$440 Find Cheap Flights from Zurich to California - Compare and Save

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Cheap Flights from Zurich to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$706
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$690
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$766
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$663
Reno
Reno2 stops$947
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$706
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$690
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$766
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$663
Reno
Reno2 stops$947
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Zurich to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Zurich 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 Zurich to California?

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to California from Zurich usually cost between $760 and $1,020 in October.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $706 on American Airlines (Oct 12-Oct 23).

What is the cheapest Zurich to California flight route?

The cheapest ticket to California from Zurich found in the last 5 days was to Los Angeles, at $616 round-trip. The most popular route is from Zurich (ZRH) to San Francisco (SFO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $697.

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 $915 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 $915.

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

No, with an average price for the route of $915, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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

The cheapest month for flights from Zurich to California is February, when tickets cost $747 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,010 and $959 respectively.

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

When flying from Zurich to California, you should consider leaving on a Wednesday and avoid Tuesdays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Zurich, you’ll find the best rates on Wednesdays and the most expensive ones on Saturdays.

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

To get a below average price on the flight from Zurich to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 22% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$440
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 2% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 18% increase in price.
Flight from Zurich to John Wayne (Santa Ana)

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

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Zurich to California 
JanieFlew with SWISS-Jan 2026
If you need to do an overnight layover, Grand Hyatt at SFO is perfect and has a 24 hour cafe!
Verified travelerFlew with SWISS-Dec 2024
Don't pack too much, as the carry-on back size is smaller than most other airlines.
Verified travelerFlew with SWISS-Sep 2024
Have Swiss app it keeps you updated pretty instantly of any delays or gate changes

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

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

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Zurich to California

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Zurich 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.
7.5
SWISSOverall score based on 2045 reviews
7.4Comfort
7.1Food
8.3Crew
6.8Entertainment
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

Overall good solid airline but got “burn” with my check in the “free” laugage that weighed 8 kg.

8.0 ExcellentPolyna, Aug 2026
Read more SWISS reviews

Overall good solid airline but got “burn” with my check in the “free” laugage that weighed 8 kg.

I have no Comment. Super clean, Fantastic Crew, Food was delicious. Also wanted to add the Zurich Airport. Super nice people everything is in order super clean.

I like it very much it was a good experience with an excellent service

The crew and service was excellent. The food and entertainment were very good but not excellent.

Best service we’ve ever experienced! Special thanks to the crew member who took care of us throughout the journey. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We love Swiss Air!

Great flight. I didn't watch the entertainment. I used my iPad the whole flight. But, staff was great, smooth flight, comfortable seat (business seat 7A) and food was really good (I'm a vegetarian).

Even though I paid extra for more room, we were very cramped and the seats were hard. Also, when we checked in they did not post the gate we were to arrive at even though we were half an hour away from boarding. The agent did not know either. Actually, the flight from Porto to Zurich did to have the gate posted, and there were very few agents in the boarding areas who could help us. I would never fly Swiss Air again.

All the flight to USA were arranged to E terminal whereas from Dubrovnik arriving on Zurich is on A80, have to walk all the way from A to E, even need transfer bus , for short transfer time like in an hour, we have to work fast, as soon as arrived at E, it is about time to boarding, pretty tight schedule, I hope Zurich airport can make some rearrangement so that transfer people do not have to walk long way. For short transfer time people, such as 50 min, this is even impossible if still like this.

Lots of water brought around by staff which is very important to stay hydrated on a long flight. There provided swiss chocolate icecream! The attention to detail is obvious. They really want to make their passengers entertained and comfortable.

Crew was wonderful, snacks were so good and quite a variety for free, food was mediocre, big selection of movies and they kept lavatories pretty clean throughout the flight

Flight crew was super friendly and helpful. Food was frequent and honestly pretty good. Plenty of on-board entertainment. Economy seats are super cramped for such a long flight, but the crew allowed people to get up and stretch, and kids could wander with their parents, so we all made it work. Overall a very good experience.

I couldn’t make my first flight due to weather delays trapping us in the town we were in. Then I had to buy a new ticket

The seats were comfortable and we had leg room. Great entertainment.

I feel bad, but Swiss airlines is not an airlines I will ever fly again. Their cabins are basic, seats are extremely uncomfortable, crew is a hit or a miss with service. What's worse is how they make you feel they are there to make money and not make your travel needs be met or make your travel a pleasure. They charge for 2nd bags, seat selection and felt like a budget arinines frontier/spirit airline attitude and approach. Their business class is from the early 2000s, basic. Additionally, planes going to India, are old, falling apart and not maintained. Even the crew mentioned this is typical of the airline having older planes going to India. Panels detached and loose or stuck with duct tape, seats scruffed up and dirty, seatbelts roughed up. The scariest thing was when I saw a window panel next to where I was sitting loose and dangling. The crew mentioned it's only cosmetic and assured the integrity of the plane was inspected by the maintenance crew. This is where they confessed about planes going to India being old. I UNFORTUNATELY would NOT recommend Swiss airlines to anyone and will NEVER fly with them again!

Ability to watch movies.No earbud sound system.Marginal beverage service.Unexplained late take off resulting in VERY tight connection in LA which proved maximally stressful.

Sitting in 1A I can honestly say, that being a first class seat the leg room is sub par. The crew was attentive and friendly. Food was a a cheeseburger with fries. Fries on an airplane came as expected: no very crispy 😉

United Premium Plus or Premium Economy was almost twice the price as regular Economy, but the value is much worse. The seat is a bit wider and more comfortable. but not by much. The food was not good, felt like cheap fast foods on a little bit of silverware. The flight attendance service was the worse, not much attention to passenger, no helping of any kind. All in all, United Premium Plus is not worth its price, and was much worse than its Asian or Europe counter parts.

On long flights with semi-comfortable seats the airline needs to accommodate for the need to stand up. Otherwise a fight becomes pure torture. Not even business class provides for that.

The flight and staff was very good However: we could not check in using the website. We got the reminders and updated information but could not check in on either flight. And we did have the United App. Also just a tip for fellow travelers - going through customs in Chicago Ohare Airport it terrible.

I had always heard bad reviews about United Airlines so I have always avoided them when traveling. Little did I know that when I booked my flight with Swiss Air they would swap it to a United Airlines flight. The change was made only days before my departure leaving me no option to cancel or get a refund. I hoped for the best but experienced the worst. I paid for 2 seats for my daughter (13)and i to travel together. Both times leaving from home airport and returning from vacation, they sat us apart from each other: different seats and rows far away where we couldn'teven see or waive at each other. There was no option to change because by the time you're allowed to check-in the only seats available next to each other cost nearly $200 each. I stomached the extra cost from the first flight hoping the return flight would be better. No chance! The return flight was worse. I was sandwiched for an 9 hour flight between 2 stangers while my 13 year old sat 5 rows down . Just horrible experience. NEVER AGAIN will i fly Swiss Air or United Airlines ! So disappointing.

The plane was late getting to Ontario by half an hour which makes it inconvenient when you have people waiting for you.

I have to sit in the middle for more than five hours because the first flight was delayed. Terrible experience. No more American Airlines.

The boarding process was slow and we had a delay on the tarmac, not the fault of the airline. They had ZERO food options available for purchase which shouldn't happen.

Once again the staff of American Airlines is kind, helpful, efficient, and professional.

Awful! We boarded and then sat on the plane for 50 mins before having to deplane due to a maintenance issue which should have been addressed before boarding. Then we had to change terminals as there was no other plane for us at the current terminal. Then we waited another 2 and a half hours to board again only to wait for 50 mins on the plane again for the snacks to be brought from the broken plane. And once we were on the flight we still only got the complimentary cookie and soda or water. No food vouchers provided even though we had waited over 3 hours for our flight.

Our experience with American Airlines was extremely disappointing and honestly made an already exhausting international journey much worse. After flying all the way from Melbourne and dealing with significant jet lag, the American Airlines experience at LAX was the last thing we needed. The terminal and boarding area felt very old and uncomfortable, with little to no air conditioning and only old fans running in the area. Boarding was also through outdoor stairs rather than a jet bridge, which felt especially inconvenient after such a long journey. Even though we were traveling First Class, the onboard experience was surprisingly poor. There were no meaningful snack options, no decent coffee available to order, and the aircraft was so small that there was barely enough overhead space for carry-on luggage. The staff experience was also disappointing and lacked the warmth or attentiveness we had experienced on our international flights. To make matters worse, the flight departed late, extending an already very long travel day. Overall, the combination of the outdated terminal, uncomfortable boarding process, limited First Class service, small aircraft, poor staff experience, and delay made this an extremely unpleasant final leg of our journey. It significantly worsened our exhaustion and jet lag rather than making the connection home easier. Unfortunately, this experience was bad enough that I do not plan to travel with American Airlines again in the future.

No food. I paid over $1.000 for my ticket for nuts and espresso beans.

My flight in Dallas had maintenance issues. Which caused us to missed our connecting flight in LA. We had to stay overnight in Los Angeles. American Airlines booked us a hotel. The hotel was the Holiday Inn. It was horrible. The whole hotel smelled like weed and there were people rambling all night long up and down the hallways. The carpets in the hallway and the room has stains. There was dirt on the floor. It was so nasty that I slept in my clothes.

Great. Clean. Seats comfortable. Food was free. Had new release movies.

Need more agents to expedite check in process. Selection of movies needs to be updated to more current releases. Meal options did not reflect the route of flight; there should not be products made in the UK (bagged potato chips and mini cheese cakes) served on flights from ZRH to PHL. Business class napkins are made in China (why not USA???!!!). American Airlines should have a customer service representative greet flight in PHL. Overall, the hospitality provided on board was basic and not "above and beyond", especially for business class travelers.

The seats on Lufthansa’s international business class on the A350-900 is the worst product in the market. Our chief purser was AMAZING though. She is the best FA I have had in many years.

I have very bad experience with United because Vince two weeks that I did not receive my luggage yet

Good and they are leaving at time and arriving on time

I like the stripes, the more color the better I think you could even make more contrast with the stripes by filling in colors that create visual effect. The crew on both flights were polite well dressed, alert, good looking and very friendly. I never had a standing in line anywhere long for entering or exiting to my seat and it’s nice that people don’t bring too much luggage on the plane. The one thing I find is hard to manage is when a family or in general just being able to book a free seat if it is not for a dog, it shouldn’t be allowed. Since it is already very confined space on a flight overseas this can create slight conflict because there are sometimes free seats, which people then can freely use after cabin doors are shut. On the return flight, it was dark and by accident I stood on a paper bag with food in it that was placed on the floor in front of a seat next to me. I belong to the lady across the aisle and I felt terribly sorry once I found out there was still desired food in the paper bag. So I felt uncomfortable for getting into this situation. Otherwise I had a great time.

Overall, we were satisfied with the Lufthansa flights to and from Rome/Zurich. Issue was the Frankfurt airport connection. It is HORRIBLE, but has nothing to do with the flight. Flight was very comfortable. Food was just OK. Staff was great and able to relax during the flight. Would definitely fly again!

Pathetic service by underpriced, please call me back at the earliest

They offered water and chocolate I would have preferred a sandwich.

Our transfer from one Lufthansa flight to another at Frankfurt airport was horrible - it was a tight connection with a long walk between gates and our first flight was delayed so we had to sprint the whole way and ask people in the border control line to let us ahead of them. We just barely the flight and were exhausted. I do not recommend a short connection in the Frankfurt airport.

Nothing went well. Flight was calceled and had to spend extra non refundable money on a train ticket, which we are not NOT using because a new plane has come up but not for our friend who now has to sit on a 9 hour train journey, ALONE, with no one to talk to.

The flight was delayed and almost missed our flight to Chicago

Incredible. The upgrade to Business was a phenomenal way to end my trip, beyond grateful for the generosity and hospitality.

That was awful. My flight from Zurich to London was delayed 2hours and 50 minutes. This had a significant negative impact on my work and living conditions. How can I complain?

I was sent an email that said my card payment was not verified. When I spoke to an agent , he said my card was not verified and the flight I thought I had to booked was no longer available so I booked another flight on another airline(United). Later I got flight updates , etc., concerning my supposed first flight. So if I was charged for this flight on British Airways/American airlines, I need a refund.

Easy quick flight but everything was perfect. I never like the food and it was surprising good this time. I think they are making some changes.

An hour to check-in because they were not organizing the counter personnel well; they lost my baggage and after 48 hours they so not pick the phone, answer emails, and I still do not know how to claim my essentials (its purposely not their on their "help" page).

the old seats really need to go. they are not comfortable and outdated by many years. I waited over 40 minutes for my bag, unacceptable!

Flights were in time, everything was organized, food was really good!

The seats were uncomfortable. It was an old plane. The crew could have been more hospitable.

My suitcase did not arrive . I had to change my flight to the US . I was also without all of my stuff that I had to pay through my teeth for my suitcase . I am still miserable from all the stress BA had put me and my family and friends through

2 hours delay & 1 hour stuck on the plane because the airport didn’t have a bus to pick up the people. So I lost my connecting flight…. really bad situation, because the service was really bad in London.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports