Detroit to San Diego (DTW–SAN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DTW Airport Page →
1,953 mi airlines charter/private 47/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 15 flights Verified 14m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
DL492+3
DL Delta
757
8:40 AM
EDT TM
10:24 AM
PDT
4h 44m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL2155
DL Delta
321
12:30 PM
EDT TM
2:12 PM
PDT
4h 42m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
KL5769
KL KLM
739
3:59 PM
EDT TM
5:51 PM
PDT
4h 52m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2995cs
AF Air France
321
4:35 PM
EDT TM
6:21 PM
PDT
4h 46m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL369+2
DL Delta
321
4:35 PM
EDT TM
6:21 PM
PDT
4h 46m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2089cs
AF Air France
321
8:25 PM
EDT TM
10:10 PM
PDT
4h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL700+4
DL Delta
321
8:25 PM
EDT TM
10:10 PM
PDT
4h 45m
48%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VS1743cs
VS Virgin Atlantic
321
8:25 PM
EDT TM
10:10 PM
PDT
4h 45m
50%
M T W T F S S
Prices
KL6247+1
KL KLM
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:46 PM
EDT
4h 31m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2779+1
AF Air France
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:47 PM
EDT
4h 32m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VS5053+1
VS Virgin Atlantic
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:46 PM
EDT
4h 31m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF3075cs
AF Air France
752
11:34 AM
PDT T2
7:07 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL492+3
DL Delta
757
11:34 AM
PDT T2
7:07 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL2172
DL Delta
321
2:49 PM
PDT T2
10:18 PM
EDT
4h 29m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL764
DL Delta
321
10:17 PM
PDT T2
5:45 AM+1
EDT
4h 28m
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
PHX Phoenix 6h 8m AAAMDL AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
STL St Louis 6h 18m AFAMDL WN St Louis (STL) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 6h 23m ACAFDL ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 23m AFDLKE ASDLEJA Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
IND Indianapolis 6h 23m AFAMDL WN Indianapolis (IND) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 6h 24m AFDLKE EJAWN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
MSP Minneapolis 6h 26m AFAMDL AFDLKE Minneapolis (MSP) to San Diego flights
MKE Milwaukee 6h 31m AMDLEJM WN Milwaukee (MKE) to San Diego flights
BNA Nashville 6h 32m AMDLKE WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
CMH Columbus 6h 33m AFAMDL WN Columbus (CMH) to San Diego flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Detroit to San Diego
1 carrier, 47 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 1,953 mi 4h 45m nonstop -3h behind

DTW–SAN is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. Delta Air Lines leads the route. The flight covers 1,953 miles in approximately 4h 45m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DTW–SAN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
DL Delta Air Lines Also: AF, KL, VS 25 321, 757 4h42-4h46 51% SkyTeam AF, KL, VS
Aircraft on this route
321 Airbus A321 – AF, DL, VS
739 Boeing 737-900 – KL
757 Boeing 757 – DL
Alliance coverage
SkyTeam: DL (25 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, DTW to SAN direction.
Mon
7
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
5
flights
Thu
8
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
5
flights
Sun
8
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
8
Nonstop flights
47
Outbound / wk
48
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DTW to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
59
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~26h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,542
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
DTW → SAN
51%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
51%
Arriving
91%
Return
SAN → DTW
65%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
65%
Arriving
90%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DTW delays → SAN delays →

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in Detroit, it's 3:00 PM in San Diego.
Distance & Flight Time
1,953 mi / 3,142 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 4h 45m gate to gate.
Getting to DTW

There is no rail link to DTW; the airport is 18 miles southwest of downtown Detroit. SMART bus Route 261 provides a slow connection ($2), but ride-share or car is standard for most travelers. Ride-shares from downtown cost $30–45.Driving is the primary mode: I-94 and I-275 are the main expressways. Economy parking is well-organized with frequent shuttles. For Windsor, Ontario arrivals, the airport connects via I-75 and the Ambassador Bridge or DRIC tunnel.

DTW–SAN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Detroit to San Diego route.
Route details
Distance1,953 mi / 3,142 km
Flight time4h 45m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights47 out / 48 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DTW
IATA / ICAODTW / KDTW
TimezoneAmerica/Detroit
Passengers/yr32.2M
Elevation645 ft / 197 m
Destination: SAN
IATA / ICAOSAN / KSAN
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr25.6M
Elevation17 ft / 5 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DTW to SAN flights.
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Diego International Airport take about 4h 45m gate to gate. The route covers 1,953 miles.
1 airline operates flights from DTW to SAN: Delta Air Lines.
This route has frequent 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 Phoenix Sky Harbor, St. Louis Lambert and Denver.
San Diego is 3 hours behind Detroit.
Yes, return flights from SAN to DTW are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
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 DTW to SAN

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are connected by nonstop service from Delta Air Lines. With 47 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

DTW to SAN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DTW to SAN is about 4 hours 45 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,953 miles (3,142 km). There are approximately 47 weekly flights outbound and 48 return, totaling 95 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Phoenix Sky Harbor, St. Louis Lambert and Denver. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.