Route profile
BOS→DCA
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Boston to Washington, 399 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 19% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 28,569 flights. How this is calculated
BOS → DCA arrives on time 77.3% of the time; the return trip, DCA → BOS, arrives on time 76.0% of the time.
BOS → DCA spends 28.7 minutes on the ground on a 399-mile trip: 21.7 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at BOS and 7.0 minutes from touchdown to gate at DCA.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why BOS → DCA flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
BOS → DCA cancelled 814 of 28,569 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 35. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 46.9% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 75 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 814 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.
382 cancellations, 46.9% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
291 cancellations, 35.7% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
140 cancellations, 17.2% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
1 cancellation, 0.1% 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.
814 coded cancellations were recorded on BOS → DCA; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
54 min late
against a median of 7 min early
BOS → DCA has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 7 min early, but the worst tenth are 61 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.
Percentiles over 28,569 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at DCA after arriving from BOS.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 36% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 22% | High risk |
| 60 min | 15% | High risk |
| 90 min | 9.1% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 5.7% | 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 2.85% of the time and diverts 0.27% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 27,678 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 54 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 28,569 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
BOS → DCA flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 88.8% of the time, against 59.9% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 28.9 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (BOS).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 10.5 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 3.5 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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| 9 PM–10 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 40–49
- 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 6 AM and after 10 PM (644 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–7 AM | 91.6% on time371 flights | 93.9% on time371 flights | 90.2% on time365 flights | 91.4% on time369 flights | 87.2% on time372 flights | 90.1% on time164 flights | 90.4% on time204 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 86.2% on time327 flights | 88.7% on time322 flights | 88.7% on time318 flights | 88.9% on time314 flights | 84.3% on time321 flights | 88.5% on time218 flights | 89.5% on time266 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 82.7% on time262 flights | 88.3% on time265 flights | 89.6% on time264 flights | 86.2% on time257 flights | 86.2% on time258 flights | 88.5% on time221 flights | 84.8% on time242 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 86.8% on time418 flights | 89.4% on time401 flights | 90.9% on time398 flights | 83.7% on time416 flights | 80.9% on time415 flights | 84.3% on time220 flights | 86.4% on time406 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 83.0% on time272 flights | 88.8% on time267 flights | 87.7% on time260 flights | 85.0% on time263 flights | 83.1% on time265 flights | 84.2% on time121 flights | 84.5% on time257 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 84.0% on time281 flights | 89.6% on time287 flights | 88.1% on time288 flights | 81.2% on time280 flights | 85.2% on time273 flights | 87.9% on time208 flights | 80.6% on time257 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 78.9% on time234 flights | 79.6% on time225 flights | 80.4% on time234 flights | 80.7% on time235 flights | 76.9% on time240 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 79.3% on time244 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 79.6% on time227 flights | 79.7% on time221 flights | 83.0% on time214 flights | 72.4% on time227 flights | 77.1% on time232 flights | 69 flights, too few to score | 77.5% on time230 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 70.5% on time260 flights | 71.0% on time249 flights | 71.8% on time251 flights | 70.7% on time252 flights | 65.9% on time261 flights | 83.2% on time186 flights | 68.3% on time261 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 68.5% on time371 flights | 72.1% on time352 flights | 66.9% on time353 flights | 64.6% on time364 flights | 64.8% on time354 flights | 82.0% on time200 flights | 67.2% on time372 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 70.2% on time188 flights | 80.6% on time187 flights | 76.3% on time192 flights | 66.3% on time183 flights | 65.5% on time148 flights | 102 flights, too few to score | 66.4% on time157 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 62.7% on time404 flights | 73.1% on time380 flights | 68.8% on time393 flights | 62.8% on time399 flights | 52.8% on time402 flights | 80.1% on time305 flights | 62.6% on time397 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 55.9% on time168 flights | 64.7% on time160 flights | 62.3% on time158 flights | 47.4% on time161 flights | 52.1% on time172 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 57.6% on time166 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 60.0% on time216 flights | 69.1% on time214 flights | 70.6% on time213 flights | 59.6% on time211 flights | 56.3% on time209 flights | 75.2% on time120 flights | 57.0% on time217 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 65.9% on time220 flights | 65.0% on time216 flights | 61.1% on time213 flights | 49.0% on time218 flights | 56.1% on time219 flights | 38 flights, too few to score | 47.8% on time213 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 78.8% on time148 flights | 80.7% on time150 flights | 74.1% on time149 flights | 73.3% on time144 flights | 66.9% on time145 flights | 10 flights, too few to score | 71.9% on time150 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 91.6% on time from 622 flights
- 6 AM: 90.8% on time from 2,216 flights
- 7 AM: 87.7% on time from 2,086 flights
- 8 AM: 86.6% on time from 1,769 flights
- 9 AM: 86.1% on time from 2,674 flights
- 10 AM: 85.3% on time from 1,705 flights
- 11 AM: 85.2% on time from 1,874 flights
- 12 PM: 79.6% on time from 1,526 flights
- 1 PM: 78.7% on time from 1,420 flights
- 2 PM: 71.2% on time from 1,720 flights
- 3 PM: 68.6% on time from 2,366 flights
- 4 PM: 71.8% on time from 1,157 flights
- 5 PM: 65.6% on time from 2,680 flights
- 6 PM: 57.8% on time from 1,099 flights
- 7 PM: 63.3% on time from 1,400 flights
- 8 PM: 58.1% on time from 1,337 flights
- 9 PM: 74.7% on time from 896 flights
- 10 PM to 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why BOS → DCA runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s 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 BOS → DCA. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on BOS → DCA, at 40.4%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 88.8% of the time and 6–9 PM departures 59.9%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of BOS to DCA: 3.9 times the normal rate at BOS and 4.2 times at DCA. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: BOS 5.3% against 1.4%, 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 | BOS | DCA |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 5.3% | 9.3% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.4% | 2.2% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 65.1% | 63.5% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 79.7% | 78.3% |
| Departures in bad weather | 60,840 | 41,449 |
Of the carriers on this route, American Airlines (4.7% cancelled against 5.5% for the other carriers at BOS) cancelled the fewest departures from BOS in bad weather and Republic Airways (8.1% cancelled against 5.0% for the other carriers at BOS) the most.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at BOS
All departures from BOS| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy Air | 826 | 4.1%about level | 5.3% |
| American Airlines | 6,964 | 4.7%below the others | 5.5% |
| JetBlue | 17,332 | 5.4%about level | 5.1% |
| Republic Airways | 12,581 | 8.1%above the others | 5.0% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from BOS and DCA, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from BOS on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: BOS (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Airways | 12,005 | 79.5% | 3.03% | -8 min | 7.7% |
| JetBlue | 9,895 | 74.3% | 2.64% | -6 min | 10.2% |
| American Airlines | 6,270 | 77.4% | 2.74% | -8 min | 10.6% |
| Envoy Air | 258 | 79.7% | 5.81% | -9 min | 9.1% |
Republic Airways flew 42.2% of the 28,428 flights listed. Envoy Air cancelled 5.81% of its flights here against 2.64% for JetBlue.
Envoy Air arrived on time 5.4 percentage points more often than JetBlue on this route.
Other ways to fly Boston to Washington
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
| Route | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOS→DCA this route Boston to Washington | 28,569 | 77.3% | 2.85% | -7 min | 52 |
| BOS→BWI Boston to Baltimore | 12,072 | 79.8% | 1.96% | -8 min | 64 |
BOS → BWI is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 79.8% on time, against 77.3% for BOS → DCA.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| B61355 JetBlue | 4:00 PM | 926 | 63.7% |
| B62255 JetBlue | 6:00 PM | 904 | 60.9% |
| B61955 JetBlue | 3:00 PM | 880 | 67.5% |
| AA2159 American Airlines | 6:00 AM | 805 | 92.9% |
| YX5693 Republic Airways | 9:35 AM | 737 | 86.0% |
| B62055 JetBlue | 5:00 PM | 715 | 63.4% |
| B61555 JetBlue | 8:00 AM | 695 | 81.0% |
| B61855 JetBlue | 12:00 PM | 692 | 75.6% |
| YX5689 Republic Airways | 3:10 PM | 691 | 67.1% |
| B61055 JetBlue | 1:00 PM | 679 | 82.0% |
AA2159 (6:00 AM) arrived on time 92.9% of the time, 32.0 points more often than B62255 (6:00 PM) at 60.9%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Saturday is historically the most reliable day and Friday the least, a gap of 10.9 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 79.1%
- Feb: 70.0%
- Mar: 80.2%
- Apr: 80.5%
- May: 74.8%
- Jun: 74.6%
- Jul: 71.3%
- Aug: 76.5%
- Sep: 76.6%
- Oct: 83.3%
- Nov: 85.1%
- Dec: 76.0%
February is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 15.1 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 67.7% from 737 flights
- August 2023: 76.5% from 761 flights
- September 2023: 72.6% from 734 flights
- October 2023: 86.7% from 798 flights
- November 2023: 91.0% from 722 flights
- December 2023: 82.3% from 637 flights
- January 2024: 78.2% from 731 flights
- February 2024: 86.0% from 764 flights
- March 2024: 88.7% from 825 flights
- April 2024: 81.8% from 765 flights
- May 2024: 75.3% from 854 flights
- June 2024: 78.7% from 807 flights
- July 2024: 75.7% from 830 flights
- August 2024: 70.9% from 814 flights
- September 2024: 86.6% from 833 flights
- October 2024: 89.5% from 912 flights
- November 2024: 90.0% from 793 flights
- December 2024: 76.2% from 729 flights
- January 2025: 83.6% from 776 flights
- February 2025: 53.9% from 752 flights
- March 2025: 80.2% from 839 flights
- April 2025: 81.3% from 768 flights
- May 2025: 70.1% from 800 flights
- June 2025: 70.4% from 746 flights
- July 2025: 73.1% from 750 flights
- August 2025: 82.3% from 741 flights
- September 2025: 69.1% from 762 flights
- October 2025: 72.0% from 773 flights
- November 2025: 73.6% from 736 flights
- December 2025: 69.9% from 689 flights
- January 2026: 75.3% from 754 flights
- February 2026: 69.0% from 731 flights
- March 2026: 71.3% from 809 flights
- April 2026: 78.3% from 783 flights
- May 2026: 79.1% from 797 flights
- June 2026: 74.2% from 757 flights
- July 2026: 68.1% from 760 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 73.6% against 77.5% in the 12 months before — declining by 3.9 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 28,569 BOS → 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