Detroit (DTW) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Flight time
≈ 4h 45m
Bearing
265° W
Detroit (DTW) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 1,975 miles (3,178 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DTW–LAX
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, Delta Air Lines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop DTW–LAX; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 47% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
346
June 2026
Seats
69,587
both directions
Passengers
63,696
both directions
Load factor
91.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DTW–LAX?
Delta Air Lines operated the most nonstop DTW–LAX departures in June 2026 (344), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- DL
344 departures · 69,336 seats
Share of departures99.4%91.8%
Load
- OO
1 departures · 76 seats
Share of departures0.3%0.0%
Load
- WN
1 departures · 175 seats
Share of departures0.3%11.4%
Load
What plane flies DTW–LAX?
In June 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 47% of DTW–LAX departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321neo
163 departures · 92.9% load
47.1% - Boeing 757-300
86 departures · 91.7% load
24.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
73 departures · 90.0% load
21.1% - Boeing 757-200
14 departures · 95.2% load
4.0% - Airbus A321
3 departures · 89.0% load
0.9% - Airbus A350-900
2 departures · 58.2% load
0.6% - Airbus A319
1 departures · 92.4% load
0.3% - Bombardier CRJ-900
1 departures · 0.0% load
0.3% - Boeing 767-300
1 departures · 97.7% load
0.3% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
1 departures · 11.4% load
0.3% - Boeing 767-400ER
1 departures · 99.2% load
0.3%
How has DTW–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop DTW–LAX departures fell from 523 in July 2025 to 346 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop DTW–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
523 departures · 89,234 passengers
89.5%
Load
August 2025
490 departures · 80,853 passengers
87.8%
Load
September 2025
462 departures · 66,992 passengers
75.7%
Load
October 2025
474 departures · 74,380 passengers
83.0%
Load
November 2025
367 departures · 56,998 passengers
81.4%
Load
December 2025
421 departures · 66,671 passengers
83.9%
Load
January 2026
402 departures · 61,119 passengers
79.0%
Load
February 2026
359 departures · 56,712 passengers
81.1%
Load
March 2026
416 departures · 69,843 passengers
85.5%
Load
April 2026
414 departures · 66,279 passengers
83.8%
Load
May 2026
369 departures · 60,844 passengers
87.4%
Load
June 2026
346 departures · 63,696 passengers
91.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DTW → LAX
90.1% full
173 departures · 31,472 passengers
LAX → DTW
92.9% full
173 departures · 32,224 passengers
Nonstop DTW–LAX traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Detroit (DTW) from Los Angeles (LAX)?
DTW to LAX is 1,975 miles (3,178 km / 1,716 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DTW to LAX?
A nonstop covers the 1,975-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 45m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DTW–LAX?
In June 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (47.1%), followed by the Boeing 757-300 (24.9%).
What mileage do I earn flying DTW–LAX?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,975-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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