$359 Find Cheap Flights from Sydney 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 Sydney to California departing on 2/25. 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 Sydney to California.
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Cheap Flights from Sydney to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$706
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$771
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$971
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$923
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$961
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$1,044
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$706
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$771
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$971
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$923
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops$961
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$1,044

Book Cheap Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney to California

Fri, May 15 - Fri, Jun 5
Fiji Airways Logo
6:00 am - 1:05 pm
SYD
-
LAX
24h 05m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
11:55 pm - 11:50 am
LAX
-
SYD
18h 55m
1 stop
$706Fiji Airways
Wed, Feb 11 - Tue, Feb 17
Fiji Airways Logo
2:00 pm - 12:00 pm
SYD
-
LAX
17h 00m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
10:35 pm - 10:05 pm
LAX
-
SYD
28h 30m
1 stop
$708Fiji Airways
Wed, Mar 18 - Wed, Mar 25
American Airlines Logo
1:05 pm - 6:27 pm
SYD
-
SNA
23h 22m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
2:47 pm - 9:00 am
SNA
-
SYD
24h 13m
2 stops
$898American Airlines
Wed, Mar 18 - Wed, Mar 25
American Airlines Logo
1:05 pm - 8:23 pm
SYD
-
SNA
25h 18m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:47 pm - 6:55 am
SNA
-
SYD
24h 08m
1 stop
$905American Airlines
Tue, Feb 10 - Tue, Feb 24
Qantas Airways Logo
2:05 pm - 9:29 pm
SYD
-
SJC
26h 24m
1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
11:01 am - 6:55 am
SJC
-
SYD
24h 54m
1 stop
$923Qantas Airways
Tue, Mar 17 - Tue, Mar 24
Delta Logo
9:40 am - 11:51 pm
SYD
-
ONT
32h 11m
2 stops
Delta Logo
1:20 pm - 6:05 am
ONT
-
SYD
22h 45m
2 stops
$926Delta
Tue, Mar 17 - Tue, Mar 24
Delta Logo
9:40 am - 9:49 pm
SYD
-
BUR
30h 09m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:44 pm - 6:05 am
BUR
-
SYD
23h 21m
2 stops
$926Delta
Sun, Feb 15 - Sun, Mar 15
Qantas Airways Logo
2:05 pm - 9:30 pm
SYD
-
SJC
26h 25m
1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
2:08 pm - 6:55 am
SJC
-
SYD
22h 47m
1 stop
$931Qantas Airways
Thu, Feb 26 - Sun, Mar 8
United Airlines Logo
12:10 pm - 12:38 pm
SYD
-
ONT
19h 28m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:40 pm - 6:20 am
ONT
-
SYD
22h 40m
1 stop
$978United Airlines
Wed, Feb 11 - Tue, Feb 17
United Airlines Logo
12:10 pm - 5:43 pm
SYD
-
ONT
24h 33m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:45 pm - 7:00 am
ONT
-
SYD
46h 15m
2 stops
$982United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Sydney to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Sydney to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest Sydney to California flight route?

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

The cheapest ticket to California from Sydney found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $805 round-trip. The most popular route is from Sydney (SYD) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $805.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Sydney to California?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $1,144, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Sydney 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 Sydney to California is August, when tickets cost $765 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,057 and $885 respectively.

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

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

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to California on a Friday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Saturday is the most expensive day to fly from Sydney to California. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Monday and avoiding Saturdays for the best deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 5% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 12 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonNovember
Cheapest flight$359
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 27% increase in price.
Flight from Sydney to Los Angeles

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Sydney to California 
Verified travelerFlew with United Airlines
SYD
-
LAX
Jan 2025
Bring some extra food! Long flight, you don’t get enough and quality is mediocre. No free snacks in between meals except for mini pretzels.
AurianneFlew with United Airlines
SYD
-
SFO
Sep 2024
Ensure you have 2-3 hours layover You’ll likely need unless you don’t mind missing your next flight
DonnaFlew with Qantas Airways
SYD
-
SFO
Dec 2023
We got off a cruise so were at the airport over 7hrs before our flight. We paid for the day pass at the Premium Club. Totally worth it! It was quiet and offered food, drinks, showers and when they closed, we were able to go to the downstairs lounge which opened at 6:30. This lounge was much larger and had a bigger selection of food and beverages. Would definitely go there again.

FAQs - booking California flights

  • What visa do Australian citizens need to fly from Sydney to California?

    Australia is a participant in the ESTA visa-waiver program and there is no need for Australian visitors to obtain a visa. Although it is not considered a visa, Australians must still apply for and obtain a visa waiver through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) online before departure. The waiver is valid for 2 years and permits unrestricted multiple-entry visits during that period. The online application is generally approved within 24 hours and costs around A$ 30.

  • Which terminal at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport can I fly to California from?

    Terminal 1 is the international terminal at Sydney Airport (SYD), and flights to the USA usually depart through Terminal 1. If you catch a domestic flight to Sydney before your flight to California, you will need to transit from one of the two domestic terminals. A complimentary shuttle links the three terminals at Sydney Airport, with a regular ring service operating 24/7.

  • What public transport is available at the Los Angeles or San Francisco airports?

    Los Angeles Airport is well connected to the bus and metro system, and there is a 24/7 FlyAway bus offering convenient transfer to downtown LA. San Francisco has a well-known and very positively reviewed BART train system that can get you quickly and conveniently to locations right across the city, including many suburban destinations.

  • What are the options for flying directly to California from Sydney?

    This depends a lot on your budget and time constraints. Direct flights can be long and tiring and are sometimes expensive but they do get the journey out of the way. On the other hand, choosing a longer route with more layovers may give you a welcome chance to break up your flying time into manageable chunks; plus, flights with more layovers, although they add to total travel time, can sometimes significantly reduce costs. Some popular routes that incorporate layovers are flying via New Zealand, Fiji or Hawaii. Longer routes that transit through Europe or the Middle East, or which fly across the USA from transit points in the East, may get very long and challenging and are probably best avoided by travellers not wanting to spend too much time in transit.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 Sydney 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 time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $930 on average. Morning departures are around 20% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,197.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Sydney to the following destinations at these prices or less: Los Angeles $607 one-way - $1,012 round-trip; San Francisco $782 one-way - $1,261 round-trip
  • Several airlines offer direct flights from Sydney to Los Angeles and San Francisco and one of these is Qantas. Qantas enjoys an excellent reputation for both comfort and safety even if it is not always the cheapest option.
  • For budget options flying directly to Los Angeles and San Francisco, both Jetstar and Virgin Airlines offer competitively priced journeys and relatively short flight times. Be careful to note your luggage allowance, however, as luggage often costs extra and should be factored into the final price when purchasing your ticket.
  • Australian citizens travelling on the ESTA can use the e-gate automatic passport control system at Los Angeles Airport (LAX) for express entry to the USA. This can be a major time-saver when transiting through this busy airport.
  • If you are flying into Los Angeles, keep an eye out for the many art spaces and rotating exhibitions hosted by the airport. Los Angeles Airport is a great space for art lovers.
  • If you are flying into San Francisco Airport (SFO) and have a domestic connection to another airport in California, or elsewhere in the USA, there is a complementary train that connects all the terminals. Look for signs directing you to the AirTrain departure stations.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Sydney to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Sydney 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 Sydney 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
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 223 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.5Entertainment
7.4Food
8.0Comfort
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jan 2026
DFW - NAN
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

We have had an absolutely horrific experience so far getting home from Australia on a $18,000 + flight we booked with you. The flight did not deplane in Dallas because there was no available gate or staircase. We sat in the plane for 3 hours waiting to deplane. As a result we missed our connecting flight to New York. American Airlines put us up in a hotel several miles away. We waited 45 minutes for a shuttle and The shuttle driver was horribly rude and unhelpful. They offered us $70 vouchers for food but actually there was no food left when we arrived minus some chicken nuggets and corn dogs. It was awful. Horrible way to end a vacation. There has to be accountability here.

A bit cramped in economy and the people in front wouldn’t put their seats up during meal service, crew did not help with that and I felt they could have done more about it.

The airline is ok, but it needs to improve it schedules.

Again, Fijian hospitality was genuine, very comfortable, only improvement would be the entertainment. Why Do they only have 5 episodes of TV shows and from like season three...

Fiji Airways was amazing, will definately be lfying them again. The "Fijian hospitality" is not a catch phrase, it is genuine. the only things that could be improved is the entertainment. Not a great choice of movies, and the TV shows only have about 5 or so episodes, and often of a random season.

They will look to squeeze every penny they can out of you!! Pick your seat$$...bring luggage$$$$... if they could charge you for the air on the plane they would!!

.very good and as I needed wheelchair assistance all staff excellent.. only suggestion is get rid of those plastic chairs hard to ride in and staff have trouble compared to others. Everything else very good experience. Will use Fiji Air again.

In-flight entertainment options could use a refresh, Consider a tie-up with Spotify for more current music and with IMDB or other service for newer selections/movie ratings.

See previous comments. Didn’t take this flight because my other flight was so delayed. Ending up on two other flights as a result and was more than a day late.

I usually get upgraded so my experience is usually amazing. I did not get upgraded this time - which was fine - but the wifi had issues, the monitors were going in & out, & (though not Delta's fault) one of the gentlemen next to me desperately needed a shower.

I really liked the legroom. I am 6’4”.a at For some reason our seats were not together and using the app to fix it didn’t work. Passengers were nice enough to move for us but you should absolutely ensure a parent sits with their child.

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

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.

The crew was not very visible. This might be a good thing for people who wanted to sleep but seemed odd when compared to the Atlantic crossing where they are more present in the cabin. The Food (beef) was not good. Tough and tasteless. Would love to see more choices on a long flight like that.

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.

The flight crew was friendly. I tried to adjust my seat online ahead of time but no option existed without additional fees. My friend asked at the gate about a seat change and was able to make it happen. That was great! The flight crew moved a very tall gentleman and his companion which allowed us to have more space which was nice. Overall, good experience. Appreciated the blanket and pillow.

I was uncomfortably cold on the plane. Other than that it was uneventful and therefore as enjoyable as a plane ride can be.

Hard to move and get out of my seat when the passenger in front is in recline position.

It was a good flight and no complaints. It just wasn't anything that was better than any other flight.

The crew were wonderful - if only the customers were as well behaved as the attendants!! Ha ha! If you could just talk to God and ask for less turbulence next time.... Juuuuust kidding....

Basic airline, aircraft and service. AA gets you from point A to B. My flight was delayed by 2 hours too.

No internet on flight, which makes log travels really hard.

My flight from Dallas to Sydney was cancelled. My entire trip was rerouted to include the following: Hartford to Washington DC Washington DC to JFK JFK to Auckland Auckland to Christchurch I paid for an aisle seat on the flight to Auckland and was asked if I would take a window seat to accommodate a family. The agent at the podium failed to mention that the family had a 3 month old baby and that a bassinet would be used during the 16 hour flight. The only way I could get out of my seat was to crawl under the bassinet of the sleeping baby. I think it is wrong that I was no given the choice to sit in another seat, that the agent knew what she was doing and chose to not properly disclose my seating arrangement. Terrible treatment.

they ran out of fruit for breakfast and so I just had a yogurt instead. other than that the flight was good

by the time they got to our row, they were out of some of the food options. games and movies were great but maybe more game options like tetris or pac man would be great

Great as usual, some delays but well communicated and made up for in the air

Business class points redemption - good value for points paid, dubious value if out of your own pocket, domestic class business product okay for this length of flight. The flight left and arrived on time, crew were good, aircraft was a bit old and tired, but still miles ahead of their competitors in Virgin and Jetstar.

First class ticket gets you a choice of chips or nuts. . Just like economy Southwest. Also no screen in the seats. This is first class???!

Flight arrived 30 min early and bag was waiting at the baggage pickup. United Club HNL was one of the nicest in the system

Mean flight attendant. I wanted to reuse my plastic cup, but he (Matthew) said he can't for safety. I then said "I don't want water then" and he poured me a glass. I hope Matthew gets herpes and spends the rest of his life poor, lonely, and homeless.

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Both flights delayed. 2nd flight over 3 hours late mechanical issues

Flight was delayed 45 minutes because originating flight was coming from Newark. No complimentary snacks were offered on this 5+ hour flight. No screens for the flight, but movies offered if you had already downloaded the United app (which I hadn't on my ipad). No USB ports, only a flimsy plug-in port near the bottom of the seat that was hard to see and kept coming unplugged.

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

On the way my flight entertainment wouldn’t work the screen went black and no matter how many times I tried to turn it on it wouldn’t. Food was surprisingly good but the tray tables were tiny so you couldn’t get anything else on the table. The seats hardly go back and are not overly comfortable. Wouldn’t fly United again.

Unbelievably poor service from flight attendants. They didn’t even do water service on a four hour flight. Just disrespectful.

We were upgraded to Business Class. So comfortable with great service and food options

The flight was completely full. Crew was not happy. Everyone was rude and brusque. Travelling with an arm in a cast and seating in the first row of economy cabin (in front of the separation) I needed help retrieving my tray for the meal. A staff member literally threw the tray on my lap, without helping to take out the tray. Boarding was messy, with 300 people waiting in an encloses space with low ceiling. I will try to avoid AA next time I have a long flight.

The comfort of Business Class made this trip far more comfortable. I was indeed surprised when I asked one of the flight attendant to help me set up my "bed", she responded that "We don't make beds in Business Class any longer...only First Class" I believe her name was Giselle, but I'm not certain. She did instruct me how to adjust the seat, place the hooded cover and I clearly understood how to place the blanket and the cover. Additionally, the meal I was served (a beef dish) was almost inedible. The beef was tough and odd tasting. I didn't mention it as I was hoping to quickly settle down and try to get some sleep.

Amazing I love American. I’ll never fly anyone else if I can help it.

Everything about the flight was lovely. My only suggestion would be to offer a few more options of tv series from Apple TV or HBO.

After the door had been closed, the cockpit makes an announcement that catering is running late and it is not the airline's fault. It is their fault in the sense that we had to sit for 2 hours or more when we could have stayed in the terminal. Poor communications between catering and airline. This caused a young man to lose his temper and he went storming out hitting objects. He had complained to the gate agent that he had already waited at the gate 7 hours and when can the airplane leave? Airilnes do a poor job of explaining delays, maintenance issues, etc. whereas being truthful may gain more sympathy or understanding.

We were told the flight was delayed 5 times, then it was moved to the next day.

The experience with American Airlines was good, although the Philippines Airlines flight was much better (better seats, better food, better entertainment options, overall better). Again, the MIA to LAX flight was fine, but nothing in comparison to the comfort and accommodations of the Philippines Airlines flight from LAX to MNL.

Loved the crew . Absolutely no complaints. Except for luggage lost

Wish some foods provided rather than just biscuit/cookie for flight more than 2 hours

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports