Raleigh/Durham to San Diego (RDU–SAN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

RDU Airport Page →
2,189 mi airlines charter/private 10/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 5 flights Verified 47m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: NetJets Aviation, Executive Jet Management.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
MX1914
MX Breeze Airways
BCS3
8:55 AM
EDT T1
11:24 AM
PDT
5h 29m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS474
AS Alaska
739
7:08 PM
EDT T1
9:26 PM
PDT
5h 18m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS434
AS Alaska
739
9:41 AM
PDT T2
6:01 PM
EDT
5h 20m
10%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS430
AS Alaska
73J
10:07 AM
PDT T2
6:10 PM
EDT
5h 3m
10%
M T W T F S S
Prices
MX755
MX Breeze Airways
223
12:09 PM
PDT T1
8:23 PM
EDT
5h 14m
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
BNA Nashville 6h 25m AADLWN WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
PHX Phoenix 6h 27m AAASWN AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
STL St Louis 6h 35m WN WN St Louis (STL) to San Diego flights
ATL Atlanta 6h 39m AFAMDL AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 40m EJAWN ASDLF9 Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
AUS Austin 6h 50m AMDLWN ASWN Austin (AUS) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 6h 50m F9UAWN ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 6h 50m WNWUP WN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
MCI Kansas City 6h 51m DLWN WN Kansas City (MCI) to San Diego flights
HOU Houston 6h 55m JREWN WN Houston (HOU) to San Diego flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Raleigh/Durham to San Diego
3 carriers, 10 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 2,189 mi 5h 24m nonstop -3h behind

RDU–SAN is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. Alaska Airlines, Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 2,189 miles in approximately 5h 24m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop RDU–SAN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AS Alaska Airlines 7 739 5h18 77% Oneworld
MX Breeze Airways 3 BCS3 5h29 77%
WN Southwest Airlines 1 77%
Aircraft on this route
739 Boeing 737-900 – AS
BCS3 Airbus A220-300 – MX
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AS (7 flights/wk, 64%)
Unaffiliated: MX + WN (4 flights/wk, 36%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, RDU to SAN direction.
Mon
1
flight
Tue
2
flights
Wed
1
flight
Thu
2
flights
Fri
1
flight
Sat
1
flight
Sun
2
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
2
Nonstop flights
10
Outbound / wk
18
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for RDU to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
43
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~29h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,826
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
RDU → SAN
77%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
77%
Arriving
62%
Return
SAN → RDU
51%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
51%
Arriving
76%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. RDU delays → SAN delays →

Other ways to reach San Diego from Raleigh/Durham

Nearby airports with service to San Diego International Airport.
Metric RDU→SAN GSO→SAN USA→SAN
Distance from RDU 66 mi 113 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 1 1
Weekly flights 10 1
Flight time 5h 24m 4h 23m 4h 50m
Departure OTP 77%
Airports within 200 miles of RDU with service to San Diego International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-3h
San Diego is 3 hours behind Raleigh/Durham.
RDU: EDT · SAN: PDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Raleigh/Durham, it's 3:00 PM in San Diego.
Distance & Flight Time
2,189 mi / 3,522 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 24m gate to gate.
Getting to RDU

No rail connection exists. GoTriangle Route 100 (RDU Express) runs from the Durham Station Transportation Center and downtown Raleigh to the airport for $2.25; takes 35–50 minutes but service is limited in the evenings and does not run all night.Ride-shares (Uber/Lyft) from downtown Raleigh: $20–30, 20–25 minutes. From Durham: $18–25, 15–20 minutes. Taxis: $30–40. Long-term parking from $7/day in Economy lots with shuttle service. I-40 provides direct access to both Raleigh and Durham.

RDU–SAN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Raleigh/Durham to San Diego route.
Route details
Distance2,189 mi / 3,522 km
Flight time5h 24m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights10 out / 18 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: RDU
IATA / ICAORDU / KRDU
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr15.2M
Elevation435 ft / 133 m
Destination: SAN
IATA / ICAOSAN / KSAN
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr25.6M
Elevation17 ft / 5 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about RDU to SAN flights.
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to San Diego International Airport take about 5h 24m gate to gate. The route covers 2,189 miles.
3 airlines operate flights from RDU to SAN: Alaska Airlines, Breeze Airways and Southwest 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 Nashville, Phoenix Sky Harbor and St. Louis Lambert.
San Diego is 3 hours behind Raleigh/Durham.
Yes, return flights from SAN to RDU are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include GSO and USA. 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 RDU to SAN

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and San Diego International Airport (SAN) are connected by nonstop service from Alaska Airlines, Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines. With 10 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

RDU to SAN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from RDU to SAN is about 5 hours 24 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,189 miles (3,522 km). There are approximately 10 weekly flights outbound and 18 return, totaling 28 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Nashville, Phoenix Sky Harbor and St. Louis Lambert. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Greensboro (GSO) and Concord (USA).