Route Reliability

Route reliability

Houston (IAH) to Washington (DCA): which airline is most on time?

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

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

Houston, 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

IAH to DCA

Houston, TX to Washington, VA

On time
73.1%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
2.3%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
9.2%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,337in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines75.8% on time · 2,385 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 IAH 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. United Airlines Most reliable 75.8% 0.7% 8.5% 69 min 0.5% 2,385
2. Republic Airways Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express 71.9% 4.9% 6.8% 64 min 0.4% 513
3. PSA Airlines Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle 60.1% 8.2% 15.9% 109 min 1.1% 439

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

United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • United Airlines had the best on-time record from Houston (IAH) to Washington (DCA): 75.8% of its 2,385 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 60.1% for PSA Airlines.
  • 2.3% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 43), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 9.2% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 75 min.
  • Overall, 73.1% of flights on this route arrived on time, 2.5 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (82.6% on time) and July the least reliable (58.5%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 6.5% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 7 am to 8 am were the most punctual (90.1% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (53.2%).
  • In the other direction, Washington (DCA) to Houston (IAH), 78.1% of flights were on time and 2.3% were cancelled. Compare airlines DCA to IAH.

Best and worst months to fly IAH to DCA

Jan 77.8%
Feb 72.9%
Mar 74.2%
Apr 79.4%
May 70.0%
Jun 64.2%
Jul 58.5%
Aug 65.9%
Sep 79.6%
Oct 82.6%
Nov 80.0%
Dec 82.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 73.1%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 77.8% 643
February 72.9% 628
March 74.2% 681
April 79.4% 661
May 70.0% 663
June 64.2% 634
July 58.5% 658
August 65.9% 642
September 79.6% 612
October 82.6% 654
November 80.0% 659
December 82.0% 632
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines October (83.9%) July (58.7%)
Republic Airways September (80.0%) February (60.0%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 80.5%
Oct 77.7%
Nov 73.3%
Dec 82.4%
Jan 78.4%
Feb 75.3%
Mar 69.9%
Apr 79.5%
May 73.4%
Jun 61.4%
Jul 60.9%
Aug 64.9%
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 80.5% 272
Oct 2025 77.7% 291
Nov 2025 73.3% 270
Dec 2025 82.4% 273
Jan 2026 78.4% 282
Feb 2026 75.3% 259
Mar 2026 69.9% 289
Apr 2026 79.5% 283
May 2026 73.4% 289
Jun 2026 61.4% 280
Jul 2026 60.9% 284
Aug 2026 64.9% 265

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 83.9%
7a 90.1%
8a Insufficient sample
9a 78.3%
10a 67.7%
11a 71.7%
12p 80.5%
2p 72.8%
3p Insufficient sample
4p 62.2%
5p 53.2%
6p 66.7%
7p 67.8%
8p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at IAH, 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 Insufficient sample 15
Departing 6 am to 7 am 83.9% 255
Departing 7 am to 8 am 90.1% 436
Departing 8 am to 9 am Insufficient sample 24
Departing 9 am to 10 am 78.3% 443
Departing 10 am to 11 am 67.7% 93
Departing 11 am to noon 71.7% 205
Departing noon to 1 pm 80.5% 190
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 72.8% 302
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm Insufficient sample 2
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 62.2% 429
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 53.2% 237
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 66.7% 363
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 67.8% 304
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm Insufficient sample 39
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 Houston, TX (IAH) 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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