Washington (DCA) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 5h 40m
Bearing
283° W
Washington (DCA) to San Francisco (SFO) is 2,436 miles (3,921 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DCA–SFO; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 70% of departures; flights ran 87% full.
Departures
186
May 2026
Seats
30,558
both directions
Passengers
26,445
both directions
Load factor
86.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–SFO departures in May 2026 (124), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
124 departures · 20,584 seats
Share of departures66.7%86.5%
Load
- AS
62 departures · 9,974 seats
Share of departures33.3%86.7%
Load
What plane flies DCA–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 70% of DCA–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
130 departures · 86.4% load
69.9% - Boeing 737-800
56 departures · 87.0% load
30.1%
How has DCA–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–SFO departures rose from 174 in June 2025 to 186 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
174 departures · 25,665 passengers
89.9%
Load
July 2025
172 departures · 25,494 passengers
90.4%
Load
August 2025
186 departures · 26,578 passengers
87.2%
Load
September 2025
177 departures · 25,056 passengers
86.4%
Load
October 2025
186 departures · 25,969 passengers
85.3%
Load
November 2025
178 departures · 24,379 passengers
83.5%
Load
December 2025
186 departures · 25,721 passengers
84.4%
Load
January 2026
176 departures · 21,706 passengers
75.2%
Load
February 2026
166 departures · 21,830 passengers
80.2%
Load
March 2026
184 departures · 26,899 passengers
89.0%
Load
April 2026
177 departures · 25,237 passengers
86.8%
Load
May 2026
186 departures · 26,445 passengers
86.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DCA → SFO
85.0% full
93 departures · 12,987 passengers
SFO → DCA
88.1% full
93 departures · 13,458 passengers
Nonstop DCA–SFO traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Washington (DCA) from San Francisco (SFO)?
DCA to SFO is 2,436 miles (3,921 km / 2,117 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 2,436-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 40m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (69.9%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (30.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,436-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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