$107 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to California departing on 5/18. 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.
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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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$224
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$268
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$262
San Jose
San Josenonstop$257
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$334
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$271
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$350
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$338
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$384
Redding
Redding1 stop$378
Reno
Reno1 stop$332
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$309
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$224
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$268
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$262
San Jose
San Josenonstop$257
Palm Springs
Palm Springs1 stop$334
Fresno
Fresno1 stop$271
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo1 stop$350
Bakersfield
Bakersfield1 stop$338
Arcata
Arcata1 stop$384
Redding
Redding1 stop$378
Reno
Reno1 stop$332
Sacramento
Sacramento1 stop$309

Book Cheap Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to California

Sat, May 2 - Sat, May 9
Multiple Airlines Logo
11:05 am - 11:53 pm
BWI
-
LAX
15h 48m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:46 am - 8:23 pm
LAX
-
BWI
7h 37m
1 stop
$224Multiple Airlines
Wed, Apr 15 - Sun, Apr 19
Frontier Logo
12:17 pm - 9:45 pm
BWI
-
LAX
12h 28m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
11:59 pm - 3:25 pm
LAX
-
BWI
12h 26m
1 stop
$225Frontier
Sat, Apr 4 - Wed, Apr 8
Frontier Logo
11:49 am - 10:46 pm
BWI
-
LAX
13h 57m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 5:43 pm
LAX
-
BWI
7h 43m
1 stop
$226Frontier
Fri, Apr 17 - Fri, Apr 24
Frontier Logo
5:35 pm - 7:06 pm
BWI
-
LAX
28h 31m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
11:00 pm - 11:21 am
LAX
-
BWI
9h 21m
1 stop
$227Frontier
Sat, Apr 18 - Sat, Apr 25
Southwest Logo
5:50 am - 10:00 am
IAD
-
SAN
7h 10m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
8:20 am - 10:55 pm
SAN
-
IAD
11h 35m
1 stop
$262Southwest
Tue, Apr 21 - Tue, Apr 28
Southwest Logo
4:30 pm - 10:40 pm
IAD
-
SAN
9h 10m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
12:30 pm - 11:40 pm
SAN
-
IAD
8h 10m
2 stops
$267Southwest
Sat, Apr 18 - Sat, Apr 25
Delta Logo
6:30 pm - 11:25 pm
IAD
-
SAN
7h 55m
1 stop
Delta Logo
10:10 pm - 10:18 am
SAN
-
IAD
9h 08m
1 stop
$275Delta
Sat, Apr 18 - Mon, Apr 20
Delta Logo
6:30 pm - 11:25 pm
IAD
-
SAN
7h 55m
1 stop
Delta Logo
10:25 pm - 12:05 pm
SAN
-
IAD
10h 40m
1 stop
$277Delta
Sun, May 3 - Thu, May 7
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:59 am - 1:59 pm
DCA
-
LAS
8h 00m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 9:59 pm
LAS
-
DCA
10h 59m
1 stop
$312Alaska Airlines
Mon, Apr 20 - Tue, Apr 28
United Airlines Logo
6:15 pm - 9:26 pm
BWI
-
SFO
6h 11mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
12:45 am - 11:37 am
SFO
-
BWI
7h 52m
1 stop
$321United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Washington, D.C. 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. 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. to California departing in May.

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. 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. found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, 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 $237.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

The average price for all round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $381 on average. Morning departures are around 2% 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 $614.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. 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 $452, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. 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. 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. to California is September, when tickets cost $288 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $480 and $477 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to California?

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

If you are looking for a flight deal from Washington, D.C. to California, look for departures on Thursdays and avoid leaving on a Monday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from California, Thursday is the cheapest day to fly and Sunday is the most expensive.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. 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. 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. to California, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 43% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 24 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$107
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 16% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from Baltimore to Los Angeles

Flights from Washington, D.C. to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Washington, D.C. to California 
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
DCA
-
SAN
Feb 2026
DCA only has a few flights to other coast. IAD has many. If something goes wrong you’ll have more options flying out of IAD.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
DCA
-
SFO
Jan 2025
Reserve your plane seat & bring something to eat in the plane.
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.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
DCA
-
LAX
Jul 2024
Easy access via metro, and by car with parking available walking distance from the terminal. Lots of seating and dining options near the flight boarding gates.
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

  • What are some of the ways to get from the center of Washington, D.C., to Washington Dulles International Airport?

    Several transportation options connect the center of Washington, D.C., to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Silver Line Train provides a direct connection to the airport from Farragut West that takes about 50 minutes. There are also two private bus companies that offer service direct service to the airport within about 1 hour, depending on traffic conditions. If you plan to utilize a taxi or rideshare vehicle, you can expect a trip time of about 35 minutes, depending on traffic.

  • Do any airlines allow children to fly alone from Washington, D.C., to California?

    Alaska Airlines prioritizes the well-being of young travelers through its Unaccompanied Minor program. Tailored to children aged 5 to 17 traveling alone, the service ensures a safe and supportive journey. Trained staff assists with check-in, provides in-flight support, and ensures a secure handover at the destination. Parents or guardians receive regular updates for added peace of mind. Alaska Airlines' commitment to family-friendly travel is evident in its reliable and caring UM program, offering a positive experience for young passengers flying solo.

  • What are some ways I can get from Washington, D.C., to the Monterey Peninsula in California?

    You will find that there are plenty of one-stop flight options to get you to this beautiful part of the world quickly. American Airlines offers a one-stop flight from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) with a layover at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), while United Airlines offers a flight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Monterey Regional Airport with a layover at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

  • What are some benefits of upgrading to business class on United Airlines?

    Upgrading to Business Class on United Airlines flights from Washington, D.C., to California unlocks a host of premium benefits. Passengers experience elevated comfort with spacious seating and potential lie-flat beds for optimal rest. Gourmet dining, fine wines, and personalized service enhance the in-flight experience. Priority services, including check-in and boarding, coupled with increased baggage allowances, ensure a seamless journey. 

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Washington, D.C. 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, D.C. 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, D.C. 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, D.C. 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, D.C. 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

  • One of the quickest trips you can make from Washington, D.C., to California is on one of the nonstop flights offered by both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
  • The most convenient airport for travelers in the center of Washington, D.C., is Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). It is situated in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from downtown Washington, D.C. Its accessibility and efficient transportation options, including Metro rail service, make it a popular gateway for those departing from the nation's capital.
  • If you will be traveling aboard United Airlines from Washington Dulles International Airport, you should know that this airline offers five of its lounge locations at this airport. Four of the lounges are in Concourse C, while the other one is in Concourse D.
  • If your final destination in California is San Francisco, one of the quickest ways to make the trip is to take one of the nonstop flights available aboard United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, or Frontier Airlines from Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
  • If you want to make a trip to the beautiful southern California city of San Diego, the quickest way to get there is to take nonstop flights available aboard American Airlines, United Airlines, or Alaska Airlines from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Diego International Airport (SAN).

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4324 reviews
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

8.0 ExcellentNicole, Mar 2026
LGB - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

No food or entertainment, just a quick 40 minute flight. A little bumpy due to Santa Ana winds but pilot has no control over that. Good flight and landing!

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

Mediocre. Boarding is now unpleasant. The employees, once friendly and nice, are now regularly speaking sternly to passengers, badgering them to do things right so they can take off on time and gate check bags because they don't have enough overhead bin space. The pretzel snack was crushed flat and broken into even smaller pieces, which happens frequently lately. Drink service was suspended before they reached my row.

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

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.

It was not a good experience, the flight was delayed 3 hours, the gate staff were super pushy to get bags checked claiming it was a full flight, there were about a dozen open seats from what I could tell. The intercom from the pilot seemed to be broken, it sounded like the pilot was speaking with a mouth full of marbles.

The food was terrible, worse that what you get with UA, an already one of the lowest standards to beat. How cheap one could be, providing that kind of junk food in first class. Unbelievable! The seats were not very comfortable either. And there were no screens either, not that I cared much but for you to know.

The aircraft was extremely warm the entire flight. After we landed we were stuck on the plane for another 45 minutes without a gate to deboard from. The smell of exhaust from the engines in the cabin along with the heat inside the cabin made the flight uncomfortable.

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

The flight was delayed so we were dead tired, and after that the turbulence was horrible. I was very scared.

Wonderful. Quick boarding. Early departure and we arrived 30 minutes early at our destination. Unfortunately, when you arrive early, there is still a departing aircraft at our gate. We had to park for 30 minutes until the gate was clear. So our early arrival was not really early at the gate. Otherwise it was a quick and smooth flight. Appreciated the efficiency.

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.

Flight delay for mechanical. Inbound arrived on time. No one said why mechanical delay.

Smooth flight. From the early boarding and all were on board before departure time and arrived early in ONT. Great crew. Thank you!!!!

Flight boarded, departed and landed on time. Excellent service from flight attendant in FIRST

This was one of the most frustrating travel experiences I've had to date. I had changed my flight day of to this one as it was slated to depart on time. It ended up being so delayed that my original flight took off before this one did. The boarding process began but eventually stopped and everyone had to get off the plane as a problem was identified. The person at the front desk just tried to laugh it off as if this wasn't already a huge inconvenience. From there, we eventually got to board only to sit at the gate for an additional hour because of some additional issue. This was extremely frustrating and caused a lot of stress.

It was a little concerning to hear the ground crew arguing with the flight crew over baggage space. Instead of taking them and checking them, they started checking for space in the first class cabin moving items around like the flight crew didn't know what they were doing. I was embarrassed for them.

delayed due to weather. Could not communicate with family since the wifi was broken

I got sick nothing contagious but distressing and the care I received by Kayla? Keighly the flight attendant will be memorable for ever. Thank You

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

Flight delay was communicated before leaving for airport which caused it to be a non-event. Great flight and crew!

The flight attendant, a black woman with curly hair who sat near Row 21, was wonderful and kind.

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

My flight was originally from SAT to MCO connecting from MCO to ORD. We got diverted to ATL and than Frontier staff there was sooo un helpful first they said they couldn’t give us any accommodation since our flight first got delayed that cancelled and now it’s 221am and I am still in ATL since they said they need to create a new flight my final destination is ORD and I have been delayed twice and cancelled. With no real help the frontier app didn’t work no email updates over all such a horrible experience

There's no seats that lean back with little leg space i wad uncomfortable the entire flight. Your charges for extra baggage is despicable and costly!!

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

Flight was canceled. Most upsetting was message from Kayak, stating that the flight was canceled and click with Kayak for details regarding rebook, refund details. THERE'S NO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY KAYAK EXCEPT THAT FLIGHT IS CANCELED. AND NOW THIS SURVEY TO FIND OUT HOW WAS THE FLIGHT !!!!!!!

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

Gate not determined until I got to the airport - hard to plan the trip to the airport.

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

Frontier.. nickel and dime add-ons. Flight late, on time, late again, last minute gate change, arrival gate required a shuttle to the terminal. They sure keep you guessing.. if you like a little chaos and airport anxiety, this is the airline for you!

This is my second time flying with Frontier. My current experience was very favorable. The staff from the gate to the plane was friendly, warm and professional. The food options lacked in my opinion. This area needs some attention in my opinion.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. 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.