Reagan National (DCA) Flight Delays: Rate, Best Hours and Airlines
Reagan National (DCA) is covered here with a statistics page (it is not one of the 22 full guide airports): 21.7% of flights departing DCA arrived 15 or more minutes late across 411,692 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. PSA Airlines operated 26.6% of those departures, with a 25.3% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 6 PM (31.2%) and 7 PM (31.2%); 5 AM is the best at 8.8%. 2.73% of scheduled DCA departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-01. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Predict a DCA flight
Historical BTS on-time (15+ min) at DCA
Sample size: 411,692 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 21.7%. Cancellation rate 2.73% of 282,522 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why DCA runs the way it does
No single carrier dominates DCA. The largest carriers in this window, by departures, are PSA Airlines (26.6%), American Airlines (19.9%) and Republic Airways (19.2%), so the airport's record reflects several operations rather than one hub schedule.
DCA delays peak in July (31.3%), June (26.2%) and December (23.7%) and are lowest in October (15.9%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
Delays build through the day: 9.9% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 27.5% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Best and worst times to fly from DCA
DCA delay rate by scheduled departure hour (hours with 100+ flights)| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|
| 5 AM | 8.8% | 2,903 |
| 6 AM | 9.1% | 29,541 |
| 7 AM | 11.1% | 20,835 |
| 8 AM | 15.9% | 40,204 |
| 9 AM | 16.4% | 15,369 |
| 10 AM | 14.6% | 32,508 |
| 11 AM | 16.3% | 25,021 |
| 12 PM | 19.7% | 22,325 |
| 1 PM | 22.9% | 26,442 |
| 2 PM | 24.3% | 23,635 |
| 3 PM | 25.1% | 29,487 |
| 4 PM | 30.0% | 18,790 |
| 5 PM | 30.5% | 34,262 |
| 6 PM | 31.2% | 18,505 |
| 7 PM | 31.2% | 25,830 |
| 8 PM | 27.6% | 21,473 |
| 9 PM | 26.1% | 3,906 |
| 10 PM | 27.7% | 20,618 |
DCA delays and cancellations by month
DCA by month| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Jan | 21.0% | 32,982 | 7.54% |
| Feb | 20.4% | 32,340 | 3.84% |
| Mar | 19.7% | 36,116 | 1.36% |
| Apr | 20.5% | 34,777 | 0.77% |
| May | 23.1% | 35,869 | 1.69% |
| Jun | 26.2% | 33,453 | 3.73% |
| Jul | 31.3% | 33,501 | 6.42% |
| Aug | 23.2% | 34,833 | 2.95% |
| Sep | 18.2% | 34,365 | 0.78% |
| Oct | 15.9% | 36,214 | 0.65% |
| Nov | 17.4% | 34,055 | 1.60% |
| Dec | 23.7% | 33,187 | 1.56% |
Airlines at DCA
Carriers flying from DCA (1,000+ flights)| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| PSA Airlines | 26.6% | 25.3% | 109,664 | 4.49% |
| American Airlines | 19.9% | 22.9% | 81,735 | 1.99% |
| Republic Airways | 19.2% | 16.2% | 79,114 | 2.74% |
| Southwest Airlines | 11.4% | 21.9% | 46,940 | 1.45% |
| Delta Air Lines | 6.4% | 18.1% | 26,206 | 1.58% |
| JetBlue Airways | 5.8% | 25.4% | 23,999 | 1.91% |
| United Airlines | 4.4% | 19.0% | 18,034 | 1.63% |
| Envoy Air | 2.9% | 21.6% | 12,138 | 3.11% |
| Alaska Airlines | 1.4% | 21.4% | 5,684 | 0.94% |
| Endeavor Air | 1.0% | 17.3% | 4,018 | 1.93% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from DCA
Routes from DCA (500+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|
| DCA to BOS | 22.1% | 27,861 | 2.44% | Predict |
| DCA to ATL | 18.8% | 20,284 | 2.20% | Predict |
| DCA to ORD | 19.7% | 18,852 | 2.08% | Predict |
| DCA to LGA | 23.5% | 14,269 | 3.88% | Predict |
| DCA to MCO | 22.6% | 13,776 | 1.76% | Predict |
| DCA to BNA | 19.8% | 11,717 | 2.42% | Predict |
| DCA to MIA | 23.0% | 10,894 | 2.12% | Predict |
| DCA to DFW | 21.3% | 9,626 | 2.64% | Predict |
| DCA to CLT | 21.8% | 9,268 | 1.97% | Predict |
| DCA to DTW | 19.1% | 8,087 | 2.62% | Predict |
| DCA to JFK | 20.6% | 7,460 | 4.12% | Predict |
| DCA to RDU | 20.2% | 7,368 | 2.98% | Predict |
| DCA to PVD | 20.5% | 7,357 | 2.91% | Predict |
| DCA to MSP | 16.7% | 7,065 | 1.79% | Predict |
| DCA to FLL | 25.9% | 7,022 | 1.57% | Predict |
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at DCA?
- 21.7% of flights departing DCA arrived 15 or more minutes late across 411,692 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from DCA?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 8.8% late (2,903 flights), 6 AM flights ran 9.1% late (29,541 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 11.1% late (20,835 flights). The worst hours are 6 PM (31.2%), 7 PM (31.2%) and 5 PM (30.5%).
- Which month is worst for delays at DCA?
- July has the highest delay rate at 31.3%. October is the lowest at 15.9%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at DCA?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from DCA, Republic Airways has the lowest delay rate at 16.2% (79,114 flights). JetBlue Airways is highest at 25.4%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are DCA flights cancelled?
- 2.73% of 282,522 scheduled departures from DCA were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at DCA?
- The predictor covers DCA flights with a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data. This page shows historical BTS figures only.
- Is DCA better than nearby airports?
- Compare DCA with IAD (19.1%) and BWI (24.3%) on the Washington–Baltimore: DCA vs IAD vs BWI compared page. Those are the delay rates for flights departing each airport over the same window.