IAD to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 2,288 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAD or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (IAD) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (91% on time); around 5pm did worst (74%).
- Monday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Saturday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (35%).
Which airline is most on time from IAD to LAX?
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 | 84% | 0.8% | 10 min | 4.6% | 2,338 |
| American Airlines | 76% | 0.0% | 14 min | 5.2% | 115 |
| Alaska Airlines | 47% | 0.0% | 24 min | 10.5% | 19 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am82%179 flights
- 7am91%163 flights
- 8am89%272 flights
- 9am89%123 flights
- 12pm90%293 flights
- 1pm89%72 flights
- 3pm87%233 flights
- 5pm74%217 flights
- 6pm76%265 flights
- 7pm79%120 flights
- 8pm79%199 flights
- 10pm83%336 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday86%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday82%1.6% cancelled
- Friday86%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday82%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday83%2.2% 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 aircraft35%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)53%
- Extreme weather47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
IAD to LAX: common questions
- How often are IAD to LAX flights on time?
- 84% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 2,472).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 4.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAD?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to IAD — 87% 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: IAD → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.