Route Reliability

Route reliability

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Washington (DCA): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) to Washington, VA (DCA), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Dallas/Fort Worth, TXWashington, VA

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

DFW to DCA

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to Washington, VA

On time
71.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
2.8%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
8.1%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
Scheduled flights
3,303in 12 months1 airline
Only rated airline
American Airlines71.2% on time · 3,303 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from DFW to DCA, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. American Airlines 71.2% 2.8% 8.1% 61 min 0.5% 3,303

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 DFW to DCA compares.

  • American Airlines was the only airline with enough flights on this route to rate (3,303 flights). 71.2% 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%.
  • 8.1% of flights, about 1 in 12, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 61 min.
  • Overall, 71.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 4.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, November was the most reliable month on this route (78.5% on time) and June the least reliable (63.8%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 8.3% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (86.6% on time); flights scheduled to depart 7 pm to 8 pm were the least (60.4%).
  • In the other direction, Washington (DCA) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 75.9% of flights were on time and 2.8% were cancelled. Compare airlines DCA to DFW.

Best and worst months to fly DFW to DCA

Jan 70.4%
Feb 74.9%
Mar 71.1%
Apr 72.0%
May 65.8%
Jun 63.8%
Jul 64.8%
Aug 75.2%
Sep 75.1%
Oct 77.8%
Nov 78.5%
Dec 78.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 71.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 70.4% 859
February 74.9% 793
March 71.1% 865
April 72.0% 835
May 65.8% 855
June 63.8% 792
July 64.8% 807
August 75.2% 828
September 75.1% 831
October 77.8% 866
November 78.5% 818
December 78.2% 853

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 69.6%
Oct 74.2%
Nov 66.7%
Dec 74.8%
Jan 68.3%
Feb 75.4%
Mar 65.3%
Apr 75.2%
May 74.1%
Jun 64.8%
Jul 64.9%
Aug 80.5%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 69.6% 270
Oct 2025 74.2% 279
Nov 2025 66.7% 264
Dec 2025 74.8% 274
Jan 2026 68.3% 278
Feb 2026 75.4% 252
Mar 2026 65.3% 277
Apr 2026 75.2% 294
May 2026 74.1% 297
Jun 2026 64.8% 270
Jul 2026 64.9% 271
Aug 2026 80.5% 277

Best and worst departure times

<6a 86.6%
6a Insufficient sample
7a 81.2%
8a 81.9%
9a 75.5%
10a 77.7%
11a 73.5%
12p 65.8%
1p Insufficient sample
2p 65.3%
3p 61.7%
4p 63.8%
5p 62.1%
6p 62.5%
7p 60.4%
8p 62.8%
9p 59.6%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at DFW, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 86.6% 358
Departing 6 am to 7 am Insufficient sample 3
Departing 7 am to 8 am 81.2% 362
Departing 8 am to 9 am 81.9% 315
Departing 9 am to 10 am 75.5% 163
Departing 10 am to 11 am 77.7% 206
Departing 11 am to noon 73.5% 102
Departing noon to 1 pm 65.8% 304
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm Insufficient sample 44
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 65.3% 216
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 61.7% 253
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 63.8% 69
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 62.1% 338
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 62.5% 160
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 60.4% 280
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 62.8% 78
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 59.6% 52
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

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 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) to Washington, VA (DCA), 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.

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