R8 493 Find Cheap Flights to California – Compare and Save

This is the cheapest return flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from South Africa to California departing on 19/10. 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 Angeles2 stopsR13 701
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stopR16 477
San Diego
San Diego1 stopR16 412
Fresno
Fresno2 stopsR23 196
San Jose
San Jose2 stopsR26 104
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stopsR13 701
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stopR16 477
San Diego
San Diego1 stopR16 412
Fresno
Fresno2 stopsR23 196
San Jose
San Jose2 stopsR26 104

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

Mon, Oct 19 - Fri, Nov 6
Virgin Atlantic Logo
21:55 - 21:17
JNB
-
LAS
32h 22m
1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
10:59 - 8:20
LAS
-
JNB
35h 21m
2 stops
R8 493Virgin Atlantic
Sun, Oct 18 - Fri, Nov 6
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:15 - 20:56
JNB
-
LAS
33h 41m
2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
10:59 - 8:20
LAS
-
JNB
35h 21m
2 stops
R8 970Virgin Atlantic
Thu, Jul 16 - Sun, Oct 11
United Airlines Logo
19:50 - 9:37
CPT
-
LAX
22h 47m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
23:35 - 15:20
LAX
-
CPT
30h 45m
2 stops
R16 543United Airlines
Tue, Oct 27 - Thu, Nov 12
United Airlines Logo
20:50 - 20:30
CPT
-
LAX
32h 40m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:17 - 16:10
LAX
-
CPT
21h 53m
1 stop
R16 592United Airlines
Sun, Aug 23 - Mon, Aug 31
KLM Logo
23:15 - 11:45
CPT
-
SFO
45h 30m
1 stop
KLM Logo
7:00 - 21:25
SFO
-
CPT
29h 25m
2 stops
R16 773KLM
Sun, Sep 13 - Wed, Nov 11
KLM Logo
23:15 - 11:45
CPT
-
SFO
45h 30m
1 stop
KLM Logo
15:10 - 5:50
SFO
-
CPT
28h 40m
1 stop
R16 789KLM
Mon, Aug 3 - Thu, Aug 27
British Airways Logo
19:25 - 11:40
JNB
-
LAX
25h 15m
1 stop
British Airways Logo
18:05 - 9:25
LAX
-
JNB
30h 20m
1 stop
R17 594British Airways
Mon, Aug 3 - Thu, Aug 27
British Airways Logo
19:25 - 11:40
JNB
-
LAX
25h 15m
1 stop
British Airways Logo
13:51 - 7:00
LAX
-
JNB
32h 09m
2 stops
R17 660British Airways
Sun, Sep 20 - Fri, Sep 25
Qatar Airways Logo
19:30 - 20:10
CPT
-
LAS
33h 40m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
6:02 - 17:30
LAS
-
CPT
50h 28m
2 stops
R21 357Qatar Airways
Fri, Jul 10 - Fri, Sep 25
Qatar Airways Logo
19:30 - 23:11
CPT
-
ONT
36h 41m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
19:59 - 10:15
ONT
-
CPT
53h 16m
2 stops
R23 969Qatar Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to California

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

What is the cheapest month to fly from South Africa to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from South Africa 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 South Africa to California is November, when tickets cost R7 261 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and April, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R10 448 and R10 218 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from South Africa 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 South Africa to California, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 6% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 24 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flightR8 493
Best time to beat the crowds (2% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 6% lower on average.
Flight from Johannesburg to Las Vegas

FAQs - booking California flights

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from South Africa 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 South Africa 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 South Africa 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 South Africa 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 South Africa 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

  • 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 South Africa 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 South Africa 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.
7,8
KLMOverall score based on 1531 reviews
8,4Crew
7,2Entertainment
7,8Boarding
7,7Comfort
7,3Food
Airline reviews

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

6,0 GoodGlenn, Feb 2026
AMS - JFK
Read more KLM reviews

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

Legroom not all it could be, especially when the seat in front is reclined. Otherwise it was good, food and beverage were nice.

This fight left ahead of time which meant it arrived early which was great. Staff were very professional, but as with all these Short hop Flights the food was a disappointing snack There was no entertainment on this flight, but I did not expect any

I flew premium economy and this was a good option. Although the seats didn’t recline much, I was able to get some sleep with my head propped against the window. The food was good and the entertainment was wonderful The staff were very attentive and professional

Overall very poor. Flight was disorganised, staff were rude and this is my second experience with KLM that I've had baggage go missing. It feels like, if you are an economy customer, KLM staff do not show you any care. I shall never fly with KLM again. Worst airline in Europe

The food & entertainment really stood out in terms of quality. The nasi goreng & chicken satay were absolutely delicious. It’s great that KLM feature international cuisine.

Seats were nice and comfy. Crew was polite and attentive. Business class is awesome and worth the money.

It was operated by Delta. Boarding took a long time. How difficult can it be? Overall decent trip. Liked the Salt Lake City airport. Better option than Chicago for transfers.

We left one hour late because of technical difficulties. The economy comfort seats are great for the price. The crew was mediocre, they do not provide a pleasant experience, they just deliver food and drinks and give orders, not very amicable, no service and hospitality focus.

Everything in general was great, but we left 30 minutes late

Lounge was top notch h with great variety of food and drinks. Cabin crew were great. Smooth flight.

My seat 3G did not go down fully and the buttons were not working properly

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

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

My ticket was for Premium Economy and all the seats were taken, I was placed in Economy class and I’m looking for a refund.

Unfortunately delayed 2 hrs due to faulty tyre.. which had to be changed, but better safe than sorry.

Lots of legroom on the flight. No interaction from the staff at all on the plane. They only attended to the First Class passengers. There was no entertainment. Security I was body scanned even though I hadn't set off an alarm, my father-in-law in his 80s, was stopped and subjected to a through body search, told that they would have to place their hands in intimate places. There were several border guards present, and as we walked off we could hear the TWA officer talk about the procedure as if he was training. My father-in-law was a little upset about the whole process. A kind explanation would have been more acceptable, and it felt dehumanizing to him.

Needed a 6 hour lay over in Atlanta. How can this be avoided ?

If I could fly Virgin Atlantic airlines to every place, I need to go, I would. Leaving Heathrow through the special virgin air entrance, security is completely white glove service. I love this airline. From ticketing agents to flight staff everyone tries to make it a wonderful & happy flight experience. I wish other airlines copied the positive culture of Virgin Airlines.

Friendly crew, but we were delayed for more than an hour and had to change planes due to maintenance issues.

United has been holding my money for a cancel on another ticket they wouldn’t let me fly for going on 5 months. Terrible service I wouldn’t choose to buy tickets or fly with united again. Very bad experience generally dishonorable and poor service .

The flight got delayed. They forgot to bring the drinks when I asked for it. The toilet is messy.

This was an overnight flight, and in the morning they did know coffee service. How you can throw passengers in a San Francisco airport at 5:40 a.m. in the morning and not giving them Coffee is a crime.

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

Service was professional and quick. Premium economy seat was comfortable given the class

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly at all times! They went above and beyond to get us into an earlier flight in San Diego to make our connection in SFO possible, because our original flight did actually not make it! I did so much appreciate the UA team and how they made this possible. We also didn’t have seats together on the long flight to Singapore, but they found us seats together last moment with no additional cost! Nobody sat next to us, so that we were able to sleep! Thanks to UA for improving their service and Underpricer for booking this trip! Please be careful: 1,5 hrs for transfer in San Francisco might not be enough time in the future

Crew was great! Good meals. Had room to stretch out

Packed flight, which makes it tough on crew and boarding staff (and the customers of course). But this was great boarding, clear instructions, etc. Traveling on the weekends are always fraught with danger as you have families and less frequent flyers thus more confusion. But this flight went as planned.

Paid $10 for wifi for full flight duration and the wifi wasn’t available after initial 2 hours

All the crew members were too slow and rude. Most of the times the registers were empty, while hundreds of customers were waiting in line, and it was impossible to get a supervisor. Despite being in line on time, I missed my freight, plus a some customers who were ahead and behind me.

Wasn’t allowed to continue with the purchased tickets because I hadn’t been able to go on the first scheduled leg.

Do I need to repeat my complaints about my lost carry on bag?

All over with Qatar airlines my experience was really bad due to delays and then putting me on different airlines and after 8 hours of wait I had to listen to their is no plane to fly for another 24 hours. Wore experience ever.

Transit , Too long for terminal change, for a moment I thought Qatar airlines going to Los Angeles by bus. Please make transit convenient and quick.

some sections of airport are too cramped. The screening of luggage was twice and a huge hassle. They kept saying my boarding the for my next flight was in 10 minutes but were dragging the screening too long. having a 2 hour connecting time with this much delays in screenings is not good. They could see I was traveling with special needs kid yet I was" randomly chosen" to be personally screened again.

Ambience of the aircraft was great. Spacious seats with sufficient leg room in economy class. The layover could have been shorter.

Just snacks, could have more options.boarding was good. Everything else was good. We had a very bad experience with Qatar airways. We were deplaned a few minutes after boarding the flight. Had to wait 8 hours at the airport for the next replacement aircraft to take off. Had a harrowing experience. Were offered coupons for a small meal at the airport. Uncertainty caused a lot of stress and I got a cold and flu like symptoms.

Seats were not comfortable and touch free remote wasn’t working.

Generally very good. I think their service is better than some other big names I used to travel with. Their food variety is second to none - and you can place order beforehand. Their seating design is a bit awkward for service, I'd say. Flight attendants must be tall enough - long legs and arms - to reach the window seat passenger while crossing over the isle passenger. Also appreciated the variety on entertainment.

Lovely big plane. Excellent take off and landing. Cabin crew were so nice. Flight in time no delays

Los Angeles to London. 25th of April 2026. Business class. I was flying backwards with a complete stranger snoring next to me. In Business class. Males and females, strangers lying next to each other. Seats were backwards. I paid for comfort. I got dizziness and stress.

The crew has always been great on BA. They are very friendly and accommodating. I like that they have vegetarian options already in the menu. And the free wine is a nice perk.) I noticed (both directions of my trip) minor upgrades/ replacements needed on the plane itself (touch screen didn't work with touch; bathroom light didn't go on). However, this is one of my favorite airlines.

There was a delay for the San Francisco-London flight, but we were all informed via text and email. The staff was very friendly and nice and the food was good. I do recommend that the airline offer something without eggs or something vegan for the vegetarian meal option. A lot of Indians are lacto-vegetarian, while some could be allergic to eggs/dairy.

Crew were nice, food was good. Boarding was horrendous. We were driven around the airport in a bus forced to climb a long flight of very steep stairs with no adequate handrails to board the plane . In many many years of flying to the US I have never been required to do this . There was no assistance for those needing help getting up the stairs to the plane. A fellow passenger helped me. No idea how other elderly, physically limited passengers or those with young children managed . It was a full flight with crowds trying to get up the stairs. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Horrible, the plane is just old and junky...Filthy restroom, seat was as hard as rock. The food, mystery side dish, inedible..geez..just Horrible. Never flying BA again

the service on Business class should be improved to be at par with industry leaders like Cathay Pacific and Singapore AIrlines. A lot of room for improvement.

Entertainment devices on A380 need to be fixed, the seats might do with updates.

Check-in and boarding were great. On flight staff were rude and disrespectful. Paid for extra room and found it incredibly cramped. Bathrooms kept in poor condition. Overall negative experience.

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.