Route profile
ATL→DCA
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Atlanta to Washington, 547 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 16% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 21,171 flights. How this is calculated
ATL → DCA arrives on time 73.7% of the time; the return trip, DCA → ATL, arrives on time 80.1% of the time, a 6.4-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
ATL → DCA spends 26.1 minutes on the ground on a 547-mile trip: 19.0 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at ATL and 7.1 minutes from touchdown to gate at DCA.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
Reliability here swings unusually widely by season, a wider month-to-month spread than 91% of 3,357 comparable routes.
85.0% on time in a typical October, against 60.7% in July.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 3,357 in the comparison.
Why ATL → DCA flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
ATL → DCA cancelled 488 of 21,171 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 43. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 60.2% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 72 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 488 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
294 cancellations, 60.2% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
116 cancellations, 23.8% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
78 cancellations, 16.0% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
488 coded cancellations were recorded on ATL → DCA; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
53 min late
against a median of 2 min early
Percentiles over 21,171 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at DCA after arriving from ATL.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 44% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 26% | High risk |
| 60 min | 17% | High risk |
| 90 min | 8.8% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 5.3% | Some risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 2.31% of the time and diverts 0.45% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 20,587 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 53 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 21,171 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
ATL → DCA flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 87.1% of the time, against 60.6% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 26.5 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (ATL).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 10.2 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 3.3 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures before 7 AM and after 10 PM (977 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 AM–8 AM | 83.0% on time274 flights | 86.4% on time270 flights | 84.4% on time277 flights | 85.0% on time275 flights | 80.2% on time268 flights | 88.4% on time170 flights | 85.8% on time246 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 83.9% on time159 flights | 92.2% on time160 flights | 91.1% on time159 flights | 87.8% on time158 flights | 85.5% on time164 flights | 90.2% on time123 flights | 88 flights, too few to score |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 82.4% on time201 flights | 85.9% on time205 flights | 88.4% on time199 flights | 83.1% on time196 flights | 82.4% on time193 flights | 87.9% on time201 flights | 77.0% on time182 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 77.4% on time171 flights | 86.5% on time159 flights | 82.4% on time167 flights | 79.3% on time177 flights | 83.0% on time170 flights | 85.5% on time126 flights | 87.7% on time169 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 80.3% on time308 flights | 86.5% on time310 flights | 86.4% on time311 flights | 86.0% on time309 flights | 81.8% on time307 flights | 77.6% on time262 flights | 83.4% on time298 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 61 flights, too few to score | 64 flights, too few to score | 62 flights, too few to score | 58 flights, too few to score | 61 flights, too few to score | 62 flights, too few to score | 82 flights, too few to score |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 73.4% on time125 flights | 71.0% on time125 flights | 67.7% on time125 flights | 65.9% on time124 flights | 66.4% on time126 flights | 82.3% on time177 flights | 107 flights, too few to score |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 46 flights, too few to score | 51 flights, too few to score | 51 flights, too few to score | 51 flights, too few to score | 41 flights, too few to score | 51 flights, too few to score | 28 flights, too few to score |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 67.8% on time239 flights | 71.5% on time253 flights | 68.0% on time255 flights | 73.8% on time235 flights | 67.2% on time234 flights | 75.5% on time193 flights | 63.2% on time242 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 67.2% on time304 flights | 67.8% on time298 flights | 72.4% on time292 flights | 69.4% on time298 flights | 61.1% on time300 flights | 71.0% on time219 flights | 63.7% on time315 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 64.1% on time232 flights | 72.7% on time219 flights | 72.7% on time221 flights | 59.7% on time225 flights | 56.6% on time234 flights | 78.8% on time198 flights | 63.0% on time218 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 65.8% on time158 flights | 64.5% on time158 flights | 67.3% on time158 flights | 62.6% on time159 flights | 60.8% on time155 flights | 71.4% on time169 flights | 65.8% on time155 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 54.5% on time235 flights | 53.7% on time224 flights | 61.3% on time232 flights | 51.1% on time228 flights | 51.8% on time234 flights | 75.7% on time144 flights | 55.7% on time196 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 64.9% on time331 flights | 68.8% on time227 flights | 62.8% on time324 flights | 55.7% on time322 flights | 52.6% on time319 flights | 100 flights, too few to score | 56.7% on time362 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 69.7% on time191 flights | 72.1% on time177 flights | 73.3% on time191 flights | 66.7% on time192 flights | 61.3% on time192 flights | 78.4% on time145 flights | 62.8% on time202 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 93.1% on time from 166 flights
- 6 AM: 90.2% on time from 682 flights
- 7 AM: 84.5% on time from 1,780 flights
- 8 AM: 88.6% on time from 1,011 flights
- 9 AM: 84.0% on time from 1,377 flights
- 10 AM: 82.9% on time from 1,139 flights
- 11 AM: 83.3% on time from 2,105 flights
- 12 PM: 80.7% on time from 450 flights
- 1 PM: 72.5% on time from 909 flights
- 2 PM: 69.1% on time from 319 flights
- 3 PM: 69.4% on time from 1,651 flights
- 4 PM: 67.4% on time from 2,026 flights
- 5 PM: 66.6% on time from 1,547 flights
- 6 PM: 65.6% on time from 1,112 flights
- 7 PM: 56.7% on time from 1,493 flights
- 8 PM: 60.8% on time from 1,985 flights
- 9 PM: 68.8% on time from 1,290 flights
- 10 PM: 81.3% on time from 129 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why ATL → DCA runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for ATL → DCA. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of ATL to DCA: 3.3 times the normal rate at ATL and 4.2 times at DCA. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: ATL 3.4% against 1.0%, DCA 9.3% against 2.2%. Flights that did leave DCA in bad weather arrived on time 63.5% of the time, against 78.3% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | ATL | DCA |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 3.4% | 9.3% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.0% | 2.2% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 66.5% | 63.5% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 80.2% | 78.3% |
| Departures in bad weather | 105,854 | 41,449 |
Of the carriers on this route, Southwest Airlines (2.1% cancelled against 3.1% for the other carriers at ATL) cancelled the fewest departures from ATL in bad weather and PSA Airlines (7.7% cancelled against 3.9% for the other carriers at ATL) the most. One more carrier flies this route but has too few bad-weather departures from ATL to compare.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at ATL
All departures from ATL| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 8,953 | 2.1%below the others | 3.1% |
| American Airlines | 2,658 | 2.4%below the others | 3.4% |
| Delta Air Lines | 73,919 | 3.5%about level | 3.6% |
| Republic Airways | 598 | 4.2%about level | 3.9% |
| PSA Airlines | 982 | 7.7%above the others | 3.9% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from ATL and DCA, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from ATL on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: ATL (airlines), DCA, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 11,809 | 71.4% | 1.77% | 0 min | 8.8% |
| Southwest Airlines | 4,062 | 75.3% | 1.08% | -3 min | 8.7% |
| PSA Airlines | 2,666 | 75.4% | 6.08% | -9 min | 12.0% |
| Republic Airways | 1,879 | 79.9% | 2.55% | -7 min | 5.3% |
| Envoy Air | 401 | 74.5% | 4.74% | -8 min | 9.4% |
| American Airlines | 354 | 84.2% | 1.69% | -13 min | 8.3% |
Delta Air Lines flew 55.8% of the 21,171 flights listed. PSA Airlines cancelled 6.08% of its flights here against 1.08% for Southwest Airlines.
American Airlines arrived on time 12.8 percentage points more often than Delta Air Lines on this route.
Other ways to fly Atlanta to Washington
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
ATL → IAD is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 78.8% on time, against 73.7% for ATL → DCA.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL737 Delta Air Lines | 11:00 AM | 1,059 | 80.5% |
| DL537 Delta Air Lines | 9:59 PM | 1,044 | 72.6% |
| DL380 Delta Air Lines | 9:40 AM | 1,033 | 82.8% |
| DL950 Delta Air Lines | 4:40 PM | 1,025 | 68.5% |
| DL832 Delta Air Lines | 5:55 PM | 990 | 64.6% |
| DL850 Delta Air Lines | 3:35 PM | 902 | 65.1% |
| DL926 Delta Air Lines | 7:25 AM | 789 | 81.4% |
| DL360 Delta Air Lines | 1:10 PM | 784 | 74.0% |
| DL325 Delta Air Lines | 6:55 PM | 774 | 60.8% |
| DL378 Delta Air Lines | 8:55 PM | 720 | 62.2% |
DL380 (9:40 AM) arrived on time 82.8% of the time, 22.0 points more often than DL325 (6:55 PM) at 60.8%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Saturday is historically the most reliable day and Friday the least, a gap of 11.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 76.0%
- Feb: 70.3%
- Mar: 71.1%
- Apr: 73.1%
- May: 68.2%
- Jun: 69.6%
- Jul: 60.7%
- Aug: 74.3%
- Sep: 83.0%
- Oct: 85.0%
- Nov: 81.2%
- Dec: 74.6%
July is historically the weakest month and October the strongest, a spread of 24.3 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 70.6% from 594 flights
- August 2023: 74.3% from 600 flights
- September 2023: 85.9% from 573 flights
- October 2023: 90.3% from 592 flights
- November 2023: 88.8% from 563 flights
- December 2023: 85.5% from 553 flights
- January 2024: 81.6% from 572 flights
- February 2024: 86.7% from 550 flights
- March 2024: 81.1% from 583 flights
- April 2024: 76.3% from 567 flights
- May 2024: 68.5% from 588 flights
- June 2024: 76.4% from 563 flights
- July 2024: 62.8% from 591 flights
- August 2024: 74.9% from 564 flights
- September 2024: 83.4% from 559 flights
- October 2024: 86.8% from 591 flights
- November 2024: 84.0% from 566 flights
- December 2024: 72.6% from 574 flights
- January 2025: 74.4% from 591 flights
- February 2025: 56.1% from 531 flights
- March 2025: 70.2% from 586 flights
- April 2025: 71.1% from 579 flights
- May 2025: 65.1% from 592 flights
- June 2025: 60.0% from 567 flights
- July 2025: 56.2% from 582 flights
- August 2025: 73.9% from 583 flights
- September 2025: 80.0% from 592 flights
- October 2025: 77.8% from 582 flights
- November 2025: 69.9% from 544 flights
- December 2025: 65.3% from 543 flights
- January 2026: 71.6% from 573 flights
- February 2026: 67.2% from 528 flights
- March 2026: 61.5% from 585 flights
- April 2026: 72.1% from 564 flights
- May 2026: 71.1% from 574 flights
- June 2026: 72.2% from 562 flights
- July 2026: 52.5% from 570 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 69.6% against 71.3% in the 12 months before — declining by 1.7 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 21,171 ATL → DCA flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed