Washington to Buffalo

What the Data Says About DCA to BUF

The Washington to Buffalo corridor (DCA → BUF) covers roughly 296 miles and is served by 13 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,321 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 74.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,463 flights were recorded on this pairing — 113 cancelled (4.6%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). 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 5,321 total flights analyzed, the 76.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 74.8-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 50% on-time — a 42-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DCA to BUF route, the combination of a 76.3% on-time rate, 74.8-minute average delay, 4.6% recent cancellation rate, and 13 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.