$178 Find Cheap Flights from Philadelphia to San Diego - Compare and Save

To travel from Philadelphia to San Diego, it’s possible to find direct flights, with these trips often being serviced by American Airlines. There are many journeys that require travelers to make a connection as well, and this may occur in cities like Dallas or Phoenix. Connecting flights are often operated by Alaska Airlines or Delta.

A popular way of traveling from downtown Philadelphia to Philadelphia International Airport is by driving, as it only takes between 15 and 20min in total. Public transportation is available for this trip as well, such as the Airport Line bus. If you take the local bus, expect the journey to last around 20 to 25min.

There is an off-site rental car facility near San Diego International Airport, which can be reached by a free shuttle bus. At this facility, you will find offices for a few different rental agencies, including Budget, Enterprise, and National. Each company keeps their fleet at the center.

To go from San Diego International Airport to the city center as quickly as possible, it’s usually best to drive, as the journey will only take you around 10 to 15min as long as there is no additional traffic. There is also public transportation that can be used to go between these two locations, such as public bus line 992. If you choose to take the bus, you’ll arrive at the city center in around 20min.

Among airlines operating Philadelphia to San Diego flights:

• American Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

Only American Airlines operates flights between Philadelphia and San Diego.

Flights from Philadelphia to San Diego usually depart from Philadelphia (PHL) and arrive at San Diego (SAN).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• American Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• JetBlue: a cabin bag in Economy Class class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route and airline, so travelers should check the fare details before booking.

Four cabin classes are available on flights from Philadelphia to San Diego:

• Economy Class
• Premium Economy Class
• Business Class
• First Class

Prices vary by airline.

On this route, layover flights are cheaper than nonstop options on average. Layover fares average $276 round-trip via Minneapolis St Paul (MSP), compared to $487 for nonstop.

There is no standard. Checked-bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge $40–$100 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite-status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Airbus A321-100/200 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A321neo variants.

One-stop flights from Philadelphia to San Diego most commonly connect through:

• Denver Intl (DEN) - 32% of one-stop connections
• Chicago Midway (MDW) - 16% of one-stop connections
• Boston Logan Intl (BOS) - 15% of one-stop connections
• Lambert-St Louis (STL) - 7% of one-stop connections

Denver Intl (DEN) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 22% on the Philadelphia to San Diego route. Tuesday is the cheapest departure day at $441 round-trip on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at $560, a difference of $119. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

Evening is the busiest departure period on Philadelphia to San Diego flights, with 66% of flights leaving in that window. Morning departures account for 34%, afternoon flights for 0%, and night flights for 0%.

Some of the most popular sights in San Diego are Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego Convention Center and SeaWorld San Diego. These are among the most viewed places in San Diego on KAYAK.

A nonstop flight from Philadelphia to San Diego takes 5h 52m, covering 2,364 miles.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Philadelphia to San Diego:

• Earliest: departs at 8:20 am and lands at 2:12 pm
• Latest: departs at 6:35 pm and lands at 12:27 am.

The flight takes about 5h 52m.

Last-minute fares on this route - booked within 2 weeks of departure - run 7% above the route average of $477. Book 25 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, round-trip prices on this route showed a wide range, from about $344 to $2,378. That means the highest observed fare was about 7x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Philadelphia to San Diego are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $189, which is 37% below the typical average for this route.

Flying via Lambert-St Louis (STL) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 7h 04m, compared with 7h 23m via Minneapolis St Paul (MSP) and 7h 28m via Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW).

San Diego is 3 hours behind Philadelphia (Pacific Time vs Eastern Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

San Diego Airport (SAN) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates starting from around $14 for economy cars. Top options include:
· Dollar
· Payless
· Europcar
· Thrifty
· Fox

Round-trip flights from Philadelphia to San Diego range from $398 to $561, with an average of $477 over the past 12 months. Anything below $398 counts as a good deal.

American Airlines is the only airline on the Philadelphia to San Diego route offering in-flight Wi-Fi. Pricing depends on fare class.