Route · IAD → MSY · 2020–2025 BTS data
Washington to New Orleans
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAD to MSY (Washington to New Orleans) ranks #2971 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 83.3%
- On-time
- +4.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 80 min
- Delay when late
- 3,821
- Flights
- #2971 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.5%
Best Month
Oct 2024 94%
Worst Month
Jul 2025 71%
Distance
955 mi
Carriers
10
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 48 | 15 | 0 | 0 | YX,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 60 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2025 | 55 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2025 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2025 | 55 | 10 | 1 | 0 | YX,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 58 | 17 | 0 | 0 | UA,YX |
| Jun 2025 | 52 | 15 | 0 | 0 | UA,YX |
| May 2025 | 59 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2025 | 60 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA,YX |
| Mar 2025 | 58 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Feb 2025 | 56 | 10 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2025 | 52 | 11 | 6 | 0 | UA |
| Dec 2024 | 47 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2024 | 60 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2024 | 62 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2024 | 59 | 4 | 4 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2024 | 50 | 13 | 2 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2024 | 39 | 13 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2024 | 58 | 12 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| May 2024 | 58 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2024 | 60 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Mar 2024 | 62 | 8 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| Feb 2024 | 58 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2024 | 56 | 12 | 6 | 0 | UA |
IAD–MSY seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (91.7%) · weakest: July (71.6%)
Strongest calendar month
November
91.7% on-time · ~55 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
March
~64 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
71.6% on-time · ~51 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.5%
20 of 1,327 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
2 of 1,327 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
IAD - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
IAD on-time profileMSY - New Orleans
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New Orleans, LA.
MSY on-time profileCompare the two airports
See IAD and MSY side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare IAD vs MSYOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among IAD departures
From IAD, this corridor sits with 42 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 58 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (14 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 2 below 75%). Destination: New Orleans · fleet on-time rank #1833 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to IAD–MSY.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
Routes of a similar trip length
What the Data Says About IAD to MSY
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Washington to New Orleans (IAD to MSY) running a 83.3% on-time rate over 3,821 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 79.7 minutes. The 955-mile corridor is served by 10 carriers, and over the last 24 months 1.5% of 1,327 flights were cancelled, 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 71% - a 23-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, IAD–MSY peaks in November at 91.7% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~64 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 71.6%, a 20.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does IAD to MSY rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from IAD to MSY? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for IAD to MSY? ▼
How far is the flight from IAD to MSY? ▼
When is the best time to fly from IAD to MSY? ▼
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 IAD–MSY data
IAD–MSY runs 4.3 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare IAD and MSY airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAD airport
- If your dates flex, November (91.7% on-time) beats July (71.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 83.3% 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.