DFW to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 1,192 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DFW or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (88% on time); around 7pm did worst (62%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Sunday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from DFW 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 73% | 3.0% | 18 min | 8.6% | 3,299 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am88%356 flights
- 7am83%357 flights
- 8am85%316 flights
- 9am79%137 flights
- 10am78%228 flights
- 11am77%71 flights
- 12pm67%335 flights
- 1pm69%44 flights
- 2pm66%243 flights
- 3pm63%226 flights
- 4pm64%82 flights
- 5pm64%325 flights
- 6pm63%160 flights
- 7pm62%253 flights
- 8pm64%88 flights
- 9pm68%69 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%3.2% cancelled
- Tuesday78%3.2% cancelled
- Wednesday73%2.6% cancelled
- Thursday73%0.6% cancelled
- Friday71%2.5% cancelled
- Saturday75%4.3% cancelled
- Sunday67%4.9% 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 aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather85%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)14%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion1%
- Security0%
DFW to DCA: common questions
- How often are DFW to DCA flights on time?
- 73% 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 Dallas/Fort Worth to Washington cancelled?
- 3.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (100 of 3,299).
- 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 62 min behind schedule on average, and 8.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DFW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to DFW — 78% on time
More flights from Dallas/Fort Worth
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DFW → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.