SAN to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Diego International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 2,276 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
70%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
4 flights
Avg arrival delay
19 min
59 min when late
Airlines
1
364 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from San Diego (SAN) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (71% on time); around 1pm did worst (66%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Thursday the least (56%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (53%).
Which airline is most on time from SAN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 70% | 1.1% | 19 min | 11.2% | 364 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12pm71%262 flights
- 1pm66%101 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday67%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday56%2.0% cancelled
- Friday67%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday67%1.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion53%
- Late-arriving aircraft30%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)12%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SAN to DCA: common questions
- How often are SAN 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 San Diego to Washington cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (4 of 364).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 59 min behind schedule on average, and 11.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SAN?
- Flights on this route spent 26 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to SAN — 71% on time
More flights from San Diego
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SAN → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.