Route · DTW → SAN · 2020–2025 BTS data
Detroit to San Diego
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DTW to SAN (Detroit to San Diego) ranks #2077 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 81.9%
- On-time
- +2.9 pts
- vs US avg
- 62 min
- Delay when late
- 5,989
- Flights
- #2077 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.7%
Best Month
Sep 2024 86%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 64%
Distance
1,956 mi
Carriers
3
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 112 | 40 | 3 | 0 | DL |
| Nov 2025 | 107 | 30 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Oct 2025 | 118 | 18 | 0 | 0 | DL,NK |
| Sep 2025 | 119 | 23 | 2 | 3 | DL,NK |
| Aug 2025 | 131 | 24 | 1 | 0 | NK,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 133 | 40 | 2 | 0 | DL,NK |
| Jun 2025 | 124 | 32 | 0 | 0 | DL,NK |
| May 2025 | 109 | 18 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Apr 2025 | 102 | 22 | 1 | 0 | DL |
| Mar 2025 | 89 | 15 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Feb 2025 | 70 | 22 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Jan 2025 | 77 | 15 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Dec 2024 | 112 | 25 | 2 | 2 | DL |
| Nov 2024 | 103 | 15 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Oct 2024 | 111 | 17 | 1 | 1 | DL |
| Sep 2024 | 103 | 14 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Aug 2024 | 113 | 34 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Jul 2024 | 113 | 31 | 6 | 0 | DL |
| Jun 2024 | 111 | 39 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| May 2024 | 110 | 30 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Apr 2024 | 99 | 17 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Mar 2024 | 84 | 16 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Feb 2024 | 58 | 8 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Jan 2024 | 64 | 11 | 0 | 1 | DL |
DTW–SAN seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (88.5%) · weakest: June (75.3%)
Strongest calendar month
October
88.5% on-time · ~92 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
June
~102 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
June
75.3% on-time · ~102 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.7%
18 of 2,472 flights
Diversion Rate
0.5%
13 of 2,472 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DTW - Detroit
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Detroit, MI.
DTW on-time profileSAN - San Diego
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Diego, CA.
SAN on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DTW and SAN side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DTW vs SANOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among DTW departures
From DTW, this corridor sits with 60 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 94 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (34 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: San Diego · fleet on-time rank #2390 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DTW–SAN.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DTW to SAN
5,989 tracked flights put the DTW to SAN pairing (Detroit to San Diego) at a 81.9% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 62.4 minutes on average. Across the 1,956-mile route and its 3 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.7% cancelled and 0.5% diverted (2,472 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 86% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 64% - a 22-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DTW–SAN peaks in October at 88.5% on-time while June carries the heaviest traffic (~102 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 75.3%, a 13.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DTW to SAN rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DTW to SAN? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DTW to SAN? ▼
How far is the flight from DTW to SAN? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DTW to SAN? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using DTW–SAN data
DTW–SAN is mid-pack at 81.9% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare DTW and SAN airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DTW airport
- If your dates flex, October (88.5% on-time) beats June (75.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 81.9% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.