Dulles to San Diego (IAD–SAN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

IAD Airport Page →
2,248 mi airlines charter/private 64/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 18 flights Verified 28m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: NetJets Aviation.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
UA1930
UA United
B39M
8:26 AM
EDT
10:49 AM
PDT
5h 23m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
ET1362cs
ET Ethiopian
739
12:40 PM
EDT
3:03 PM
PDT
5h 23m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2163+1
UA United
739
1:10 PM
EDT
3:06 PM
PDT
4h 56m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
SN8847cs
SN Brussels Airlines
7M9
6:00 PM
EDT
8:23 PM
PDT
5h 23m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2054+3
UA United
7M9
6:00 PM
EDT
8:23 PM
PDT
5h 23m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AZ4415cs
AZ ITA
7M9
6:00 PM
EDT
8:23 PM
PDT
5h 23m
M T W T F S S
Prices
OS7903cs
OS Austrian
7M9
6:00 PM
EDT
8:23 PM
PDT
5h 23m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR2165cs
QR Qatar
739
7:49 PM
EDT
10:13 PM
PDT
5h 24m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS201+4
AS Alaska
7M9
7:53 PM
EDT
10:17 PM
PDT
5h 24m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS217
AS Alaska
739
8:00 PM
EDT
10:24 PM
PDT
5h 24m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1071+2
UA United
7M9
8:00 AM
PDT T2
4:08 PM
EDT
5h 8m
5%
M T W T F S S
Prices
SN8848cs
SN Brussels Airlines
7M9
8:00 AM
PDT T2
4:08 PM
EDT
5h 8m
M T W T F S S
Prices
OS7904cs
OS Austrian
B39M
8:00 AM
PDT T2
4:08 PM
EDT
5h 8m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS506+3
AS Alaska
73J
10:34 AM
PDT T2
6:45 PM
EDT
5h 11m
10%
M T W T F S S
Prices
QR3311cs
QR Qatar
73J
10:34 AM
PDT T2
6:45 PM
EDT
5h 11m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA444
UA United
739
1:42 PM
PDT T2
9:57 PM
EDT
5h 15m
5%
M T W T F S S
Prices
ET1363cs
ET Ethiopian
739
9:45 PM
PDT T2
5:45 AM+1
EDT
5h
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2129+1
UA United
738
9:45 PM
PDT T2
5:45 AM+1
EDT
5h
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
PHX Phoenix 6h 58m AVOSSN AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 7h 5m AVAZCM ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
ATL Atlanta 7h 8m AFAMCM AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 7h 8m AZEJAET ASDLF9 Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
BNA Nashville 7h 9m AVAZCM WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
CLT Charlotte 7h 10m AAACAT AAAS Charlotte (CLT) to San Diego flights
DTW Detroit 7h 13m AFAMAV AFDLVS Detroit (DTW) to San Diego flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 7h 16m AAASAT AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to San Diego flights
LAX Los Angeles 7h 19m AAAZCA AFAMAV Los Angeles (LAX) to San Diego flights
PIT Pittsburgh 7h 19m AVCMET MXWN Pittsburgh (PIT) to San Diego flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Dulles to San Diego
2 carriers, 64 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 2,248 mi 5h 23m nonstop -3h behind

IAD–SAN is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines and Alaska Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 2,248 miles in approximately 5h 23m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop IAD–SAN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: AZ, ET, OS, SN 21 739, 7M9, B39M 4h56-5h23 63% Star Alliance AZ, ET, OS, SN
AS Alaska Airlines Also: QR 8 739, 7M9 5h24 63% Oneworld QR
Aircraft on this route
739 Boeing 737-900 – AS, ET, QR, UA
7M9 Boeing 737 MAX 9 – AS, AZ, OS, SN, UA
B39M Boeing 737 MAX 9 – UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (21 flights/wk, 72%)
Oneworld: AS (8 flights/wk, 28%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, IAD to SAN direction.
Mon
9
flights
Tue
9
flights
Wed
9
flights
Thu
9
flights
Fri
9
flights
Sat
10
flights
Sun
9
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
10
Nonstop flights
64
Outbound / wk
56
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for IAD to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
48
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~31h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,554
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
IAD → SAN
63%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
63%
Arriving
71%
Return
SAN → IAD
33%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
33%
Arriving
91%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. IAD delays → SAN delays →

Other ways to reach San Diego from Dulles

Nearby airports with service to San Diego International Airport.
Metric IAD→SAN DCA→SAN BWI→SAN
Distance from IAD 23 mi 45 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 3 3
Weekly flights 64 7 42
Flight time 5h 23m 5h 40m 5h 3m
Departure OTP 63%
Airports within 200 miles of IAD with service to San Diego International Airport.

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in Dulles, it's 3:00 PM in San Diego.
Distance & Flight Time
2,248 mi / 3,618 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 23m gate to gate.
Getting to IAD

WMATA Silver Line Metro now reaches Dulles directly; take Silver Line to Washington Dulles Airport station (about 65 min from Metro Center, ~$7). The connection opened in late 2022.Ride-shares from downtown DC run $35–60 and take 35–50 minutes via I-66 (longer during peak hours). Washington Flyer coach to Wiehle-Reston East Metro costs $6. The airport is 27 miles from downtown; taxis are expensive ($60–80).

IAD–SAN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Dulles to San Diego route.
Route details
Distance2,248 mi / 3,618 km
Flight time5h 23m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights64 out / 56 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: IAD
IATA / ICAOIAD / KIAD
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr26.0M
Elevation312 ft / 95 m
Destination: SAN
IATA / ICAOSAN / KSAN
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr25.6M
Elevation17 ft / 5 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IAD to SAN flights.
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Diego International Airport take about 5h 23m gate to gate. The route covers 2,248 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from IAD to SAN: United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
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, Denver and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta.
San Diego is 3 hours behind Dulles.
Yes, return flights from SAN to IAD are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include DCA, 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 IAD to SAN

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines. With 64 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

IAD to SAN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from IAD to SAN is about 5 hours 23 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,248 miles (3,618 km). There are approximately 64 weekly flights outbound and 56 return, totaling 120 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Phoenix Sky Harbor, Denver and Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Washington (DCA), Baltimore (BWI) and Richmond (RIC).