CAE to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Columbia Metropolitan Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 408 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at CAE or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Columbia (CAE) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 4.8% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (84% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (47%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Friday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from CAE 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 90% | 0.0% | 6 min | 3.3% | 30 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 84% | 2.2% | 9 min | 3.7% | 138 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 70% | 5.3% | 34 min | 12.7% | 924 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am88%41 flights
- 6am92%262 flights
- 7am75%46 flights
- 9am89%38 flights
- 10am75%245 flights
- 11am78%79 flights
- 1pm73%28 flights
- 2pm58%43 flights
- 6pm51%76 flights
- 7pm47%229 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%7.3% cancelled
- Tuesday74%6.1% cancelled
- Wednesday74%2.5% cancelled
- Thursday74%3.1% cancelled
- Friday64%4.2% cancelled
- Saturday79%6.4% cancelled
- Sunday72%4.3% 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 aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)6%
- Security2%
CAE to DCA: common questions
- How often are CAE 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 Columbia to Washington cancelled?
- 4.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (52 of 1,092).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 30 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 106 min behind schedule on average, and 11.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at CAE?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to CAE — 67% on time
More flights from Columbia
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: CAE → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.