DCA to ORF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Norfolk International Airport · 142 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or ORF 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 Norfolk (ORF) arrived on time 64% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 4.3% were cancelled, and 16% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (73% on time); around 8pm did worst (54%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Friday the least (55%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (56%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to ORF?
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. | 100% | 0.0% | 2 min | 0.0% | 4 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 83% | 4.2% | 14 min | 8.7% | 24 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 63% | 4.3% | 28 min | 15.9% | 1,013 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am70%167 flights
- 9am68%171 flights
- 12pm73%74 flights
- 1pm58%111 flights
- 3pm60%60 flights
- 4pm73%11 flights
- 5pm61%77 flights
- 7pm94%18 flights
- 8pm54%100 flights
- 9pm57%56 flights
- 10pm57%187 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday64%5.3% cancelled
- Tuesday61%3.9% cancelled
- Wednesday64%2.6% cancelled
- Thursday57%2.0% cancelled
- Friday55%5.3% cancelled
- Saturday78%3.6% cancelled
- Sunday67%7.4% 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 aircraft56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather73%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)4%
- Security0%
DCA to ORF: common questions
- How often are DCA to ORF flights on time?
- 64% 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 Norfolk cancelled?
- 4.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (45 of 1,041).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 27 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 73 min behind schedule on average, and 15.7% 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: ORF to DCA — 66% 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 → ORF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.