Nonstop flight route between Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and San Francisco, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DCA to SFO:
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- About this route
- DCA Airport Information
- SFO Airport Information
- Facts about DCA
- Facts about SFO
- Map of Nearest Airports to DCA
- List of Nearest Airports to DCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from DCA
- List of Furthest Airports from DCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to SFO
- List of Nearest Airports to SFO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SFO
- List of Furthest Airports from SFO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,436 miles (or 3,921 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the relatively short distance between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and San Francisco International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | DCA / KDCA |
| Airport Name: | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |
| Location: | Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 38°51'7"N by 77°2'16"W |
| Area Served: | Washington Metropolitan Area |
| Operator/Owner: | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 15 feet (5 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DCA |
| More Information: | DCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SFO / KSFO |
| Airport Name: | San Francisco International Airport |
| Location: | San Francisco, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°37'8"N by 122°22'30"W |
| Area Served: | San Francisco |
| Operator/Owner: | City & County of San Francisco |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 13 feet (4 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SFO |
| More Information: | SFO Maps & Info |
Facts about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):
- Because of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- Despite the expansions, efforts have been made to restrict the growth of the airport.
- The closest airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Bolling Air Force Base (BOF), which is located only 1 miles (2 kilometers) ESE of DCA.
- Until 1999, Runways 1/19 and 4/22 were designated 18/36 and 3/21.
- Service to the airport's Metro station began in 1977.
- Other than 40 slot exemptions, flights into and out of DCA are not allowed to exceed 1,250 statute miles in any direction nonstop, in an effort to send air traffic to the larger but more distant Washington Dulles International Airport.
- Reagan National is a hub for US Airways, Reagan National's largest carrier.
- Reagan National Airport has noise restrictions that are some of the most restrictive in the country.
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has 3 runways.
- The furthest airport from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,682 miles (18,800 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- In 2013, Reagan National Airport handled 20,415,085 passengers, which was a new record.
Facts about San Francisco International Airport (SFO):
- Terminal 2, formerly known as the "Central Terminal," opened in 1954 as the main airport terminal.
- Formerly known as the "South Terminal," Terminal 1 has Boarding Area B and Boarding Area C.
- The airport closed following the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989, reopening the following morning.
- San Francisco International Airport handled 44,477,209 passengers last year.
- The closest airport to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SW of SFO.
- AirTrain is the airport's people-mover system.
- On July 14, 2008, SFO was voted Best International Airport in North America for 2008 in the World Airports Survey by Skytrax.
- The furthest airport from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- SFO experiences delays in overcast weather when only two of the airport's four runways can be used at a time because the centerlines of the parallel runways are only 750 feet apart.
- The first international nonstops were ANA/BCPA DC-4s to Vancouver in 1946-47.
- Because of San Francisco International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at San Francisco International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- A long-planned extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system to the airport opened on June 22, 2003, allowing passengers to board BART trains at the international terminal to San Francisco or the East Bay.
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has 4 runways.
