DCA to FLL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport · 899 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or FLL 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 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) arrived on time 68% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.3% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (72% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (60%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (83% on time); around 6pm did worst (53%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (58%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (55%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to FLL?
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 | 72% | 1.9% | 20 min | 9.8% | 575 |
| JetBlue | 68% | 2.6% | 25 min | 13.5% | 1,367 |
| Southwest Airlines | 60% | 1.6% | 26 min | 12.3% | 365 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am81%97 flights
- 7am77%314 flights
- 8am83%156 flights
- 9am70%128 flights
- 10am79%262 flights
- 11am79%176 flights
- 12pm55%57 flights
- 2pm61%186 flights
- 3pm57%369 flights
- 4pm63%30 flights
- 5pm68%92 flights
- 6pm53%187 flights
- 7pm58%99 flights
- 8pm56%137 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%4.4% cancelled
- Tuesday69%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday76%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday67%0.9% cancelled
- Friday64%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday76%2.0% cancelled
- Sunday58%4.1% 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 aircraft55%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather56%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Security0%
DCA to FLL: common questions
- How often are DCA to FLL flights on time?
- 68% 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 Fort Lauderdale cancelled?
- 2.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (52 of 2,307).
- 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 70 min behind schedule on average, and 12.4% 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: FLL 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 → FLL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.