DCA to ATL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport · 547 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or ATL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 3.3% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 5pm did worst (58%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to ATL?
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. | 82% | 1.5% | 13 min | 6.2% | 264 |
| Delta Air Lines | 81% | 2.6% | 17 min | 8.0% | 3,842 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 80% | 3.5% | 12 min | 5.7% | 453 |
| Southwest Airlines | 79% | 1.9% | 14 min | 6.6% | 1,106 |
| American Airlines | 74% | 0.0% | 21 min | 12.8% | 39 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 67% | 7.8% | 28 min | 15.0% | 1,097 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%1,094 flights
- 7am87%447 flights
- 8am84%595 flights
- 9am84%204 flights
- 10am87%499 flights
- 11am82%411 flights
- 12pm80%412 flights
- 1pm76%590 flights
- 2pm66%213 flights
- 3pm77%231 flights
- 4pm70%274 flights
- 5pm58%254 flights
- 6pm62%589 flights
- 7pm72%443 flights
- 8pm71%428 flights
- 9pm53%109 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%4.9% cancelled
- Tuesday81%2.7% cancelled
- Wednesday79%2.1% cancelled
- Thursday78%1.4% cancelled
- Friday75%4.1% cancelled
- Saturday85%2.7% cancelled
- Sunday75%5.2% 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 aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather59%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Security0%
DCA to ATL: common questions
- How often are DCA to ATL flights on time?
- 78% 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 Washington to Atlanta cancelled?
- 3.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (226 of 6,801).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 77 min behind schedule on average, and 8.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ATL to DCA — 70% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DCA → ATL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.