Detroit (DTW) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 4h 42m
Bearing
262° W
Detroit (DTW) to San Diego (SAN) is 1,952 miles (3,142 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DTW–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Delta Air Lines was the only carrier flying nonstop DTW–SAN; the Airbus A321 was the most common aircraft at 85% of departures; flights ran 78% full.
Departures
222
May 2026
Seats
42,086
both directions
Passengers
32,706
both directions
Load factor
77.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DTW–SAN?
Delta Air Lines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DTW–SAN in May 2026 (222 departures).
- DL
222 departures · 42,086 seats
Share of departures100.0%77.7%
Load
What plane flies DTW–SAN?
In May 2026, the Airbus A321 flew 85% of DTW–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321
188 departures · 75.9% load
84.7% - Airbus A321neo
24 departures · 88.5% load
10.8% - Boeing 757-200
8 departures · 84.2% load
3.6% - Boeing 737-800
1 departures · 89.4% load
0.4% - Airbus A319
1 departures · 90.1% load
0.4%
How has DTW–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop DTW–SAN departures fell from 249 in June 2025 to 222 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DTW–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
249 departures · 38,578 passengers
80.2%
Load
July 2025
264 departures · 42,121 passengers
84.5%
Load
August 2025
259 departures · 40,815 passengers
83.3%
Load
September 2025
231 departures · 33,406 passengers
73.8%
Load
October 2025
236 departures · 35,593 passengers
78.9%
Load
November 2025
213 departures · 30,601 passengers
75.7%
Load
December 2025
218 departures · 30,540 passengers
74.0%
Load
January 2026
183 departures · 24,585 passengers
70.9%
Load
February 2026
166 departures · 23,963 passengers
75.8%
Load
March 2026
181 departures · 28,058 passengers
82.4%
Load
April 2026
212 departures · 30,226 passengers
75.6%
Load
May 2026
222 departures · 32,706 passengers
77.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DTW → SAN
80.5% full
111 departures · 16,966 passengers
SAN → DTW
74.9% full
111 departures · 15,740 passengers
Nonstop DTW–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 Detroit (DTW) from San Diego (SAN)?
DTW to SAN is 1,952 miles (3,142 km / 1,697 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DTW to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 1,952-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 42m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DTW–SAN?
In May 2026, the Airbus A321 flew the largest share of departures (84.7%), followed by the Airbus A321neo (10.8%).
What mileage do I earn flying DTW–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,952-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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