Detroit (DTW) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 4h 57m
Bearing
274° W
Detroit (DTW) to San Francisco (SFO) is 2,074 miles (3,337 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DTW–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Delta Air Lines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DTW–SFO; the Boeing 737-900ER was the most common aircraft at 47% of departures; flights ran 86% full.
Departures
313
May 2026
Seats
53,513
both directions
Passengers
45,770
both directions
Load factor
85.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DTW–SFO?
Delta Air Lines operated the most nonstop DTW–SFO departures in May 2026 (237), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- DL
237 departures · 42,743 seats
Share of departures75.7%85.3%
Load
- UA
76 departures · 10,770 seats
Share of departures24.3%86.6%
Load
What plane flies DTW–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-900ER flew 47% of DTW–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-900ER
148 departures · 83.7% load
47.3% - Boeing 757-200
52 departures · 87.2% load
16.6% - Airbus A319
48 departures · 92.2% load
15.3% - Airbus A321neo
40 departures · 89.9% load
12.8% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
14 departures · 77.5% load
4.5% - Airbus A320
10 departures · 79.1% load
3.2% - Boeing 767-300
1 departures · 38.3% load
0.3%
How has DTW–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop DTW–SFO departures fell from 358 in June 2025 to 313 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DTW–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
358 departures · 52,725 passengers
89.0%
Load
July 2025
378 departures · 56,200 passengers
88.1%
Load
August 2025
317 departures · 48,847 passengers
89.4%
Load
September 2025
291 departures · 41,153 passengers
82.7%
Load
October 2025
308 departures · 46,517 passengers
82.8%
Load
November 2025
292 departures · 38,756 passengers
76.9%
Load
December 2025
272 departures · 37,522 passengers
81.6%
Load
January 2026
253 departures · 32,293 passengers
71.1%
Load
February 2026
223 departures · 30,590 passengers
78.0%
Load
March 2026
284 departures · 39,594 passengers
81.8%
Load
April 2026
290 departures · 40,702 passengers
80.9%
Load
May 2026
313 departures · 45,770 passengers
85.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DTW → SFO
87.7% full
157 departures · 23,537 passengers
SFO → DTW
83.4% full
156 departures · 22,233 passengers
Nonstop DTW–SFO 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 Francisco (SFO)?
DTW to SFO is 2,074 miles (3,337 km / 1,802 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DTW to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 2,074-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 57m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DTW–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-900ER flew the largest share of departures (47.3%), followed by the Boeing 757-200 (16.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying DTW–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,074-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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