$91 Find Cheap Flights from Washington Dulles Airport 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 Dulles Intl to California departing on 4/14. 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 Washington, D.C. to California.
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Cheap Flights from Dulles Intl to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$257
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$249
San Diego
San Diegononstop$247
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$257
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$309
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$251
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$329
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$392
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$482
Redding
Redding1 stop$318
Reno
Reno1 stop$257
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$289
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$257
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$249
San Diego
San Diegononstop$247
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$257
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$309
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$251
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$329
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$392
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$482
Redding
Redding1 stop$318
Reno
Reno1 stop$257
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$289

Book Cheap Dulles Intl 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 Dulles Intl 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 Dulles Intl to California

Thu, Mar 19 - Tue, Mar 24
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:22 pm - 9:22 pm
IAD
-
SAN
6h 00mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:20 am - 5:22 pm
SAN
-
IAD
5h 02mnonstop
$247Alaska Airlines
Wed, Apr 15 - Sun, Apr 19
Frontier Logo
6:20 am - 8:04 pm
IAD
-
SAN
16h 44m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
6:55 am - 6:19 pm
SAN
-
IAD
8h 24m
1 stop
$248Frontier
Tue, Mar 24 - Wed, Apr 1
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 7:14 pm
IAD
-
SFO
15h 14m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:23 pm - 4:39 pm
SFO
-
IAD
15h 16m
1 stop
$249Frontier
Sun, Mar 1 - Tue, Mar 10
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:05 am - 4:46 pm
IAD
-
SAN
12h 41m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:28 am - 5:27 pm
SAN
-
IAD
4h 59mnonstop
$250Alaska Airlines
Mon, Mar 2 - Wed, Mar 4
Southwest Logo
5:40 pm - 10:20 pm
IAD
-
SAN
7h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
9:40 am - 9:55 pm
SAN
-
IAD
9h 15m
2 stops
$252Southwest
Wed, Mar 4 - Sat, Mar 7
American Airlines Logo
5:37 pm - 11:10 pm
IAD
-
SFO
8h 33m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 8:30 pm
SFO
-
IAD
11h 30m
2 stops
$252American Airlines
Tue, Mar 3 - Sat, Mar 7
United Airlines Logo
5:54 pm - 8:46 pm
IAD
-
SAN
5h 52mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
2:11 pm - 11:59 pm
SAN
-
IAD
6h 48m
1 stop
$253United Airlines
Tue, Mar 3 - Mon, Mar 9
Southwest Logo
5:30 pm - 10:20 pm
IAD
-
SFO
7h 50m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
11:35 am - 12:15 am
SFO
-
IAD
9h 40m
1 stop
$257Southwest
Thu, Mar 5 - Tue, Mar 10
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 11:10 am
IAD
-
SAN
8h 10m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
10:15 pm - 6:03 am
SAN
-
IAD
4h 48mnonstop
$261United Airlines
Thu, Mar 5 - Tue, Mar 10
American Airlines Logo
5:52 pm - 12:48 am
IAD
-
SFO
9h 56m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
11:29 pm - 1:32 pm
SFO
-
IAD
11h 03m
2 stops
$262American Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Dulles Intl to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Dulles Intl 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 Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport 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 Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California departing in March.

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California flight route?

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

The cheapest ticket to California from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport found in the last 72 hours was to San Diego, at $237 round-trip. The most popular route is from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $257.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport 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 $406, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport 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 Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California is July, when tickets cost $325 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $472 and $422 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington Dulles Airport to California?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

When flying from Washington Dulles Airport to California, you should consider leaving on a Thursday and avoid Mondays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Washington Dulles Airport, you’ll find the best rates on Thursdays and the most expensive ones on Sundays.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport 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 Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport 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 Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 42% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$91
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 8% lower on average.
Flight from Washington Dulles Airport to Ontario

Flights from Dulles Intl to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Dulles Intl to California 
PhallyFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
Oct 2024
Don't take too much stuff. Make sure to have the necessary documents or boarding pass ready.
RebeccaFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SAN
Sep 2024
Get something to eat in the airport, just in case there is no food onboard.
NoamFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
Aug 2024
Flying to the Ronald Reagan airport is closer and faster to D.C. than the Dulles airport.
BillFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
LAX
Jun 2024
At Dulles, you can spend 30 minutes getting to your AFTER clearing TSA
DeniseFlew with Alaska Airlines
IAD
-
SFO
May 2024
Bring your own device. No screens on the seatbacks.

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington Dulles Airport 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 Washington Dulles Airport to California.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Washington Dulles Airport 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 Washington Dulles Airport 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 Washington Dulles Airport 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 Washington Dulles Airport 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 Washington Dulles Airport 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 at night, when round-trip flights cost $382 on average. Morning departures are around 8% cheaper 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 $635.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Washington Dulles Airport to the following destinations at these prices or less: Los Angeles $194 one-way - $330 round-trip; San Francisco $216 one-way - $380 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Dulles Intl to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Washington, D.C. 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 Dulles Intl 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
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11874 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.0Entertainment
8.5Crew
7.1Food
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

Flight cancelled and deplaned. Rescheduled 8 hours later at a different airport. Ended up at destination but late.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Feb 2026
DCA - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Flight cancelled and deplaned. Rescheduled 8 hours later at a different airport. Ended up at destination but late.

The seats are very small. I’m 5’ 3”, so don’t think I should notice. The food selection was non existent and very disappointing. 5 hour flight plus TSA, etc. I would have appreciated a small salad, crudités. Something fresher not just chips.

We appreciated that the flight attendant came through 3 times with drinks or water on the long flight..I was also glad that they were separating out recycling! I would have liked a 12oz sofa can instead of 7oz, but that's a minor quibble. The knee space in economy was also better than most of Alaska's competitors.

I liked the free snacks and drink. I liked the onboard entertainment. I did not like the WiFi cutting out in middle of my movie.

Flight from LAX to STS das excellent. Flight from DCA to LAX was troubled by the previous flight returning to the one DCA gate putting our flight in jeopardy. However another gate was arranged and that flight was a bit late, but was handled exceptionally.

Boarding process was poorly handled by the gate crew and the onboard crew. No effort was made to provide equal treatment to passengers with overhead bin space. Crew seemed disengaged and unfriendly.

Awesome. Great flight. Super nice people and I like the extra space

On time, WiFi worked, reasonable legroom, helpful staff. Unfortunately there was no water for handwashing in the rear lavatory.

My husband unfortunately had a very large lady next to him who did not fit in the seat and had to have the armrest up so she was partially in his seat and she also had horrible BO

The Boeing 737 plane is old with narrow seats and tiny lavatories. The flight was delayed for over 2 hours. The flight attendants were discourteous.

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

The flight crew was extremely rude and especially not helpful when our flight was delayed.

Haven’t flown on SW in years. Flight was on time departing and arriving. Served vegan butter onion flavored pretzels which were bad. Coke served was in a tiny paper cup. Crew was not engaging. Felt like they were going through the motions. Old plane, tight seats and no leg room.

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

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

Still a fan of open seating. Flight was on schedule and arrived on time. The 737 MAX is very comfortable.

No delays and arrived to destination 30 min early. Staff was super friendly.

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

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

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

I like that if they asked you to checked in a bag at the gate they give you priority to board

I liked the Starlink WiFi but didn't like how they said they were the only airline to offer a free meal and it turns out to be just a standalone sandwich and then charge for snacks to go with it. Rather have the free snacks like Southwest, but have the option to purchase a decent meal for a 5+ hour flight.

I like Hawaiian, it was great that they had good internet connection across the Pacific Ocean, thanks to Star Link satellites. The seating was comfortable, ( I was in economy ). Maybe I missed it, but I only got offered a beverage once. It was a nonstop flight KOA to SMF. I would take it again next time I go that way.

Previously flown Hawaiian Airlines on similar routes, I found Alaska Airlines to be noticeably more comfortable. The seats on Alaska Airlines provided better support and cushioning, which made a significant difference on the long flight to the islands. When you’re spending 5-6 hours in the air, seat comfort really matters, and Alaska Airlines delivered where it counts. After comparing both carriers, I’ve decided to book with Alaska Airlines for all my future Hawaii trips. The superior seat comfort alone makes it worth choosing Alaska over Hawaiian Airlines. If you’re planning a trip to Hawaii and prioritizing comfort, I’d recommend giving Alaska Airlines a try. You won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended for Hawaii travel!

I received several emails about my 3:10 flight. When I showed up to the airport at 12:30 to check my bags I was told the flight was actually at 1 pm. They grudgingly rebooked me for a flight at 5:22 to Vegas to get a connecting to LAX. I did find the gate for my original 3:10 flight but they were booked. I proceeded to receive status updates and gate change information for the 3:10 flight, even though I was apparently never supposed to be on that flight

The crew was EXTREMELY helpful And sweet and the flight was smooth!

The Kayak confirmation number did not work for checking in the day before. I checked in at 8.30 using my ticket number. When I arrived at the airport, I was informed that the flight was overbooked, and since I had checked in late, I did not have a seat. The Next flight was not until ten PM. I called my wife, who had been taking care of our kids all weekend, and she was upset, calling me a liar and telling me to stay in SD. It turned my weekend getaway into a nightmare! I blame the Kayak website and will not book flights using your app in the future.

One hour waiting time after boarding, but arrived in time. I am satisfied

Flying with Hawaiian Airlines is a treat! They have the best crew, food and drinks! I’ve always enjoyed flying with Hawaiian Airlines and will continue to use them!

Amazing all female crew, including the pilot. Great flight attendants and smooth trip. Food was good. Boarding the plane from back to front would have made things significantly smoother. Took forever to wait for people to clear the alley. A little extra leg room would be nice also. Please thank your flight crew!

Wifi took a while to kick in and we had a maintenance issue that took over 40 mins at the gate in Washington before pulling back

Very good. Because of the delays with my previous flight, I missed my connection, but I was able to book another flight through the United app easily.

Was happy we finally got upgraded in 1st class. The seat getting old. The cushiness need some improvement.

Ineffective communication with United resulted in lost baggage. Their Baggage Tracing counter at MUC was shut down from 11:00-14:15 on my arrival. Undertrained, underinformed staff had me Running all over MUC to find someone to help me to no avail. Staff was rude, unhelpful, and unable to effectively use the systems they did have operational. They refused to contact United in any way or provide any accommodation or other resources while I waited for my luggage. This has destroyed my downstream itinerary. If they had even the slightest visibility I may have been able to reschedule/plan, but again, their staff provided nothing, and did nothing more than their website, which doesn’t even work on a standard phone browser. Miserable failure at all levels that weren’t associated with the operation of the aircraft.

Sat next to a one year old. She crawled all over the place and made me laugh.

The Crew and the food was the worst I ever had in Business Class. First they told us there were no space for carry on. It was plenty of space over our 2 row seats, we had to ask to let us travel with it which was accepted. They were aware that we had to run for the connection due to the previous flight delay. Have us one hour waiting for more customers and not even offer a glass of water. Then started the service and they started to serve other passengers drinks in business and did not offer any drinks until they serve our pre ordered meal and I ask for something to drink. I had to wait until they finished to serve all passengers until Inget something. The crew was the worts I ever had for Business Class in my life.

Not great experience - we were super late boarding due to issues with aircraft. Then when we finally all got onboard and seated and they started taxiing out to the runway they just stopped then turned around and went back to the airport. Apparently the crew “ran out of time” to legally fly us. They mentioned that they were about 2 minutes away from taking off. I understand the rules and safety but kinda wonder why they would have bothered boarding us in the first place? Had to go all the way back and de plane and then wait in a HUGE line to get a hotel (this is somewhere around 2:30am) finally got to hotel by Uber (no shuttle after 20min so gave up) and they ended up putting us all back on the same aircraft at 10am next morning so got about 2.5 hours sleep. They did give us. $250 credit, but it was a São Paulo Brazil flight out of Dulles. The flight and everything was fine.

Starlink wifi on the Embraer E175 is an excellent experience. I was able to connect and work from IAD all the way to approach into BTV.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Short flight but an "eager to help" crew made the journey more enjoyable!

There was no food and no entertainment, so I'm not sure why these are even in the survey, as my understanding is frontier does not ever offer food without a few, not even a snack, and there are no screens so unless the flight safety talk is our entertainment why ask how we liked it?. One of the flight attendants say in the back of the plane as people filed in to their seats, yelling orders about where to put baggage and telling people to hurry up. It was the least professional experience I've ever had on a flight.

Very well recently! Frontier is improving and less harrassing customer on luggages! Positive!

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.

I am writing to express my disappointment with my recent Frontier Airlines flight. I was charged $99 at the gate because my bag was said to be too large, yet once onboard there was no available overhead bin space, and I was required to place the bag under the seat in front of me anyway. This made the charge feel unnecessary and unfair. Additionally, before the flight even took off, I was asked to move from the seat I paid for into a middle seat so another passenger and her cat could have my seat to themselves. I was not offered compensation or an explanation for being moved from a paid seat. Between the unexpected bag fee and being forced to give up my seat, this experience fell well below acceptable customer service standards. I would appreciate a review of this situation and appropriate compensation.

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.

It was ok. It was expensive to check 2 bags ($75.00 per bag), and then it took a long time to wait for shuttle to take us from one terminal to the terminal where the plane was taking off at LAX. And all of this for a flight where we had to pay for any food or drink that was not water.

It didn’t happen. I booked it and then was told it wasn’t available and then forced to pay far higher prices for a worse option

A 630departure flight Delayed 6hours! They changed my gate, I moved to the new gate. Had our flight on the screen for 12noon departure. I go get above to eat, check screen again and the flight was gone, no notice no announcement, nothing!! They sent my bag on the flight I wasn’t on, got it back to me 3days later. Thank goodness they did refund my money but I will NEVER fly them again.

Due to weather, my flight was delayed, further delayed, then canceled. I eventually got through to a support person who helped me find a different route out of MSP, but to get to DIA, they didn't want to, but eventually did help with the connection ticket purchase. But even this replacement flight was delayed time and time again, and I would have missed my connecting flights and I didn't want to get stuck in a layover city, so after 12 hours at the airport with two young boys who were very tired, we just cancelled our plans and spent the week at home, instead of Nana's.

Plane and crew on board were fine. Everything else was terrible.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Dulles Intl to California

Information on your arrival and departure airports