Route · DCA → ATL · 2020–2025 BTS data
Washington to Atlanta
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DCA to ATL (Washington to Atlanta) ranks #63 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 83.9%
- On-time
- +4.9 pts
- vs US avg
- 80 min
- Delay when late
- 35,728
- Flights
- #63 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.2%
Best Month
Oct 2024 92%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 67%
Distance
547 mi
Carriers
41
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 544 | 142 | 20 | 0 | DL,YX,OH,WN,MQ |
| Nov 2025 | 543 | 113 | 18 | 1 | DL,MQ,OH,AA,WN,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 582 | 94 | 1 | 1 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 594 | 89 | 1 | 0 | OH,WN,DL,YX,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 583 | 110 | 11 | 3 | AA,WN,YX,MQ,OH,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 582 | 176 | 48 | 5 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 568 | 180 | 24 | 1 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| May 2025 | 592 | 166 | 4 | 2 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX |
| Apr 2025 | 579 | 108 | 7 | 2 | DL,MQ,OH,WN,YX |
| Mar 2025 | 586 | 101 | 8 | 0 | DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| Feb 2025 | 532 | 146 | 18 | 0 | DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 589 | 117 | 62 | 0 | DL,OH,WN,YX,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 575 | 121 | 3 | 2 | DL,OH,WN,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 566 | 57 | 0 | 1 | WN,YX,DL,OH,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 591 | 50 | 0 | 1 | WN,DL,YX,AA,OH |
| Sep 2024 | 558 | 78 | 4 | 2 | WN,YX,OH,DL |
| Aug 2024 | 565 | 105 | 14 | 0 | AA,DL,WN,YX,OH |
| Jul 2024 | 591 | 196 | 36 | 2 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 563 | 95 | 0 | 0 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX |
| May 2024 | 587 | 146 | 1 | 3 | DL,MQ,OH,WN,YX |
| Apr 2024 | 568 | 90 | 1 | 1 | DL,MQ,OH,WN,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 582 | 67 | 0 | 0 | AA,DL,OH,WN,YX |
| Feb 2024 | 550 | 55 | 1 | 0 | DL,OH,WN,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 571 | 126 | 20 | 0 | DL,WN,YX,OH |
DCA–ATL seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (89.4%) · weakest: July (74.4%)
Strongest calendar month
October
89.4% on-time · ~509 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
March
~530 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
74.4% on-time · ~502 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.2%
302 of 13,741 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
27 of 13,741 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DCA - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
DCA on-time profileATL - Atlanta
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Atlanta, GA.
ATL on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DCA and ATL side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DCA vs ATLOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among DCA departures
From DCA, this corridor sits with 77 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 91 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (4 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 10 below 75%). Destination: Atlanta · fleet on-time rank #1606 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DCA–ATL.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DCA to ATL
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Washington to Atlanta (DCA to ATL) running a 83.9% on-time rate over 35,728 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 79.5 minutes. The 547-mile corridor is served by 41 carriers, and over the last 24 months 2.2% of 13,741 flights were cancelled, 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 67% - a 25-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DCA–ATL peaks in October at 89.4% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~530 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.4%, a 15.0-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DCA to ATL rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DCA to ATL? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DCA to ATL? ▼
How far is the flight from DCA to ATL? ▼
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Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using DCA–ATL data
DCA–ATL runs 4.9 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare DCA and ATL airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DCA airport
- If your dates flex, October (89.4% on-time) beats July (74.4%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 83.9% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.