£346 Find Cheap Flights from London to California – Compare and Save

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 27/8. 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.
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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 Angeles1 stop£449
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop£454
San Diego
San Diego2 stops£638
San Jose
San Jose1 stop£505
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops£625
Fresno
Fresno2 stops£888
Reno
Reno2 stops£602
Los Angeles
Los Angeles1 stop£449
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop£454
San Diego
San Diego2 stops£638
San Jose
San Jose1 stop£505
Palm Springs
Palm Springs2 stops£625
Fresno
Fresno2 stops£888
Reno
Reno2 stops£602

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

Fri, 28 Aug - Sat, 12 Sep
Austrian Airlines Logo
06:00 - 13:05
LHR
-
LAX
15h 05m
1 stop
Austrian Airlines Logo
08:15 - 06:45
LAX
-
LHR
14h 30m
1 stop
£449Austrian Airlines
Wed, 28 Oct - Tue, 10 Nov
TAP AIR PORTUGAL Logo
16:35 - 16:15
LGW
-
LAX
30h 40m
1 stop
TAP AIR PORTUGAL Logo
17:15 - 09:50
LAX
-
LGW
32h 35m
1 stop
£449TAP AIR PORTUGAL
Tue, 3 Nov - Tue, 10 Nov
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:25 - 23:46
LHR
-
ONT
35h 21m
2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
06:00 - 10:15
ONT
-
LHR
20h 15m
2 stops
£452Virgin Atlantic
Wed, 2 Dec - Mon, 7 Dec
Lufthansa Logo
07:40 - 15:15
LHR
-
LAX
15h 35m
1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
14:12 - 12:00
LAX
-
LHR
13h 48m
1 stop
£454Lufthansa
Mon, 20 Jul - Mon, 19 Oct
United Airlines Logo
14:10 - 22:57
LHR
-
SFO
16h 47m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
08:55 - 10:10
SFO
-
LHR
17h 15m
1 stop
£454United Airlines
Tue, 15 Sep - Thu, 24 Sep
Lufthansa Logo
07:25 - 15:15
LHR
-
LAX
15h 50m
1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
15:40 - 10:10
LAX
-
LHR
10h 30mdirect
£454Lufthansa
Tue, 3 Nov - Tue, 10 Nov
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:25 - 23:46
LHR
-
ONT
35h 21m
2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
13:00 - 10:00
ONT
-
LHR
13h 00m
1 stop
£457Virgin Atlantic
Sat, 3 Oct - Wed, 14 Oct
United Airlines Logo
06:50 - 15:32
LHR
-
LAS
16h 42m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
08:19 - 09:40
LAS
-
LHR
17h 21m
2 stops
£572United Airlines
Thu, 10 Sep - Tue, 29 Sep
British Airways Logo
17:15 - 20:00
LHR
-
LAS
10h 45mdirect
British Airways Logo
08:45 - 06:25
LAS
-
LHR
13h 40m
1 stop
£573British Airways
Tue, 29 Sep - Wed, 14 Oct
British Airways Logo
17:15 - 20:00
LHR
-
LAS
10h 45mdirect
British Airways Logo
17:20 - 11:15
LAS
-
LHR
9h 55mdirect
£573British Airways
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 return flight from London 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 London to California departing in August.

What is the cheapest London to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from London found in the last 72 hours was to Los Angeles, at £389 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 5 days was £389.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

The average price for all round-trip flights from London to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the morning, when retur flights cost £521 on average. Morning departures are around 8% 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 £568.

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.

No, with an average price for the route of £606, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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 £415 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of return tickets is £592 and £588 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 Friday, 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 Wednesday 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 23% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.

Good to know - Cheap tickets from London to California

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight£346
Best time to beat the crowds (18% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (11% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Heathrow Airport to Ontario

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

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew the route from London to California 
ManyiFlew with British Airways
LHR
-
SFO
Jun 2026
London airport is huge - it took be an hour to transfer from one gate to another gate in the same terminal. Plan accordingly.
AntonFlew with United Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Feb 2026
United has a cool arrival lounge in london but it is a bit hard to find, after customs look left
AlastairFlew with British Airways
LHR
-
SFO
Feb 2025
Make sure your free checked luggage is for outward and return flights.
Verified travelerFlew with British Airways
LHR
-
SAN
Sept 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 Iberia
LHR
-
LAX
Sept 2024
Pack light and know you can always get stuff when you land.
Verified travelerFlew with United Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Sept 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 Airways
LHR
-
LAX
Jun 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 Airlines
LHR
-
SFO
Mar 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 Iberia
LHR
-
SFO
Mar 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.

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.
7.5
Virgin AtlanticOverall score based on 691 reviews
8.1Crew
6.9Food
7.7Boarding
7.5Entertainment
7.3Comfort
Airline reviews

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

10.0 ExcellentLye Sim, Jun 2026
LHR - JFK
Read more Virgin Atlantic reviews

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

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

Security area in terminal 3 needs to be made much nicer. Less claustrophobic and use of glass and big ceilings wouldhelp

accomodating check in staff, friendly flight crew ( a crew member was speaking tactlessly and was overfamiliar with passengers

Seats need to be updated. Allowance needs to be made for dinner service at an alternative time

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.

Premium was very comfortable. Food was delicious. I had specific diet requirement and Virgin Atlantic ensured it was provided. Onboard crew was very friendly and caring. Extremely smooth journey. I wonder how upper class experience would be. Perhaps one day, I will try upper class.

On arrival to JFK it to 3.5hrs to clear immigration, as only 3 booths open. Almost missed connection

Very friendly and helpful staff on board and United was excellent when I missed my onward flight due to the delay in London. Very well organised meant much less stress

First time flying with UA and it was a great experience. Thank you

Staff on board was excellent. Positive upbeat helpful- like it used to be.

United has come a long way, it’s been a fantastic experience traveling with them.

The flight attendants were very rude, beyond comprehension. I took a business class from London to SFO for the first time on United. When I asked for a second piece of bread during dinner, the serving attendant threw a 3rd bread on my plate and said, “here. You can have this one too”! I couldn’t believe the rudeness of the attendant. Most all attendants were very rude, unhelpful, sing the food was absolutely disgusting. Never fly United internationally in business class. My flight back to SFO was a nightmare!!

Our experience on United Airlines was extremely poor. The plane was extremely cold throughout our entire flight- which multiple people complained about- and we had to wait 2 hours to get a blanket which was too thin and barely helped warm us up. As well as this, none of the entertainment features were working so we had to sit through a roughly 10 hour flight with nothing to keep our attention, including the actual flight path screen. It was an extremely disappointing experience and I would hope that this gets fixed if we ever choose United Airlines again.

Cabin crew was very friendly, requests were satisfied promptly and cheerfully, and the cabin was reasonably clean when I boarded. The United lounges at Newark and Heathrow are always well-run and comfortable, especially Newark. I look forward to the new lounge that will be part of the rebuild of Terminal 2 at Heathrow.

The senior flight attendants were amazing. Totally different vibe from other carriers. Easy 10 hour flight in Business Class. Great food. Good humor as well.

I was lucky to sit in a seat with legroom in economy . The airplane felt like it was 100 years old, seats were very basic, barely reclined. Food was alright , staff was ok but not the friendliest. But all in all ok trip, perfectly on time

Liked Seat space in Premium Plus Disliked delay, poor management of boarding groups, missed meal at landing.

The friendly staff. They kept time. Was suprised to get some drinks.

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

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.

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.

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.

I loved the ability to upgrade my seat which was worth it. The large seat and ability to recline made it comfortable to fall asleep. My only two complaints were entertainment (movie selections were old) and approx 30 mins before landing the crew started to collect the blankets despite the cabin air temperature remaining cold. Maybe wait for passengers to get off the plane before collecting the blankets.

The crew was unfriendly front check-in. The filth in the plane was so disappointing. I could smell dirt and looked up and there was literally dirt that was blowing in through the air. Old food on the seat back tray in front of me so I didn’t use it. No toilet paper in the bathroom and scum/old dirt next to the seats.

Boarding was a disaster. 2 hours in line to get boarding passes and we had no luggage to check in. Coffee was $4 so is water. 11 and a half hour’s flight and food was not included. You could purchase the food but it was complete garbage, This is worse than spirit airline. Never again

Flight map did not work. Crew was great, food was good, plane took off on time and landed early. That's all I can ask.

Paid for exit row at the back of the plane. Window seat with lots of leg space. Food was inedible (as usual). Brought my own.

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

Not what I expected for the last leg of a $5100 business class experience. Boarding was a nightmare. The flight was delayed and I had to keep checking my email to ensure I was at the right gate since the airline or the terminal had no clue until 15 mins prior to boarding. Food was gross, limited drink options.

Flights scheduled with impossible connections - Lufthansa apparently believes it takes 7mins to change terminals, go through passport control, re-clear security and walk 1.8kms…..and everything will work perfectly (which it never does at Frankfurt). No staff on hand to assist with transfers on delayed flights. No transfer guidance provided by app. No compensation offered for 6hr delay to connecting flight.

Other than problems with checking in and uploading passport info everything was great. It would be nice to be able to manually input passport info. Often while traveling the bandwidth has problems uploading pictures

Boarding was a zoo. London ground crew was useless. Poor communication regarding where to line up. We were group 2, and everyone was jammed in together. Ground crew didn’t seem to care.

Horrible flight attendant in back of economy that screamed at me, have already reported to United. Horrible food - for Gluten free, why would you assume the person is vegetarian? I was served some kind of horrible curry bean paste and multiple cold rolls and soggy vegetables with no seasoning... um no!

Knowing that there was weather in other areas of the world, united airlines should have planned better than it did. The flight was 5 hours late. United has no regard for its customers

Flight itself fine, big problem with KAYAK. Revised e-ticket sent in July stated departure LHR 10:55, arrival SFO 13:45. (a believable local arrival time given flight length and time difference). When we got to LHR there was no 10:55 flight to SFO and were advised that in fact flight LH2473 was arriving in MUNICH at 13:45pm, and that we would need to get a connecting flight arriving in SFO at 18:55 local time - over 5 hours later than expected. 1) you the booking agent made an error on the revised e-ticket you sent, omitting the Munich stopover and incorrect SFO arrival time. 2) I booked a DIRECT flight and 3) we had to cancel plans this end as a result, even though the team at LHR did a great job moving us to a later direct flight getting us in 2 hours earlier than the flight from munich would have.

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 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.