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Route · MSY → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data

New Orleans to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MSY to DCA (New Orleans to Washington) ranks #1253 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

78.8%
On-time
-0.2 pts
vs US avg
76 min
Delay when late
9,426
Flights
#1253 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.7%

Best Month

Sep 2024 89%

Worst Month

Feb 2025 55%

Distance

969 mi

Carriers

27

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 176 45 2 0 YX,OH,WN,AA
Nov 2025 169 43 2 1 OH,AA,WN,YX
Oct 2025 153 43 0 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Sep 2025 142 39 0 0 OH,WN,YX,AA
Aug 2025 145 38 3 0 AA,WN,YX,OH
Jul 2025 150 47 15 7 AA,OH,WN,YX
Jun 2025 146 57 5 3 AA,OH,WN,YX
May 2025 154 38 0 2 AA,OH,WN
Apr 2025 154 37 0 1 OH,WN,YX,AA
Mar 2025 190 43 4 3 AA,OH,WN,YX
Feb 2025 172 77 17 1 AA,OH,WN,YX
Jan 2025 176 39 27 2 AA,OH,WN,YX
Dec 2024 148 44 0 2 AA,OH,WN,YX
Nov 2024 141 21 2 0 WN,YX,OH,AA
Oct 2024 155 25 0 0 MQ,WN,YX,AA,OH
Sep 2024 150 16 5 1 WN,YX,OH,MQ
Aug 2024 150 37 3 0 MQ,WN,YX,OH
Jul 2024 154 61 2 2 MQ,OH,WN,YX
Jun 2024 150 38 1 0 AA,MQ,OH,WN,YX
May 2024 155 39 1 1 AA,WN,YX
Apr 2024 150 35 0 0 AA,WN
Mar 2024 154 30 1 0 AA,MQ,OH,WN,YX
Feb 2024 139 28 0 0 AA,MQ,OH,WN,YX
Jan 2024 144 38 11 0 AA,WN,YX,OH

MSY–DCA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: January (83.8%) · weakest: July (67.9%)

65%70%75%80%85% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 75%

Strongest calendar month

January

83.8% on-time · ~171 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

January

~171 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

67.9% on-time · ~124 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.7%

101 of 3,717 flights

Diversion Rate

0.7%

26 of 3,717 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

MSY - New Orleans

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New Orleans, LA.

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

Compare MSY vs DCA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among MSY departures

From MSY, this corridor sits with 28 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 34 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #3587 of 4927.

What the Data Says About MSY to DCA

9,426 tracked flights put the MSY to DCA pairing (New Orleans to Washington) at a 78.8% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 75.5 minutes on average. Across the 969-mile route and its 27 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 2.7% cancelled and 0.7% diverted (3,717 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 89% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 55% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, MSY–DCA peaks in January at 83.8% on-time ; the softest month is July at 67.9%, a 15.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does MSY to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, MSY to DCA ranks #1253 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 MSY to DCA? ▼
Flights from New Orleans to Washington have a 78.8% on-time rate based on 9,426 flights. The average delay is 75.5 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2024 with 89% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for MSY to DCA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.7% of flights on this route were cancelled (101 of 3,717 flights) and 0.7% were diverted.
How far is the flight from MSY to DCA? ▼
The flight distance from New Orleans (MSY) to Washington (DCA) is approximately 969 miles. This route is served by 27 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from MSY to DCA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2024 (89% on-time). The worst was Feb 2025 (55% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

MSY Airport

New Orleans
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 MSY–DCA data

MSY–DCA is mid-pack at 78.8% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare MSY and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MSY airport
  • If your dates flex, January (83.8% on-time) beats July (67.9%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 78.8% 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.