Compare Los Angeles flights

If you feel like a dose of West Coast glitz and glamour, you’re in luck. There are loads of direct flights to Los Angeles from the UK.

This is a popular business and leisure route, as well as a stopover point for flights heading down under – so while there are few low-cost carriers in the market, the choice of full-service airlines is large, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and many more. With great beaches, big theme parks, showbiz thrills and easy access to California's wild Central Coast, Los Angeles' appeal is obvious. Here's how to plan your flight.

While the distance makes truly cheap Los Angeles flights difficult to find, it’s still possible to pick up some good deals. As with all long-distance flights, booking well in advance is one of the biggest levers you can pull to bring down costs. Looking at low-cost airlines well also help – Norwegian, for example, operates direct flights to LAX from the UK. The most reliable tactics are to avoid the summer peaks – May and early June flights are a particularly good buy – and to consider flying indirect.

Direct flights to Los Angeles come in at around 11 hours, with some variation depending on your departure airport. If your flight has a stopover, your journey time will naturally be longer; but exactly how much longer will be determined by where you stop over and for how long. At time of writing, direct flights to Los Angeles are only available from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester.

Yes, it can be worth it. Sometimes direct flights are cheaper, but as a general rule, you’ll be able to save a fair amount of money by adding a stopover to your route. In some cases, the cheapest options will actually involve a direct flight going out to Los Angeles, and a flight with a stopover going home, or vice versa.

Popular stopover locations for Los Angeles include:

• Montréal: Fly with Air Canada and you might stop in Montréal. This route splits your flights more evenly than some other options, with the first leg lasting 7 hours 25 minutes, and the second just over 6 hours. If you have time, it’s worth booking a night or two in a Montréal hotel and exploring this highlight of the French-speaking Canadian province of Québec.
• San Francisco: With a United flight, you’ll stop in a US city such as San Francisco. This means you’ll have a flight of 11 hours 10 minutes first, followed by a short hop of around 1 hour 30 minutes. Arty and liberal San Francisco is a top destination in its own right, so take the chance to spend some time here if you can.

Los Angeles looms large in the imaginations of people the world over, so when you actually get the chance to go there, it can be hard to know where to begin and where to stay. If experiencing the upscale side of the city is your priority, looking for accommodation in Beverly Hills might be a good call – assuming your budget can stretch that far.

That puts you within striking distance of Hollywood, and close to the hills to the northwest (well worth exploring if you have a car). If it’s the more down-to-earth aspect of the city’s character that interests you, it’s worth considering a stay in Downtown Los Angeles. A visit to our Los Angeles holidays page will help you build up a picture of what kind of accommodation is on offer – and find some money-saving package deals at the same time.

LA is a driver's city, and to enjoy its wide, palm-lined streets to the full, it's best to hire a car. That way you can take that essential cruise down Sunset Boulevard and explore the delights that lie beyond the city, including the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim and the legendary coastal roads of Big Sur.