DAL to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Dallas Love Field to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 1,184 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DAL or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Dallas (DAL) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 67% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (95% on time); around 6pm did worst (34%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Friday the least (58%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (39%).
Which airline is most on time from DAL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 67% | 2.0% | 22 min | 11.8% | 1,732 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am95%183 flights
- 7am87%181 flights
- 9am82%97 flights
- 10am80%209 flights
- 11am65%50 flights
- 1pm51%50 flights
- 2pm66%273 flights
- 4pm60%221 flights
- 5pm35%141 flights
- 6pm34%58 flights
- 7pm45%181 flights
- 8pm61%73 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday69%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday73%2.7% cancelled
- Wednesday68%1.2% cancelled
- Thursday60%0.8% cancelled
- Friday58%2.7% cancelled
- Saturday79%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday63%4.2% 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 aircraft39%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather59%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Security0%
DAL to DCA: common questions
- How often are DAL to DCA flights on time?
- 67% 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 Dallas to Washington cancelled?
- 2.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (34 of 1,732).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 61 min behind schedule on average, and 11.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DAL?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to DAL — 72% on time
More flights from Dallas
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DAL → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.