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 July 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 73% of departures; flights ran 89% full.
Departures
179
July 2026
Seats
29,411
both directions
Passengers
26,293
both directions
Load factor
89.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–SFO departures in July 2026 (120), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
120 departures · 19,920 seats
Share of departures67.0%88.4%
Load
- AS
59 departures · 9,491 seats
Share of departures33.0%91.6%
Load
What plane flies DCA–SFO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 73% of DCA–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
131 departures · 88.6% load
73.2% - Boeing 737-800
48 departures · 91.5% load
26.8%
How has DCA–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–SFO departures fell from 186 in August 2025 to 179 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
176 departures · 25,792 passengers
89.2%
Load
July 2026
179 departures · 26,293 passengers
89.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SFO → DCA
92.6% full
90 departures · 13,691 passengers
DCA → SFO
86.2% full
89 departures · 12,602 passengers
Nonstop DCA–SFO 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 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (73.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (26.8%).
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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