£120 Find Cheap Flights from San Diego to Philadelphia – Compare and Save

Among airlines operating San Diego to Philadelphia 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 San Diego and Philadelphia.

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

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 travellers should check the fare details before booking.

On this route, stopover flights are cheaper than direct options on average. Stopover fares average £148 return via San Francisco (SFO), compared with £359 for direct.

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge £37–£75 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. Other aircraft seen on the route include Boeing 777 variants.

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

• Denver Intl (DEN) – 28% of one-stop connections
• Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl (LAS) – 13% of one-stop connections
• Chicago Midway (MDW) – 12% of one-stop connections
• Boston Logan Intl (BOS) – 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 16% on the San Diego to Philadelphia route. Wednesday is the cheapest departure day at £344 return on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at £408, a difference of £64. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

Morning is the busiest departure period on San Diego to Philadelphia flights, with 67% leaving in that window. Night departures account for 33%, Afternoon flights for 0%, and Evening flights for 0%.

Some of the most popular sights in Philadelphia are Philadelphia Convention Center, Rittenhouse Square, and Pennsylvania Convention Center. These are among the most viewed places in Philadelphia on KAYAK.

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

• Earliest: departs at 06:20 and lands at 11:37
• Latest: departs at 21:30 and lands at 02:47.

The flight takes about 5h 17m.

Last-minute fares on this route (booked within 2 weeks of departure) run 9% above the route average of £356. Book 10 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A direct flight from San Diego to Philadelphia takes 5h 17m, covering 2,364 miles.

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, return flight prices on this route showed a wide range, from about £275 to £2,403. That means the highest observed fare was about 9x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from San Diego to Philadelphia are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about £138, which is 34% below the typical average for this route.

Flying via Lambert-St Louis (STL) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 7h 00m, compared to 7h 25m via Minneapolis St Paul (MSP) and 7h 26m via Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW).

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

Philadelphia Airport (PHL) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around £21 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Payless
• Dollar
• Hertz
• Thrifty
• Budget

Return flights from San Diego to Philadelphia range from £303 to £423, with an average of £356 over the past 12 months. Anything below £303 counts as a good deal.

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