Deal alert: California dreaming for less than $200
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
There is no bad time to visit Los Angeles. Between the typically amazing weather and a cornucopia of things to do, the City of Angels is an evergreen travel destination. I go often for work and for leisure, and never have trouble finding something new to enjoy.
Of course, L.A. isn't cheap (what big American city is?) so when you can save some money on your airfare, you have to jump at the opportunity. There are discounted fares available from dozens of cities across the U.S. that could get you to Los Angeles this winter for as little as $56. Even better, most of these sale fares are nonstop.
The majority of available flights at the lower rates are for Basic Economy on Alaska Air and Delta, but American and United tickets are Main Cabin fares, which offer more flexibility.
This fare sale is for travel between December 2021 and October 2022. As is normally the case with deals like this, availability varies widely depending on your departure city and when you want to travel.
Thanks to the great team at Thrifty Traveler Premium for alerting us about this deal, which they first sent out to their subscribers.
Non-members can still score a discounted ticket by using Google Flights to search for desired routes and dates. As always, a little flexibility in your travel plans goes a long way toward saving some cash.
Deal basics
Airlines: Alaska Air, American, Delta, United
Routes: ABQ/AUS/BOI/BOS/DAL/FLL/IAH/IND/JFK/MCO/MIA/MSP/ORD/PHL/SFO/SJC and others to LAX.
Cost: From $56 round-trip
Dates: December -- October 2022; availability varies
Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year); the Citi Prestige® Card for 5x on airfare; the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) (3x on air travel); Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on air travel); the American Express® Gold Card for 3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2x on travel — which you could redeem for as little as 13,000 points.
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Let's start with a rock-bottom fare we found from San Jose (SJC) to LA on Alaska Air in February for just $57 round-trip. That is a deeply discounted price for that route, and it's a Main Cabin seat with a carry-on and seat assignment. The cheapest seats and widest availability I saw for this route was for travel in February 2022.
There are quite a few reduced-price fares from San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles on Delta, too. For example, there are $77 roundtrip tickets available throughout January 2022.
For just two dollars more, you can book a Basic Economy ticket from SFO -- LAX in March. This is Delta's stripped-down tier, which means no seat selection and no free changes, but you do get a carry-on. And considering this is almost 50% off what this ticket would usually cost, you would probably be okay with it.
If you live on the East Coast, you can also take part in this deal.
New Yorkers looking for a break from typically freezing January temperatures can book a Delta ticket out of JFK that will cost just $137 roundtrip, a savings of more than 50% from normal prices.
Miami to Los Angeles is another heavily discounted fare we came across. American has nonstop tickets for just $135 roundtrip in January, and it's a Main Cabin seat which comes with seat selection, free changes and a carry-on.
We'll wrap it up with one more steal of a deal. If you live in Indianapolis, it will cost you just $137 for a nonstop round-trip ticket to Los Angeles in late January. In fact, this route at this price point via Delta was available when we checked for much of January. This ticket usually sells for around $300!
Bottom Line
With California having fully reopened for tourism during the summer, this could be the perfect time to book that trip to L.A. you've been dreaming about.