PlainFlights

Route · DCA → BOS · 2020–2025 BTS data

Washington to Boston

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DCA to BOS (Washington to Boston) ranks #14 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.5%
On-time
+1.5 pts
vs US avg
83 min
Delay when late
49,133
Flights
#14 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.4%

Best Month

Nov 2024 88%

Worst Month

Sep 2025 61%

Distance

399 mi

Carriers

16

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 691 206 9 0 B6,YX,AA,MQ
Nov 2025 735 197 24 1 MQ,AA,B6,YX
Oct 2025 774 266 17 0 AA,B6,YX
Sep 2025 761 293 15 0 YX,AA,B6
Aug 2025 740 125 16 0 AA,YX,B6
Jul 2025 750 210 74 0 AA,B6,YX,MQ
Jun 2025 747 221 31 1 AA,B6,YX
May 2025 800 248 9 0 AA,B6,DL,YX
Apr 2025 766 131 0 1 YX,AA,B6
Mar 2025 841 168 5 0 AA,B6,YX,MQ
Feb 2025 752 228 43 0 AA,B6,YX,MQ
Jan 2025 774 98 56 0 AA,B6,YX,MQ
Dec 2024 729 143 11 5 AA,B6,YX
Nov 2024 794 98 0 0 YX,B6,DL,AA
Oct 2024 912 116 3 0 DL,YX,B6,AA
Sep 2024 834 136 0 0 YX,AA,B6,DL
Aug 2024 813 208 53 0 AA,B6,DL,YX
Jul 2024 830 214 15 1 AA,B6,DL,YX
Jun 2024 807 178 14 6 AA,B6,DL,YX
May 2024 854 250 4 0 AA,B6,YX
Apr 2024 767 163 13 0 AA,B6,YX
Mar 2024 824 121 0 0 AA,B6,YX
Feb 2024 763 98 9 0 AA,B6,YX
Jan 2024 731 155 37 0 AA,B6,YX

DCA–BOS seasonal on-time pattern

Best: January (85.8%) · weakest: July (74.2%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 81.2%

Strongest calendar month

January

85.8% on-time · ~741 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

March

~785 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

74.2% on-time · ~654 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.4%

458 of 18,789 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

15 of 18,789 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 profile

BOS - Boston

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Boston, MA.

BOS on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See DCA and BOS side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare DCA vs BOS

Origin-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: Boston · fleet on-time rank #2915 of 4927.

What the Data Says About DCA to BOS

49,133 tracked flights put the DCA to BOS pairing (Washington to Boston) at a 80.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 82.5 minutes on average. Across the 399-mile route and its 16 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 2.4% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (18,789 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Nov 2024 posted the strongest performance at 88% on-time, while Sep 2025 came in at just 61% - a 26-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, DCA–BOS peaks in January at 85.8% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~785 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.2%, a 11.6-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does DCA to BOS rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, DCA to BOS ranks #14 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from DCA to BOS? ▼
Flights from Washington to Boston have a 80.5% on-time rate based on 49,133 flights. The average delay is 82.5 minutes. The best recent month was Nov 2024 with 88% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for DCA to BOS? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.4% of flights on this route were cancelled (458 of 18,789 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from DCA to BOS? ▼
The flight distance from Washington (DCA) to Boston (BOS) is approximately 399 miles. This route is served by 16 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from DCA to BOS? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Nov 2024 (88% on-time). The worst was Sep 2025 (61% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

DCA Airport

Washington
BOS Airport

Boston
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–BOS data

DCA–BOS is mid-pack at 80.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare DCA and BOS airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DCA airport
  • If your dates flex, January (85.8% on-time) beats July (74.2%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.5% 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.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

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.