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 July 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop IAD–SAN; the Boeing 737 MAX 9 was the most common aircraft at 56% of departures; flights ran 90% full.
Departures
247
July 2026
Seats
43,981
both directions
Passengers
39,702
both directions
Load factor
90.3%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IAD–SAN?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop IAD–SAN departures in July 2026 (182), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
182 departures · 32,513 seats
Share of departures73.7%92.0%
Load
- AS
65 departures · 11,468 seats
Share of departures26.3%85.4%
Load
What plane flies IAD–SAN?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew 56% of IAD–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 9
139 departures · 90.5% load
56.3% - Boeing 737-900ER
97 departures · 90.4% load
39.3% - Boeing 737-800
9 departures · 84.5% load
3.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
2 departures · 89.4% load
0.8%
How has IAD–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop IAD–SAN departures rose from 245 in August 2025 to 247 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop IAD–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
243 departures · 39,899 passengers
92.1%
Load
July 2026
247 departures · 39,702 passengers
90.3%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SAN → IAD
90.4% full
126 departures · 20,236 passengers
IAD → SAN
90.1% full
121 departures · 19,466 passengers
Nonstop IAD–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 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew the largest share of departures (56.3%), followed by the Boeing 737-900ER (39.3%).
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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