DCA to CLT flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport · 331 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or CLT 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 Charlotte (CLT) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.7% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); PSA Airlines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (64%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Sunday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (57%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to CLT?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 80% | 3.0% | 24 min | 9.5% | 2,407 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 68% | 0.0% | 27 min | 14.3% | 266 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am92%341 flights
- 6am91%347 flights
- 7am72%27 flights
- 8am82%345 flights
- 9am86%78 flights
- 10am86%129 flights
- 11am75%152 flights
- 12pm59%58 flights
- 1pm76%313 flights
- 3pm73%164 flights
- 5pm71%358 flights
- 7pm64%358 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%3.4% cancelled
- Tuesday86%4.3% cancelled
- Wednesday77%1.9% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.3% cancelled
- Friday76%1.5% cancelled
- Saturday84%3.7% cancelled
- Sunday74%3.9% 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 aircraft57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather76%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security0%
DCA to CLT: common questions
- How often are DCA to CLT flights on time?
- 79% 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 Charlotte cancelled?
- 2.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (72 of 2,673).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 25 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 112 min behind schedule on average, and 10.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: CLT to DCA — 68% 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 → CLT, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.