Historical on-time performance
Seattle to Washington
2,329 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on SEA–DCA arrive on time 77% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate77%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay40 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.6%of scheduled flights
based on 1,066 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Delta Air LinesbestOn-time88%Medianon timep9010 minCancel2.7%Flights337
- Alaska AirlinesOn-time72%Medianon timep9050 minCancel1.1%Flights729
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline37%
- Weather8%
- Air traffic (NAS)45%
- Late aircraft11%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Air traffic (NAS).
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline35%
- Weather59%
- Air traffic (NAS)6%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 17 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 SEA → 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 — 82% on time.
- Mornings82% on time · p90 25 min · 1,545 flights
- Afternoons74% on time · p90 40 min · 412 flights
- Middays69% on time · p90 50 min · 681 flights
Best day of week
Saturdays are the most reliable day to fly this route — 87% on time.
- Saturdays87% on time · p90 15 min · 378 flights
- Wednesdays80% on time · p90 30 min · 376 flights
- Tuesdays80% on time · p90 30 min · 376 flights
- Fridays75% on time · p90 40 min · 378 flights
- Sundays75% on time · p90 45 min · 379 flights
- Thursdays73% on time · p90 50 min · 375 flights
- Mondays72% on time · p90 40 min · 376 flights
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