PBI to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Palm Beach International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 857 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PBI or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from West Palm Beach/Palm Beach (PBI) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2% were cancelled, and 14% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (73% on time); JetBlue was the least (65%).
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (86% on time); around 6pm did worst (58%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Sunday the least (60%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (52%).
Which airline is most on time from PBI 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. | 77% | 1.3% | 13 min | 6.7% | 76 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 75% | 0.0% | 30 min | 25.0% | 4 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 1.8% | 28 min | 12.1% | 982 |
| JetBlue | 65% | 2.2% | 31 min | 17.4% | 743 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | – | 100.0% | – | – | 1 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am95%19 flights
- 9am80%72 flights
- 10am86%219 flights
- 11am80%217 flights
- 12pm69%120 flights
- 1pm69%213 flights
- 2pm58%204 flights
- 3pm61%197 flights
- 5pm69%182 flights
- 6pm58%189 flights
- 7pm70%27 flights
- 8pm72%144 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%2.6% cancelled
- Tuesday78%3.9% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday63%0.0% cancelled
- Friday63%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday79%2.7% cancelled
- Sunday60%4.0% 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 aircraft52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather72%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)6%
- Security0%
PBI to DCA: common questions
- How often are PBI 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 West Palm Beach/Palm Beach to Washington cancelled?
- 2.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (36 of 1,806).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 29 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 92 min behind schedule on average, and 14.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PBI?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to PBI — 74% on time
More flights from West Palm Beach/Palm Beach
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PBI → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.