Des Moines (DSM) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 3h 39m
Bearing
252° W
Des Moines (DSM) to San Diego (SAN) is 1,426 miles (2,294 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DSM–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn March 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop DSM–SAN; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 100% of departures; flights ran 60% full.
Departures
1
March 2026
Seats
200
both directions
Passengers
119
both directions
Load factor
59.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DSM–SAN?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DSM–SAN in March 2026 (1 departures).
- UA
1 departures · 200 seats
Share of departures100.0%59.5%
Load
What plane flies DSM–SAN?
In March 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 100% of DSM–SAN departures.
- Airbus A321neo
1 departures · 59.5% load
100.0%
How has DSM–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop DSM–SAN departures fell from 18 in June 2025 to 1 in March 2026.
Monthly nonstop DSM–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through March 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
18 departures · 2,888 passengers
89.1%
Load
July 2025
17 departures · 2,851 passengers
92.9%
Load
August 2025
13 departures · 2,196 passengers
93.3%
Load
September 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
October 2025
2 departures · 258 passengers
71.7%
Load
November 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
December 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
January 2026
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
February 2026
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
March 2026
1 departures · 119 passengers
59.5%
Load
Nonstop DSM–SAN traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through March 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Des Moines (DSM) from San Diego (SAN)?
DSM to SAN is 1,426 miles (2,294 km / 1,239 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DSM to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 1,426-mile great-circle distance in roughly 3h 39m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DSM–SAN?
In March 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (100.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying DSM–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,426-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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