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
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Delta Air Lines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DTW–LAX; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 63% of departures; flights ran 84% full.
Departures
414
April 2026
Seats
79,079
both directions
Passengers
66,279
both directions
Load factor
83.8%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DTW–LAX?
Delta Air Lines operated the most nonstop DTW–LAX departures in April 2026 (352), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- DL
Delta Air Lines
352 departures · 66,937 seats
Share of departures85.0%82.6%
Load
- NK
Spirit Airlines
62 departures · 12,142 seats
Share of departures15.0%90.3%
Load
What plane flies DTW–LAX?
In April 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 63% of DTW–LAX departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321neo
259 departures · 84.5% load
62.6% - Boeing 737-900ER
89 departures · 78.1% load
21.5% - Airbus A320
32 departures · 87.0% load
7.7% - Airbus A321
26 departures · 87.6% load
6.3% - Airbus A320neo
6 departures · 98.1% load
1.5% - Boeing 757-200
1 departures · 86.9% load
0.2% - Airbus A330-200
1 departures · 96.9% load
0.2%
How has DTW–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop DTW–LAX departures fell from 463 in May 2025 to 414 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DTW–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
463 departures · 73,519 passengers
81.5%
Load
June 2025
491 departures · 80,392 passengers
84.3%
Load
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
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
DTW → LAX
80.1% full
208 departures · 31,799 passengers
LAX → DTW
87.6% full
206 departures · 34,480 passengers
Nonstop DTW–LAX traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
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 April 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (62.6%), followed by the Boeing 737-900ER (21.5%).
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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