$45 Find Cheap Flights from New York State to California

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Low season

January

High season

March

Cheapest flight

$45
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 13% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 9% increase in price.
Flight from New York John F Kennedy Airport to San Francisco

Flights from New York to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from New York to California 
LuisFlew with DeltaJFK-SFOMar 2025
It’s a long flight, come prepared to either watch movies, read or sleep.
Verified travelerFlew with American AirlinesJFK-LAXJan 2025
Be there on time it really need two hours for security checkups
Verified travelerFlew with Qantas AirwaysJFK-LAXNov 2024
there was an instance where a non speaking couple didnt know when to board. people cut in front of them and the crew didnt respond. it would be nice if there were translators available to assist when needed. i get that you want people on board as quickly as possible. sometimes, it's like herding cats. but do assist the people who dont understand the language.
JulieFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SFOOct 2024
Leave early. JFK can be messy. I couldn’t find healthy food choices so eat before you arrive.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SANOct 2024
Landing in La Guardia or Newark (New Jersey) is more convenient for commuting to Manhattan.
Verified travelerFlew with Royal JordanianJFK-SFOSep 2024
AA have the best boarding and fast service. Leaving and landing in time. 😀
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SANJun 2024
The crew was professional worked hard, from leaving on time to getting to San Diego safely and as quickly as possible. In these times of higher costs for everything I really appreciated that Alaska didn't charge for carryon bags, As with traveling with any airline please bring patience.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SFOJun 2024
SFO is one of the most convenient and pleasant airports. When flying Alaska Air make sure to bring your food and a larger water bottle that usual (you get only two drink services (one small cup each) for a 6 hour flight.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SFOJul 2024
provide crew with more training on how to offer help to passengers
MelissaFlew with NAM AirJFK-ONTMar 2024
I would avoid JFK airport. The customs and security team were very rude and unprofessional and dropped my tray on the floor, busy entertaining each other and made a line up of tired travellers wait when it was not necessary. I appreciate this may not be their ideal job but professionalism in their behavior helps travellers feel respected and have a better experience. Caring, kindness and considerate attention makes all the difference for everyone.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-PSPMar 2024
Bring an iPad with lots of shows downloaded. The terminal at jfk is nice and small, easy to go thru security. Palm Springs airport is amazing. You step out and feel like you’re on vacation.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-PSPMar 2024
I really like having a tv even if I have my computer.
FainaFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SFOMar 2024
It would be nice to have TV with long flight
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesJFK-SFOMay 2024
The airport food was limited and expensive. Best to bring a sandwich from outside…
LaurenFlew with JetBlueJFK-LAXDec 2023
Be very careful that you don’t misplace anything. If you have to go through TSA multiple times, be sure to retrieve ALL your things even if it means you have to hold up the line unfortunately. Otherwise, there will be zero help to retrieve your things afterwards even though there are so many cameras.

FAQs for booking flights from New York State to California

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from New York State 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 New York State 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 New York State 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 York State 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 York State 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?

    New York State and California are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (258 flights per week), Virgin Australia (226 flights per week), and Air New Zealand (221 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in California?

    There are 29 airports in California. The busiest airport is Los Angeles Airport (LAX), with 40% 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 Ontario Airport (ONT), with an average flight price of $158.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to California?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to California is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $432. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $536 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 $432 on average. Morning departures are around 30% 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 $621.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from New York State found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at $145 round-trip. The most popular route is Buffalo (BUF) to Los Angeles (LAX) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $145.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from New York State to California?

    The cheapest month for flights from New York State to California is September, when tickets cost $360 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $651 and $570 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from New York State to California?

    To get a below average price on the flight from New York State to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 13 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to California?

    From New York State, there are direct flights to California from 1 city. This city is New York and there are 3,614 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 517 direct flights from within New York State to California every day. Most flights (37%) depart in the morning.

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

    Each week there are around 3,614 direct flights from within New York State to California. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 19% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average nonstop flight from New York State to California takes 6h 59m, covering a distance of 2408 miles. The shortest route is Buffalo (BUF) to Las Vegas (LAS) with an average flight time of 4h 45m.

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

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to California. Instead, there are 3,614 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from New York.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Las Vegas (33% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are Los Angeles (24%) and San Francisco (12%). Searches for flights to San Diego (7%), to Ontario (5%) and to Burbank (5%) are also popular.

See more FAQs

Top 5 airlines serving from New York to California

Need help choosing which airline to fly with from New York 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
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 9785 reviews
8.5Crew
8.2Boarding
7.1Food
7.9Comfort
7.1Entertainment
Airline reviews

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

4.0 OkayDr, Mar 2025IAD - LAX
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

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

This was my first trip in years with Alaska. I don’t think I’ll do it again. The planes are old and tired looking. The seats are small with zero legroom. The JFK terminal is one of the worst I’ve been in. On this flight the pilot had to abort the landing and circle the Bay before trying again. I think I’ll stick with the usual suspects …

Flight was over an hour late, and we got notified every 15 minutes, beginning right at boarding, that it would only be 15 more minutes until we finally left about 75 minutes late. Of course, no compensation was offered.

flight took off over an hour and a half late and there was no beverage service during the flight

Although both planes (flights) had mechanical issue delaying both of my flights, the crew members handled everything with ease. Both flights had the smoothest take off and landing. I opted to upgrade my seat to first class and really lucked out getting the seat at the very front of the plane. Awesome treat to myself. I really enjoyed my flight.

The staff from check-in counter to the flight crew were great. Flight was right on schedule. 10/10

The flight was canceled and very little help given at the check in desk. Everyone at the desk says: just go on the app and see how they rebooked you. I mean come on it’s embarrassing customer service.

I’m New to Alaska Airlines. I was not able to connect to WiFi on either leg of my flights to/from Santa Rosa. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable ride.

Changed flight from San Fran to Seattle Then with a Delayed takeoff barely made my connection Waited over an hour for luggage 😜

The registration was chaotic. The kiosks didn't work for most people, and most had to do registration and receive boarding slips with a person. It took about an hour to get through he process, and I was worrying that I will be late to the flight. However, the personnel was great - courteous, professional, and was able to work through the problems.

Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly

Although the flight left late, we arrived early. It was one of the quickest boarding and off boarding experiences I’ve had. It was kind of annoying the only drinks they had were water, coffee, and tea. The flight was very smooth, temperature was just right, and flight attendants were friendly.

Seats were really tight and the seat belts did not give enough slack.

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.

Great. Flight departed early and arrived early. Deplaning and baggage claim ww were quick.

They separated our seats and moved us to the back of the plane. Hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles used and this was my platinum member experience.

AC barely worked on a 50 minute flight. It was very warm the whole flight. Flight was very bumpy and hard landing.

Got on the plane and then needed to deboard the plane because they didn’t have any pilots?

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

Generally good. The aisles have gotten narrower which can slow down boarding. Flight crew was great! Healthier complimentary snacks would be appreciated. Due to earthquake in San Francisco we had to circle in air space for a bit but then had a smooth landing. I laud the flight crew for their patience ;)

The agents was very rude and they charged me $50 for a carry-on bag saying that it was too big and then I saw someone going on a plane with the same size bag as me

For the most part united was a good experience, how ever when they came by with the snacks and water, they completely passed by my wife and I. As we were in separate rows. On a 5 hr flight we were not offered water

Fantastic crew. Flight was delayed at last minute but we were given updates every 20 minutes and the crew was so friendly and considerate. I miss the touch screens on the back of the seats, wish they would bring that back though.

Awful. Worst airline I have ever been on. Crew were among the rudest people I have ever dealt with. United staff members were rude and disrespectful. My flight was delayed, causing me to miss a connecting flight. I understand things happen, but when staff start lying about what actually happened, that is when I have an issue. Just be honest, really it isn’t that hard. I’m being very honest with this review and I don’t find this difficult what so ever. In fact, because of United Airlines, my Christmas holiday was off to a really rocky start. As someone who has traveled across the world, it has only been United that I have had a truly awful experience.

Boarding always seems a bit chaotic. Seat spacing could leave more for leg room.

Good flight. On time. Boarding and seating was easy. Crew were really friendly, yet professional. Bathroom (by cockpit) was small but serviceable. Some the seats were showing some notable wear & tear, but were comfy. Very happy UA customer. TY! 🤛🏽💗

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

We were delayed 3x and because I didn’t purchase my tickets directly from United Airlines I was told I Have to take care of it myself so I called Underpricer and they helped me but before I changed my flights I took the risk of sticking by what my tickets were and was lucky to have gotten on the original all flight with only 15 mins before take off. not sure if I will do this again

Everything good until we waited for jet bridge at SFO. Then pilot gets on speaker & said it won’t reach plane- too short, need to go to different gate. Then 5 min later, adjusted plane/jetbridge & all ok?!?

No music app working: no economy meal on five hour flight; hour on tarmac at the end waiting for a gate. Flight itself was smooth and easy.

Communication with the customer and stay is important. Staff off with a minor inconvenience but it worked out of course. Also this was a very old Mint Class plane. They snuck this one in on us. The updated aircraft are much better.

The flight itself was fine, but the boarding process was extremely frustrating. There is no one scanning boarding passes - passengers just scan themselves and enter the jetway. By the time my husband and I got on the plane and were halfway to our seats they determined there were too many bags on the plane and everything at that point needed to be checked. This created a lot of unnecessary chaos. They should have alerted people before getting on the plane that they would need to start checking bags instead of waiting until people were already on the plane.

The best flight I’ve had in a while. The plane was like 25% capacity, if that. Smoothest boarding and deplaning process I’ve ever experienced. Wish all flights were this smooth.

Traveling with JetBlue from NYC was convenient as accessing JFK airport was straightforward via the LIRR to the AirTrain. Maneuvering through the terminal was hassle-free, which was a pleasant start to the journey. However, the flight experience itself left much to be desired. The seating arrangement was notably uncomfortable; despite securing a window seat, space felt cramped. This was exacerbated by the middle seat passenger encroaching on my area, which made the flight less enjoyable. Additionally, while the in-flight entertainment system initially seemed like a reprieve, the sound outlet on my seat was inoperable. This issue turned what could have been a manageable three-hour flight into a rather tedious ordeal, as I was unable to use the entertainment system effectively. While JetBlue provided a smooth process in terms of airport logistics, the on-board experience highlighted areas in need of improvement, particularly in terms of comfort and entertainment system maintenance.

Over 2 hour delay for a 50-minute flight is unacceptable, especially in normal weather. Very poor communication via app

In-flight staff was very helpful and excellent. However, the flight was delayed by 90 minutes. Also the boarding process should be expedited in case of delayed flights. This will help the passengers trying to make international connections.

The WiFi stopped working early on in the flight. No audio from entertainment system.

The flight was excellent. The crew was welcoming and attentive.

Run out of snack choices. Why are the seats not padded for your butt? Are we sitting on blocks of wood or metal for $250-300 a pop? This ain’t spirit. Let’s get it together people

Flight boarded from Gate 39 at OGG, the farthest gate in the terminal. There were no Hawaiian themed amenities for the flight. The first class service was mediocre at best; I received not special welcome or recognition as an executive platinum member of American Advantage program. The flight attendants were more concerned with their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as we disembarked. Fortunately, the flight arrived at LAX a few minutes early.

Bigger seats. Board back to front! Disembark front to back!

Extraordinary service in business class, and very good breakfast and snacks. A really lovely flight.

This flight didn’t happen because AA agents didn’t let us board the flight

Plane was pretty clean, staff was friendly and helpful, flight left about on time arrived early. Took a long time to board and get off the plane - carry on items didn't have enough room so people had to move all around to find places.

The service and food needs to improve to catch up with other international flights

Would have been good to have a meal since it was a 5.5 hour flight

We boarded after several delays due to mechanical failure and a gate change. The seat cushion in the exit row was very compressed and offered no cushion, making the four-hour journey reasonably uncomfortable. The WiFi worked for a few people, but for most, it did not, and you cannot get entertainment unless you can connect—American Airlines flights do not have seatback screens, and you must use your mobile phone.

AA is always pretty solid. Was on time all the way around today so can’t complain!

My boarding pass wouldn't pull up in the app very easily and had to really dig through my email. That caused a delay in TSA..

Book cheap flights from New York State to California

Recent round-trip flight deals

5/8Thu
nonstopSpirit Airlines
6h 03mEWR-LAX
5/16Fri
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 26mLAX-EWR
$143
4/25Fri
nonstopSpirit Airlines
6h 09mEWR-LAX
5/2Fri
nonstopSpirit Airlines
5h 25mLAX-EWR
$144
5/7Wed
nonstopDelta
5h 40mJFK-LAS
5/10Sat
nonstopDelta
5h 11mLAS-JFK
$179
6/18Wed
nonstopDelta
5h 51mJFK-LAS
6/24Tue
nonstopDelta
5h 22mLAS-JFK
$181
5/7Wed
nonstopJetBlue
6h 41mJFK-SFO
5/7Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 43mSFO-JFK
$193
5/7Wed
nonstopJetBlue
6h 40mJFK-SFO
5/14Wed
nonstopJetBlue
5h 43mSFO-JFK
$199
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nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 48mJFK-LAS
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$224
5/30Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
6h 10mEWR-SFO
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1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 34mSFO-EWR
$229
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nonstopUnited Airlines
6h 13mEWR-SAN
5/10Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 18mSAN-EWR
$237

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6h 26mJFK-SFO
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6h 03mEWR-LAX
$70
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6h 40mEWR-SFO
$110
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6h 29mEWR-SFO
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15h 29mJFK-LAS
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5h 51mJFK-LAS
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Last minute flights from New York to California

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

3/29Sat
nonstopFrontier
5h 59mJFK-LAS
4/1Tue
nonstopFrontier
4h 56mLAS-JFK
$173
3/29Sat
nonstopFrontier
5h 59mJFK-LAS
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nonstopFrontier
4h 56mLAS-JFK
$188
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6h 24mJFK-LAX
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5h 44mLAX-JFK
$267
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nonstopDelta
5h 55mJFK-LAS
4/5Sat
nonstopDelta
5h 14mLAS-JFK
$289
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nonstopJetBlue
6h 22mJFK-LAX
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multi-stopJetBlue
9h 10mLAX-JFK
$305
3/29Sat
multi-stopDelta
8h 27mEWR-LAS
4/5Sat
multi-stopDelta
6h 34mLAS-EWR
$309
3/25Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 15mJFK-LAX
4/7Mon
nonstopAmerican Airlines
5h 27mLAX-JFK
$461
3/25Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 15mJFK-LAX
4/7Mon
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 25mLAX-JFK
$471
3/26Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 59mEWR-LAS
4/5Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 53mLAS-EWR
$473
3/27Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
5h 56mEWR-LAS
3/31Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 53mLAS-EWR
$480

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Everything you need to know for your flight to California

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