Milwaukee (MKE) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 4h 16m
Bearing
256° W
Milwaukee (MKE) to San Diego (SAN) is 1,736 miles (2,793 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MKE–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 4 carriers flying nonstop MKE–SAN; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 58% of departures; flights ran 63% full.
Departures
38
May 2026
Seats
6,280
both directions
Passengers
3,974
both directions
Load factor
63.3%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MKE–SAN?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop MKE–SAN departures in May 2026 (34), one of 4 carriers on the route.
- WN
34 departures · 5,798 seats
Share of departures89.5%64.3%
Load
- DL
2 departures · 144 seats
Share of departures5.3%66.0%
Load
- AA
1 departures · 172 seats
Share of departures2.6%61.6%
Load
- UA
1 departures · 166 seats
Share of departures2.6%27.7%
Load
What plane flies MKE–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 58% of MKE–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
22 departures · 64.3% load
57.9% - Boeing 737-800
10 departures · 55.4% load
26.3% - Boeing 737-700
4 departures · 80.7% load
10.5% - Boeing 757-200
2 departures · 66.0% load
5.3%
How has MKE–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop MKE–SAN departures rose from 9 in June 2025 to 38 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop MKE–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
9 departures · 1,016 passengers
81.4%
Load
July 2025
9 departures · 1,218 passengers
92.1%
Load
August 2025
3 departures · 356 passengers
73.4%
Load
September 2025
1 departures · 92 passengers
51.4%
Load
October 2025
42 departures · 5,404 passengers
77.9%
Load
November 2025
41 departures · 4,677 passengers
76.4%
Load
December 2025
35 departures · 4,261 passengers
79.1%
Load
January 2026
16 departures · 1,526 passengers
60.0%
Load
February 2026
22 departures · 1,852 passengers
51.7%
Load
March 2026
43 departures · 5,604 passengers
78.5%
Load
April 2026
37 departures · 4,343 passengers
69.4%
Load
May 2026
38 departures · 3,974 passengers
63.3%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SAN → MKE
59.4% full
21 departures · 1,964 passengers
MKE → SAN
67.6% full
17 departures · 2,010 passengers
Nonstop MKE–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 Milwaukee (MKE) from San Diego (SAN)?
MKE to SAN is 1,736 miles (2,793 km / 1,508 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MKE to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 1,736-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 16m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MKE–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (57.9%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (26.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying MKE–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,736-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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