San Diego International Airport

(SAN) is the principal international airport serving the city of San Diego and the metropolitan area surrounding the city. One of the most important airports in the state of California, the facility is located roughly three miles northwest of downtown San Diego, and it covers more than 660 acres of land. The airport is the third-busiest in California in terms of passenger traffic, and the facility has the highest passenger numbers of any airport with just one runway in the United States.

This dynamic facility is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and it operates in controlled Southern California airspace. The airport’s landing approach brings planes relatively close to downtown San Diego, and it can often prove difficult for pilots due to the relatively short landing area and the steep angle of descent required for approaches to the airport. The facility can also prove a challenge to pilots due to its strong winds.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 taxiing at DAL shutterstock_2334328221

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Two non-traditional airlines, Southwest Airlines

and Alaska Airlines, have hub operations at the airport, while all other carriers pretty much just fly from San Diego to their operating bases and hubs. The former of these two is the largest carrier at San Diego International Airport, with a market share of more than 33%. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, more than eight million passengers passed through the airport on Southwest Airlines flights. Let’s take a deeper look at the ten longest Southwest Airlines flights from San Diego Airport in February 2024.

1

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)

Flight distance: 2,614 miles

This nonstop service is the longest of the airline’s many flights from San Diego, and it is also, undeniably, one of the most important. The carrier operates this flight twice daily, and Southwest offers more than 10,000 monthly seats on its routes between this city pair. The route is exclusively served by the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and it creates more than 28 million available seat miles (ASMs) for the carrier each month.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 landing at LAS shutterstock_2496748545

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

As Hawaii is one of the most popular leisure destinations in the country, Southwest, like all major airlines, attempts to capture a significant share of the travel demand for the island chain. However, as the airline only operates Boeing 737 family jets, it does not currently have the range capabilities to offer nonstop flights to Hawaii from destinations in the interior of the North American continent. As a result, this route between San Diego and Hawaii often sees a significant amount of connecting passenger traffic.

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2

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)

Flight distance: 2,295 miles

Served by the airline three times per day using Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Boeing 737 Next Generation family jets, this route is undoubtedly one of the busiest operated by the carrier from San Diego. One of the few cross-country services operated by Southwest from San Diego, this route allows Southwest to connect Baltimore and the southern California city with nonstop flights, capitalizing on demand between the two cities, neither of which is a legacy airline hub. The airline offers more than 14,000 seats on this route, which generates more than 32 million available seat miles.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s parked at the gates shutterstock_2455016161

Photo: Jon Tetzlaff | Shutterstock

3

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

Flight distance: 1,783 miles

This route is one of the most classic examples of a hub-busting service. On almost any other airline, passengers would be forced to connect when flying between San Diego and Indianapolis, but Southwest can capture passenger demand by offering nonstop flights. The airline serves this route once per day and offers around 3,300 monthly seats that generate around 5.6 million available seat miles, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.

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4

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Nashville International Airport (BNA)

Flight distance: 1,751 miles

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX departing Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport LAS shutterstock_2127841190

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

Unlike the previous route, which mostly served one-directional traffic from Indianapolis to sunny San Diego, this service connects two popular destinations, improving the opportunities for the airline to capture travel demand in both directions. The airline operates this flight twice per day on average, using multiple different kinds of Boeing 737 family aircraft. The carrier offers around 11,000 monthly seats between these two cities, generating around 20 million available seat miles.

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5

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Chicago Midway Airport (MDW)

Flight distance: 1,728 nautical miles

This route connects San Diego and Chicago Midway, two facilities that see high levels of passenger demand throughout the year. Midway is one of Southwest’s most important connecting hubs due to its central location. The carrier operates this non-stop route about three times per day, offering around 14,000 seats per month, which generate more than 25 million available seat miles.

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6

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

Flight distance: 1,599 nautical miles

This nonstop service again connects San Diego with another secondary market which is not a major hub for any airline. This allows Southwest to capitalize on travel demand between two destinations that otherwise would not have any nonstop flights, something which has proven to be a core element of the Southwest Airlines business model over the years. The airline operates flights between these two cities with a daily frequency, and it offers around 4,800 seats per month on the route that generates around 6.8 million ASMs.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 landing

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

7

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)

Flight distance: 1,557 nautical miles

One might be noticing a pattern, with this nonstop route between San Diego and St. Louis, another inland destination that does not have a major legacy airline operating a hub there. These kinds of routes are those that define the Southwest Airlines route network, which is the world’s largest by the number of routes. The airline operates this service roughly twice per day, and it offers around 7,000 seats per month between the two cities, which generate 12 million available seat miles.

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8

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Kansas City International Airport (MCI)

Flight distance: 1,333 nautical miles

Southwest Airlines has long been the most important carrier at Kansas City International Airport, another facility that does not have any of the major legacy carriers operating a hub there. Therefore, Southwest has been quick to operate flights from Kansas City to several secondary destinations across the country, including this service to a sunny beach destination in Southern California.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 NG and 737 MAX at DAL shutterstock_2428818329

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Furthermore, Kansas City is an important hub for the airline’s connecting passenger traffic, as it funnels passengers through this middle-of-the-country airport. The airline operates this flight once or twice per day (depending on the day of the week), and it offers around 5,700 monthly seats which generate around 7.5 million available seat miles.

9

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Houston Hobby Airport (HOU)

Flight distance: 1,312 nautical miles

This nonstop service connects San Diego to Houston’s Hobby Airport, one of the largest hubs in Southwest Airlines’ entire network. This flight, alongside the carrier’s service to Chicago Midway, likely sees the most connecting passengers of all the routes that we have discussed on this list. The airline operates this route with multiple kinds of Boeing 737 aircraft, including Boeing 737 MAX 8 models. The carrier operates flights on this route more than twice daily, offering more than 10,000 monthly seats which generate more than 15 million available seat miles.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft in San Jose shutterstock_1725658063

Photo: Abdul N Quraishi – Abs | Shutterstock

10

San Diego International Airport (SAN) to Dallas Love Field (DAL)

Flight distance: 1,182 nautical miles

This flight is the busiest of the ten to enter this list, with the airline flying more than four times per day on average to its largest hub in the state of Texas, another major connecting hub for the airline. This service is operated by the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737-700 aircraft, with more than 15,000 seats offered per month that generate more than 18 million available seat miles.

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