DCA to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Denver International Airport · 1,476 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or DEN 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 Denver (DEN) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (79%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (86% on time); around 6pm did worst (67%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Thursday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (37%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to DEN?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 80% | 0.5% | 18 min | 7.8% | 364 |
| Frontier Airlines | 79% | 0.9% | 17 min | 7.0% | 982 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am86%210 flights
- 8am84%149 flights
- 1pm83%184 flights
- 2pm84%135 flights
- 4pm80%363 flights
- 6pm67%305 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday77%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.5% cancelled
- Friday75%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday89%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday82%1.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion37%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)26%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather55%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)45%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DCA to DEN: common questions
- How often are DCA to DEN 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 Denver cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 1,346).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 7.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to DCA — 81% 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 → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.