Airports › Virginia
Airport · 12 months to July 2026
Ronald Reagan Washington National: delays and on-time record
Washington, Virginia
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Reporting carriers scheduled 142,173 domestic departures from Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA), Washington, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 390 a day to 104 destinations.
70.9% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 5.2 points below the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at DCA were on time 68.8% of the time, 7.2 points below the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
3.6% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 21.2 min.
PSA Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at DCA with 28% of departures. Among carriers with at least 1,422 departures, United Airlines had the highest on-time arrival share for its DCA departures (77.1%) and PSA Airlines the lowest (63.0%).
On-time departures are down 3.5 points on the previous 12 months (74.4%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving DCA, late-arriving aircraft 50%, air carrier 25% and national aviation system 20%.
- On time 70.1%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 26.0%
- Cancelled 3.6%
- Diverted 0.3%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from DCA | Arrivals at DCA | All reported flights | DCA departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 70.9% | 72.3% | 76.1% | 74.4% |
| Arrived on time | 70.1% | 68.8% | 76.0% | 73.2% |
| Cancelled | 3.6% | 3.5% | 1.8% | 3.7% |
| Diverted | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 21.2 min | 22.1 min | 17.4 min | 19.3 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 2,070 | 2,291 | 1,684 | 1,912 |
| Scheduled flights | 142,173 | 142,208 | 7,043,858 | 141,765 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left DCA; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −3.5 pts.
Airlines at DCA
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OH PSA Airlines | 39,989 | 28% | 63.0% | 19.4 min | 5.5% |
| AA American Airlines | 27,795 | 20% | 72.8% | 11.1 min | 2.5% |
| YX Republic Airline | 27,178 | 19% | 72.5% | 7.9 min | 4.1% |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 16,026 | 11% | 72.0% | 10.1 min | 1.9% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 9,539 | 7% | 76.5% | 8.5 min | 2.5% |
| UA United Airlines | 6,887 | 5% | 77.1% | 7.6 min | 1.6% |
| B6 JetBlue Airways | 6,699 | 5% | 66.2% | 18.8 min | 3.4% |
| MQ Envoy Air | 4,800 | 3% | 75.1% | 7.4 min | 3.0% |
| AS Alaska Airlines | 2,182 | 2% | 71.3% | 6.9 min | 1.1% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 982 | 1% | 77.9% | 6.0 min | 0.9% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 96 | 0% | 58.3% | 24.3 min | 7.3% |
Departures from DCA by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 70.1%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from DCA
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA–BOS | Washington to Boston | 9,090 | 68.4% | 15.1 min | 3.9% |
| DCA–ORD | Washington to Chicago | 7,048 | 72.1% | 13.3 min | 3.4% |
| DCA–ATL | Washington to Atlanta | 6,801 | 75.5% | 7.2 min | 3.3% |
| DCA–LGA | Washington to New York | 4,832 | 62.8% | 19.0 min | 5.9% |
| DCA–MCO | Washington to Orlando | 4,579 | 72.7% | 13.1 min | 2.5% |
| DCA–BNA | Washington to Nashville | 4,354 | 74.2% | 7.6 min | 2.7% |
| DCA–MIA | Washington to Miami | 3,955 | 74.8% | 6.9 min | 1.9% |
| DCA–DFW | Washington to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,301 | 75.1% | 6.6 min | 3.1% |
| DCA–IAH | Washington to Houston | 3,277 | 78.9% | 0.8 min | 2.1% |
| DCA–DTW | Washington to Detroit | 2,976 | 73.3% | 10.3 min | 3.7% |
| DCA–CLT | Washington to Charlotte | 2,673 | 76.3% | 13.2 min | 2.7% |
| DCA–MSP | Washington to Minneapolis | 2,600 | 73.4% | 12.5 min | 2.9% |
| DCA–JFK | Washington to New York | 2,488 | 73.2% | 6.6 min | 5.2% |
| DCA–PVD | Washington to Providence | 2,423 | 69.8% | 10.6 min | 4.5% |
| DCA–STL | Washington to St. Louis | 2,414 | 71.5% | 11.3 min | 2.4% |
| DCA–FLL | Washington to Fort Lauderdale | 2,307 | 66.1% | 16.0 min | 2.3% |
| DCA–TPA | Washington to Tampa | 2,243 | 72.1% | 11.2 min | 2.5% |
| DCA–MDW | Washington to Chicago | 2,099 | 74.7% | 8.6 min | 2.7% |
| DCA–CMH | Washington to Columbus | 2,052 | 75.3% | 7.6 min | 3.1% |
| DCA–IND | Washington to Indianapolis | 2,023 | 74.6% | 5.9 min | 3.4% |
| DCA–RDU | Washington to Raleigh/Durham | 2,010 | 64.5% | 17.7 min | 4.6% |
| DCA–MSY | Washington to New Orleans | 1,947 | 70.9% | 8.9 min | 3.0% |
| DCA–MCI | Washington to Kansas City | 1,929 | 68.9% | 11.6 min | 3.2% |
| DCA–PBI | Washington to West Palm Beach/Palm Beach | 1,805 | 72.1% | 10.5 min | 1.9% |
| DCA–CHS | Washington to Charleston | 1,751 | 67.4% | 17.2 min | 3.4% |
| DCA–DAL | Washington to Dallas | 1,733 | 70.7% | 11.5 min | 1.8% |
| DCA–BDL | Washington to Hartford | 1,707 | 65.1% | 15.9 min | 5.3% |
| DCA–CLE | Washington to Cleveland | 1,610 | 61.9% | 20.1 min | 6.8% |
| DCA–JAX | Washington to Jacksonville | 1,462 | 71.4% | 11.4 min | 2.5% |
| DCA–LAX | Washington to Los Angeles | 1,454 | 73.8% | 8.2 min | 1.7% |
| DCA–PIT | Washington to Pittsburgh | 1,431 | 71.5% | 8.7 min | 4.0% |
| DCA–HPN | Washington to White Plains | 1,359 | 58.4% | 26.2 min | 6.4% |
| DCA–MKE | Washington to Milwaukee | 1,347 | 73.4% | 8.4 min | 4.5% |
| DCA–DEN | Washington to Denver | 1,346 | 78.1% | 6.7 min | 0.8% |
| DCA–HSV | Washington to Huntsville | 1,317 | 68.9% | 12.8 min | 4.1% |
| DCA–MSN | Washington to Madison | 1,213 | 66.9% | 17.4 min | 4.9% |
| DCA–ALB | Washington to Albany | 1,185 | 63.0% | 20.8 min | 5.1% |
| DCA–PWM | Washington to Portland | 1,159 | 66.2% | 14.4 min | 3.5% |
| DCA–BTV | Washington to Burlington | 1,144 | 64.8% | 17.7 min | 4.7% |
| DCA–BUF | Washington to Buffalo | 1,134 | 61.1% | 23.0 min | 4.9% |
| DCA–MEM | Washington to Memphis | 1,126 | 68.3% | 11.3 min | 4.6% |
| DCA–BGR | Washington to Bangor | 1,116 | 63.6% | 16.1 min | 6.6% |
| DCA–SAV | Washington to Savannah | 1,105 | 65.7% | 17.2 min | 4.7% |
| DCA–SEA | Washington to Seattle | 1,092 | 73.0% | 7.6 min | 1.5% |
| DCA–CAE | Washington to Columbia | 1,091 | 63.6% | 16.7 min | 5.2% |
| DCA–SFO | Washington to San Francisco | 1,090 | 72.8% | 7.1 min | 0.8% |
| DCA–PHX | Washington to Phoenix | 1,086 | 80.8% | 7.0 min | 1.5% |
| DCA–MHT | Washington to Manchester | 1,082 | 63.3% | 15.9 min | 6.2% |
| DCA–PNS | Washington to Pensacola | 1,074 | 64.6% | 19.2 min | 3.9% |
| DCA–HOU | Washington to Houston | 1,053 | 75.3% | 5.6 min | 1.8% |
| DCA–BHM | Washington to Birmingham | 1,046 | 66.8% | 14.0 min | 4.5% |
| DCA–ORF | Washington to Norfolk | 1,041 | 60.8% | 20.5 min | 4.3% |
| DCA–ROC | Washington to Rochester | 1,032 | 64.8% | 18.0 min | 5.4% |
| DCA–SDF | Washington to Louisville | 1,031 | 71.3% | 7.9 min | 5.1% |
| DCA–SYR | Washington to Syracuse | 1,029 | 64.5% | 17.7 min | 4.7% |
| DCA–TYS | Washington to Knoxville | 1,021 | 65.1% | 24.0 min | 3.7% |
| DCA–CVG | Washington to Cincinnati | 1,019 | 64.3% | 22.0 min | 3.5% |
| DCA–GSP | Washington to Greer | 1,018 | 62.6% | 22.3 min | 4.4% |
| DCA–DAY | Washington to Dayton | 961 | 62.2% | 22.9 min | 3.4% |
| DCA–ILM | Washington to Wilmington | 880 | 68.6% | 11.0 min | 5.8% |
| DCA–RSW | Washington to Fort Myers | 831 | 72.9% | 9.6 min | 2.5% |
| DCA–GSO | Washington to Greensboro/High Point | 795 | 70.9% | 9.6 min | 4.4% |
| DCA–PHL | Washington to Philadelphia | 790 | 62.4% | 21.0 min | 2.7% |
| DCA–MYR | Washington to Myrtle Beach | 754 | 72.8% | 8.1 min | 4.6% |
| DCA–GRR | Washington to Grand Rapids | 730 | 59.9% | 25.4 min | 5.1% |
| DCA–LAS | Washington to Las Vegas | 729 | 69.0% | 9.1 min | 1.2% |
| DCA–DSM | Washington to Des Moines | 702 | 68.7% | 10.6 min | 5.7% |
| DCA–OKC | Washington to Oklahoma City | 691 | 63.7% | 17.0 min | 3.2% |
| DCA–OMA | Washington to Omaha | 645 | 69.3% | 12.2 min | 2.0% |
| DCA–EYW | Washington to Key West | 590 | 79.5% | -1.3 min | 1.7% |
| DCA–AVL | Washington to Asheville | 522 | 64.8% | 12.8 min | 4.0% |
| DCA–SRQ | Washington to Sarasota/Bradenton | 465 | 78.3% | 5.0 min | 1.9% |
| DCA–TUL | Washington to Tulsa | 400 | 64.8% | 12.0 min | 3.8% |
| DCA–ECP | Washington to Panama City | 388 | 70.6% | 11.1 min | 4.1% |
| DCA–VPS | Washington to Valparaiso | 369 | 73.2% | 1.5 min | 3.8% |
| DCA–TLH | Washington to Tallahassee | 365 | 58.1% | 26.0 min | 7.1% |
| DCA–XNA | Washington to Fayetteville | 365 | 73.4% | 12.9 min | 4.9% |
| DCA–AUS | Washington to Austin | 364 | 54.1% | 23.3 min | 0.5% |
| DCA–LIT | Washington to Little Rock | 364 | 68.4% | 9.2 min | 2.2% |
| DCA–SJU | Washington to San Juan | 364 | 71.2% | 10.8 min | 1.6% |
| DCA–SLC | Washington to Salt Lake City | 364 | 73.9% | 10.3 min | 1.1% |
| DCA–SAN | Washington to San Diego | 364 | 69.5% | 8.8 min | 1.6% |
| DCA–PDX | Washington to Portland | 363 | 70.8% | 10.4 min | 0.6% |
| DCA–CID | Washington to Cedar Rapids/Iowa City | 362 | 74.6% | 6.8 min | 1.9% |
| DCA–SAT | Washington to San Antonio | 350 | 55.1% | 28.1 min | 2.0% |
| DCA–AGS | Washington to Augusta | 348 | 54.6% | 27.7 min | 7.5% |
| DCA–CRW | Washington to Charleston/Dunbar | 340 | 57.6% | 26.1 min | 9.7% |
| DCA–HHH | Washington to Hilton Head | 330 | 84.5% | -5.1 min | 1.2% |
| DCA–CAK | Washington to Akron | 324 | 55.6% | 38.1 min | 4.0% |
| DCA–ICT | Washington to Wichita | 312 | 60.6% | 21.0 min | 4.2% |
| DCA–BTR | Washington to Baton Rouge | 308 | 64.3% | 17.7 min | 9.4% |
| DCA–LEX | Washington to Lexington | 304 | 73.4% | 13.0 min | 3.3% |
| DCA–JAN | Washington to Jackson/Vicksburg | 302 | 58.6% | 24.2 min | 8.6% |
| DCA–CHA | Washington to Chattanooga | 300 | 61.0% | 24.5 min | 6.0% |
| DCA–LAN | Washington to Lansing | 298 | 64.8% | 22.9 min | 4.4% |
| DCA–MGM | Washington to Montgomery | 294 | 57.8% | 25.5 min | 3.1% |
| DCA–ACK | Washington to Nantucket | 283 | 68.9% | 9.5 min | 4.2% |
| DCA–EWR | Washington to Newark | 278 | 86.3% | -7.2 min | 3.6% |
| DCA–MVY | Washington to Martha's Vineyard | 271 | 76.0% | 10.5 min | 2.2% |
| DCA–TVC | Washington to Traverse City | 155 | 81.3% | 3.3 min | 1.3% |
The 100 busiest of 104 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 2,843 departures, 6 am to 7 am had the highest on-time share (89.5% of 11,098 flights) and 10 pm to 11 pm the lowest (56.6% of 6,851).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (5,061 in the period): air carrier 14%, weather 65%, national aviation system 21%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for DCA on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave DCA on time?
70.9% of the 142,173 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 3.6% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at DCA on time?
68.8% of 142,208 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at DCA?
Counting departures from DCA and whether they reached their destination on time, United Airlines had the highest share (77.1% of 6,887 flights), then Delta Air Lines (76.5%) and Envoy Air (75.1%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at DCA?
For departures from DCA that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 50%, air carrier 25%, national aviation system 20%, extreme weather 5%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at DCA?
Departures scheduled from 6 am to 7 am local time left on time 89.5% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 10 pm to 11 pm was lowest at 56.6%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 70.9%, down 3.5 points on the previous 12 months (74.4%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at DCA?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.