DEN to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 1,476 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (79%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (98% on time); around 4pm did worst (66%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Thursday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (47%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to DCA?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 88% | 0.3% | 8 min | 3.3% | 364 |
| Frontier Airlines | 79% | 0.7% | 16 min | 8.3% | 983 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am98%88 flights
- 7am92%225 flights
- 9am88%364 flights
- 11am77%312 flights
- 4pm66%355 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%0.5% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday77%0.5% cancelled
- Friday79%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday89%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday83%1.4% 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 congestion47%
- Late-arriving aircraft26%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DEN to DCA: common questions
- How often are DEN to DCA flights on time?
- 81% 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 Denver to Washington cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 1,347).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 70 min behind schedule on average, and 7.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to DEN — 79% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.