Dulles (IAD) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 5h 18m
Bearing
271° W
Dulles (IAD) to San Diego (SAN) is 2,248 miles (3,618 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies IAD–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop IAD–SAN; the Boeing 737 MAX 9 was the most common aircraft at 58% of departures; flights ran 85% full.
Departures
240
May 2026
Seats
42,463
both directions
Passengers
36,107
both directions
Load factor
85.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IAD–SAN?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop IAD–SAN departures in May 2026 (177), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- UA
177 departures · 31,631 seats
Share of departures73.8%86.9%
Load
- AS
62 departures · 10,760 seats
Share of departures25.8%79.5%
Load
- DL
1 departures · 72 seats
Share of departures0.4%95.8%
Load
What plane flies IAD–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew 58% of IAD–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 9
140 departures · 84.7% load
58.3% - Boeing 737-900ER
79 departures · 85.3% load
32.9% - Boeing 737-800
13 departures · 87.6% load
5.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
7 departures · 83.4% load
2.9% - Boeing 757-200
1 departures · 95.8% load
0.4%
How has IAD–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop IAD–SAN departures rose from 236 in June 2025 to 240 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop IAD–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
236 departures · 38,480 passengers
91.4%
Load
July 2025
243 departures · 39,260 passengers
91.1%
Load
August 2025
245 departures · 37,249 passengers
85.2%
Load
September 2025
233 departures · 32,772 passengers
79.0%
Load
October 2025
235 departures · 34,722 passengers
82.8%
Load
November 2025
230 departures · 33,235 passengers
81.5%
Load
December 2025
242 departures · 35,619 passengers
83.0%
Load
January 2026
215 departures · 29,097 passengers
76.3%
Load
February 2026
199 departures · 28,515 passengers
80.7%
Load
March 2026
229 departures · 35,672 passengers
87.4%
Load
April 2026
221 departures · 35,146 passengers
89.2%
Load
May 2026
240 departures · 36,107 passengers
85.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
IAD → SAN
82.7% full
120 departures · 17,602 passengers
SAN → IAD
87.4% full
120 departures · 18,505 passengers
Nonstop IAD–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 Dulles (IAD) from San Diego (SAN)?
IAD to SAN is 2,248 miles (3,618 km / 1,954 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from IAD to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 2,248-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 18m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies IAD–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew the largest share of departures (58.3%), followed by the Boeing 737-900ER (32.9%).
What mileage do I earn flying IAD–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,248-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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