DCA to RSW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport · 892 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or RSW 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 Fort Myers (RSW) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.5% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (94% on time); around 9am did worst (64%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (60%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to RSW?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 100% | 0.0% | 5 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| American Airlines | 76% | 2.6% | 20 min | 8.3% | 804 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 65% | 0.0% | 18 min | 15.4% | 26 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%166 flights
- 7am94%34 flights
- 8am73%60 flights
- 9am64%47 flights
- 10am69%180 flights
- 11am88%75 flights
- 1pm73%32 flights
- 2pm68%87 flights
- 3pm65%150 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%5.8% cancelled
- Tuesday85%4.1% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.0% cancelled
- Friday74%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday72%1.8% cancelled
- Sunday69%4.1% 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 aircraft60%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather76%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)10%
- Security0%
DCA to RSW: common questions
- How often are DCA to RSW 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 Fort Myers cancelled?
- 2.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (21 of 831).
- 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 79 min behind schedule on average, and 8.5% 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: RSW to DCA — 72% 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 → RSW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.