MSN to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Dane County Regional Truax Field to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 707 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSN or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Madison (MSN) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 4.7% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- PSA Airlines was the most punctual airline here (75% on time); Republic Airways was the least (71%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (87% on time); around 3pm did worst (60%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Wednesday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (40%).
Which airline is most on time from MSN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 84% | 0.0% | 6 min | 0.0% | 19 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 75% | 5.4% | 29 min | 11.5% | 831 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 71% | 3.4% | 25 min | 14.0% | 358 |
| American Airlines | 50% | 0.0% | 19 min | 0.0% | 5 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am87%328 flights
- 10am65%136 flights
- 11am75%40 flights
- 12pm74%28 flights
- 1pm69%75 flights
- 2pm90%29 flights
- 3pm60%117 flights
- 4pm61%137 flights
- 5pm73%306 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%6.8% cancelled
- Tuesday74%6.7% cancelled
- Wednesday65%3.1% cancelled
- Thursday74%2.7% cancelled
- Friday69%4.2% cancelled
- Saturday84%3.9% cancelled
- Sunday77%5.0% 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 aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather65%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)9%
- Security2%
MSN to DCA: common questions
- How often are MSN to DCA 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 Madison to Washington cancelled?
- 4.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (57 of 1,213).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 28 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 101 min behind schedule on average, and 12.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSN?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to MSN — 71% on time
More flights from Madison
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSN → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.