DCA to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 2,311 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (81% on time); around 9am did worst (68%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Thursday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (36%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to LAX?
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 | 78% | 1.4% | 16 min | 6.0% | 728 |
| Delta Air Lines | 78% | 2.5% | 25 min | 9.1% | 362 |
| Alaska Airlines | 69% | 1.6% | 20 min | 8.4% | 364 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am81%409 flights
- 9am68%319 flights
- 4pm77%496 flights
- 5pm74%201 flights
- 6pm70%29 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday74%2.9% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.0% cancelled
- Friday74%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday76%3.4% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Late-arriving aircraft30%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
DCA to LAX: common questions
- How often are DCA to LAX flights on time?
- 76% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (25 of 1,454).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 75 min behind schedule on average, and 7.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to DCA — 80% 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 → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.