DCA to MSY flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport · 969 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or MSY 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 New Orleans (MSY) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 7pm did worst (66%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Thursday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (55%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to MSY?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 83% | 0.0% | 7 min | 1.0% | 204 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 2.9% | 22 min | 11.2% | 453 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 72% | 5.1% | 22 min | 12.0% | 586 |
| Southwest Airlines | 72% | 2.1% | 17 min | 7.4% | 704 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%69 flights
- 7am91%164 flights
- 8am75%153 flights
- 11am76%458 flights
- 12pm77%196 flights
- 1pm72%33 flights
- 2pm68%197 flights
- 3pm69%146 flights
- 6pm53%54 flights
- 7pm66%138 flights
- 8pm67%291 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%3.8% cancelled
- Tuesday80%3.5% cancelled
- Wednesday73%2.4% cancelled
- Thursday64%0.7% cancelled
- Friday69%3.1% cancelled
- Saturday83%4.0% cancelled
- Sunday72%3.6% 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)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather59%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Security0%
DCA to MSY: common questions
- How often are DCA to MSY flights on time?
- 73% 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 New Orleans cancelled?
- 3.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (58 of 1,947).
- 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 66 min behind schedule on average, and 8.9% 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: MSY to DCA — 71% 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 → MSY, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.