Denver (DEN) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 2h 30m
Bearing
239° SW
Denver (DEN) to San Diego (SAN) is 852 miles (1,371 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DEN–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop DEN–SAN; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 18% of departures; flights ran 82% full.
Departures
1,027
May 2026
Seats
166,927
both directions
Passengers
137,699
both directions
Load factor
82.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DEN–SAN?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop DEN–SAN departures in May 2026 (388), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- WN
388 departures · 63,720 seats
Share of departures37.8%84.4%
Load
- UA
351 departures · 65,165 seats
Share of departures34.2%82.8%
Load
- OO
156 departures · 11,856 seats
Share of departures15.2%76.3%
Load
- F9
108 departures · 21,914 seats
Share of departures10.5%83.2%
Load
- AS
24 departures · 4,272 seats
Share of departures2.3%64.2%
Load
What plane flies DEN–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 18% of DEN–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
189 departures · 83.6% load
18.4% - Embraer E175
156 departures · 76.3% load
15.2% - Airbus A321neo
149 departures · 82.6% load
14.5% - Boeing 737-900ER
126 departures · 83.7% load
12.3% - Boeing 737-700
110 departures · 88.1% load
10.7% - Boeing 737-800
108 departures · 81.9% load
10.5% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
107 departures · 77.8% load
10.4% - Airbus A320neo
53 departures · 82.7% load
5.2% - Airbus A321
22 departures · 85.7% load
2.1% - Airbus A320
7 departures · 86.3% load
0.7%
How has DEN–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop DEN–SAN departures rose from 906 in June 2025 to 1,027 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DEN–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
906 departures · 136,742 passengers
85.5%
Load
July 2025
902 departures · 140,036 passengers
89.3%
Load
August 2025
868 departures · 134,737 passengers
88.0%
Load
September 2025
821 departures · 124,387 passengers
86.4%
Load
October 2025
1,055 departures · 145,235 passengers
80.3%
Load
November 2025
1,036 departures · 132,988 passengers
75.7%
Load
December 2025
1,064 departures · 136,272 passengers
75.4%
Load
January 2026
993 departures · 126,601 passengers
73.1%
Load
February 2026
922 departures · 127,595 passengers
79.4%
Load
March 2026
1,064 departures · 157,194 passengers
82.8%
Load
April 2026
1,013 departures · 140,354 passengers
80.4%
Load
May 2026
1,027 departures · 137,699 passengers
82.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DEN → SAN
83.6% full
514 departures · 69,312 passengers
SAN → DEN
81.4% full
513 departures · 68,387 passengers
Nonstop DEN–SAN 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 Denver (DEN) from San Diego (SAN)?
DEN to SAN is 852 miles (1,371 km / 740 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DEN to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 852-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 30m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DEN–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (18.4%), followed by the Embraer E175 (15.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying DEN–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 852-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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