Buffalo to Washington

What the Data Says About BUF to DCA

The Buffalo to Washington corridor (BUF → DCA) covers roughly 296 miles and is served by 13 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,325 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 95.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,464 flights were recorded on this pairing — 116 cancelled (4.7%) and 7 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 13 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,325 total flights analyzed, the 78.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 95.0-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, May 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 53% on-time — a 37-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BUF to DCA route, the combination of a 78.1% on-time rate, 95.0-minute average delay, 4.7% recent cancellation rate, and 13 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.