$54 Find Cheap Flights from Washington to California - Compare and Save

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Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$54
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 15% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from Seattle to Ontario

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Washington to California 
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Oct 2026
Seattle is a large, confusing, multi gate airport. Various modes of access to gates is not always clear. Prepare for delayed flights as flight turnovers are high.
LindaFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jun 2026
Once you’re past security, you have to take the tram to your gate area. It’s quick and easy.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jul 2026
Super easy to park in the Economy Lot #1 and take the shuttle to the terminal.
GeraldFlew with Delta-Mar 2026
Flights earlier in the day are better - less chance of stacking delays. Much better than SFO flights, They're terrible in August (fog).
ChristineFlew with Hawaiian Airlines-Dec 2025
Arrive early to go through security unless you have TSA pre check and/or CLEAR
MarisaFlew with American Airlines-Jun 2025
Take Alaska Airlines - Clear was great to have at both airports, especially seattle where there was a large security line
Verified travelerFlew with Hawaiian Airlines-Jun 2025
Make sure to be there on time because the bag drop off can be a little complicated and it takes quite some time to get to the gate.
ShuraFlew with Alaska Airlines-Apr 2025
Don’t . Delta has all the gates together for easy transfers and much more food and beverage selection
RobertFlew with United Airlines-Mar 2025
If you’re picking up a rental car it’s not very clear that you have to take the train. Signage can be improved at SFO.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Dec 2024
Be courteous of your fellow travelers. Remember the carry on baggage rules. Keep your jackets out of the storage bin on full flights. Don't move other people's luggage from one bin to another. Step out of the isle as quickly as you can. Be sure you're in the seat(s) assigned to you.
OksanaFlew with Alaska Airlines-Feb 2025
Arrive early, the registration kiosks may not work and registration will take more than an hour.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Oct 2024
SeaTac lets you make an appointment to get through security. SpotSaver. No cost. Online.
ReidFlew with United Airlines-Oct 2024
SeaTac does not have a very good or equitable system for security lines. First class passengers don’t have a TSA precheck option, while there are only 2 TSA precheck lines on opposite sides of the terminal. Highly recommend getting TSA plus Clear, as the airport heavily favors this combination, with each section of the terminal having one of these options. I almost missed my flight because the only TSA precheck line was about 45 minutes long.
BruceFlew with Alaska Airlines-Nov 2024
Tight interline connection at LAX - barely made the flight. Directions from AS arrival gate to separate AA commuter terminal for AS codeshare flight connecting to TUS would have been nice.
KimberlyFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jul 2024
When going to Disneyland fly to this airport. Only 8 miles from Disneyland and super quick to check in and check out. Highly recommend this airport!
DavidFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jun 2024
Well I arrived 2 hours early, but everything was very empty and fast so maybe try to be there an hour early better.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Aug 2024
Burbank Airport is the best place to start your travels: small airport, short lines, and easy check in.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Aug 2024
The airport is busy and a mess with construction. There is a train to take so account for extra time.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Aug 2024
Flight was delayed 9-1/2 hours. Make sure you have somewhere to go in you have to check out of your hotel.
LauraFlew with Alaska Airlines-Jul 2024
LAX is a bit of a mess. Very long walk between terminals.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines-Mar 2024
Enjoy the flight. You can see Yosemite national park half dome and el capitan from left side window seat
LaurenFlew with Delta-Feb 2024
If you have kids, bring your own screens. We were counting on the inflight entertainment and it was a definite letdown. Also, TSA Pre-check is only available at station 2, but wait times are posted at each station so you can see if it’s worth the walk.

FAQs for booking flights from Washington to California

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

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

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

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to California?

    Washington and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are Alaska Airlines (688 flights per week), Qatar Airways (484 flights per week), and Delta (290 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in California?

    There are 28 airports in California. The busiest airport is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with 42% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in California?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in California is Long Beach Municipal Airport (LGB), with an average flight price of $138.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Thursday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $283. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Monday, where round-trip prices are $386 on average.

  • 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 $302 on average. Morning departures are around 16% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $371.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from Washington found in the last 5 days was to John Wayne (Santa Ana), at $73 round-trip. The most popular route is Bellingham (BLI) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $153.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from Washington to California is May, when tickets cost $188 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and February, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $221 and $211 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington to California?

    To get a below average price on the flight from Washington to California, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 48% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 10 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From Washington, there are direct flights to California from 4 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Seattle, with 3,232 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each day?

    There are around 517 direct flights from within Washington to California every day. Most flights (37%) depart in the afternoon.

  • How many direct flights to California are there each week?

    Each week there are around 3,613 direct flights from within Washington to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from Washington to California takes 2h 18m, covering a distance of 795 miles. The shortest route is Seattle (SEA) to Medford (MFR) with an average flight time of 1h 24m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to California each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) flights to California. Instead, there are 3,613 short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Seattle.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (27% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (16%) and San Francisco (12%). Searches for flights to Ontario (10%), to San Diego (9%) and to John Wayne (Santa Ana) (8%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Washington 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 13067 reviews
8.5Crew
7.0Food
7.0Entertainment
7.8Comfort
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

The flight attendants stood there talking to each other instead of welcoming people on the flight.

6.0 GoodJacquelynne, Oct 2026
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

The flight attendants stood there talking to each other instead of welcoming people on the flight.

Truly, everything was professional, and extremely friendly with lots of smiles from all the staff. My only complaint is that both coming and going from San Francisco to Seattle and back the public announcement system on the airplane when I was sitting in the exit row was so loud that it hurt my ears, and I was not the only one I did report it to one of the stewardesses who thanked me and apologized, but truly Alaska Airlines is my favorite domestic Airlines by a far shot

Alaska did a great job of accommodating my needs and treating me fairly. I appreciate their willingness to smile and be caring.

It was a good experience because it was unremarkable. The exception was we were an hour delayed.

Staff friendly. Impressed that she spray cleaned the seat when I voluntarily moved to another before take-off.

Plane late by an hour. Would be nice if it is on time

Pretty good flight. Airport lounge was dirty, crowded, and noisy.

My trip was delayed by more than two hours and missed my connecting flight to Fiji due to delayed they have to change my flight to United Airlines and stranded in San Francisco for 24 hours waiting for United next flight after almost 3 days I finally arrived in Brisbane airport but my luggage wasn’t here and now I still don’t have my luggage and still without my clothes and my needs. The first full day of my vacation is horrible because I don’t have any clothes and still trying to contact airline for luggage update and hopefully they will tell me the truth instead of misleading me and I end up waiting around without enjoying my vacation time here in Brisbane.

I was offered a selection of drinks and given a free snack. The flight was only a couple of hours, but we were trreated better than the transatlantic flight.

Hate the way they nickel and dime you on pricing. Extra for baggage, extra for a pre assigned seat. Make it one price and be done with it.

Southwest has lost most of what made it special. The flight attendants all used to seem fun and like they were having fun. Now they seem just miserable. They do NOT seem happy to give you your pretzels and drinks. They stick it in your hand or on your tray like it's an annoyance. They bark safety instructions at you. It's not just this flight but the last few SW flights I've had to SNA and SAN as well and it's not just me. I've informally surveyed my colleagues (business and leisure travelers) and these feelings are consistent. The tickets are similarly priced to other carriers and the seat assignments make boarding slower. The free luggage and free ability to change flights is still a differentiator. You lose that and there's virtually nothing special left.

Overall good experience...exception: very cold temp in teh cabin.

I liked how it boarded fast. I do not like how the seats are just too narrow, and I’m not a big person.

Despite paying for an ‘upgraded’ seat in row 1, I had to put my luggage in the middle of the plane. Snacks were bleh and seat was small and uncomfortable and I am not large. Attendants were fine but not super helpful. Plane just seemed outdated.

Delayed for no reason at all originally. Then they said it was due to weather conditions. Communication between kayak and Southwest was terrible because both displayed different delays and departure times for HOURS throughout the day. The plane then had technical issues which delayed us from taking off even longer. Didn’t actually take off until 11:45pm when the original departure time was 7:35pm. I didn’t get home until 1:30am the next day. I was exhausted and pissed off. I am not confident if I’ll fly southwest in the future or use kayak to book.

Flight was fine. Only thing was flight was delayed nearly 2 hours. Flight was originally scheduled to depart at 7:50pm but didn't depart until 9:50pm. I got home around midnight. It was later than desired and I had to get up early next day to take kids to practice. I have noticed that last flight of day on West Coast for Southwest always tend to have delays.

Terrible delay today. also, waited 90 minutes for baggage to unload in Seattle earlier in the week.

Not having a five hour delay with little notice! The crew was very kind, though, and just as tired as we passengers were. The flight didn't depart until nearly 1 am...and no reason was ever given.

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

More assistance and clarity for travelers with gate checking and lap children

Comfortable seats. Nice service online. Short flight, so not a lot of time to enjoy.

The flight was done by SkyWest only WIFI no entertainment center are available on the CRJ

Love me some Delta. One of the few airlines to recognize and support veterans. Easy boarding, flight was on time and arrived early and the flight attendants were excellent on this flight.

We sat on the runway for over an hour before departure. That was unwelcome.

The cabin temperature was nice and cool. The wifi was not working.

Was forced to check in my small carry on, even though I informed the crew it has very fragile items inside

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

The flight was canceled two hours before departure, it took over five hours to rebook us on another flight.

Had a broken tray in business class. Crew just shrugged it off.

Bag drop off was slow and annoying. Only 2 agents at the entire delta desk, and no one directing traffic for what line to be in, many confused people slowed down the process. Boarding was fine. Seats in Delta comfort plus were fine. Snacks were great! Definitely a bonus. The entertainment system was awful — old, slow, not responsive, and completely unable to play games due to some kind of error. But on the other hand, thank you to Delta for the free WiFi. That made it better.

The seats are very small, that is all the staff did a good job.

The flight was for my mom in wheelchair the staff in Newark wer not friendly took a long time to even get a wheelchair she almost missed her flight because they finally got a chair few minutes before boarding they had to rush her to the gate. They took her carryon and checked it as a bag told her don’t worry free of charge but they charge the credit card anyway. She also told me the seats are not comfortable at all as if they were broken she could feel the bars in the seat SFO staff was much better overall she had the worst experience

First class flight crew was barely available. They came through 3 times while we were on the plane for nearly 4 hours.

Flight be on time would be a good start. Then train your flight attendants to be attentive and friendly. This time they completely forgot my row for the measly snack! United, do better!

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

Delayed by 2.5hrs any longer and they would’ve had to honour their own policy for breaking their own rules and regs. Not cool, especially when I have an infant child that needs to stay on a routine and they get schedules.

The weather caused a delayed but I was impressed how United did everything they could to try to get us out which included bussing us to the plane doing a Hardstand and bringing us to the plane since the fog was too thick to tow the plane from the overnight stay in the cargo area.

Food was really good. Chicken curry delicious. Great service. Had 3 seats, what a pleasure. What about a healthier desert option on the dinner? Yogurt, fruit? Thankyou

I forgot to pre-order gluten free on a 16 hour flight, and I am pretty sure the crew raided their own lunches along with first class so I could eat on the flight.

My experience with Frontier was terrible. We were delayed for 2 hours. At one point during the wait at the gate I left to go get a sandwich - I was gone probably 15 minutes. In my absence, they decided to move our flight up, boarded and left. When I came back the two attendants were very rude and I unavoidably had to purchase another ticket on the next flight. During this whole time, the Frontier app did not update the departure time, so I was SOL.

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.

I really didn't like anything. Paid for my checked luggage online ($79) and then was told that I would have to paid another $79 for my carry on. Was not allowed to enter the terminal until 3 hours before my flight and when I finally was allowed to check my bag and enter, my flight was delayed 3 times. When I finally landed, we were all instructed to "run off the plane" as they had to do a quick turn around to Las Vegas. Me and several of my flying companions will never fly Frontier again.

Our flight was canceled. I will never use Kayak nor Frontier for travel again. The entire experience was a headache.

Terrible. The canceled my entire flight when I requested a refund for a trip frontier canceled trip one way.

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

The crew was mostly okay. The flight attendant who answered our questions was curt and unhelpful unfortunately. He seemed upset and I understand having off days.

I was surprised that all baggage, including carry on, were charged. Each additional bag went up in cost. Really disappointed in the additional costs.

The agent at check-in was strident, unwelcoming, and condescending to customers ahead of me.

More options for your flight to California

Complete your trip to California with a hotel stay or car rental