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Cheap Flights from Dulles Intl to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Sort by: Cheapest
Ontario
7h 12m2 stops
from $219per person
Los Angeles
5h 21mNonstop
from $260per person
Fresno
7h 23m2 stops
from $284per person
San Jose
7h 43m2 stops
from $305per person
Santa Barbara
7h 11m2 stops
from $342per person
San Diego
5h 22mNonstop
from $351per person
Sacramento
5h 42mNonstop
from $358per person
Santa Ana
5h 23mNonstop
from $379per person
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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?

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to California from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport usually cost between $280 and $510 in October.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $260 on Frontier (Oct 23-Oct 31).

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

The cheapest ticket to California from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport found in the last 5 days was to Los Angeles, at $257 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 5 days was $257.

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 $419 on average. Morning departures are around 1% 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 $541.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California?

No, with an average price for the route of $521, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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

The cheapest month for flights from Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl Airport to California is January, when tickets cost $381 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $522 and $510 respectively.

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

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 Wednesdays 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 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 39% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 25 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

February

Cheapest flight

$116
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 14% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 39% increase in price.
Flight from Washington Dulles Airport to John Wayne (Santa Ana)

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-Oct 2024
Don't take too much stuff. Make sure to have the necessary documents or boarding pass ready.
RebeccaFlew with Alaska Airlines-Sep 2024
Get something to eat in the airport, just in case there is no food onboard.
NoamFlew with Alaska Airlines-Aug 2024
Flying to the Ronald Reagan airport is closer and faster to D.C. than the Dulles airport.
BillFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jun 2024
At Dulles, you can spend 30 minutes getting to your AFTER clearing TSA
DeniseFlew with Alaska Airlines-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.

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: Las Vegas $188 one-way - $357 round-trip; Los Angeles $209 one-way - $345 round-trip; San Francisco $294 one-way - $508 round-trip

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

 
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.
7.9
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12956 reviews
7.0Entertainment
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
7.0Food
Airline reviews

One of the stewardess, Tre, went above and beyond to ensure my comfort!

10.0 ExcellentJenny, Jun 2025
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

One of the stewardess, Tre, went above and beyond to ensure my comfort!

I loved that we boarded orderly and quickly, that I had an opportunity to check my bag free at the gate, that there was plenty of seat/leg room, there was smooth takeoff and landing, the attendants were pleasant and helpful, and that we arrived on time!!

Crew was very good. Problem was not Alaska Airlines’ fault, there was a horrible, squealing, screaming kid near me.

There was an issue with water that led to us not having potable water onboard. They dumped the onboard water and we were two hours late taking off.

The flight from San Diego to San Jose gate 28A The two persons working there didn’t even turn on the display board. The display board saying to Sacramento. When I asked she was rude and showed the board . Then he realized And changed. Every one was confused because we are running late to catch that flight coming from IAD. Very irresponsible staff.

Great crew, great boarding, old B-list movies, no free meal service, child kicking my seat back all flight long, early arrival, then 40 minute, confused wait for bags.

I never received a full itinerary of my round trip. I only received the outgoing flight on Sun Country to Baltimore. Throughout my stay in the Baltimore area I kept checking for the information on my return trip to Portland, I didn't receive it in timely manner, so I booked another flight. I received the return flight information on the Alaska flight booked via your sight upon returning to my home in Oregon. The cost of my ticket on Price line was $247.27. The flight was Alaska Airline Flight 9. The confirmation number is YWHLPB. Please be advised I purchased Insurance for this flight. The reference number is UVCV4-X4TK9-INS. I respectfully request a refund for the bookings on, AS 507 and AS 1121.The confirmation number is 72058793562147. Thank you for assistance in correcting this matter.

It was a good flight, crew members were friendly. The flight was smooth and overall a great experience.

The flight, boarding, and check-in experience couldn't have been a better experience. However, I ordered food ahead of time pre-flight and there was no record of that purchase, no receipt sent to my phone and the flight attendant was pretty was pretty "whatever" about it. Luckily we were able to purchase onboard but it was annoying to say the least. Especially if there would not have been other food to purchase as it's a long flight, not to add the worry of whether or not I had been charged. Otherwise, pretty good experience overall.

Great ground staff - made boarding smooth for my family , helped us be seated together. Cabin crew was very friendly.

I don't know why the crew decided to board 15 minutes early without informing anyone not at the gate. Why would you have the app send a notification that we're boarding on time, instead board early, and then rush me to the gate. Then have me check my carry-on when I specifically packed my bag as to not do so.

Long delays at both DCA and MSP; Crew did not keep us informed (or very little). Airplane was showing signs of heavy use (not up to Delta standards). Food options for Business Class have dropped in quality. After landing we sat on tarmac for maybe 25 minutes with no provided chance to use the bathroom and crew did not tell us what was going on or give an estimated time to expect to be at a gate.

Flight was delayed for about an hour but overall good experience

The gentleman at the gate I think his name is RIE was exceptional

This flight was no comparison to our prior flight. I'm thinking it all has to do with the age of the aircraft.

2 of the seats in row 31 the entertainment system was not working, and one seat the tray table did not go all the way down. Flight arrived early and departed on time which was great.

Waited at the usual crowded gate at DCA where one ends up standing up because there aren't enough seats.

Delayed take-off. Very small plane so very scary with lots of bumps during the flight. Would never fly Delta on short flights in small 80 seaters plane again! Felt relieved when landed.

Inexpensive, got an exit row aisle aeat with no middle passenger, bought a great breakfast sandwich, flight comfortable & arrived ahead of schedule.

I wouldn't say I liked being forced to check my small roller bag at the gate; too many people had bags and were in a higher boarding group.

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

Delayed 2 hours while stuck on the aircraft. If the luggage was properly loaded the first time we probably wouldn’t have been delayed at all

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

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

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

This was a 5 hour flight with no entertainment and with a snack being provided (pretzels and fruit bar), which are both high in carbs and sugar. Nuts would have been a better choice.

Good plane, crew, and flight. Boarding was a bit chaotic. Bathrooms were unacceptable. United DESPERATELY needs a new terminal at IAD.

Should have video screens Plane audio was poor and without wired connection hard to understand crew. Should serve more than just cups of water and pretzels on six hour flight. Did not see crew rest of flight. Fix charging sockets to retain charging blocks.

787-9 Transcon from IAD-LAX FYI no meals in premium plus, not considered Premium - seats are wonderful https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/premium-services.html Horrible handling of delayed flight

I was crammed against a person too large for one seat. This traveler (who I’m sure you have a record of, 21E) should be required to purchase two tickets in the future. Also, your streaming service kept kicking me out of my movie.

Flight was delayed which isn’t the airline’s fault, but the communication around it was terrible. I left the lounge to show up at the gate to board at the time in my app, and the flight in front of mine was still boarding and the inbound plane hadn’t even taken off yet. Delays were slow to show up in my app. Improved communication could have let me have a more pleasant experience in the lounge vs waiting 1.5 hours at the gate.

Wifi was good on the flight from DCA to Dallas and terrible on the flight from Dallas to Tucson. The forward head in the flight from Dallas to Tucson was putrid smelling entirely urine soaked. The flight from DCA to Dallas was delayed by almost 30 min with a plane change.

Sat on tarmac at arrival at DFw for more than 30 min waiting for a gate.

Business Class layout was excellent. The seats were not nearly as comfortable as UA, Delta or Air New Zealand (the best). Nor were the controls as flexible. Food was okay but not great. Breakfast pancakes were like cardboard.

the flight is delayed, which is not uncommon but the communication was still getting hopes on reaching on time which didn't happen. When I boarded the flight it was so like unimaginably filthy. My seat belt had some sticky stuff to it like food or something from before and the space below the arm rest is accumulated dust and waste like from few months i have the pictures. Cheery on top, the airhostess was an old lady who was so bossy and mad for no reason and bossing around everyone!! worst experience ever!!

As always, most AA flights that we fly are almost ALWAYS delayed and that too multiple times. Very frustrating

The small flights with Valet Luggage has a poor service

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Human interaction. Thought there would be more service-even a smile would have been nice.

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

Flight was delayed by about an hour, once we arrived at LAX we had to take a shuttle to the baggage claim - it was completely disorganized. The agents at the shuttles were rude and unable to provide any information. Frontier charges extra for everything from bags to drinks - at the end it ends up being more expensive than flying the better airlines

Tiny seats, no entertainment, no amenities, delays, they charge for carry on and their allowed personal item is smaller than in other airlines.

More inflight connection. And leg space is horrible. And the paying for baggage I'd ridiculous!!!

Frontier Airlines was AWFUL. I was an hour early for my flight and the lady refused to check me in. I had to purchase a whole new ticket with a different airline.

I missed a flight because of a delay. I had to buy a new ticket through Southwest.

Bag should not be so much money. This is how Frontier takes advantage of customers

Frontier is definitely a good option for people traveling light or on a budget - just remember to bring your own entertainment and your own headphones if you need them.

Never offer anything to drink ☹️ Flight delayed gate moved poor communication

It’s a cheap airline. I wish they had better seats.

Seats are cramped and very uncomfortable. You have to pay for everything and it is too expensive.

More options for your flight from Dulles Intl to California

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