Flights Denver → San Diego
DEN → SAN
How long is the flight from Denver to San Diego?
The flight from Denver (DEN) to San Diego (SAN) takes 1h 56m on average. That is the median time recorded across 4 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Denver to San Diego operates with a mix of aircraft including Airbus A320, Airbus A319, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 757-200, and Boeing 737-900. With over 1,500 flights annually, the route has a punctuality rate of 79%, with an average delay of 9.5 minutes per flight.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Denver (DEN) → San Diego (SAN) route is operated by Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 3654 flights monitored in recent months, 73% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 13 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.18%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 24.6/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At San Diego the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Denver the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to San Diego: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Denver (DEN) to San Diego (SAN) heads south-west for about 1,371 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 56m.
Departures from Denver on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 37% of DEN-SAN flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Denver the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Diego it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 3,654 tracked DEN-SAN flights, 73% left on time with an average delay of 13 min and a 1.2% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
| Frontier Airlines (F9) | 74% | 11 min | 1.3% |
Airlines operating DEN-SAN
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DEN-SAN
The flight from Denver (DEN) to San Diego (SAN) takes 1h 56m on average. That is the median time recorded across 4 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Denver (DEN) -> San Diego (SAN) route, on-time performance is 73% with an average delay of 13 minutes, based on 3654 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Denver-San Diego is 1.18% across 3654 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 3 airlines: Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at San Diego, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
