$43 Find Cheap Flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe departing on 11/5. 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.
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1 adult, Economy

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Cheap Flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe (SNA-RNO)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe 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 Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe

Thu, Nov 6 - Tue, Nov 11
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 4:48 pmSNA-RNO
10h 03m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 12:36 pmRNO-SNA
6h 06m1 stop
$94Spirit Airlines
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Thu, Nov 6 - Tue, Nov 11
Spirit Airlines Logo
1:31 pm - 4:48 pmSNA-RNO
3h 17m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 12:36 pmRNO-SNA
6h 06m1 stop
$99Spirit Airlines
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Mon, Nov 10 - Thu, Nov 13
Spirit Airlines Logo
1:31 pm - 10:29 pmSNA-RNO
8h 58m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 12:36 pmRNO-SNA
6h 06m1 stop
$102Spirit Airlines
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Thu, Dec 4 - Mon, Dec 8
Spirit Airlines Logo
7:15 am - 7:55 pmSNA-RNO
12h 40m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
10:19 am - 8:59 pmRNO-SNA
10h 40m1 stop
$111Spirit Airlines
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Mon, Nov 3 - Fri, Nov 7
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 6:29 pmSNA-RNO
11h 44m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 6:48 pmRNO-SNA
12h 18m1 stop
$122Multiple Airlines
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Thu, Nov 13 - Sun, Nov 16
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 6:30 pmSNA-RNO
11h 45m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:19 pm - 12:36 pmRNO-SNA
17h 17m1 stop
$127Multiple Airlines
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Thu, Dec 4 - Mon, Dec 8
Delta Logo
5:20 pm - 11:57 pmSNA-RNO
6h 37m1 stop
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 4:25 pmRNO-SNA
9h 25m2 stops
$190Delta
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Tue, Dec 2 - Sat, Dec 6
Delta Logo
7:00 pm - 11:57 pmSNA-RNO
4h 57m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 12:21 pmRNO-SNA
6h 21m1 stop
$201Delta
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Mon, Jan 5 - Fri, Jan 9
Southwest Logo
5:20 pm - 9:30 pmSNA-RNO
4h 10m1 stop
Southwest Logo
12:40 pm - 7:35 pmRNO-SNA
6h 55m1 stop
$204Southwest
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Mon, Jan 5 - Fri, Jan 9
Southwest Logo
5:25 pm - 11:35 pmSNA-RNO
6h 10m2 stops
Southwest Logo
10:55 am - 4:40 pmRNO-SNA
5h 45m1 stop
$209Southwest
Find Deal

Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$94
Overall average: $245
Spirit Airlines
Thu 11/6Tue 11/11
SNA - RNO • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$498
Typical prices: $188-$858
JSX
Thu 12/4Mon 12/8
SNA - RNO • Non-stop
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KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to South Lake Tahoe!
Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$43
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 0% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to Reno

When to book flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price

FAQs for booking flights from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe?

    When flying out of Santa Ana you’ll be using Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty. South Lake Tahoe does not have its own airport so you’ll be flying into nearby Reno airport, which is 41.1 mi away.

  • How long does a flight from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe take?

    There are no direct flights covering the 416 miles separating Santa Ana and South Lake Tahoe but indirect flights take around 3h 17m.

  • What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly between Santa Ana and South Lake Tahoe?

    Consider leaving on a Thursday and avoid Mondays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Santa Ana, you’ll find the best rates on Tuesdays and the most expensive ones on Mondays.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe?

    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 John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to South Lake Tahoe from John Wayne (Santa Ana) 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 John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe?

    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 to South Lake Tahoe with an airline and back to John Wayne (Santa Ana) with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe?

    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 to South Lake Tahoe from John Wayne (Santa Ana) up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe?

    In the last 72 hours, the cheapest one-way ticket between Santa Ana and South Lake Tahoe found on KAYAK was with Spirit Airlines for $43. Spirit Airlines offered a round-trip connection from $94 and Delta from $190.

Top tips for finding cheap flights from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe

  • There is no airport in South Lake Tahoe. Instead, you’ll be flying into Reno Airport when flying between Santa Ana and South Lake Tahoe.
  • The cheapest flight from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to South Lake Tahoe was found 85 days before departure, on average.
  • Book at least 1 week before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be June, July and August. The cheapest month to fly is November.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Santa Ana to South Lake Tahoe? 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4241 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

10.0 ExcellentGabriel, Sep 2025DEN - SMF
Read more Southwest reviews

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

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

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

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.

Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.

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

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

Not a "Delta" issue, but a JFK issue: We booked a connecting flight with 3 1/2 hours between to clearn immigration and customs. Our inbound flight (BCN to JFK) was on the taxiway 45 minutes which ate into our layover time. Immigtration was insanely quick with the CBP MPC app; however, clearing TSA (again, after we were ALREADY cleared in Spain on the inbound international flight) took over 95 minutes. This left us with 10 minutes before boarding the connecting flight (JFK to SAN) to walk to the far end of Terminal 4 and try to find food. We didn't find any food that could promise to serve us in under 10 minutes so we boarded the Delta flight after coming off a plance and an 8-hour flight knowing that we wouldn't be served any food on the next 5 1/2 hour flight. I feel like Delta needs to put pressure on the JFK TSA to open more screening stations (by our count, we saw only 5 scanners open and a line of - as we said - over 90 minutes. The insult is that we WERE ALREADY SCREENED through TSA, but as you come off one flight into the USA, you have to go through the whole process again. It seems like if you have a connecting flight, there should be a way to pass through immigration and customs without needing to return through TSA.

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

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.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

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!

The stewardess hit me with the food kart twice on the head and didn't say I'm sorry once. The same stewardess gave me a warm Apple Juice with No ice. The Flight was delayed for Departure 6 times, starting from 2:36pm, finally taking off 7:50pm. I was late picking up my child from the sitter by 3 hours.

Did not get the seat I selected and paid for.

My flight was delayed for several hours. Sitting at gate 16 for several hours, I got a text from Kayak the gate changed to 9 before it was announced. Very bad communication at each gate from American Airlines employees. I received 10 notifications of delay from Kayak. My vacation started off horrible! I will write to American Airlines corporate office also.

Delayed flight that lead to a missed connection and a 5-hour trip became a 12-hour flight 🙄

There is no room, no gluten free options, or any free internet/entertainment. You have to bring your own tablet or smartphone because there are no screens.

Our flight was 1.5 hours delayed. There was no weather for the inbound flight, so I don't understand why. This meant a VERY late arrival and only a quick nap before my morning flight.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

Boarding gate in Honolulu was staffed with a great clerk with a soothing voice despite the flight delay of over an hour. Flight attendants in the plane were all grumpy, not pleasant looking bunch. Their sour attitude showed throughout the flight. Inly able to get a select few movies started. Most of the movie links in the “free entertainment” did not work.

My luggage didn’t arrive at LAX, so that wasn’t a good experience.

I was never aware that I had to pay $100 per luggage to them on the plane that are simply carry-ons. This is discriminatory and I’m going to be alerting my entire family and friends and my Instagram following up over 75,000 of this issue and misunderstanding, including mismanaging.

Cancelled my flight last minute and did not help me rebook. It was a horrible experience.

Late departure by 1:45min. No explanation why. During boarding inconsistent policing of their baggage rules. Before takeoff and lamdimg strange obsession with window shade and armrest positions. Don't know why they care. 15 min tarmac delay on arrival, they blamed airport congestion but we were the o lh flight waiting, it was clear it was due to poor staff planning (only one ground crew to receive airplanes and multiple arrivals) Got there but was rrally lame the whole trip.

Good on that leg. When I arrived in Detroit I had to wait over an hour for luggage.

Boarding was a breeze, however, two of the flights that I boarded with Spirit did not have Wi-Fi available.

Very good. Nothing more or less than expected. No complaints.

My experience with the spirit as a first time it was OK, but the seats need a little cushion, the problem I had the most impacted me was when checking in the scales were so off and wrong. It will tell that you would have more weight, which was not true. The scale was say that it had Thirty Eight Pounds, when get in the labels when we send the luggage into the band. It says that it was overweight. I really really dislike that because the scales are not accurate. If I use Spirit and I have that issue again. That will be my last time flying with the spirit, even though I like so much to service the planes, and everything else

hahaha we are delayed for one hour plus.. but thx we arrived San Diego safe

Worst airline ever! The guy weighing my bag had his foot on the metal plate and when I called him out on it, I got this stupid little smirk. La is a scam and so is Spirit Airlines. All the flight attendants looked like they hated our flight just as much as we did.

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