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Route · JFK → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data

New York to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), JFK to DCA (New York to Washington) ranks #771 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.5%
On-time
+1.5 pts
vs US avg
74 min
Delay when late
13,268
Flights
#771 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

4.1%

Best Month

Oct 2024 94%

Worst Month

Feb 2025 60%

Distance

213 mi

Carriers

13

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 214 73 10 1 YX,B6
Nov 2025 263 97 17 2 B6,YX
Oct 2025 249 64 7 1 B6,YX
Sep 2025 262 44 4 0 YX,B6
Aug 2025 217 43 5 0 YX,B6
Jul 2025 217 55 35 1 B6,YX
Jun 2025 213 69 21 0 B6,YX
May 2025 248 95 6 1 B6,YX
Apr 2025 240 72 1 0 YX,B6
Mar 2025 217 52 6 0 B6,YX
Feb 2025 192 77 17 0 YX
Jan 2025 206 32 20 0 YX
Dec 2024 194 52 1 2 YX
Nov 2024 208 22 0 0 YX
Oct 2024 217 12 0 0 YX
Sep 2024 207 21 0 0 YX
Aug 2024 190 45 20 0 YX
Jul 2024 186 50 7 2 YX
Jun 2024 180 37 14 0 9E,YX
May 2024 186 39 3 1 9E,YX
Apr 2024 180 28 3 0 YX
Mar 2024 186 11 1 0 9E,YX
Feb 2024 174 10 2 0 9E,YX
Jan 2024 186 23 7 1 9E,B6,YX

JFK–DCA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (85.8%) · weakest: July (74.9%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 77.4%

Strongest calendar month

September

85.8% on-time · ~192 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

November

~219 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

74.9% on-time · ~198 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

4.1%

207 of 5,032 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

12 of 5,032 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

JFK - New York

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New York, NY.

JFK 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 JFK and DCA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare JFK vs DCA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among JFK departures

From JFK, this corridor sits with 50 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 66 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (3 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 13 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #2931 of 4927.

What the Data Says About JFK to DCA

13,268 tracked flights put the JFK to DCA pairing (New York to Washington) at a 80.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 73.8 minutes on average. Across the 213-mile route and its 13 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 4.1% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (5,032 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 60% - a 35-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, JFK–DCA peaks in September at 85.8% on-time while November carries the heaviest traffic (~219 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.9%, a 10.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does JFK to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, JFK to DCA ranks #771 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 JFK to DCA? ▼
Flights from New York to Washington have a 80.5% on-time rate based on 13,268 flights. The average delay is 73.8 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 94% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for JFK to DCA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 4.1% of flights on this route were cancelled (207 of 5,032 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from JFK to DCA? ▼
The flight distance from New York (JFK) to Washington (DCA) is approximately 213 miles. This route is served by 13 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from JFK to DCA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (94% on-time). The worst was Feb 2025 (60% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

JFK Airport

New York
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 JFK–DCA data

JFK–DCA is mid-pack at 80.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare JFK and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. JFK airport
  • If your dates flex, September (85.8% on-time) beats July (74.9%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.5% 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.