$539 Find Cheap Flights 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 New Zealand to California departing on 20/4. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to California
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Cheap Flights to California

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$1,008
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,125
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$2,060
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,459
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop$1,008
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$1,125
San Diego
San Diego2 stops$2,060
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$1,459

Book Cheap California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights 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 return flight deals to California

Thu, 5 Mar - Thu, 12 Mar
Fiji Airways Logo
17:10 - 12:00
WLG
-
LAX
15h 50m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
23:35 - 16:10
LAX
-
WLG
20h 35m
1 stop
$1,008Fiji Airways
Wed, 25 Feb - Wed, 4 Mar
Fiji Airways Logo
14:50 - 12:00
AKL
-
LAX
18h 10m
1 stop
Fiji Airways Logo
22:35 - 13:35
LAX
-
AKL
18h 00m
1 stop
$1,055Fiji Airways
Thu, 12 Mar - Thu, 19 Mar
Air Canada Logo
06:00 - 16:29
WLG
-
LAX
30h 29m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
14:50 - 00:05
LAX
-
WLG
37h 15m
2 stops
$1,323Air Canada
Thu, 12 Mar - Thu, 19 Mar
Air Canada Logo
06:15 - 15:59
AKL
-
LAS
29h 44m
2 stops
Air Canada Logo
16:45 - 16:50
LAS
-
AKL
28h 05m
2 stops
$1,472Air Canada
Thu, 12 Feb - Tue, 17 Feb
Qantas Airways Logo
13:20 - 11:52
AKL
-
LAS
19h 32m
1 stop
Qantas Airways Logo
07:00 - 09:55
LAS
-
AKL
29h 55m
1 stop
$1,581Qantas Airways
Tue, 10 Mar - Tue, 17 Mar
Air New Zealand Logo
14:55 - 12:05
WLG
-
SFO
17h 10m
1 stop
Air New Zealand Logo
20:50 - 10:10
SFO
-
WLG
17h 20m
1 stop
$1,653Air New Zealand
Wed, 18 Feb - Sun, 22 Feb
United Airlines Logo
15:50 - 12:32
AKL
-
LAS
17h 42m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
07:45 - 05:45
LAS
-
AKL
25h 00m
1 stop
$1,658United Airlines
Mon, 2 Mar - Mon, 9 Mar
Air New Zealand Logo
21:00 - 07:05
CHC
-
SFO
31h 05m
1 stop
Air New Zealand Logo
20:50 - 12:35
SFO
-
CHC
19h 45m
2 stops
$1,673Air New Zealand
Wed, 11 Mar - Wed, 18 Mar
United Airlines Logo
14:50 - 12:22
AKL
-
SNA
17h 32m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
18:35 - 08:10
SNA
-
AKL
17h 35m
1 stop
$2,105United Airlines
Fri, 20 Mar - Sun, 29 Mar
Qantas Airways Logo
06:10 - 20:23
AKL
-
SNA
34h 13m
2 stops
Qantas Airways Logo
14:47 - 18:00
SNA
-
AKL
31h 13m
2 stops
$2,413Qantas Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to California?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to California from New Zealand found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $1,086 return. The most popular route is Auckland (AKL) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $1,086.

What is the cheapest month to fly from New Zealand to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from New Zealand 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 New Zealand to California is February, when tickets cost $1,135 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,690 and $1,671 respectively.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights 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 a flight from New Zealand to California, you should book around 9 weeks before departure, which saves you about 7% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

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 Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with an average flight price of $911.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$539
Best time to beat the crowds (10% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 1% lower on average.
Flight from Christchurch to Los Angeles

Flights to California: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew to California 
Verified travelerFlew with Air New Zealand
AKL
-
LAX
Nov 2024
If you can, and you’re a grown adult, pay the few extra dollars for premium economy. You won’t regret it
SidFlew with United Airlines
AKL
-
SFO
Jan 2024
wear layers as our flight over was freezing and return flight back was back sweat hot

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from New Zealand to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from New Zealand to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from New Zealand 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 New Zealand 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 New Zealand 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 day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Tuesday when return tickets can be as cheap as $2,012. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Saturday, when return prices are $2,195 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 retur flights cost $1,959 on average. Morning departures are around 100% 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 $2,330.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Looking for cheap airfare to California? 25% of our users found return tickets to California for the following prices or less: From Auckland $3,821, from Christchurch $4,363
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest California flight deals.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from New Zealand to California. 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 New Zealand 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
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 222 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.4Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jan 2026
DFW - NAN
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

Ticketing said dinner for the almost 14 hour flight and we were delayed an hour. However, onboard we were only served a sluce if pizza bread and a cookie. Not at all dinner and insufficient for a long international flight. Breakfast was good.

We have had an absolutely horrific experience so far getting home from Australia on a $18,000 + flight we booked with you. The flight did not deplane in Dallas because there was no available gate or staircase. We sat in the plane for 3 hours waiting to deplane. As a result we missed our connecting flight to New York. American Airlines put us up in a hotel several miles away. We waited 45 minutes for a shuttle and The shuttle driver was horribly rude and unhelpful. They offered us $70 vouchers for food but actually there was no food left when we arrived minus some chicken nuggets and corn dogs. It was awful. Horrible way to end a vacation. There has to be accountability here.

A bit cramped in economy and the people in front wouldn’t put their seats up during meal service, crew did not help with that and I felt they could have done more about it.

The airline is ok, but it needs to improve it schedules.

Again, Fijian hospitality was genuine, very comfortable, only improvement would be the entertainment. Why Do they only have 5 episodes of TV shows and from like season three...

Fiji Airways was amazing, will definately be lfying them again. The "Fijian hospitality" is not a catch phrase, it is genuine. the only things that could be improved is the entertainment. Not a great choice of movies, and the TV shows only have about 5 or so episodes, and often of a random season.

They will look to squeeze every penny they can out of you!! Pick your seat$$...bring luggage$$$$... if they could charge you for the air on the plane they would!!

.very good and as I needed wheelchair assistance all staff excellent.. only suggestion is get rid of those plastic chairs hard to ride in and staff have trouble compared to others. Everything else very good experience. Will use Fiji Air again.

In-flight entertainment options could use a refresh, Consider a tie-up with Spotify for more current music and with IMDB or other service for newer selections/movie ratings.

See previous comments. Didn’t take this flight because my other flight was so delayed. Ending up on two other flights as a result and was more than a day late.

Very quick flight so no time for refreshments. We took off. Then landed. The end. Seats were too tight. Very cramped Grateful for the short flight cos moving around wasn’t possible

Please add more Bollywood movies and recent movies to the entertainment.

The disembarking steps in Wellington were precarious and I felt quite insecure. There was no one on the tarmac to greet us and help. The embarking ramp in Blenheim was much more satisfactory. The rest of the flight was fine.

The food was not as good as Air New Zealand. The veg pasta was pass-able but the veg cibotta sandwich was dry, hard and not up to par. The coach staff were attentive and accommodating.

Air conditioning was turned to the wrong setting. Way too hot. The entertainment system kept resetting and didn’t work half the flight. Said something to the crew. They didn’t do anything to help. Plane had a mechanical problem that resulted in 2.5 hour delay. Boarded the plane, had to disembark and get back on.

Flight was delayed by 2 hours. Got lucky that i had a long connection, else would have certainly missed my connecting flight. Food is just okay, specially the breakfast is worse . Asked for water 30 mins before landing, the response is that we are landing so everything is packed . I guess traveling in economy that’s what we get. Probably business class passengers would get a different answer. Only good thing is that wifi service is available from auckland to lax for most part Next time will try united or American and then compare.

I was trying to get confirmation on if my luggage was going to be moved to the earlier flight (I requested standby to get home earlier) and was unable to get help from those working at the counter. The request to be moved to an earlier flight was handled smoothly through the app and appreciate the ease of the request.

They are my favourite airline in the world by a million miles.

Do the bumpy weather the whole trip they were very few times when the seatbelt sign wasn't on

Great except paying $240 usd for 2 pounds over on a checked luggage. Outrageous.

Hard to move and get out of my seat when the passenger in front is in recline position.

It was a good flight and no complaints. It just wasn't anything that was better than any other flight.

After already paying for excess luggage prior to flight, i was advised AT check in that i had to pay $816 or forfeit my flight! The lady at the counter was SO rude and had already started offboarding me when i said i would pay it after asking her three times for the exact amount! Have lodged a formal complaint yet heard nothing. Will not ever travel via Qantas again

Basic airline, aircraft and service. AA gets you from point A to B. My flight was delayed by 2 hours too.

My flight from Dallas to Sydney was cancelled. My entire trip was rerouted to include the following: Hartford to Washington DC Washington DC to JFK JFK to Auckland Auckland to Christchurch I paid for an aisle seat on the flight to Auckland and was asked if I would take a window seat to accommodate a family. The agent at the podium failed to mention that the family had a 3 month old baby and that a bassinet would be used during the 16 hour flight. The only way I could get out of my seat was to crawl under the bassinet of the sleeping baby. I think it is wrong that I was no given the choice to sit in another seat, that the agent knew what she was doing and chose to not properly disclose my seating arrangement. Terrible treatment.

they ran out of fruit for breakfast and so I just had a yogurt instead. other than that the flight was good

by the time they got to our row, they were out of some of the food options. games and movies were great but maybe more game options like tetris or pac man would be great

A few more inches of legroom is all i ask

Poor! This flight was delayed 14 hours. There was no assistance in helping customers find other routes to their destination, nor any other kind of support. It was a chaotic experience. I'm not likely to fly with AA going forward.

We were upgraded and after just a short delay in attending to a safety check we were on our way. Would definately fly Qantas International on their Dreamliner again.

Flight arrived 30 min early and bag was waiting at the baggage pickup. United Club HNL was one of the nicest in the system

Mean flight attendant. I wanted to reuse my plastic cup, but he (Matthew) said he can't for safety. I then said "I don't want water then" and he poured me a glass. I hope Matthew gets herpes and spends the rest of his life poor, lonely, and homeless.

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Both flights delayed. 2nd flight over 3 hours late mechanical issues

Flight was delayed 45 minutes because originating flight was coming from Newark. No complimentary snacks were offered on this 5+ hour flight. No screens for the flight, but movies offered if you had already downloaded the United app (which I hadn't on my ipad). No USB ports, only a flimsy plug-in port near the bottom of the seat that was hard to see and kept coming unplugged.

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

On the way my flight entertainment wouldn’t work the screen went black and no matter how many times I tried to turn it on it wouldn’t. Food was surprisingly good but the tray tables were tiny so you couldn’t get anything else on the table. The seats hardly go back and are not overly comfortable. Wouldn’t fly United again.

Unbelievably poor service from flight attendants. They didn’t even do water service on a four hour flight. Just disrespectful.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

They are very proactive and made our boarding easy and always notified us about any changes well in advance.

The staff was great and made the long trip easy peasy!

The free Wi-fi for Aeroplan members was a great touch. The time passed quickly. I found the seats seemed a little closer together than I remember. Not Air Canada's fault, but we were about 20 minutes late landing because the airport was too busy. We had to circle around for a while. The boarding and disembarking went very smoothly.

Great flight. Only complaint is it took over an hour for my luggage to get to the carousel on the return to LAX That was irritating

I knew I was going to fall asleep unsettlingly from exhaustion so I warned the guy next to me in advance. The attendant took to checking on me frequently and even insisted I take my snack because I said no while sleep hazed and then absolutely wanted it about 5 minutes later. He was So caring and kind to my situation!!

The flight was very smooth and good. Boarding was fast, but the staff was just decently friendly.

I liked the behaviour of the crew members.The flight was good.

No food to provide, they forgot that, in some cases, people stay at the airport for hours without food. Now, to provide them with food, they have to ask them to pay, because some don't have money. That way, they can't eat.

Flight was cancelled last minute. Had to scramble and purchase a $2000 flight through a separate airlines. Stuck in Toronto two extra days. Missed my first two days on a new job. Had to rent a car for an additional two days. Scrambled to fins a place to live those extra two days. Spent a ton of extra money and lost a lot of money, as well as made a poor impression at work. Difficult difficult difficult

Terrible, return flight was cancelled a night before the flight was scheduled to depart and I was notified by an email and an automated message on their phone line. I’ll never book Air Canada again

Everything you need to know for your flight 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.