SFO to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 2,442 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or DCA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Washington (DCA) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (89% on time); around 2pm did worst (60%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Monday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (45%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 80% | 0.6% | 12 min | 6.3% | 727 |
| Alaska Airlines | 78% | 0.8% | 12 min | 5.0% | 363 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am89%363 flights
- 9am78%363 flights
- 1pm76%240 flights
- 2pm60%124 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday76%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday89%0.7% cancelled
- Sunday84%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 congestion45%
- Late-arriving aircraft38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Security0%
- Extreme weather0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather86%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)14%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to DCA: common questions
- How often are SFO to DCA flights on time?
- 79% 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 Francisco to Washington cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 1,090).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 5.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA to SFO — 74% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.