DCA to SEA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport · 2,329 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or SEA 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 Seattle (SEA) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (81% on time); around 4pm did worst (67%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Wednesday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (35%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA to SEA?
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 | 78% | 0.8% | 12 min | 5.0% | 728 |
| Delta Air Lines | 68% | 2.7% | 32 min | 13.0% | 364 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am81%365 flights
- 4pm67%363 flights
- 5pm75%364 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%2.6% cancelled
- Tuesday75%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday69%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday70%1.3% cancelled
- Friday77%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday86%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday72%3.8% 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 congestion35%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Late-arriving aircraft25%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)44%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Security0%
DCA to SEA: common questions
- How often are DCA to SEA 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 Seattle cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (16 of 1,092).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 68 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% 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: SEA to DCA — 82% 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 → SEA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.