Burlington to Washington

What the Data Says About BTV to DCA

The Burlington to Washington corridor (BTV → DCA) covers roughly 437 miles and is served by 20 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,806 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 77.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 103.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,722 flights were recorded on this pairing — 102 cancelled (3.7%) and 10 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 20 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,806 total flights analyzed, the 77.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 103.4-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 87% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 48% on-time — a 39-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BTV to DCA route, the combination of a 77.4% on-time rate, 103.4-minute average delay, 3.7% recent cancellation rate, and 20 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.