Deal alert: Fly to Los Angeles this winter from $80 nonstop

When the calendar changes, the temperature cools and the ticket prices drop, it's a good time to follow the sage advice of the notable newspaperman Horace Greeley and "Go West, young man!"

There is a major sale for winter flights to Los Angeles from a number of cities, with many nonstops available. This deal also works in reverse if you live in the City of Angels and are looking to head out of town for a bit.

American and Delta fares part of this sale are for Main Cabin, which comes with a free carry-on and seat assignment. Other fares are in basic economy.

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Thanks to our friends at Thrifty Traveler for alerting us to this great deal, which they gave out first to their premium subscribers. Their premium service is available for $7.99 monthly or $49.99 annually. This membership fee can easily pay for itself since you’ll get notified of cheap flights, award flight sales and business-class deals straight to your email.

Nonmembers can find sale prices by using Google Flights to search for desired routes and dates.

Deal basics

Airlines: American, Delta and others.
Routes: AUS/DEN/DFW/FLL/IAH/IND/JFK/LAX/MIA/MSY/SFO to LAX.
Cost: Flights available from $78; some nonstop routes available.
Dates: Now-November 2022; availability varies by city.

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 (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.

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.

Related: Los Angeles Airport 101: Where to eat and drink at LAX

American Main Cabin fares from San Francisco (SFO) to LAX in late April can be booked for just $80. That's a huge discount from what that itinerary usually costs at that time of year. We also found lots of availability at the same bargain price for the same route in March.

Delta Main Cabin fares from Denver (DEN) to LA can be had for under $100 round-trip in February.

Alaska Airlines has nonstop Saver fares in March from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Los Angeles for $138.

Minneapolis (MSP) to LA in February for a long weekend can be booked on Delta for $140 nonstop.

Here's another great fare we found in this deal — Indianapolis (IND) to Los Angeles for just $138 nonstop in late February is almost too good to pass up. That ticket usually will cost close to $400. And it's on American, so it's a Main Cabin fare, which comes with the carry-on bag. So if you're a savvy traveler who knows how to maximize space in your carry-on, then you want to jump on this long weekend itinerary.

Related: 23 fun things to do in Los Angeles for every type of traveler

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a card that earns points on airfare purchases, like 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 (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.

Bottom line

Los Angeles sometimes doesn't get the love it should for being a destination with so many great reasons to visit. You can do movie studio tours, enjoy the incredibly diverse culinary scene and great shopping, and also take scenic road trips to Malibu or Santa Barbara. No matter what floats your travel boat, you can find it in Southern California.