$634 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa to California

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1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
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Useful Info

What is the cheapest month to fly from South Africa to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from South Africa 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 South Africa to California is February, when tickets cost $943 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,275 and $1,232 respectively.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights 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 South Africa to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 21 weeks before departure.


Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonJune
Cheapest flight$634
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 11% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 6% increase in price.
Flight from Cape Town to Los Angeles

FAQs for booking flights from South Africa to California

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

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

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

  • 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 $1,062. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, where round-trip prices are $1,301 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 evening, when round-trip flights cost $997 on average. Morning departures are around 25% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,265.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from South Africa to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to California. 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 South Africa 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
DeltaOverall score based on 7974 reviews
8.5Crew
7.9Comfort
7.9Entertainment
8.2Boarding
7.3Food
Airline reviews

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.

4.0 OkayMathew, Jun 2025JFK - SAN
Read more Delta reviews

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

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The entertainment and wifi mostly didn't work on this flight.

Terrible entertainment system - kept freezing and audio kept cutting out. Snacks were mediocre at best for a 5 hour flight.

I am still upset that my bag was lost on a recent trip to Rome ; we were inconvenienced and out €150 Euros ; delta has refused to reimburse us

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

I love the free WiFi!! Crew was nice. Bathroom was decent. First time flying delta in a long time and I enjoyed it. Will definitely look into booking with Delta more but I think Delta is a little more expensive than the other airlines.

Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

It was an OK flight with below mediocre service by their flight attendants

Wasted a lot of time trying to find the CDG lounge - it was not next to the connecting flight gate like the Air France staff said.

My experience was good overall, the quality of the food really decreased! There used to be a choice between meat and fish now it’s between chicken and pasta! In the choices of entertainment meditation has been added which is very good. Soft chair workout to improve blood circulation and avoid phlebitis should be added.

The only reason the overall rating wasn't "excellent" was due to problems in claiming luggage. The bags are delivered to the main area (Cinta 35) for domestic passengers, but to a DIFFERENT ROOM for international arrivees. After waiting 30 minutes, someone (who didn't appear to be from Air France or the airport) told us to go to another area. There we found our bags, which appeared to have been awaiting us for a while. We had to go through a bag check before leaving the airport. If we had been alerted to this possibility, or better yet, been to go directly to Cinta 34, we could have eliminated quite a bit of waiting.

I wish that the meal included a vegetable or even a salad instead of couscous! Why serve chicken with rice AND couscous? Service was good overall though a bit lacking in friendliness. Usually on air france I've been offered a glass of champagne before dinner, wine with dinner, and a digestif after dinner. We were only offered wine this time!

My wife and I had a row to ourselves after moving seats. There were no TVs and you had to buy food. So we did nothing but had a quick nap. Flight was fine.

The male attended that served are section was a snob. He did not answer my call light when my wine spilled all over the floor. I did not push it again or drew his attention to it. He just ignored the call light when he came to give us our meal, serving the people behind us first. I did not push it again or drew his attention to it to see his reaction. It was so obvious that he was ignoring us. We were in premium economy!

The plane was old Only 3 bathrooms available for economy The entertainment was old and the selection was poor

Georgian Airways check in staff initially denied us, because they thought passengers required transit visas to transfer on connecting flights. This required 70 minutes for them to call multiple people to confirm how transfers worked. They did not apologize once accepting our check in. Onboard, the four hour flight gave stale bread with spam slices as lunch. The only included drinks were still or sparkling water.

I did not get my baggage at my final destination..poor coordination with connecting flights with partner airlines (Saudi airways). Also the food was very mediocre.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

It was all good flight was on time, service was good I enjoyed a few movies and everything was smooth

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.

My flight was delayed a very short period of time but they did not hold my connecting flight to San Diego, also through United. So they closed the doors before we got off our plane. They would only have to help the door open for another five to ten minutes. So I missed a court deadline for a manditory mediation settlement conference for my client. I had to get an associate to be there in person and be on the phone with him relaying what he needs to do the entire time. The court was very upset with me and so was my client. United cannot be trusted.

We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

Boarding was mayhem. Late boarding by 15 minutes because of lack of staff (missing 1 flight attendant. We had to wait for an arrival of another plane before we could board). Flight was a little rough, but cannot blame on airlines.

Great experience…left a bit behind schedule but made up fir that in the air and landed 10 minutes early 😁

Airbus plane, nice and polite staff, entertainment even as it was a short flight.

United out of SFO is having issues with catering so none of our meals were loaded on the plane and no offer of compensation for our tickets purchased was offered.

Everything was very good, except that the plane was an hour and a half late

I liked everything: the work of the flight attendants, the work of the crew, the frequency on the plane and in the toilet.

The check in process at Istanbul airport caused my family a great deal of stress and disappointment due to the following factors: 1) WE HAD TO PAY US$330 for check on bags, despite holding Economy tickets that Turkish airlines website clearly states that flights from Istanbul to Miami had a 2 checked bags allowance. 2) Airport staff not only lacked empathy for senior travelers (75 yrs old and 71 yrs old), but were also rude as well. The supervisor at check it offered "if you don't pay for the bags, you can just remain and sleep at the airport for however long you wish. What a terrible way to treat customers !!! 3) We were bumped from agent to agent to agent FIVE times, showing everyone the communication we received telling us we had the 2 bags entitlement. Two elderly people lugging 4 suitcase around and around the Turkish terminal. Again, what a sad way to treat customers !!! 4) We need a case opened to get a refund for the amount we paid. Something is amiss, screams unethical, and sounds unscrupulous......At First , we were told we must pay for 4 bags. All of a sudden, it became 2 bags, and finally all 4 bags were checked on with payments demanded for 2. Why did it vary from agent to agent???? 5) OVERALL, A TERRIBLE AND SUSPICIOUSLLY UNSCRUPULOUS EXPERIENCE FLYING WITH TURKISH AIRLINES. WE ARE TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED AND SAD THAT OUR VISIT TO A BEAUTIFUL CITY ENDED IN SUCH A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

I recently flew with Turkish Airlines, and I can confidently say it was one of the best travel experiences I’ve ever had. From the moment I boarded, the crew was incredibly attentive, warm, and professional. They went above and beyond to ensure everyone was comfortable and well taken care of throughout the flight. The highlight, however, was the food! I’ve flown with many airlines, but Turkish Airlines sets the bar incredibly high when it comes to in-flight dining. Every meal was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The variety of dishes, even on a long-haul flight, was impressive. It felt like dining at a high-end restaurant at 35,000 feet! The seats were comfortable, the entertainment options were great, and the overall atmosphere made the journey enjoyable. Turkish Airlines truly excels in combining luxury and hospitality. I wouldn’t hesitate to fly with them again—highly recommend!

One of the best flights I have been on in a while.

Here's a sample answer: "Honestly, I was really impressed with Turkish Airlines, but if I had to suggest one area for improvement, it would be: - *More efficient boarding process*: I noticed that boarding took a bit longer than expected, which might be frustrating for passengers with tight connections.

Not worth pay business class and get service economy class

In this long haul flight, flight attendants never stopped moving and giving excellent service. Very impressive. Very comfortable seats and excellent food

In sharp contrast to the modern glitzy airport, boarding facilities were primitive. Passengers had to board buses and walk up steep stairs in bitter cold with carry-on baggages. I found no reason why aerobridge was not provided.

Service and food were decent, seats are a bit too narrow. Leg room is normal. Bathroom should be cleaned more frequently. WiFi is cumbersome and should be simplified.

The flight was an hour late leaving Heathrow. The food was mediocre. When we got to Austin, my husband’s luggage was missing. He filled out information at baggage claim. We are waiting to hear something. His name is Henry Jacob Braunig.

The food was very good and it came multiple times

Flight from LGW to JFK delayed by 4 hrs No explanation given until the pilot said the delay due to planned maintenance on the aircraft

We arrived late to London, and consequently were 5 min. late to be allowed through security for our next flight. Even though dozens of people missed the same flight, BA did not radio ahead to hold open security for an extra 5-10 min. to allow people to get on the flight. This caused an additional 6 hour delay in London after waiting over an hour in Customer Service to get rebooked. They did not have enough staff on hand to help people in a timely manner. Not at all happy with the BA's customer care or customer service.

All service prior to the flight was terrible: online check-in not working, no customer service tel,, multiple airport scanners not working, A huge mess.

CONSTANT ERROR MESSAGE THAT THE WIFI COULD NOT BE PURCHASED DUE TO INABILITY TO CONNECT PAYMENT SYSTEM VIA SATELLITE. THIS HAPPENED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. THE MAIN REASON I TRAVEL IN PRIORITY IS TO BE ABLE TO WORK FOR WHICH I NEED ACCESS TO INTERNET. .

They lost my luggage. Lady who was helping with it in Austin was rude. Not very helpful!

Waited 3.25 hours in plane only to have the flight cancelled.

bad, made it to connecting flight and they didnt let me board

More space, of course. a footrest! more room to walk. Movie selection was awful. Some good documentaries would help if the movies can't be better. The flight itself was great, crew was great.

Book cheap flights from South Africa to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

 
These are the cheapest round-trip flights to California found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
9/10Wed
1 stopTurkish Airlines
26h 50mJNB-LAX
10/6Mon
1 stopTurkish Airlines
35h 55mLAX-JNB
$933
10/2Thu
1 stopTurkish Airlines
33h 10mJNB-LAX
10/17Fri
1 stopTurkish Airlines
25h 25mLAX-JNB
$947
8/23Sat
1 stopTurkish Airlines
26h 55mJNB-LAX
9/13Sat
1 stopTurkish Airlines
35h 55mLAX-JNB
$960
7/25Fri
1 stopUnited Airlines
28h 05mCPT-LAX
11/9Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
30h 40mLAX-CPT
$969
7/28Mon
2 stopsUnited Airlines
25h 24mCPT-ONT
11/11Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
25h 51mONT-CPT
$969
11/13Thu
1 stopDelta
31h 09mCPT-SNA
11/17Mon
2 stopsDelta
64h 10mSNA-CPT
$979
8/24Sun
1 stopDelta
21h 28mCPT-LAX
11/4Tue
2 stopsDelta
34h 16mLAX-CPT
$979
8/10Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
33h 30mJNB-LAS
8/20Wed
1 stopBritish Airways
23h 55mLAS-JNB
$1,021
8/10Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
33h 30mJNB-LAS
8/20Wed
2 stopsBritish Airways
31h 55mLAS-JNB
$1,048
7/28Mon
1 stopAir France
32h 25mJNB-LAX
9/29Mon
2 stopsAir France
30h 40mLAX-JNB
$1,092

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Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best deals for one-way flights to California found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
9/10Wed
2 stops
34h 00mCPT-LAX
$634
9/29Mon
1 stopQatar Airways
33h 35mCPT-SFO
$663
9/8Mon
1 stopTurkish Airlines
28h 10mCPT-LAX
$720
9/9Tue
1 stopTurkish Airlines
28h 10mCPT-LAX
$722
9/7Sun
2 stopsDelta
28h 00mCPT-LAX
$848
9/12Fri
1 stopDelta
23h 37mCPT-ONT
$850
8/3Sun
1 stopBritish Airways
27h 00mJNB-LAX
$963
8/8Fri
1 stopBritish Airways
31h 10mJNB-LAX
$965
8/17Sun
3 stopsUnited Airlines
36h 52mJNB-ONT
$1,228
7/14Mon
3 stopsUnited Airlines
34h 32mJNB-ONT
$1,673

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Last minute flights to California

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights to California that are departing in the next 10 days.
7/7Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
23h 20mCPT-SFO
7/19Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
32h 15mSFO-CPT
$1,086
7/6Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
25h 05mCPT-SFO
7/19Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
33h 15mSFO-CPT
$1,196
7/6Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
35h 58mCPT-SFO
7/18Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
37h 49mSFO-CPT
$1,306
7/6Sun
multi-stopDelta
34h 31mJNB-LAX
7/21Mon
multi-stopDelta
26h 50mLAX-JNB
$1,349
7/7Mon
multi-stopBritish Airways
37h 47mCPT-SFO
7/18Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
51h 16mSFO-CPT
$1,385
7/6Sun
multi-stopDelta
34h 31mJNB-LAX
7/20Sun
multi-stopDelta
35h 55mLAX-JNB
$1,441
7/5Sat
multi-stopBritish Airways
48h 15mCPT-SFO
7/18Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
51h 16mSFO-CPT
$1,524
7/6Sun
multi-stopKLM
32h 25mJNB-LAX
7/13Sun
multi-stopKLM
43h 30mLAX-JNB
$1,669
7/5Sat
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
27h 00mCPT-SFO
7/19Sat
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
38h 10mSFO-CPT
$2,179
7/5Sat
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
27h 00mCPT-SFO
7/18Fri
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
38h 10mSFO-CPT
$2,588

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Everything you need to know for your flight 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.

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