontier. Their booking practices are unfair to the consumer.

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.

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

Cabin class types available on flights to California

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