Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 5h 11m
Bearing
276° W
Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to San Diego (SAN) is 2,189 miles (3,522 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies RDU–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, Alaska Airlines operated the most departures, one of 4 carriers flying nonstop RDU–SAN; the Boeing 737 MAX 9 was the most common aircraft at 43% of departures; flights ran 83% full.
Departures
90
July 2026
Seats
14,908
both directions
Passengers
12,404
both directions
Load factor
83.2%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies RDU–SAN?
Alaska Airlines operated the most nonstop RDU–SAN departures in July 2026 (63), one of 4 carriers on the route.
- AS
63 departures · 11,129 seats
Share of departures70.0%83.2%
Load
- MX
25 departures · 3,425 seats
Share of departures27.8%86.4%
Load
- UA
1 departures · 179 seats
Share of departures1.1%92.7%
Load
- WN
1 departures · 175 seats
Share of departures1.1%9.1%
Load
What plane flies RDU–SAN?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew 43% of RDU–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 9
39 departures · 84.6% load
43.3% - Airbus A220-300
25 departures · 86.4% load
27.8% - Boeing 737-900ER
20 departures · 79.2% load
22.2% - Boeing 737-800
5 departures · 73.6% load
5.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
1 departures · 91.9% load
1.1%
How has RDU–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop RDU–SAN departures rose from 27 in August 2025 to 90 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop RDU–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
27 departures · 3,198 passengers
85.5%
Load
September 2025
25 departures · 2,796 passengers
81.6%
Load
October 2025
26 departures · 2,949 passengers
82.8%
Load
November 2025
26 departures · 2,855 passengers
80.2%
Load
December 2025
26 departures · 3,172 passengers
89.0%
Load
January 2026
4 departures · 513 passengers
93.6%
Load
February 2026
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
March 2026
1 departures · 174 passengers
97.2%
Load
April 2026
18 departures · 2,474 passengers
78.5%
Load
May 2026
84 departures · 10,763 passengers
77.6%
Load
June 2026
86 departures · 12,871 passengers
90.4%
Load
July 2026
90 departures · 12,404 passengers
83.2%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
RDU → SAN
81.2% full
45 departures · 6,043 passengers
SAN → RDU
85.2% full
45 departures · 6,361 passengers
Nonstop RDU–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 Raleigh/Durham (RDU) from San Diego (SAN)?
RDU to SAN is 2,189 miles (3,522 km / 1,902 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from RDU to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 2,189-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 11m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies RDU–SAN?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 9 flew the largest share of departures (43.3%), followed by the Airbus A220-300 (27.8%).
What mileage do I earn flying RDU–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,189-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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