Washington to Madison

What the Data Says About DCA to MSN

The Washington to Madison corridor (DCA → MSN) covers roughly 707 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,494 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 84.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,001 flights were recorded on this pairing — 49 cancelled (2.4%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 5 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,494 total flights analyzed, the 78.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 84.7-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, Nov 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 47% on-time — a 45-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DCA to MSN route, the combination of a 78.8% on-time rate, 84.7-minute average delay, 2.4% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.