DCA to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 1,218 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or HOU 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 Houston (HOU) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.8% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 6pm did worst (59%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (68%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (54%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to HOU?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 77% | 1.8% | 15 min | 7.3% | 1,053 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%341 flights
- 7am91%23 flights
- 12pm60%68 flights
- 1pm77%262 flights
- 4pm54%24 flights
- 5pm64%14 flights
- 6pm59%207 flights
- 7pm70%104 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday80%1.9% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday76%1.3% cancelled
- Friday72%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday80%2.6% cancelled
- Sunday68%3.2% 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 aircraft54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather53%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Security0%
DCA to HOU: common questions
- How often are DCA to HOU flights on time?
- 77% 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 Houston cancelled?
- 1.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 1,053).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 61 min behind schedule on average, and 7.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to DCA — 70% 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 → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.