£173 Find Cheap Flights from London 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 London to California departing on 8/9. 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

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 in flight searches from London to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from London to California.
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Cheap Flights from London to California

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angelesdirect£252
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops£354
San Diego
San Diego2 stops£423
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops£516
San Jose
San Jose2 stops£421
Fresno
Fresno2 stops£513
Reno
Reno2 stops£517
Los Angeles
Los Angelesdirect£252
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops£354
San Diego
San Diego2 stops£423
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops£516
San Jose
San Jose2 stops£421
Fresno
Fresno2 stops£513
Reno
Reno2 stops£517

Book Cheap London to California Plane Tickets

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

Mon, 8 Sep - Sun, 21 Sep
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
10:25 - 13:40LGW-LAX
11h 15mdirect
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
16:30 - 10:55LAX-LGW
10h 25mdirect
£252Norse Atlantic UK
Find Deal
Mon, 8 Sep - Sun, 21 Sep
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
10:25 - 13:40LGW-LAX
11h 15mdirect
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
16:30 - 10:55LAX-LGW
10h 25mdirect
£258Norse Atlantic UK
Find Deal
Mon, 22 Sep - Sun, 28 Sep
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
09:50 - 13:05LGW-LAX
11h 15mdirect
Norse Atlantic UK Logo
16:30 - 10:55LAX-LGW
10h 25mdirect
£265Norse Atlantic UK
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Mon, 8 Sep - Sun, 21 Sep
Lufthansa Logo
08:45 - 16:55LCY-LAX
16h 10m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
18:40 - 18:35LAX-LCY
15h 55m1 stop
£395Lufthansa
Find Deal
Mon, 8 Sep - Sun, 21 Sep
Lufthansa Logo
19:10 - 13:00LCY-LAX
25h 50m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
14:55 - 18:35LAX-LCY
19h 40m1 stop
£400Lufthansa
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Tue, 23 Sep - Tue, 30 Sep
British Airways Logo
15:05 - 09:24LGW-SFO
26h 19m1 stop
British Airways Logo
06:10 - 08:10SFO-LGW
18h 00m1 stop
£403British Airways
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Sat, 13 Sep - Sat, 20 Sep
British Airways Logo
08:20 - 22:33LHR-ONT
22h 13m1 stop
British Airways Logo
12:47 - 12:45ONT-LHR
15h 58m1 stop
£410British Airways
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Sun, 23 Nov - Sat, 6 Dec
Virgin Atlantic Logo
06:20 - 16:14LHR-ONT
17h 54m2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
06:45 - 13:05ONT-LHR
22h 20m1 stop
£416Virgin Atlantic
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Sun, 23 Nov - Sat, 6 Dec
Virgin Atlantic Logo
06:20 - 16:14LHR-ONT
17h 54m2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
07:00 - 10:35ONT-LHR
19h 35m1 stop
£418Virgin Atlantic
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Sun, 14 Sep - Tue, 30 Sep
Finnair Logo
16:25 - 23:59LHR-ONT
15h 34m1 stop
Finnair Logo
14:54 - 12:45ONT-LHR
13h 51m1 stop
£462Finnair
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for London to California flights

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

What is the cheapest London to California flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from London to California.

The cheapest ticket to California from London found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at £280 return. The most popular route is from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Los Angeles (LAX), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was £400.

Can I save money by flying with a stopover from London to California?

The average return price for all direct flights, flights with one stopover, and flights with two stopovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a stopover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 2 stops stopover the cheapest option at £1,157 on average.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from London 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 London to California is February, when tickets cost £433 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and August, when the average cost of return tickets is £613 and £607 respectively.

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

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

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to California on a Wednesday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Sunday is the most expensive day to fly from London to California. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Monday and avoiding Saturdays for the best deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from London 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 London 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 London to California, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 31% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 19 weeks before departure.


Good to know - Cheap tickets from London to California

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight£173
Best time to beat the crowds (10% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (28% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Gatwick Airport to Los Angeles

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

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew the route from London to California 
AlastairFlew with British AirwaysLHR-SFOFeb 2025
Make sure your free checked luggage is for outward and return flights.
Verified travelerFlew with British AirwaysLHR-SANSept 2024
Flight overall is good. Service is very good. Bring yourself some snacks, in case the food isn’t up to your taste.
MeganFlew with IberiaLHR-LAXSept 2024
Pack light and know you can always get stuff when you land.
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesLHR-SFOSept 2024
Download all your music. Add shows and movies to your queue. Bring short so you can relax. Bring long charger cords.
SimonFlew with British AirwaysLHR-LAXJun 2024
If flying business class I’d research which cabin your aircraft operates. BA have some old business class on the 380 and new business class on the 777. (And 350). The new cabin is so much better. But the food just isn’t as good as it used to be
Verified travelerFlew with American AirlinesLHR-SFOMar 2024
Heathrow is vast, allow plenty of time to drop bags and go through security. At San Francisco the immigration takes a bit of time and we had to wait around 1.5hrs, bare this in mind when booking car rental. The is a shuttle train from the airport to the car rental area which is very slick and efficient.
Ana-MariaFlew with IberiaLHR-SFOMar 2024
In London triple check your flight they have multiple leaving for the same destination once - it is easy to get them confused

FAQs - booking California flights

  • What’s the cheapest way to get from San Francisco Airport (SFO) to the city centre?

    The most reasonably priced method of transport when it comes to getting to downtown San Francisco is the service provided by the BART, which is a metro/train service that only takes 30 minutes and costs around $10 (£8.20). You can get to the airport train station using the AirTrain, departing from all terminals at the airport. You can get tickets and continue your journey to the Antioch-SFO/Millbrae Line, which is a subway line and you can reach all popular central metro subway stations from here.

  • Where can I find car hire at Los Angeles Airport (LAX)?

    You may hire a car from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Thrifty, Zipcar, and SIXT at the airport. The offices and rental car facilities are located to the east of the airport. The automobile rental firms are accessible via the free shuttle bus service; simply follow the purple Rental Car Shuttles signs to the bus stops.

  • How do I reduce my carbon footprint when flying from London to California?

    To reduce your carbon footprint when flying to California from London, it’s best to consider flying from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with British Airways to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) with one stopover in Philadelphia Airport. You can also fly the same route with American Airlines, and both flights would reduce your carbon emissions by 37-38%.

  • What are the best options for parking at Heathrow Airport (LHR)?

    It may depend on how long you need parking, but at Heathrow Airport, you can choose from various car parks. The long-stay parking lot usually offers the greatest prices, so park here. Depending on the length of time you require, you will typically be charged between £18 and £20 each day. This package also includes a free shuttle bus journey to the terminal, which takes approximately 10 minutes.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from London 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 London 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 London 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 London 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 London 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 at night, when retur flights cost £670 on average. Morning departures are around 5% 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 £741.

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from London to California

  • When it comes to flying from London airports, you can take advantage of the Click & Collect online duty-free service and pay for your goods ahead of your arrival at the airport. Once you arrive at the airport you can pick-up your order before you head to the departure gate.
  • Make an online reservation for the Heathrow Express Train from Paddington Station to get from central London to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Three months in advance, you may save around £20 since tickets are around £5.50, the ticket gets gradually more expensive the closer you get to the travel date and costs £25 on the day of travel, so it's worth it to reserve ahead of time if possible.
  • If you want to relax and unwind prior to taking your flight, airports such as London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) have excellent lounge services, which you can reserve online prior to getting to the airport. Typically, prices range from £25-42 at Heathrow, and £32-38 at Gatwick.
  • To save money on flights from London to California, the best option is to fly out of London Gatwick Airport on flights that have at least one stopover. You can fly with Norse Atlantic Airways to Los Angeles Airport (LAX) via New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and self-transferring to Newark International Airport (EWR) and connecting with Alaska Airlines to Los Angeles.
  • If you simply want to fly from London to California, you can only do it through London Heathrow Airport. These flights are often more expensive than others that involve a stopover; for the cheapest and most frequent flights, we recommend checking fares with Austrian Airlines, who fly directly to Los Angeles Airport.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from London to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from London 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 London 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.
7.6
FinnairOverall score based on 1316 reviews
7.6Boarding
6.9Entertainment
6.7Food
8.1Crew
7.5Comfort
Airline reviews

It was okay. The airplane was a little smaller than a flight from Thailand to Helsinki.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Jul 2025HEL - DFW
Read more Finnair reviews

It was okay. The airplane was a little smaller than a flight from Thailand to Helsinki.

Wish that everyone would board the back of the plane first. Also let kids on first. The gate wasn’t open at arrival and we waited 45 minutes to takeoff. They made up for time in the air.

This was an absolutely exceptional flight. The flight attendants were extremely attentive and very friendly. They seemed to go out of their way to make us comfortable and to make sure that we had everything we needed., We were in business and were very happy with the size and the details for our pods. We would definitely recommend Finnair and will definitely be flying with them again.

We had an excellent trip with Finnair. This was our first time and we’re very pleased. The only issue was with the boarding - it was a little bit confusing and needs a little bit of streamlining.

Crew very lovely. Arrived an hour late due to bad weather. We were given new tickets to an other flight but it could have been organised better, so we did not have to run through the whole airport to.

Flight delayed over an hour. They said they would hold our connection but then did not.

Major problems checking in at Alaska counter. They could not find our booking code because it came from Finnair.

Do not use KAYAK or Finair for future travel. Unless you purchase the tickets directly from the airline, you were going to have a difficult time checking in. Kayak canceled my flights twice and ended up causing great difficulty in me getting back from Europe because they double sold my tickets between American Airlines and Finair. The event caused significant delays and led to me having to rebook my flights.

The staff were all particularly great. The plane was clean and fresh. The bassinet worked great. It was all very nice.

Boarding uncomfortable. Stewardess said I would have to check my carry on as there was no room in the overhead bins. Another passenger helped me find a spot.

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.

The crew was excellent as ever on Virgin. The special meal was poor unfortunately. More significantly when we arrived at Manchester Airport there was no air bridge provided and we had to exit the plane down a rickety stair case. This is unacceptable for a transatlantic flight. Whilst I understand that this is the airport’s fault at the end of the day the airline is responsible for our transportation and needs to do something.

Super friendly and helpful staff, from check-in desk to cabin crew.

Following a paid seat upgrade for enhanced comfort, I encountered an unacceptable odor in my assigned area. It took three hours for the crew to relocate me, and the replacement seat was unacceptably close to the lavatory, offering no improvement.

Good overall. Cannot fault the airlines. I have had better entertainment systems before ie ice in Emirates but it was not too bad. Food was decent and staff were friendly.

I did not fly by vergin atlantic from bangalore to vasco da gama

Your flight delayed at Heathrow n I almost missed my mother funeral.you idiots. I had to waste 10 hours in different airports. Thank your stars I'm not suing you.

Miami airport needs more thorough signage. It was a long walk from my transport point to the check in desk,

Great experience. The flight was smooth with very little turbulence. We were in premium classic, so lots of leg room.

Didn’t know you had to pay for earbuds and food on flight. Sounds awesome and better way to not waste food or items. Comfort of flight is was amazing other than that

Unexpectedly was surprised with the space on flight in economy and the price.

I was not expecting having to pay for headphones, water and basic food in a 9 hours flight. Price for this flight was as high as any other, still I had to pay 4 lbs for a can of sprite. On top of that flight attendance gave a bothered look when I asked her for some ice for my soda. She reluctantly when to get it, brought me literally 3 cubes and walked away without looking at me to avoid another request. I couldn’t believe it. She was soooo rude. I will never book on Norse again and I will let everyone I know about this. Unforgivable, very bad customer service.

Great crew. Customer support is pretty much non existent. I had 2 tickets that were not used, the flight was overbooked. I think I should have been reimbursed for the unused tickets.

The movies were super old. The crew did not offer WATER???? 5 hours os flight and did not get WATER? Norse is the worst company I ever used and never will use again.

Why call us to board if we’re going to be made to stand in the tunnel for 20 minutes. Really hard for people with little children. Plus it took me ages to check in because my seat in Premium was overbooked so I didn’t actually have a seat. I did end up receiving my seat in Premium but there was a lot of stress and confusion beforehand. Hope is it possible to overbook seats? Especially in Premium!

We flew one way from Gatwick, London to JFK NY For 2 people $1200 and no food offered not even water. You had to buy food. Norse advertises as a low fare transatlantic airline, they may want rethink that. Crew, flight was fine. Ironically we flew American from JFK to Heathrow for $1000 (2people) and included food and drinks.

Longest check in line I have ever seen- brutal and airline personnel hustled me about the size of my bag even though I showed them that it measured exactly to the measurements posted on their site. Just super annoying- I get it - it’s a budget airline and you get what you pay for. Most of the flight were young people who seemed to have never experienced international travel. It’s worth paying for a seat otherwise you will be uncomfortable.

We flew premium on the way TO London but went back to economy for this flight. The differences I note here may be colored by changing service. The crew was professional and polite but cold on this flight and class of service. They seemed to want to have as little to do with us as possible, beyond providing the basic services in economy. The aircraft was still good though, and the pitch was about as tight as expected - manageable but no extra personal space to spare. Overall I would certainly fly Norse Atlantic again, given the opportunity.

The plane was late (as was my flight out from Birmingham the day before)

Best flight attendants ever! Very customer and service oriented, courteous, professional and helpful.

Never happened. Flight was delayed. Had to be re rojyed

Lufthansa is my favorite airline and have flown oversea with them for the past 25 years: i always found them so professional and incredibly efficient from checking in to arrival. I also love their Munich or Frankfurt airports.

We paid for business class, and my seat did not work at all. Each time I wanted to adjust the position, an attendant had to come to physically force the seat into its new position. They tried to fix it by fiddling with the electronics (military reset, for example), to no avail. Also, the food was just mediocre. We were at the end of a serving section, so they ran out of several choices. (This was on the flight from Los Angeles to Munich.)

The flight was delayed by an hour. Made the connection uncomfortably tight.

The plane was very clean. The bathroom was clean as well. The land crew were very polite and informative and helpful. They informed me that there is a long way and challenging to go from international terminal to national terminal and in addition to getting my suitcases and going through customs and dropping them again for my second leg of trip which was San Francisco to Los Angeles . I have left knee issue and had a recent fall with aching muscles all over, the land crew suggested wheelchair help for me, God bless her. If I did not have help, I could not make it to my last terminal. Thank you UNITED AIRLINE!

I was very happy with everything, thank you for the smooth flight ✈️

helpful and friendly. The Lufthanza people I dealt with before my holiday were so unhelpful by comparison.

Entertainment system is old. Food can be tastier Need to provide toothbrush and toothpaste at least when asked.

Everything about the flight check-in was smooth no line the plane is clean and bathroom

Excellent everywhere but Philly, the most rotten airport in the world.

Check in was not the greatest as had to talk to an agent to clarify things and then he transferred us to another agent who had difficulty processing my credit card as there was a system glitch and not a card error.

I was put into business class. Wow! My flight attendant was great! The food amazing’

The gate at London Gatwick had confusing signs for the different zones and the staff seemed harried because people didn't know when it was their turn to come to the desk. Plus, with there were too many carry-on bag travelers, myself included. The charge scheme for checking bags is frustrating. If you travel light, you want the freedom to leave as soon as you deplane. When you are forced to gate-check your bag simply because the flight is fully booked, you lose whatever time you'd hoped to save because you're still stuck waiting for your bag to come off the conveyor belt.

Not so good with their baggage handling as they damaged one of my check in luggage

All went well on the flight, not happy of course with having to pay for a seat and in hold luggage of £50

We never made it onto this flight due to BA's lackluster organisation.

The air hostess were good, cheerful, but I didn't like the boarding. My son and I initially bought our flight tickets, making sure it included 1 luggage and a carry on. Tickets were purchased for British airlines, but we were merged with American Airlines. At checking in our languages, we were told, we don't have luggage prepaid so we had to pay extra $125 each and almost £60 on our way back. I think that's unfair.

Economy seats are so small and compacted so close together that comfort is negatively affected, especially on long flights. However that is due to aircraft design, not anything the airline can do about it.

Everything you need to know for your flight from London 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.

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