MSY to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 969 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 71% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (88% on time); around 5pm did worst (50%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (46%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY 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. | 83% | 1.5% | 10 min | 5.0% | 204 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 2.6% | 22 min | 11.6% | 454 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 68% | 6.3% | 41 min | 16.5% | 586 |
| Southwest Airlines | 67% | 0.9% | 23 min | 11.7% | 704 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am84%87 flights
- 6am86%102 flights
- 7am91%32 flights
- 8am88%96 flights
- 9am84%133 flights
- 10am81%405 flights
- 11am79%28 flights
- 12pm74%44 flights
- 1pm55%23 flights
- 2pm73%213 flights
- 3pm62%160 flights
- 4pm64%129 flights
- 5pm50%464 flights
- 6pm66%32 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%3.8% cancelled
- Tuesday74%3.5% cancelled
- Wednesday71%2.4% cancelled
- Thursday66%0.4% cancelled
- Friday67%2.1% cancelled
- Saturday80%4.5% cancelled
- Sunday65%4.6% 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 aircraft46%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Extreme weather11%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather71%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)16%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
MSY to DCA: common questions
- How often are MSY to DCA flights on time?
- 71% 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 New Orleans to Washington cancelled?
- 3.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (58 of 1,948).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 27 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 87 min behind schedule on average, and 12.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to MSY — 73% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.