DCA to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to San Diego International Airport · 2,276 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
71%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.6%
6 flights
Avg arrival delay
16 min
50 min when late
Airlines
1
364 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 71% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (73% on time); around 9am did worst (61%).
- Monday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Friday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (48%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to SAN?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 71% | 1.6% | 16 min | 7.0% | 364 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am73%319 flights
- 9am61%45 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday82%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday71%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday69%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday71%0.0% cancelled
- Friday63%7.5% cancelled
- Saturday73%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday71%1.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)38%
- Extreme weather14%
- Security0%
- Late-arriving aircraft0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DCA to SAN: common questions
- How often are DCA to SAN flights on time?
- 71% 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 San Diego cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 364).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 7.0% 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: SAN 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 → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.