ORD to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 612 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (ORD) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 70% 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.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (71% on time); American Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (86% on time); around 6pm did worst (49%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Friday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD 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% | 2.3% | 8 min | 4.9% | 171 |
| United Airlines | 71% | 2.1% | 21 min | 11.3% | 3,390 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 69% | 4.5% | 24 min | 11.7% | 1,115 |
| American Airlines | 67% | 3.6% | 31 min | 14.7% | 2,270 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 60% | 6.3% | 39 min | 25.6% | 96 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am85%632 flights
- 7am86%479 flights
- 8am84%620 flights
- 9am75%589 flights
- 10am80%383 flights
- 11am64%657 flights
- 12pm63%454 flights
- 1pm61%230 flights
- 2pm62%413 flights
- 3pm74%294 flights
- 4pm63%444 flights
- 5pm63%278 flights
- 6pm49%391 flights
- 7pm59%628 flights
- 8pm61%286 flights
- 9pm66%223 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%3.9% cancelled
- Tuesday73%2.9% cancelled
- Wednesday69%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday70%2.3% cancelled
- Friday66%2.5% cancelled
- Saturday77%3.3% cancelled
- Sunday68%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 aircraft41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather72%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Security0%
ORD to DCA: common questions
- How often are ORD 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 Chicago to Washington cancelled?
- 3.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (213 of 7,042).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 25 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 12.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 28 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to ORD — 75% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORD → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.