PlainFlights

Route · IAH → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data

Houston to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAH to DCA (Houston to Washington) ranks #879 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.3%
On-time
+1.3 pts
vs US avg
69 min
Delay when late
12,345
Flights
#879 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.7%

Best Month

Jan 2025 90%

Worst Month

Feb 2025 58%

Distance

1,208 mi

Carriers

18

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 273 46 2 0 YX,OH,UA
Nov 2025 270 63 8 1 UA,YX
Oct 2025 291 64 0 1 UA,YX
Sep 2025 272 53 0 0 UA,YX
Aug 2025 207 77 1 0 UA
Jul 2025 207 82 5 4 UA
Jun 2025 194 71 4 1 UA
May 2025 205 56 2 1 UA
Apr 2025 202 35 0 0 UA
Mar 2025 196 47 0 3 UA
Feb 2025 176 74 3 1 UA
Jan 2025 177 18 16 3 UA
Dec 2024 179 39 0 0 UA
Nov 2024 196 34 0 1 UA
Oct 2024 182 28 0 0 UA
Sep 2024 171 26 3 0 UA
Aug 2024 170 46 2 0 UA
Jul 2024 167 53 15 3 UA
Jun 2024 160 39 2 2 OO,UA
May 2024 169 56 7 0 OO,UA
Apr 2024 176 38 3 2 OO,UA
Mar 2024 196 39 0 0 OO,UA
Feb 2024 193 27 1 0 OO,UA
Jan 2024 184 37 7 1 UA

IAH–DCA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: October (85.1%) · weakest: July (73.2%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 82.3%

Strongest calendar month

October

85.1% on-time · ~193 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

October

~193 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

73.2% on-time · ~158 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.7%

81 of 4,813 flights

Diversion Rate

0.5%

24 of 4,813 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

IAH - Houston

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Houston, TX.

IAH on-time profile

DCA - Washington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.

DCA on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See IAH and DCA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare IAH vs DCA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among IAH departures

From IAH, this corridor sits with 79 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 102 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (17 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 6 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #3019 of 4927.

What the Data Says About IAH to DCA

12,345 tracked flights put the IAH to DCA pairing (Houston to Washington) at a 80.3% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 68.7 minutes on average. Across the 1,208-mile route and its 18 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.7% cancelled and 0.5% diverted (4,813 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Jan 2025 posted the strongest performance at 90% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 58% - a 32-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, IAH–DCA peaks in October at 85.1% on-time ; the softest month is July at 73.2%, a 11.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does IAH to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, IAH to DCA ranks #879 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from IAH to DCA? ▼
Flights from Houston to Washington have a 80.3% on-time rate based on 12,345 flights. The average delay is 68.7 minutes. The best recent month was Jan 2025 with 90% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for IAH to DCA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 1.7% of flights on this route were cancelled (81 of 4,813 flights) and 0.5% were diverted.
How far is the flight from IAH to DCA? ▼
The flight distance from Houston (IAH) to Washington (DCA) is approximately 1,208 miles. This route is served by 18 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from IAH to DCA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Jan 2025 (90% on-time). The worst was Feb 2025 (58% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

IAH Airport

Houston
DCA Airport

Washington
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 IAH–DCA data

IAH–DCA is mid-pack at 80.3% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare IAH and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAH airport
  • If your dates flex, October (85.1% on-time) beats July (73.2%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.3% 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.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

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.