SAN - CMH

$80 Find Cheap Flights from San Diego to Columbus

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Diego to Columbus departing on 2/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Columbus Airport

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Diego to Columbus.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Diego to Columbus.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$277
Overall average: $476
Delta
Wed 5/13Sat 5/16
SAN - CMH • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$592
Southwest
Mon 2/16Sun 2/22
SAN - CMH • Non-stop
Top airlines
Alaska Airlines
Cheapest • from $264 (round-trip)
Southwest
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
When to book
4 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 23% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
January
Cheapest • 30% price drop
September
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Nonstop flights
6 days a week
There are direct flights from San Diego to Columbus 6 days a week: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun.
Direct flights
Direct flights
Direct flights
Direct flights
Start a new search
KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Columbus!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from San Diego to Columbus (SAN-CMH)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Diego to Columbus that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San Diego to Columbus

Wed, May 13 - Sat, May 16
Delta Logo
10:10 pm - 11:41 am
SAN
-
CMH
10h 31m1 stop
Delta Logo
10:20 am - 2:08 pm
CMH
-
SAN
6h 48m1 stop
$277Delta
Wed, Jan 14 - Tue, Jan 20
United Airlines Logo
10:52 am - 8:21 pm
SAN
-
CMH
6h 29m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
4:37 pm - 11:42 pm
CMH
-
SAN
10h 05m2 stops
$282United Airlines
Thu, Jan 8 - Mon, Jan 12
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:15 am - 6:27 pm
SAN
-
CMH
9h 12m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 10:07 am
CMH
-
SAN
29h 07m1 stop
$285Alaska Airlines
Wed, Dec 24 - Thu, Jan 1
United Airlines Logo
2:11 pm - 11:44 pm
SAN
-
CMH
6h 33m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
4:17 pm - 10:32 pm
CMH
-
SAN
9h 15m1 stop
$293United Airlines
Wed, Dec 31 - Tue, Jan 6
Southwest Logo
1:15 pm - 11:05 pm
SAN
-
CMH
6h 50m1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:40 am - 10:50 am
CMH
-
SAN
7h 10m1 stop
$328Southwest
Wed, Jan 14 - Tue, Jan 20
Southwest Logo
9:40 am - 8:25 pm
SAN
-
CMH
7h 45m2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:55 am - 5:15 pm
CMH
-
SAN
10h 20m2 stops
$335Southwest
Mon, Dec 29 - Thu, Jan 1
Southwest Logo
2:55 pm - 1:00 am
SAN
-
CMH
7h 05m1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:30 pm - 10:25 pm
CMH
-
SAN
6h 55m1 stop
$348Southwest
Wed, Dec 31 - Tue, Jan 6
Southwest Logo
1:15 pm - 11:05 pm
SAN
-
CMH
6h 50m1 stop
Southwest Logo
9:55 am - 5:15 pm
CMH
-
SAN
10h 20m2 stops
$349Southwest
Thu, May 7 - Mon, May 11
Southwest Logo
7:55 am - 7:50 pm
SAN
-
CMH
8h 55m1 stop
Southwest Logo
12:45 pm - 8:00 pm
CMH
-
SAN
10h 15m2 stops
$353Southwest
Thu, Jan 8 - Mon, Jan 12
United Airlines Logo
2:11 pm - 11:44 pm
SAN
-
CMH
6h 33m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 3:04 pm
CMH
-
SAN
11h 04m2 stops
$372United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Diego to Columbus flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Diego to Columbus to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Diego to Columbus?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Diego to Columbus Airport clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Columbus on a Thursday and more expensive on a Saturday. On your return trip to San Diego, you should consider flying back on a Friday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Diego to Columbus Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Diego to Columbus Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from San Diego to Columbus Airport is January, where tickets cost $289 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and May, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $484 and $476 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Diego to Columbus Airport?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San Diego to Columbus Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San Diego to Columbus Airport, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 23% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonApril
Cheapest flight$80
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 8% increase in price.
Flight from San Diego to Columbus

When to book flights from San Diego to Columbus

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Diego to Columbus based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking San Diego to Columbus flights

  • What is the luggage allowance on Delta flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    Except for Basic Economy fares, Delta usually allows each passenger to bring one carry-on bag and one personal item. The carry-on bag should fit in the overhead bin and should not exceed 22 × 14 × 9 in. The personal item must fit under the seat in front of you and should not exceed 18 in x 14 in x 8 in. Checked bags are subject to a fee depending on the weight and the number of bags.

  • What services does Spirit Airlines offer for economy passengers on flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    There are no seat back screens or in-flight entertainment systems on Spirit Airlines flights. Passengers are encouraged to bring their own devices to watch movies, listen to music, or play games on flights from San Diego to Columbus. Passengers can purchase snacks and drinks on board, including alcoholic beverages. There are also combo meal and snack options available for purchase.

  • How do I get from Columbus Airport (CMH) to the city center?

    Taxis and ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are readily available outside the terminal, and a ride to the city center takes around 10–20 minutes. The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) operates a bus line that runs between the airport and the city center. The bus runs every 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the time of day. Tickets can be purchased with cash when boarding the bus, or with a credit card or smartphone through the COTA app.

  • What seat selection option is available on American Airlines flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    American Airlines offers several seat selection options that vary depending on the type of ticket purchased for flights from San Diego to Columbus. No advanced seat selection is allowed for Basic Economy passengers. Seats are assigned at check-in, and there may be limited or no availability for choosing seats together with travel companions. Advanced seat selection is available for Main Cabin passengers.

  • What is the cheapest flight from San Diego to Columbus Airport?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Diego to Columbus Airport was $80 for a one-way ticket and $277 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between San Diego and Columbus?

    No

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from San Diego to Columbus?

    San Diego airport is called San Diego and the only airport in Columbus is Columbus.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San Diego to Columbus?

    American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San Diego to Columbus flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San Diego to Columbus?

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San Diego to Columbus flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and oneworld are the airline alliances operating flights between San Diego and Columbus, with Star Alliance being the most commonly used for this route.

  • On which days can I fly direct from San Diego to Columbus?

    You can catch a nonstop flight from San Diego to Columbus on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Diego to Columbus, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Diego to Columbus are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $454 and an overall rating of 7.9, Southwest is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $401 and an overall rating of 7.9.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from San Diego to Columbus.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Diego to Columbus?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Columbus from San Diego is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San Diego to Columbus?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Columbus with an airline and back to San Diego with another airline. Booking your flights between San Diego and CMH can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Diego to Columbus?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Columbus from San Diego up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San Diego to Columbus Airport

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $343 or less one-way and $348 or less round-trip.
  • JetBlue offers Family Boarding, which allows families with children under the age of 12 to board the plane before general boarding. Families can also choose seats together so that parents can sit with their children on flights from San Diego (SAN) to Columbus (CMH).
  • United offers flights from San Diego to Columbus and has committed to sourcing 100 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next decade. The use of SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%.
  • Flights from San Diego to Columbus have layovers in a number of different cities depending on which airline you choose. Some of these cities include Los Angeles (LAX), Orlando (MCO), Las Vegas (LAS), Denver (DEN), Houston (IAH), Chicago (ORD), and Dallas (DFW).
  • San Diego Airport (SAN) has a single terminal building, which is divided into three sections: Terminal 1, Terminal 2 East, and Terminal 2 West. These terminals are connected by a landside terminal roadway and an airside pedestrian bridge.
  • Frontier Airlines allows small pets to travel with their owners in the cabin of the plane for flights from San Diego to Columbus. The pet must be able to fit comfortably in a carrier that fits under the seat in front of you, and only one pet per passenger is allowed.

Prefer to fly direct from San Diego to Columbus?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from San Diego to Columbus.
Find which airlines fly direct from San Diego Airport to Columbus Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San Diego to Columbus

Monday

Southwest

Southwest

Tuesday

Southwest

Southwest

Thursday

Southwest

Southwest

Friday

Southwest

Southwest

Saturday

Southwest

Southwest

Sunday

Southwest

Southwest

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Columbus to San Diego

Monday

Southwest

Southwest

Tuesday

Southwest

Southwest

Thursday

Southwest

Southwest

Friday

Southwest

Southwest

Saturday

Southwest

Southwest

Sunday

Southwest

Southwest

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Diego to Columbus

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Diego to Columbus. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Diego to Columbus? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.9
SouthwestOverall score based on 4253 reviews
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

8.0 ExcellentRussell, Dec 2025
SAN - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

The lead steward kept singing about "San Francisco" and hotel California---more annoying than humorous....needs work. Flight was smooth and on time.

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Crew could have been friendlier, maybe I'm spoiled by SW crews. In flight wifi was good. Would be nice to have more food offerings on a 4 plus hour flight

Had to get off plane from prior flight even though I had to reboard same plane to continue to my final destination.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Sacrament staff are always polite and helpful. Airport is easy to maneuver and boarding is straightforward.

As always, the entire Southwest experience was wonderful, from online booking to flight to baggage retrieval. Very grateful.

The weather could have been better. There was a 40 minute ATC delay in SFO because of marine fog and a micro cell storm delayed landing and take-off at Nashville. The gate was changed 5 minutes from boarding from gate B3 to gate C23 at Nashville airport.

The cabin was quiet for the redeye flight. The area was clean. The staff was great. The 787 Max was in good condition. Drawbacks were that the seat widths were tight for some passengers. The seat padding was at best average and for a long flight uncomfortable.

No lunch on a x-country flight scheduled for 10:50 am departure, arrived 5+ hrs later. That requires a black box label before you pay for the tickets. Worst, when I checked in online, it's specifically said that lunch was served on his flight for economy Plus passengers.

Our flight from SFO to MSP was right on time on 11/15/2025. No delays. As we approached MSP at about 8 pm, we circled in the air until 8:40 pm so I don't call that efficient for MSP. I think the captain should announce the delay and why. (as if we all don't know that we are just circling around the area, slowing down, speeding up, slowing down.) Thank you. Marilyn Fischer

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

The flight used a B767 with a very old interior from before 2014. The entertainment system did not work at all during the flight despite attempts to reset the system. It was like they flew this route just to be competitive.

Delayed flight (1hour) plus a long layover after an overnight flight with no backup plane available.

Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.

My husband upgraded our seats and I don't know if it was due to the type of planet was or if they didn't upgrade our seats. We were supposed to be in I believe comfort seats and they were just as tight as any other seat- no leg room and we are very tall people but at least it wasn't extremely cold. My husband did put in a complaint about our seating because he paid extra and if we would have known that the space and the tightness would have been the same, we just would have gotten the emergency row emergency row seats that we normally get. We love Delta but both our flights coming home we're not good. Oh I forgot to mention that on our flight to Hawaii our luggage wheels got broke and we had to purse new luggage on vacation then we never had this problem so we didn't know protocol and reported it after we got home only for them to tell is we only had 24hrs to report the damage. Not sure what was going on with Delta this vacation trip.

Crew was excellent. Comfort seats not as nice as other kinds of planes.

It was a great flight and the stewards and stewardess were all kind and accommodating!! The seats were comfortable and entertainment screen excellent!

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

Older aircraft, no meal, only food was for purchase. Not impressed United.

Not pleasant trip cross country when the entertainment and WiFi system not working. No entertainment for entirety of route. Staff was rather nonchalant in that they dismissed the problem due to age of plane. It would have been nice to know this up front so I could have come prepared to read or download movies before boarding Coincidentally or not, there was a similar issue with the entertainment system on my previous flight I took on my fist leg of the trip. There are no seat TVs, so you must rely on the app when it works. United can do better. Also, what use it it to pay for boarding group 2 when half of the passengers are in the same line as you?

Premium Plus is a really good idea for longer flights

The flight attendants were great, I joked with one I can’t remember her name, a blond, really sweet. I thought it was run well very professional. This was great i survived Spirit, I know for which I speak.

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

I understand stuff happens, but plane failures are likely due to lack of maintenance. Additionally, air conditioning wasn't working, no snack/drink service, no WiFi. Fortunately, the crew was communicative and light-hearted. United grabbed another plane and we were able to get to our destination.

Stuck on tarmac for two hours plus a 5.5 hour flight. Rude flight attendant. And no meals, not even for purchase!

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

It was delayed instead of departing at 9:20pm, we departed at 11pm… putting us in Columbus after 2am! It was awful. Had I known about the delay, I could have spent some time in the United Lounge… I was starving because I started my journey in Budapest… so I was exhausted and hungry. Plus I had to make new arrangements to be picked up at the airport in Columbus, instead of midnight it was 2:30 am after getting luggage and out of airport. Not feasible. I would have just stayed in Chicago for the night and gotten a morning flight.

Horrible. Both legs of my flight were delayed more than 6 hours. No compensation, no screens on the plane, and the plane was not clean.

we landed at cmh ten minutes early but had to sit on tarmac for twenty minutes because a plane was at our gate despite the fact that 3 other gates were open.

The flight was smooth, the pilot kept us informed about delays and we arrived more of less on time

The flight was flawless and we even arrived between 20 and 25 minutes early!

Always seated jammed in rear of aircraft Admirals Club food at DFW terminal D was absolute worst food experience and I pay $600/year to eat this dried out junk

Mostly good. Flight was crowded but Airline personnel were very friendly & accommodating. It would be good to have savory snacks rather than just sweet Biscoff cookies.

It was a red eye flight, so no meals were provided, but it was fine with snacks. The seats felt cramped and almost too narrow.

Very crowded flight but what can you expect these days?? Crew was accommodating.

The seats in economy were appeared to be quite thin and lack sufficient cushioning to be comfortable. Perhaps it was my seating position but the plane seemed notably load.

The entertainment package was vast and the selections were very current. Keep updating it was great.

No free snacks or drinks. Freezing. Uncomfortable. No plugs or entertainment. If you fly to LA the make you change terminals with a slow bus. Awful trip that took forever. Terrible airline- maybe the worst I’ve ever flown.

Crew are always very angry and dismissive like they seem they are being forced to work. In addition, there was a long line for the bathrooms, and only one was allowed to be used. No reason was given for only one bathroom being available; apparently, the stewardess was more interested in using the jumpseat instead of allowing the customers to use the bathroom.

No leg room. My knee was sore for a day.

The flight was cancelled at the last minute. Will never fly Spirit again. Without a doubt the worst airline around.

Vegas is such a quick flight that amenities aren’t the important part, in my opinion. Just get me there efficiently and safely, and that’s exactly what they did!

The flight was severely delayed due to the missing flight attendants.

Great experience for my first time on Spirit. Wey clean plane, great staff, very smooth. Gave food and entertainment “poor” simply because there was no option for NA….i did not get food nor did I order WiFi….so not a fair assessment but neither would giving top marks without experiencing. Overall, great experience.

Flight was cancelled without warning close to flight date. Stuck witha credit has to buy a new ticket from another airline in either to get to location. Email cancelling was lost in mail.

Spirit Airlines was ok but TRAVELHELPDESK, the 3rd party travel agent IS A JOKE! VERY RUDE CUSTOMER AGENTS ont he phone. NO HELP AT ALL. But the airlines was ok.

No frills - because you get what you pay for. The crew was amazing!! I had plenty of room to spread out because the flight was half full. Which made it easy to sleep.

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Diego to Columbus

Information on your arrival and departure airports