MCO to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Orlando International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 759 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MCO or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Orlando (MCO) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.2% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (75% on time); JetBlue was the least (64%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (96% on time); around 4pm did worst (54%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Sunday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from MCO 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 94% | 0.0% | 8 min | 6.3% | 16 |
| Delta Air Lines | 75% | 3.6% | 23 min | 11.4% | 713 |
| American Airlines | 71% | 2.3% | 26 min | 12.3% | 1,815 |
| Southwest Airlines | 68% | 1.6% | 19 min | 10.4% | 1,093 |
| JetBlue | 64% | 1.9% | 27 min | 13.3% | 942 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am96%237 flights
- 7am91%215 flights
- 8am86%256 flights
- 9am81%288 flights
- 10am83%409 flights
- 11am79%374 flights
- 12pm63%301 flights
- 1pm66%423 flights
- 2pm60%276 flights
- 3pm58%267 flights
- 4pm54%145 flights
- 5pm45%131 flights
- 6pm54%125 flights
- 7pm60%347 flights
- 8pm59%484 flights
- 9pm62%301 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday66%3.5% cancelled
- Tuesday78%2.5% cancelled
- Wednesday74%1.9% cancelled
- Thursday69%0.6% cancelled
- Friday65%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday72%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday64%4.5% 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 aircraft49%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather56%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Security0%
MCO to DCA: common questions
- How often are MCO to DCA flights on time?
- 70% 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 Orlando to Washington cancelled?
- 2.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (102 of 4,579).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 24 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 74 min behind schedule on average, and 11.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MCO?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to MCO — 75% on time
More flights from Orlando
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MCO → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.