Route · DEN → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data
Denver to Washington
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DEN to DCA (Denver to Washington) ranks #1528 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 81.7%
- On-time
- +2.7 pts
- vs US avg
- 67 min
- Delay when late
- 8,053
- Flights
- #1528 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.8%
Best Month
Oct 2025 88%
Worst Month
Feb 2025 54%
Distance
1,476 mi
Carriers
2
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 114 | 15 | 0 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 112 | 21 | 0 | 0 | UA,F9 |
| Oct 2025 | 115 | 14 | 0 | 0 | UA,F9 |
| Sep 2025 | 110 | 25 | 0 | 1 | UA,F9 |
| Aug 2025 | 116 | 26 | 0 | 1 | F9,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 114 | 28 | 1 | 5 | UA,F9 |
| Jun 2025 | 109 | 35 | 0 | 2 | UA,F9 |
| May 2025 | 123 | 26 | 1 | 1 | UA,F9 |
| Apr 2025 | 120 | 21 | 0 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Mar 2025 | 124 | 33 | 0 | 0 | UA,F9 |
| Feb 2025 | 112 | 51 | 0 | 1 | UA,F9 |
| Jan 2025 | 124 | 36 | 4 | 1 | UA,F9 |
| Dec 2024 | 124 | 21 | 0 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 120 | 28 | 1 | 0 | UA,F9 |
| Oct 2024 | 124 | 27 | 0 | 0 | UA,F9 |
| Sep 2024 | 120 | 15 | 2 | 1 | UA,F9 |
| Aug 2024 | 124 | 24 | 3 | 2 | F9,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 124 | 29 | 3 | 3 | F9,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 119 | 24 | 2 | 0 | F9,UA |
| May 2024 | 124 | 37 | 1 | 2 | F9,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 120 | 31 | 2 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 124 | 22 | 3 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 116 | 20 | 0 | 0 | F9,UA |
| Jan 2024 | 124 | 28 | 0 | 0 | F9,UA |
DEN–DCA seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (84.7%) · weakest: February (77.3%)
Strongest calendar month
November
84.7% on-time · ~114 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
January
~118 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
February
77.3% on-time · ~109 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.8%
23 of 2,856 flights
Diversion Rate
0.7%
20 of 2,856 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DEN - Denver
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Denver, CO.
DEN on-time profileDCA - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
DCA on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DEN and DCA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DEN vs DCAOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among DEN departures
From DEN, this corridor sits with 133 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (8 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 27 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #2465 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DEN–DCA.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DEN to DCA
8,053 tracked flights put the DEN to DCA pairing (Denver to Washington) at a 81.7% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 67.0 minutes on average. Across the 1,476-mile route and its 2 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.8% cancelled and 0.7% diverted (2,856 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2025 posted the strongest performance at 88% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 54% - a 33-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DEN–DCA peaks in November at 84.7% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~118 flights per month) ; the softest month is February at 77.3%, a 7.4-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DEN to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DEN to DCA? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DEN to DCA? ▼
How far is the flight from DEN to DCA? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DEN to DCA? ▼
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 DEN–DCA data
DEN–DCA is mid-pack at 81.7% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare DEN and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DEN airport
- If your dates flex, November (84.7% on-time) beats February (77.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 81.7% 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.