R11 618 Find Cheap Flights from Cape Town 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 Cape Town to California departing on 15/2. 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 Cape Town to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Cape Town to California.
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Cheap Flights from Cape Town to California

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stopR16 189
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stopsR17 643
San Diego
San Diego2 stopsR16 881
Fresno
Fresno2 stopsR17 106
San Jose
San Jose2 stopsR22 353
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stopR16 189
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stopsR17 643
San Diego
San Diego2 stopsR16 881
Fresno
Fresno2 stopsR17 106
San Jose
San Jose2 stopsR22 353

Book Cheap Cape Town to California Plane Tickets

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

Fri, Feb 6 - Fri, Feb 20
Virgin Atlantic Logo
21:30 - 17:55CPT-LAX
30h 25m1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
22:30 - 12:05LAX-CPT
27h 35m1 stop
R16 189Virgin Atlantic
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Fri, Feb 6 - Fri, Feb 20
United Airlines Logo
20:50 - 14:35CPT-LAX
27h 45m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:35 - 18:00LAX-CPT
23h 25m2 stops
R16 708United Airlines
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Thu, Jan 15 - Wed, Jan 28
Delta Logo
23:10 - 20:40CPT-LAX
31h 30m1 stop
Delta Logo
11:12 - 19:15LAX-CPT
22h 03m1 stop
R16 847Delta
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Fri, Nov 21 - Mon, Dec 8
KLM Logo
23:45 - 11:45CPT-LAX
46h 00m1 stop
KLM Logo
8:25 - 21:55LAX-CPT
27h 30m2 stops
R16 951KLM
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Fri, Nov 21 - Mon, Dec 8
KLM Logo
23:45 - 20:37CPT-LAX
30h 52m2 stops
KLM Logo
8:25 - 21:55LAX-CPT
27h 30m2 stops
R17 020KLM
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Sun, Nov 30 - Sun, Dec 7
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:50 - 18:50CPT-LAS
32h 00m1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:06 - 12:05LAS-CPT
29h 59m2 stops
R19 253Virgin Atlantic
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Sun, Dec 14 - Sat, Jan 3
Turkish Airlines Logo
17:15 - 16:50CPT-LAX
33h 35m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:45 - 11:50LAX-CPT
31h 05m1 stop
R20 223Turkish Airlines
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Fri, Nov 21 - Sun, Dec 7
United Airlines Logo
20:50 - 23:16CPT-LAX
36h 26m3 stops
United Airlines Logo
0:25 - 16:10LAX-CPT
29h 45m2 stops
R20 483United Airlines
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Sun, Dec 14 - Sat, Jan 3
Turkish Airlines Logo
17:15 - 16:50CPT-LAX
33h 35m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:45 - 11:50LAX-CPT
31h 05m1 stop
R20 742Turkish Airlines
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Thu, Apr 9 - Thu, Oct 8
Emirates Logo
13:05 - 14:15CPT-LAX
34h 10m1 stop
Emirates Logo
16:40 - 11:35LAX-CPT
33h 55m1 stop
R23 391Emirates
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Cape Town to California flights

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

How much is a return flight from Cape Town to California?

This analysis is based on the cheapest return trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Cape Town to California departing in February.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Cape Town to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Cape Town 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 Cape Town to California is February, when tickets cost R16 674 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and January, when the average cost of return tickets is R21 816 and R21 695 respectively.

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

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

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to California on a Monday and more expensive on a Saturday. On your return trip to Cape Town, you should consider flying back on a Thursday, and avoid Saturdays for better deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town to California, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flightR11 618
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 3% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (12% more expensive on average)
Flight from Cape Town to San Francisco

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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 time of day to fly to California?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, when retur flights cost R16 630 on average. Morning departures are around 22% 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 R23 281.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from Cape Town to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Cape Town 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 Cape Town 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.
8,1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3400 reviews
8,1Boarding
8,2Entertainment
8,0Comfort
7,9Food
8,3Crew
Airline reviews

Sadly I couldn't get the food I requested as it was out. Also, if you don't want to be woken up make sure the crew knows it. My wife was woken on every service.

10,0 ExcellentJason, Sept 2025DXB - IAD
Read more Emirates reviews

Sadly I couldn't get the food I requested as it was out. Also, if you don't want to be woken up make sure the crew knows it. My wife was woken on every service.

This was my first time flying with Emirates. Overall, the experience was very good. I thought the seats in economy would have been a bit more comfortable, but, they seem to be on par with other airlines. The food was excellent and very satisfying. If you can afford it, I would definitely suggest upgrading to at lest premium economy seats for long haul flights.

Three meals on a single flight is disgusting. Even if I reject them all, sleeping is impossible and all that food (especially wasted food) is just antithetical to a pleasant flight experience. People were chucking multiple abandoned trays on the floor in front of my seat.

Similar to Hyd->Dubai this too was worst airlines. Bad seats, bad seating arrangement which created lot of confusion since family member were not given seat together. However most of them changed the seat and got with the family. Cheap tactics by Emirates.

The best ever, friendly and attentive cabin crew, amazing captains who utilised their expertise for less turbulence, just overall amazing

First time and very memorable, the finest flying experience ive ever had

Overall I was quite pleased with the experience; the cleanliness; the polite and attentiveness of the cabin crew; and the delicious food options.

I would never have been able to make the transfer in time without asking for a wheelchair

Good food, real silverware, polite staff, smooth landing, charging plugs, good entertainment options.

Loved that I had an exit row seat, and there was no one else in the row! And again, I don' use on-line entertainment at all (I read or sleep) but I very much appreciate that I didn't hear anyone else's entertainment!

At the airport, terrible, I do not want to even remember it. It was too humiliating for a business class passenger.

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

First of all we couldn’t check in online, then we learn at the airport we were on stand by for KLM’s mistake of overbooking. The seats were not comfy at all. Our luggage got lost.

Ad experience - been flying many years with them but they are losing out to other carriers with their service and bagage / seating policy. My 2 12-yo kids were not placed with the parent. Absurdity.

KLM remains a quality flag carrier airline which maintains its standards whilst all their competitors are lowering theirs.

Our first flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. However it was easy to book a later flight on their app.

My flight was delayed by 6 hours then I missed BOTH of my connecting flights, I then had to stay in the AIRPORT at JFK because soooooo many people also suffered from missing flights and there was no hotels available. I would like to be compensated for this experience! I had to stay in the airport for over 16 hours!

The service was great. However the lounge only gets passing grade

I appreciate that KLM was proactive in informing me of the 2 hour delay which enabled me to replan my travel. It was a bit stressful not knowing whether my connection from Montreal to Ottawa was happening. But the ground and air crew did a good job at comforting and assuring me.

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated

Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.

Food was excellent. Service was very good. Staff was very helpful to all passengers.

Flight from Rome to SFO was excellent compared To our flight to Europe from SFO. The food was much tastier. You can see how UNITED is skimping, though. Instead of getting something mid flight you had to ask for it. It was not automatically served. There was a cookie at the end of the arrival meal, for example that tasted like it just came out of a box. They used to serve a little container of nuts, now … a tiny container of nuts, mixed with pretzels. This was business class that you really have to pay for! But this is minor complaints compared to the overall. My major complaint is the position of the even numbered seats by the windows. You have to turn around to see your window & the positioning as some other controls are harder to get at. This is compared to the odd number seat that are perfectly aligned.

The food quality sucks. One must starve if they do not eat flesh Or wheat based products Some variety would be expected. The trivial amount of snacks and or food is inhumane

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

The internet service I paid for didn’t work at all and the flight crew was not very friendly.

Crew was dismissive. Snacks and refills not offered. Poor business class experience. Bed not comfortable compared to Emirates or BA.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

I understand that the food on the airplane wouldn’t be fantastic. However, it wasn’t good at all. 😭

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

They can my date of travel and let me standard in Istanbul for three days stop over and only pay for one day in a hotel with only one breakfast for three days.

the flight was cancelled and I was rebooked twice, once 26 hours later, then another 24 hours later. In total the flight was delayed for 40 hours. Never again will I use kayak or Turkish Airlines for my travel.

Worst experience with boarding once we left the wheel chair even traveling business we had to wait with all the crowd for the bus to take us to the plane then climb the stairs with our bags When you pay extra for comfort and convenience and you don’t get any is disappointing

Food is very turkish. No regard for other natinalities taste and preference. The entertainment can be improved- it was the same menu on 10/8/25 and 10/25/25. The boarding is the worst in the airline industry- I suggest you ask your staff to and watch how other airlines do it.

The best airline for international travel in terms of value you get in business class (service/cost)

I liked the overall flight experience. However, Turkish officials could do a better job at guiding non-Turkish speakers to their connecting flight gates in such a huge & vast airport.

Very small and cramped aisles and seats. Food was poor but the fresh hot roll and hummus was good. No cans of soda given but they had small bottles of water. Crew was nice and pleasant and kept bathroom clean.

We couldn’t fly to Chicago on our booked flight. The flight was overbooked.

Small seat space for 13 hours flight, they charged for baggage , very bad quality of food,

I was sitting almost in the back, the seats are very tight and there’s no legroom, it’s uncomfortable for a long distance

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