Route · MSN → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data
Madison to Washington
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MSN to DCA (Madison to Washington) ranks #3548 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 79.3%
- On-time
- +0.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 93 min
- Delay when late
- 2,496
- Flights
- #3548 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.3%
Best Month
Oct 2024 95%
Worst Month
Feb 2025 54%
Distance
707 mi
Carriers
5
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 82 | 27 | 3 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Nov 2025 | 102 | 31 | 6 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 107 | 20 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Sep 2025 | 82 | 10 | 0 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Aug 2025 | 88 | 22 | 1 | 0 | AA,YX,MQ,OH |
| Jul 2025 | 88 | 13 | 12 | 3 | OH,YX |
| Jun 2025 | 89 | 23 | 1 | 1 | OH,YX |
| May 2025 | 103 | 34 | 3 | 5 | OH,YX |
| Apr 2025 | 82 | 19 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Mar 2025 | 83 | 18 | 0 | 3 | OH,YX |
| Feb 2025 | 74 | 34 | 5 | 2 | OH,YX |
| Jan 2025 | 75 | 12 | 7 | 0 | OH,YX,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 67 | 23 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OH,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 77 | 13 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Oct 2024 | 85 | 4 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Sep 2024 | 81 | 9 | 0 | 2 | YX,OH |
| Aug 2024 | 88 | 25 | 0 | 1 | YX,OH |
| Jul 2024 | 89 | 20 | 2 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Jun 2024 | 84 | 19 | 1 | 0 | OH,YX |
| May 2024 | 85 | 18 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Apr 2024 | 82 | 15 | 2 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 88 | 13 | 0 | 0 | YX,OH |
| Feb 2024 | 68 | 8 | 0 | 0 | OH,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 53 | 13 | 3 | 1 | YX,OH |
MSN–DCA seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (87.9%) · weakest: February (70.4%)
Strongest calendar month
October
87.9% on-time · ~94 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
May
~94 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
February
70.4% on-time · ~71 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.3%
47 of 2,002 flights
Diversion Rate
0.9%
18 of 2,002 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
MSN - Madison
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Madison, WI.
MSN on-time profileDCA - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
DCA on-time profileCompare the two airports
See MSN and DCA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare MSN vs DCAOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among MSN departures
From MSN, this corridor sits with 7 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 12 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #3416 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to MSN–DCA.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About MSN to DCA
2,496 tracked flights put the MSN to DCA pairing (Madison to Washington) at a 79.3% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 93.0 minutes on average. Across the 707-mile route and its 5 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 2.3% cancelled and 0.9% diverted (2,002 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 95% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 54% - a 41-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, MSN–DCA peaks in October at 87.9% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~94 flights per month) ; the softest month is February at 70.4%, a 17.5-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does MSN to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from MSN to DCA? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for MSN to DCA? ▼
How far is the flight from MSN to DCA? ▼
When is the best time to fly from MSN 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 MSN–DCA data
MSN–DCA is mid-pack at 79.3% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare MSN and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MSN airport
- If your dates flex, October (87.9% on-time) beats February (70.4%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 79.3% 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.