Route reliability
Washington (DCA) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Washington, VA (DCA) to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW), September 2025 to August 2026.
Washington, VADallas/Fort Worth, TX
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
DCA to DFW
Washington, VA to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
- On time
- 75.9%vs 75.6% U.S. average About average
- Cancelled
- 2.8%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
- 60+ min late
- 7.3%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
- Scheduled flights
- 3,304in 12 months1 airline
- Only rated airline
- American Airlines75.9% on time · 3,304 flights
On time about as often as the U.S. average, with more cancellations.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. American Airlines | 75.9% | 2.8% | 7.3% | 88 min | 0.8% | 3,304 |
On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.
What this means
How DCA to DFW compares.
- American Airlines was the only airline with enough flights on this route to rate (3,304 flights). 75.9% of them arrived within 15 minutes of schedule.
- 2.8% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 36), 0.9 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 7.3% of flights, about 1 in 14, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 88 min.
- Overall, 75.9% of flights on this route arrived on time, about the same as the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (84.3% on time) and May the least reliable (66.6%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 8.6% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (87.3% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (58.0%).
- In the other direction, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Washington (DCA), 71.2% of flights were on time and 2.8% were cancelled. Compare airlines DFW to DCA.
Best and worst months to fly DCA to DFW
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 75.9%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 70.9% | 860 |
| February | 81.0% | 793 |
| March | 77.3% | 865 |
| April | 75.7% | 837 |
| May | 66.6% | 858 |
| June | 71.3% | 792 |
| July | 69.2% | 805 |
| August | 75.0% | 829 |
| September | 84.3% | 829 |
| October | 83.8% | 866 |
| November | 82.4% | 819 |
| December | 80.6% | 851 |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 74.8% | 270 |
| Oct 2025 | 77.8% | 279 |
| Nov 2025 | 75.4% | 264 |
| Dec 2025 | 74.5% | 274 |
| Jan 2026 | 70.4% | 277 |
| Feb 2026 | 77.8% | 252 |
| Mar 2026 | 78.0% | 277 |
| Apr 2026 | 78.6% | 294 |
| May 2026 | 74.0% | 300 |
| Jun 2026 | 73.3% | 270 |
| Jul 2026 | 75.2% | 270 |
| Aug 2026 | 81.2% | 277 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 87.3% | 165 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 85.9% | 376 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 85.1% | 249 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 80.0% | 255 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 77.4% | 106 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 82.8% | 343 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 80.4% | 341 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 78.5% | 65 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 76.1% | 272 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 71.4% | 112 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 74.0% | 288 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 62.9% | 70 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 59.8% | 301 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 58.0% | 274 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 58.6% | 87 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Nonstop scheduled flights from Washington, VA (DCA) to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.