DCA to SAT flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to San Antonio International Airport · 1,380 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or SAT 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 San Antonio (SAT) arrived on time 56% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2% were cancelled, and 20% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7pm did best (62% on time); around 6pm did worst (51%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (67% on time) and Sunday the least (43%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (57%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to SAT?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 56% | 2.0% | 36 min | 20.5% | 350 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 2pm45%11 flights
- 4pm53%17 flights
- 5pm54%120 flights
- 6pm51%58 flights
- 7pm62%143 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday63%2.0% cancelled
- Tuesday58%4.0% cancelled
- Wednesday60%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday55%2.0% cancelled
- Friday49%2.0% cancelled
- Saturday67%2.0% cancelled
- Sunday43%2.0% 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 aircraft57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DCA to SAT: common questions
- How often are DCA to SAT flights on time?
- 56% 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 Antonio cancelled?
- 2.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 350).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 36 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 82 min behind schedule on average, and 20.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SAT to DCA — 90% 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 → SAT, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.