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

RDU Airport Page →
2,189 mi airlines charter/private 14/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 6 flights Verified 47m 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
MX1914
MX Mexicana
BCS3
9:40 AM
EDT T1
12:09 PM
PDT
5h 29m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS12
AS Alaska
7M9
5:45 PM
EDT T1
8:21 PM
PDT
5h 36m
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
AS12
AS Alaska
B39M
8:35 AM
PDT T2
4:45 PM
EDT
5h 10m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS434
AS Alaska
B39M
9:41 AM
PDT T2
6:01 PM
EDT
5h 20m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
MX755
MX Mexicana
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
PHX Phoenix 6h 37m AAASWN AAASBA Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego flights
BNA Nashville 6h 39m AADLWN WN Nashville (BNA) to San Diego flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 40m EJAKAIWN ASDLEJA Las Vegas (LAS) to San Diego flights
AUS Austin 6h 44m AMDLWN ASWN Austin (AUS) to San Diego flights
ATL Atlanta 6h 50m AFAMDL AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to San Diego flights
MDW Chicago 6h 50m LXJWN EJAWN Chicago (MDW) to San Diego flights
HOU Houston 6h 55m WN WN Houston (HOU) to San Diego flights
LAX Los Angeles 6h 55m AAAFAS AAAFAM Los Angeles (LAX) to San Diego flights
DEN Denver 6h 57m F9UAWN ACASCM Denver (DEN) to San Diego flights
CMH Columbus 6h 59m MX WN Columbus (CMH) to San Diego flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Raleigh/Durham to San Diego
2 carriers, 14 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 2,189 mi 5h 29m nonstop -3h behind

RDU–SAN is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. Alaska Airlines and Mexicana lead the route. The flight covers 2,189 miles in approximately 5h 29m. 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 11 739, 7M9 5h18-5h36 76% Oneworld
MX Mexicana 3 BCS3 5h29 76%
Aircraft on this route
739 Boeing 737-900 – AS
7M9 Boeing 737 MAX 9 – AS
BCS3 Airbus A220-300 – MX
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AS (11 flights/wk, 79%)
Unaffiliated: MX (3 flights/wk, 21%)
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
2
flights
Tue
3
flights
Wed
1
flight
Thu
2
flights
Fri
1
flight
Sat
2
flights
Sun
3
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
3
Nonstop flights
14
Outbound / wk
13
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for RDU to SAN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
48
Hubs
~5h
Fastest
~29h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,839
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
76%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
76%
Arriving
92%
Return
SAN → RDU
80%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
80%
Arriving
88%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. RDU delays → SAN delays →

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 29m 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 29m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights14 out / 13 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 29m gate to gate. The route covers 2,189 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from RDU to SAN: Alaska Airlines and Mexicana.
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 Phoenix Sky Harbor, Nashville and Harry Reid.
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.
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 and Mexicana. With 14 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

RDU to SAN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from RDU to SAN is about 5 hours 29 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,189 miles (3,522 km). There are approximately 14 weekly flights outbound and 13 return, totaling 27 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Phoenix Sky Harbor, Nashville and Harry Reid. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.