Historical on-time performance
Washington to Wilmington
319 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on DCA–ILM arrive on time 67% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate67%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay60 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled6.3%of scheduled flights
based on 800 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- PSA AirlinesOn-time67%Medianon timep9060 minCancel6.3%Flights800
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline20%
- Weather9%
- Air traffic (NAS)14%
- Late aircraft57%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline10%
- Weather66%
- Air traffic (NAS)20%
- Security4%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 50 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly DCA → ILM
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 83% on time.
- Mornings83% on time · p90 30 min · 1,070 flights
- Middays76% on time · p90 40 min · 241 flights
- Afternoons66% on time · p90 85 min · 294 flights
- Evenings63% on time · p90 70 min · 782 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 70% to 77% on time.
- Saturdays77% on time · p90 35 min · 324 flights
- Tuesdays75% on time · p90 50 min · 351 flights
- Fridays75% on time · p90 45 min · 357 flights
- Wednesdays72% on time · p90 55 min · 351 flights
- Mondays71% on time · p90 65 min · 353 flights
- Thursdays71% on time · p90 45 min · 355 flights
- Sundays70% on time · p90 55 min · 357 flights
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