RDU to DCA flight delays
RDU DCA Raleigh-Durham to Ronald Reagan Washington · 227 miles
7,103 flights were scheduled from RDU to DCA over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 6,867 that made the trip, 71% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.
Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics
The route in brief
- Flights in the window
- 7,103
- Arrived on time
- 71%
- Cancelled
- 3.1%
- Scheduled distance
- 227 miles
Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.
Airline by airline
Airlines with at least 100 flights on RDU–DCA, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.
| Airline | Arrived on time | Typical delay | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Airways | 67.6% | 58 min | 3.1% | 2,026 |
| PSA Airlines | 66.3% | 86 min | 4.3% | 1,992 |
| Endeavor Air | 72.8% | 60 min | 2.1% | 1,417 |
| Envoy Air | 75% | 63 min | 3.4% | 854 |
| American Airlines | 83.1% | 124 min | 1.5% | 813 |
Month by month
May was the month to avoid on RDU–DCA: 67% of flights arrived on time, against 73.4% in September. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.
| Month | Share flights that arrived on time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73.3% | 571 |
| February | 73.3% | 546 |
| March | 71.8% | 580 |
| April | 70.7% | 558 |
| May | 67% | 572 |
| June | 69.6% | 534 |
| July | 68.2% | 594 |
| August | 70.8% | 633 |
| September | 73.4% | 631 |
| October | 72.8% | 671 |
| November | 72.6% | 628 |
| December | 67.8% | 585 |
Both ends of the route
A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.
RDU to DCA in one number
RDU → DCA
When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 73 min.
Questions about RDU to DCA
- Which airline is most reliable from RDU to DCA?
- American Airlines — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 83.1% of the time, with 813 scheduled. PSA Airlines came in at 66.3% over 1,992 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
- What is the worst month to fly RDU to DCA?
- May, at 67% of arrivals on time, with 572 flights scheduled. September was the best of the year at 73.4%.
- How late are RDU–DCA flights when they are late?
- 73 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
- How often is the RDU to DCA flight cancelled?
- 3.1% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
- Are these departure or arrival numbers?
- Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at DCA less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.