Historical on-time performance
Los Angeles to Washington
2,311 miData through Dec 2025Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on LAX–DCA arrive on time 77% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate77%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay45 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.0%of scheduled flights
based on 1,343 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
Too close to call — no single carrier is clearly more on-time here.
- Delta Air LinesOn-time80%Medianon timep9030 minCancel1.3%Flights306
- American AirlinesOn-time79%Medianon timep9035 minCancel1.0%Flights730
- Alaska AirlinesOn-time67%Medianon timep9070 minCancel1.0%Flights307
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline33%
- Weather0%
- Air traffic (NAS)29%
- Late aircraft38%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly LAX → DCA
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-01 .. 2025-12).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 86% on time.
- Mornings86% on time · p90 15 min · 2,187 flights
- Middays73% on time · p90 45 min · 2,186 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 77% to 84% on time.
- Saturdays84% on time · p90 25 min · 623 flights
- Tuesdays83% on time · p90 25 min · 627 flights
- Thursdays79% on time · p90 30 min · 617 flights
- Sundays79% on time · p90 30 min · 627 flights
- Mondays78% on time · p90 35 min · 628 flights
- Wednesdays77% on time · p90 35 min · 627 flights
- Fridays77% on time · p90 40 min · 624 flights
Advertisement
Keep exploring