Route · DCA → IND · 2020–2025 BTS data
Washington to Indianapolis
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DCA to IND (Washington to Indianapolis) ranks #1228 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
- 74 min
- Delay when late
- 9,552
- Flights
- #1228 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.5%
Best Month
Oct 2024 93%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 62%
Distance
500 mi
Carriers
16
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 150 | 57 | 5 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Nov 2025 | 168 | 43 | 4 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 178 | 23 | 1 | 0 | AA,OH,YX,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 173 | 32 | 1 | 1 | MQ,OH,YX,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 171 | 37 | 4 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Jul 2025 | 176 | 43 | 18 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Jun 2025 | 174 | 47 | 11 | 1 | AA,OH,YX |
| May 2025 | 186 | 49 | 4 | 0 | AA,OH,YX,MQ |
| Apr 2025 | 166 | 41 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 176 | 33 | 3 | 2 | OH,YX,MQ |
| Feb 2025 | 159 | 53 | 14 | 0 | OH,YX,MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 166 | 27 | 16 | 0 | OH,YX,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 153 | 39 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 164 | 21 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 173 | 12 | 0 | 0 | YX,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 168 | 15 | 0 | 0 | YX,AA |
| Aug 2024 | 169 | 32 | 5 | 0 | AA,YX |
| Jul 2024 | 170 | 43 | 1 | 1 | AA,OH,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 162 | 19 | 1 | 0 | AA,YX |
| May 2024 | 177 | 35 | 1 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Apr 2024 | 167 | 20 | 2 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 165 | 12 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Feb 2024 | 160 | 18 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 162 | 22 | 8 | 0 | YX,OH |
DCA–IND seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (91.5%) · weakest: July (77.8%)
Strongest calendar month
October
91.5% on-time · ~135 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
November
~161 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
77.8% on-time · ~135 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.5%
101 of 4,033 flights
Diversion Rate
0.1%
5 of 4,033 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 profileIND - Indianapolis
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Indianapolis, IN.
IND on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DCA and IND side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DCA vs INDOrigin-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: Indianapolis · fleet on-time rank #1607 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DCA–IND.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DCA to IND
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Washington to Indianapolis (DCA to IND) running a 83.9% on-time rate over 9,552 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 74.3 minutes. The 500-mile corridor is served by 16 carriers, and over the last 24 months 2.5% of 4,033 flights were cancelled, 0.1% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 62% - a 31-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DCA–IND peaks in October at 91.5% on-time while November carries the heaviest traffic (~161 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 77.8%, a 13.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DCA to IND rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DCA to IND? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DCA to IND? ▼
How far is the flight from DCA to IND? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DCA to IND? ▼
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–IND data
DCA–IND 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 IND airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DCA airport
- If your dates flex, October (91.5% on-time) beats July (77.8%) 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.