DCA to PBI flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Palm Beach International Airport · 857 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or PBI 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 West Palm Beach/Palm Beach (PBI) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.9% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (77% on time); JetBlue was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (90% on time); around 1pm did worst (60%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Thursday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to PBI?
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. | 78% | 0.0% | 8 min | 1.3% | 76 |
| American Airlines | 77% | 1.7% | 18 min | 9.0% | 981 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 75% | 0.0% | 31 min | 25.0% | 4 |
| JetBlue | 70% | 2.3% | 24 min | 11.6% | 743 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | – | 100.0% | – | – | 1 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am86%188 flights
- 7am90%217 flights
- 8am80%183 flights
- 9am73%82 flights
- 10am74%188 flights
- 11am69%125 flights
- 12pm71%42 flights
- 1pm60%72 flights
- 2pm69%210 flights
- 3pm63%108 flights
- 4pm69%59 flights
- 5pm62%154 flights
- 6pm74%158 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%3.0% cancelled
- Tuesday79%3.5% cancelled
- Wednesday81%1.2% cancelled
- Thursday66%0.4% cancelled
- Friday72%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday67%3.7% 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 aircraft49%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather77%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)9%
- Security0%
DCA to PBI: common questions
- How often are DCA to PBI flights on time?
- 74% 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 West Palm Beach/Palm Beach cancelled?
- 1.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (35 of 1,805).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 20 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 73 min behind schedule on average, and 9.8% 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: PBI 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 → PBI, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.