DCA to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 612 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or ORD 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 Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.4% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (76% on time); American Airlines was the least (74%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (88% on time); around 6pm did worst (50%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Friday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (39%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to ORD?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 81% | 4.7% | 17 min | 7.4% | 171 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 76% | 5.7% | 19 min | 9.6% | 1,120 |
| United Airlines | 75% | 2.4% | 22 min | 9.5% | 3,389 |
| American Airlines | 74% | 3.5% | 24 min | 11.3% | 2,272 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 63% | 7.3% | 33 min | 23.6% | 96 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%746 flights
- 7am83%469 flights
- 8am87%396 flights
- 9am78%359 flights
- 10am87%532 flights
- 11am80%345 flights
- 12pm86%325 flights
- 1pm77%591 flights
- 2pm78%428 flights
- 3pm70%643 flights
- 5pm55%687 flights
- 6pm50%371 flights
- 7pm66%514 flights
- 8pm64%371 flights
- 10pm75%161 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%4.9% cancelled
- Tuesday78%4.0% cancelled
- Wednesday71%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday76%2.7% cancelled
- Friday70%3.2% cancelled
- Saturday81%3.1% cancelled
- Sunday73%4.3% 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 aircraft39%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)16%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather72%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)11%
- Security0%
DCA to ORD: common questions
- How often are DCA to ORD flights on time?
- 75% 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 Chicago cancelled?
- 3.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (241 of 7,048).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 84 min behind schedule on average, and 10.2% 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: ORD 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 → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.