DCA to BHM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport · 653 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or BHM 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 Birmingham (BHM) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 4.5% were cancelled, and 13% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (77% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (83% on time); around 2pm did worst (59%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (56%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to BHM?
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. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 77% | 5.7% | 13 min | 7.2% | 88 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 70% | 4.4% | 25 min | 14.1% | 957 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am83%296 flights
- 9am67%66 flights
- 1pm77%110 flights
- 2pm59%235 flights
- 7pm64%102 flights
- 8pm62%137 flights
- 9pm70%89 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%7.1% cancelled
- Tuesday71%4.5% cancelled
- Wednesday74%3.9% cancelled
- Thursday66%3.3% cancelled
- Friday69%2.5% cancelled
- Saturday76%5.2% cancelled
- Sunday65%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 aircraft56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather81%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)6%
- Security0%
DCA to BHM: common questions
- How often are DCA to BHM flights on time?
- 70% 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 Birmingham cancelled?
- 4.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (47 of 1,046).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 24 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 13.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 28 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BHM to DCA — 76% 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 → BHM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.