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 20 flights Verified 7m 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+4
DL Delta
752
8:45 AM
EDT TM
10:27 AM
PDT
4h 42m
59%
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL2155
DL Delta
321
12:30 PM
EDT TM
2:09 PM
PDT
4h 39m
59%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2995cs
AF Air France
321
4:35 PM
EDT TM
6:14 PM
PDT
4h 39m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL369+2
DL Delta
321
4:35 PM
EDT TM
6:14 PM
PDT
4h 39m
59%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2089cs
AF Air France
321
8:23 PM
EDT TM
10:01 PM
PDT
4h 38m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL700+5
DL Delta
321
8:35 PM
EDT TM
10:16 PM
PDT
4h 41m
59%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VS1743cs
VS Virgin Atlantic
321
8:35 PM
EDT TM
10:16 PM
PDT
4h 41m
35%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2395
AF Air France
321
8:35 PM
EDT TM
10:16 PM
PDT
4h 41m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF3055
AF Air France
321
8:35 PM
EDT TM
10:16 PM
PDT
4h 41m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL754+7
DL Delta
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:48 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WS6438
WS WestJet
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:48 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WS5568
WS WestJet
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:48 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
KL6247cs
KL KLM
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:47 PM
EDT
4h 32m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VS5053cs
VS Virgin Atlantic
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:48 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF2779cs
AF Air France
321
6:15 AM
PDT T2
1:48 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL492+4
DL Delta
752
11:37 AM
PDT T2
7:10 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AF3075cs
AF Air France
757
11:37 AM
PDT T2
7:10 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WS6437
WS WestJet
757
11:37 AM
PDT T2
7:10 PM
EDT
4h 33m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL2172
DL Delta
321
2:40 PM
PDT T2
10:15 PM
EDT
4h 35m
M T W T F S S
Prices
DL764
DL Delta
321
10:15 PM
PDT T2
5:43 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 4m AAAMDL AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 6h 5m AFDLKE WN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
STL St Louis 6h 7m AFAMDL WN St Louis (STL) to San Diego flights
OMA Omaha 6h 9m AFAMDL WN Omaha (OMA) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 15m AFDLF9 ASDLF9 Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 6h 18m ACAFDL ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
MKE Milwaukee 6h 23m AMDLKE UAWN Milwaukee (MKE) to San Diego flights
MSP Minneapolis 6h 25m AFAMDL AFDLKE Minneapolis (MSP) to San Diego flights
IND Indianapolis 6h 25m AFAMDL WN Indianapolis (IND) to San Diego flights
LAX Los Angeles 6h 29m AFAMDL AFAMAV Los Angeles (LAX) 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 41m 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 41m. 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, WS 25 321, 752 4h39-4h42 87% SkyTeam AF, KL, VS, WS
Aircraft on this route
321 Airbus A321 – AF, DL, VS
752 Boeing 757-200 – 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
9
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
4
flights
Thu
8
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
4
flights
Sun
9
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
47
Outbound / wk
61
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DTW to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
51
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,457
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
87%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
87%
Arriving
67%
Return
SAN → DTW
29%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
29%
Arriving
63%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DTW delays → SAN delays →

Other ways to reach San Diego from Detroit

Nearby airports with service to San Diego International Airport.
Metric DTW→SAN GRR→SAN
Distance from DTW 120 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 1
Weekly flights 47 1
Flight time 4h 41m 3h 39m
Departure OTP 87%
Airports within 200 miles of DTW with service to San Diego International Airport.

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 41m 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 41m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights47 out / 61 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 41m 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, Chicago Midway and St. Louis Lambert.
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.
Nearby alternatives include GRR. 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 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 41 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,953 miles (3,142 km). There are approximately 47 weekly flights outbound and 61 return, totaling 108 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Phoenix Sky Harbor, Chicago Midway and St. Louis Lambert. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Grand Rapids (GRR).