BNA to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Nashville International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 562 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at BNA or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Nashville (BNA) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.9% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (76% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (92% on time); around 6pm did worst (52%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Friday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from BNA to DCA?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 76% | 4.7% | 20 min | 8.6% | 316 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 75% | 2.7% | 17 min | 8.3% | 1,832 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 71% | 5.7% | 19 min | 9.8% | 140 |
| Southwest Airlines | 70% | 1.5% | 16 min | 7.9% | 1,678 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 67% | 6.9% | 38 min | 16.1% | 390 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am91%130 flights
- 6am78%650 flights
- 7am92%133 flights
- 8am92%141 flights
- 9am83%279 flights
- 10am80%256 flights
- 11am67%290 flights
- 12pm75%403 flights
- 1pm63%109 flights
- 3pm66%445 flights
- 4pm64%208 flights
- 5pm66%491 flights
- 6pm52%183 flights
- 7pm64%262 flights
- 8pm65%275 flights
- 9pm66%77 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%3.9% cancelled
- Tuesday74%4.2% cancelled
- Wednesday75%2.0% cancelled
- Thursday67%1.1% cancelled
- Friday66%2.4% cancelled
- Saturday86%3.7% cancelled
- Sunday70%3.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion34%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather63%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)9%
- Security0%
BNA to DCA: common questions
- How often are BNA to DCA flights on time?
- 72% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Nashville to Washington cancelled?
- 2.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (125 of 4,356).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 63 min behind schedule on average, and 8.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at BNA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to BNA — 76% on time
More flights from Nashville
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: BNA → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.