R11 143 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 South Africa to California departing on 24/5. 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
0 bags

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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
In the last 7 days, travellers have searched 41 299 237 times on KAYAK, and here's why:

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Best California Flight Deals from South Africa

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stopR16 596
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stopsR15 315
San Diego
San Diego2 stopsR16 778
Sacramento
Sacramento2 stopsR25 085
San Jose
San Jose2 stopsR19 816

Good to know

Low season

February

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R11 143
Best time to beat the crowds (14% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 2% lower on average.
Flight from Cape Town to San Francisco

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How long is the flight to California?

    An average direct flight from South Africa to California takes 32h 29m, covering a distance of 26549 km. The most popular route is Johannesburg - Los Angeles with an average flight time of 25h 15m.

  • What is the cheapest flight to California?

    The cheapest ticket to California from South Africa found in the last 72 hours was R15 315. The most popular route is Johannesburg OR Tambo to Los Angeles and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was R16 596.

  • What are the most popular destinations in California?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Los Angeles (29% of total searches to California). The next most popular destinations are San Francisco (17%) and Las Vegas (12%). Searches for flights to San Jose (12%), to Ontario (10%) and to John Wayne (Santa Ana) (6%) are also popular.

  • How does KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy?

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

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding cheap flights to California

  • Book at least 1 week before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be July and August. The cheapest month to fly from South Africa is February.
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest California flight deals.

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.
8,1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3395 reviews
8,1Boarding
8,3Crew
8,0Comfort
7,9Food
8,2Entertainment
Airline reviews

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!

10,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Dec 2024DXB - BOS
Read more Emirates reviews

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!

The entire crew was amazing. They went out of their way to make us enjoy a great travel experience.

Loved everything! This flight had premium economy and I didn't see an option to upgraded to premium economy OR buy premium economy tickets. How come?

Some Crew were distinguishably fake in their interactions with passengers.

We was missed the flight They doesn’t lest us fly next flight without payment They charge me 606 hundred dollars What is very unacceptable,our first fight ticket was almost 2000 dollars, again paid 700 it’s hurt … airlines need to do something please

They were very pleasant and helpful. My husband and I were sitted apart. We asked if we could be seated together were told flight ws fuly booked but would try. After a while they were able to make it work we got seats together. Their food is good and attendents are very friendly/helpful.

The crew were friendly, dressed professionally and helpful when needed. The food was good to very good. The seats were comfortable and entertainment selections were excellent.   For that long of a flight Athens to Newark Economy is a little tight and the space became uncomfortable about mid-way. Next time I would try and get a Premium Economy seat. Especially for the return flight when one can be less enthused and tired. On the way to a vacation enthusiasm can outweigh discomfort.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. The seats were very comfortable and spacious. The entertainment was amazing, and so was the food!

Excellent staff! Flights were delayed due to technical issues after everyone was boarded and we sat in the flight for almost 2 hours before taking off. Not enough vegetarian food was available despite pre-ordering. The staff did an exceptional job dealing with both the problems neither of their making.

Better entertainment; the lack of it made the very long flight even longer

Seating is terrible, having seats so crammed is unacceptable for a 15-hour journey. I cannot stress enough how uncomfortable it is to sit in such an aircraft. Leg space is roomier in a domestic aircraft. I have not experienced this kind of crammy seating in domestic flights either in the US or other international airlines overseas.

Do not overbook flights and kick out confirmed ticketed passengers :-(

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?

Noice cancelling headphones would be better since it’s a crowded plane And kids behaviors are unavoidable

More facilities to transport to the gates......felt too much walking distance

Just happy I flew Qatar Airways awesome no wonder they are #1 in the world right now! The food was just delicious, very courteous, professional crew.

It was good no problems made it on time for the next flight overseas!

It was a really long flight from Doha to Philadelphia and it was overall a good one. The one area that I would comment on is that there is a lot of single-use plastic and disposables in the meal service for American Airlines. It would be great to see more circular options in the meal service to reduce the amount of waste.

Suddenly Flight has been change by Qatar and there’s no information is there of us from Bom to Doha and counter person is behaving like Qatar owner next I will not buy Qatar and I will not suggest anyone to fly in Qatar

We had an unfortunate experience where we had to leave the aircraft after boarding, shortly before the scheduled takeoff time, and re-board. The reason given was that a passenger felt ill and had to cancel their plans and therefor their luggage had to be found and removed.

We’ve used VA before many times the experience is always been good they have lovely staff and the food is always delicious.

Everything about the flight was amazing from check in to boarding entertainment was okay food we didn’t try.

Seats were old and dirty, for a long haul flight you expect to be able to recline and for the av to work properly. Choice for vegans was fruit….

The Virgin Atlantic crew was very good. However, the equipment was OK, the seats were OK, but her bags did not arrive with me. Two bags showed up a day later and I’m still waiting for my third back.

The crew was very good. However, the equipment was a bit dated. Some of the electronics were not working. To top it, three bags didn’t arrive with me. Two of them were delivered a day later. I’m still waiting for the third bag, I was so looking forward to this virgin Atlantic flight, but, I am disappointed.

My only complaint is that the pocket in front of me was ripped and my things, like iPad and airline magazines, kept slipping to the floor.

Flight delayed yet again. Crew apathetic and unhelpful re affect on connecting flight.

I think Virgin is one of the best flying experiences, especially from/to the UK. The staff are so helpful and fun, the food is good, seats comfortable, goof entertainment and great value. Check in and boarding is pretty pain free. I also find that the other passengers are generally so kind and considerate than when I've flown other airlines.

Cabin crew on our flight showed lack of any customer service gruff and acting annoyed if you asked anything and I mean anything Example a man on the seat over dropped his beer on my husbands blanket We asked if we could switch out blankets cabin crew Said. No we don’t have any extras OK well can you take the wet one Cabin crew looked disgusted and annoyed Took it no OK or yes just a growl

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

The flight was delayed so the people from a late connecting flight was able to still make the connection.

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?!?

Was a pain having to leave the plane and reboard but glad the plane was fixed

We had to wait almost an hour for the wheelchair porter to be ready to pick up my mother. And when she arrived in Newark airport the porter was not there and she started walking with her cane and her poor mobility. When the Newark porter found her they didn't want to transfer her bags to the wheelchair for her.

My experience was medium staff where great I dislike flying in triple 7 seats very uncomfortable and no room on jet all the rest of the flights where great

Great onboard crew. Boarding was a zoo, I got in line before pre boarding in Group 2, still had my bag force checked. WiFi was glitchy all flight. Seat and bathroom are both tiny unless you pay $$$ for first class.

Staff was generally seeming stressed out and was a bit rude and slow. Plane left late. Pilot was very well-spoken.

Cabin was pitch black, even during meal service. The reading lights for seat 2E/F did not work, and seat 2E did not recline.

I never made this flight but the staff helped to get me rebooked (see previous review)

No land services during boarding, specially while moving from terminal to another

Even the carry-ons were not allowed and upon getting down, we had the wait for the longest time for the baggage to put on the jet aisle. We had a short connection which British Airways kept changing and made out entire experience poor. I would never fly BA again.

The seat was very uncomfortable. It helped to use the foot rest. Could not sleep because of the seat.

The seats are incredibly uncomfortable. My luggage didn't make it on the flight from London to Nashville.

The plane itself is old and way overcrowded. The crew do a great job of trying to mitigate. It is just uncomfortable for over 8 hours, bearable, but barely. Boarding, and the baggage game, is ludicrous. Why charge extra to check bags when there is not enough room for everyone to "carry-on" and checking is needed? I do not think these issues would be different with other airlines, I believe it is the attitude that squeezes every penny out of each traveler.

Expected a lot better service paying for a business class seat. Seemed to be short on staff and did not get the service I expected.

I flew Club World and was SHOCKED at how totally absent the crew were for the duration of the flight. So much so that we received no drink service other than the post-departure cocktail and that was it. Wasn't even offered tea/coffee and the in-flight attention was so bad that literally minutes before landing the one crew member for our row was scrambling to pick up left-behind water bottles, glassware, trash. And the rest of the crew had already stowed all carts, he was cramming the trash into the lavatory trash can and was stashing the glassware frantically in the galley as we were on final approach. He was so scrambled he left two overhead lockers wide open (that he'd opened) for landing. Unbelievable!

The flight was several times changed. That was inconvenient, to sah the least.

They lost my special meal request and tried to tell me I didn't request it. I had the proof. Then they tried to get me to eat food I can't eat. No apologies

Book Cheap California Plane Tickets

Recent return flight deals

 
These are the cheapest return flights to California found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
21/1Tue
2 stops
37h 21mCPT-SFO
3/2Mon
2 stops
33h 05mSFO-CPT
R15 315
22/1Wed
2 stops
33h 00mCPT-SFO
3/2Mon
2 stops
33h 05mSFO-CPT
R15 370
4/2Tue
2 stops
31h 58mJNB-LAS
11/2Tue
2 stops
36h 10mLAS-JNB
R16 541
4/2Tue
2 stops
31h 58mJNB-LAS
11/2Tue
2 stops
36h 10mLAS-JNB
R16 559
4/2Tue
2 stopsUnited Airlines
35h 59mJNB-LAS
11/2Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
22h 00mLAS-JNB
R16 724
4/2Tue
1 stopUnited Airlines
25h 18mJNB-LAX
10/2Mon
2 stopsUnited Airlines
31h 44mLAX-JNB
R16 724
6/2Thu
2 stopsBritish Airways
33h 05mJNB-LAX
10/2Mon
2 stopsBritish Airways
40h 05mLAX-JNB
R19 194
30/1Thu
2 stopsBritish Airways
33h 05mJNB-LAX
3/2Mon
2 stopsBritish Airways
55h 50mLAX-JNB
R19 249
2/1Thu
1 stopVirgin Atlantic
38h 45mCPT-SFO
14/1Tue
1 stopVirgin Atlantic
29h 15mSFO-CPT
R63 345
5/2Wed
3 stopsEmirates
30h 40mJNB-SFO
12/2Wed
3 stopsEmirates
42h 45mSFO-JNB
R81 660

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Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best deals for one-way flights to California found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
24/5Sat
1 stopQatar Airways
33h 50mCPT-SFO
R11 143
22/4Tue
1 stopQatar Airways
33h 30mJNB-LAX
R11 253
22/1Wed
1 stopTurkish Airlines
33h 30mCPT-SFO
R11 893
17/4Thu
1 stopTurkish Airlines
26h 55mCPT-SFO
R12 991
29/12Sun
2 stopsBritish Airways
37h 04mCPT-SFO
R24 134
13/4Sun
3 stopsUnited Airlines
36h 57mCPT-SFO
R24 189
2/1Thu
2 stopsBritish Airways
38h 05mJNB-LAX
R31 142
2/1Thu
2 stopsUnited Airlines
29h 46mCPT-LAX
R33 795
2/1Thu
1 stopEmirates
33h 20mJNB-LAX
R37 674
22/5Thu
1 stopEmirates
33h 55mCPT-SFO
R37 747

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Last minute flights to California

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights to California that are departing in the next 10 days.
23/12Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
27h 26mJNB-SFO
19/1Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
25h 35mSFO-JNB
R16 778
23/12Mon
multi-stopUnited Airlines
31h 40mJNB-SFO
5/1Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
33h 25mSFO-JNB
R22 798
24/12Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
30h 06mJNB-LAX
7/1Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
32h 42mLAX-JNB
R24 811
27/12Fri
multi-stopKenya Airways
35h 55mJNB-SFO
7/1Tue
multi-stopKenya Airways
31h 10mSFO-JNB
R26 256
27/12Fri
multi-stop
27h 30mJNB-SFO
7/1Tue
multi-stop
22h 10mSFO-JNB
R26 275
24/12Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
31h 17mJNB-LAX
7/1Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
27h 25mLAX-JNB
R27 867
24/12Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
30h 25mJNB-LAX
7/1Tue
multi-stopBritish Airways
30h 25mLAX-JNB
R29 733
26/12Thu
multi-stopAir France
27h 30mJNB-SFO
6/1Mon
multi-stopAir France
32h 00mSFO-JNB
R68 047
26/12Thu
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
33h 45mCPT-LAX
6/1Mon
multi-stopTurkish Airlines
31h 05mLAX-CPT
R106 892
26/12Thu
multi-stopQatar Airways
39h 58mCPT-ONT
6/1Mon
multi-stopQatar Airways
49h 25mONT-CPT
R146 322

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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.

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