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 July 2026, Delta Air Lines was the only carrier flying nonstop DTW–SAN; the Airbus A321 was the most common aircraft at 76% of departures; flights ran 90% full.
Departures
217
July 2026
Seats
41,550
both directions
Passengers
37,583
both directions
Load factor
90.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DTW–SAN?
Delta Air Lines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DTW–SAN in July 2026 (217 departures).
- DL
217 departures · 41,550 seats
Share of departures100.0%90.5%
Load
What plane flies DTW–SAN?
In July 2026, the Airbus A321 flew 76% of DTW–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321
164 departures · 90.4% load
75.6% - Boeing 757-200
50 departures · 91.1% load
23.0% - Airbus A321neo
3 departures · 82.6% load
1.4%
How has DTW–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop DTW–SAN departures fell from 259 in August 2025 to 217 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop DTW–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
211 departures · 36,384 passengers
90.3%
Load
July 2026
217 departures · 37,583 passengers
90.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SAN → DTW
89.8% full
109 departures · 18,718 passengers
DTW → SAN
91.1% full
108 departures · 18,865 passengers
Nonstop DTW–SAN traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 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 July 2026, the Airbus A321 flew the largest share of departures (75.6%), followed by the Boeing 757-200 (23.0%).
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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