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 2 flights Verified 50m 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
73H
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
5%
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
TUL Tulsa 6h 36m AA → ASEJMJTL Tulsa (TUL) to San Diego flights
PHX Phoenix 6h 52m AA → AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 6h 52m WN → WN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
CMH Columbus 6h 52m AAWN → WN Columbus (CMH) to San Diego flights
BNA Nashville 6h 55m AADLWN → WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
DAL Dallas 6h 55m WN → EJAWN Dallas (DAL) to San Diego flights
STL St Louis 7h AAWN → WN St Louis (STL) to San Diego flights
OMA Omaha 7h DLWN → WN Omaha (OMA) to San Diego flights
ATL Atlanta 7h 5m AAAFAM → AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to San Diego flights
MKE Milwaukee 7h 10m AAWN → UAWN Milwaukee (MKE) 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.

Also explore DCA Routes SAN Routes DCA Live Flights SAN Live Flights DCA Delays SAN Delays
All flights from San Diego (SAN) San Diego to Washington flights
Carriers on this route

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 73H 5h40 6% Oneworld HA
Aircraft on this route
73H Boeing 737-800 (Winglets) – AS
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AS (7 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.
Schedule

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
7
Return / wk
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DCA to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
43
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~19h
Longest
TUL ~6h 36m PHX ~6h 52m MDW ~6h 52m CMH ~6h 52m BNA ~6h 55m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,026
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.
Reliability

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DCA → SAN
6%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
6%
Arriving
82%
Return
SAN → DCA
50%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
50%
Arriving
46%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DCA delays → SAN delays →
Alternatives

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 3
Weekly flights 7 65 40
Flight time 5h 40m 4h 41m 5h 3m
Departure OTP 6% – –
Dulles (IAD) to San Diego flights · Baltimore (BWI) to San Diego flights · Richmond (RIC) to San Diego flights
Airports within 200 miles of DCA with service to San Diego International Airport.
Know before you go

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.

Facts

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 / 7 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DCA
Full nameRonald Reagan Washington National Airport
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m
Destination: SAN
Full nameSan Diego International Airport
IATA / ICAOSAN / KSAN
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr25.6M
Elevation17 ft / 5 m
FAQ

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 Tulsa, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Chicago Midway.
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 7 return, totaling 14 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

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