DCA to CLE flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport · 310 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or CLE 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 Cleveland (CLE) arrived on time 66% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 6.8% were cancelled, and 15% arrived an hour or more late.
- Envoy Air was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (63%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (93% on time); around 5pm did worst (44%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (72% on time) and Sunday the least (57%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (51%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to CLE?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 93% | 2.4% | 3 min | 0.0% | 41 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 88% | 2.0% | 5 min | 0.7% | 149 |
| American Airlines | 86% | 0.0% | 4 min | 0.0% | 7 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 63% | 7.4% | 30 min | 16.7% | 1,413 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am90%69 flights
- 7am93%110 flights
- 8am79%106 flights
- 10am86%195 flights
- 11am73%113 flights
- 12pm69%31 flights
- 1pm53%184 flights
- 2pm64%154 flights
- 5pm44%232 flights
- 6pm66%80 flights
- 9pm93%30 flights
- 10pm53%279 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%7.5% cancelled
- Tuesday72%6.5% cancelled
- Wednesday71%5.5% cancelled
- Thursday65%6.0% cancelled
- Friday62%8.7% cancelled
- Saturday72%6.7% cancelled
- Sunday57%6.4% 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 aircraft51%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather72%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)7%
- Security1%
DCA to CLE: common questions
- How often are DCA to CLE flights on time?
- 66% 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 Cleveland cancelled?
- 6.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (109 of 1,610).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 27 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 14.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 25 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: CLE to DCA — 65% 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 → CLE, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.