Washington to San Diego (DCA–SAN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DCA Airport Page →
2,271 mi airlines charter/private 7/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 3 flights Verified 15m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AS15+1
AS Alaska
738
8:59 AM
EDT T2
11:39 AM
PDT
5h 40m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS14+1
AS Alaska
73H
12:42 PM
PDT T2
9:00 PM
EDT
5h 18m
16%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS11
AS Alaska
73H
3:57 PM
PDT T2
12:15 AM+1
EDT
5h 18m
16%
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
STL St Louis 6h 49m AAWN WN St Louis (STL) to San Diego flights
IND Indianapolis 6h 53m AAAS WN Indianapolis (IND) to San Diego flights
PHX Phoenix 6h 57m AA AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 7h WN WN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
BNA Nashville 7h AADLWN WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 7h 5m AAWN ASDLF9 Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
CMH Columbus 7h 6m AAWN WN Columbus (CMH) to San Diego flights
MKE Milwaukee 7h 10m AAWN WN Milwaukee (MKE) to San Diego flights
OMA Omaha 7h 11m DLWN JTLWN Omaha (OMA) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 7h 14m ACF9UA ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Washington to San Diego
1 carrier, 7 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,271 mi 5h 40m nonstop -3h behind

DCA–SAN is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. Alaska Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 2,271 miles in approximately 5h 40m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DCA–SAN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AS Alaska Airlines Also: HA 7 738 5h40 100% Oneworld HA
Aircraft on this route
738 Boeing 737-800 – AS
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AS (7 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, DCA to SAN direction.
Mon
1
flight
Tue
1
flight
Wed
1
flight
Thu
1
flight
Fri
1
flight
Sat
1
flight
Sun
1
flight
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
1
Nonstop flights
7
Outbound / wk
8
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DCA to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
45
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~19h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,064
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DCA → SAN
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
84%
Return
SAN → DCA
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DCA delays → SAN delays →

Other ways to reach San Diego from Washington

Nearby airports with service to San Diego International Airport.
Metric DCA→SAN IAD→SAN BWI→SAN
Distance from DCA 23 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 11 2
Weekly flights 7 66 25
Flight time 5h 40m 4h 42m 5h 15m
Departure OTP 100%
Airports within 200 miles of DCA with service to San Diego International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-3h
San Diego is 3 hours behind Washington.
DCA: EDT · SAN: PDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Washington, it's 3:00 PM in San Diego.
Distance & Flight Time
2,271 mi / 3,655 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 40m gate to gate.
Getting to DCA

The DC Metro (Yellow and Blue lines) connects the airport directly to downtown Washington in 15–25 minutes from most central stations ($2.25–$3.85 depending on distance and time of day). The Reagan National Airport station is inside the terminal complex with a direct indoor walkway. Metro runs from about 05:00 to midnight Sunday–Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday–Saturday.Taxis and Uber/Lyft from the city centre cost $15–30 depending on destination and traffic. DCA is one of the most transit-accessible major US airports. Driving is straightforward via the George Washington Memorial Parkway; short-term parking at the terminal costs from $5 for 20 minutes. No personal vehicles are allowed to idle at arrivals; use the cell-phone lot or commercial pick-up zones.

DCA–SAN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Washington to San Diego route.
Route details
Distance2,271 mi / 3,655 km
Flight time5h 40m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights7 out / 8 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DCA
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m
Destination: SAN
IATA / ICAOSAN / KSAN
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr25.6M
Elevation17 ft / 5 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DCA to SAN flights.
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to San Diego International Airport take about 5h 40m gate to gate. The route covers 2,271 miles.
1 airline operates flights from DCA to SAN: Alaska Airlines.
This route has daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include St. Louis Lambert, Indianapolis and Phoenix Sky Harbor.
San Diego is 3 hours behind Washington.
Yes, return flights from SAN to DCA are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include IAD, BWI and RIC. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from DCA to SAN

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are connected by nonstop service from Alaska Airlines. With 7 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

DCA to SAN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DCA to SAN is about 5 hours 40 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,271 miles (3,655 km). There are approximately 7 weekly flights outbound and 8 return, totaling 15 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via St. Louis Lambert, Indianapolis and Phoenix Sky Harbor. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Dulles (IAD), Baltimore (BWI) and Richmond (RIC).