Historical on-time performance
Washington to Raleigh-durham
227 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on DCA–RDU arrive on time 66% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate66%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay75 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled5.3%of scheduled flights
based on 1,827 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Envoy AirbestOn-time73%Medianon timep9060 minCancel3.8%Flights416
- American AirlinesOn-time65%Medianon timep90100 minCancel1.4%Flights145
- PSA AirlinesOn-time64%Medianon timep9065 minCancel4.9%Flights777
- Republic AirwaysOn-time61%Medianon timep9085 minCancel8.4%Flights489
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline19%
- Weather4%
- Air traffic (NAS)16%
- Late aircraft60%
- Security1%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline10%
- Weather58%
- Air traffic (NAS)32%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 97 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 → RDU
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 25 min · 1,580 flights
- Middays79% on time · p90 45 min · 1,874 flights
- Afternoons76% on time · p90 45 min · 885 flights
- Evenings71% on time · p90 70 min · 1,709 flights
- Overnights63% on time · p90 70 min · 1,140 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 71% to 79% on time.
- Saturdays79% on time · p90 35 min · 616 flights
- Tuesdays78% on time · p90 45 min · 1,105 flights
- Wednesdays75% on time · p90 50 min · 1,103 flights
- Thursdays75% on time · p90 55 min · 1,091 flights
- Mondays75% on time · p90 50 min · 1,108 flights
- Sundays74% on time · p90 50 min · 1,064 flights
- Fridays71% on time · p90 60 min · 1,101 flights
Keep exploring