Historical on-time performance
Chicago to Washington
612 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on ORD–DCA 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)
Cancelled3.0%of scheduled flights
based on 6,711 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Envoy AirOn-time71%Medianon timep9065 minCancel3.2%Flights31
- United AirlinesbestOn-time69%Medianon timep9065 minCancel1.7%Flights3,386
- Republic AirwaysOn-time64%Medianon timep9075 minCancel4.7%Flights973
- American AirlinesOn-time62%Medianon timep9095 minCancel4.2%Flights2,321
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline23%
- Weather6%
- Air traffic (NAS)28%
- Late aircraft42%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline15%
- Weather73%
- Air traffic (NAS)12%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 201 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 ORD → DCA
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 · 5,977 flights
- Middays70% on time · p90 60 min · 4,870 flights
- Afternoons67% on time · p90 75 min · 3,608 flights
- Overnights62% on time · p90 95 min · 1,488 flights
- Evenings61% on time · p90 85 min · 3,444 flights
Best day of week
Saturdays are the most reliable day to fly this route — 77% on time.
- Saturdays77% on time · p90 45 min · 2,089 flights
- Tuesdays75% on time · p90 50 min · 2,890 flights
- Wednesdays72% on time · p90 55 min · 2,876 flights
- Thursdays70% on time · p90 60 min · 2,872 flights
- Mondays70% on time · p90 60 min · 2,889 flights
- Sundays69% on time · p90 65 min · 2,875 flights
- Fridays68% on time · p90 65 min · 2,896 flights
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