Washington (DCA) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 5h 21m
Bearing
272° W
Washington (DCA) to San Diego (SAN) is 2,271 miles (3,655 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, Alaska Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop DCA–SAN; the Boeing 737-800 was the most common aircraft at 69% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
61
July 2026
Seats
9,815
both directions
Passengers
8,987
both directions
Load factor
91.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–SAN?
Alaska Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DCA–SAN in July 2026 (61 departures).
- AS
61 departures · 9,815 seats
Share of departures100.0%91.6%
Load
What plane flies DCA–SAN?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 69% of DCA–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
42 departures · 91.4% load
68.8% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
19 departures · 92.0% load
31.1%
How has DCA–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–SAN departures held steady at about 61 a month between August 2025 and July 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
61 departures · 7,825 passengers
80.5%
Load
September 2025
58 departures · 6,456 passengers
70.0%
Load
October 2025
62 departures · 7,626 passengers
77.3%
Load
November 2025
54 departures · 6,530 passengers
75.9%
Load
December 2025
62 departures · 7,519 passengers
75.8%
Load
January 2026
57 departures · 5,941 passengers
65.0%
Load
February 2026
56 departures · 6,718 passengers
74.9%
Load
March 2026
62 departures · 8,675 passengers
87.2%
Load
April 2026
59 departures · 8,310 passengers
87.7%
Load
May 2026
61 departures · 8,157 passengers
83.1%
Load
June 2026
60 departures · 8,681 passengers
89.9%
Load
July 2026
61 departures · 8,987 passengers
91.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DCA → SAN
92.6% full
31 departures · 4,620 passengers
SAN → DCA
90.5% full
30 departures · 4,367 passengers
Nonstop DCA–SAN traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Washington (DCA) from San Diego (SAN)?
DCA to SAN is 2,271 miles (3,655 km / 1,973 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 2,271-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 21m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–SAN?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (68.8%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (31.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,271-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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