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Route · STL → DCA · 2020–2025 BTS data

St. Louis to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), STL to DCA (St. Louis to Washington) ranks #899 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.4%
On-time
+1.4 pts
vs US avg
71 min
Delay when late
12,061
Flights
#899 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.1%

Best Month

Sep 2024 93%

Worst Month

Feb 2025 60%

Distance

719 mi

Carriers

25

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 203 50 4 0 YX,OH,WN
Nov 2025 208 53 6 1 OH,WN,YX
Oct 2025 223 46 0 1 AA,OH,WN,YX,MQ
Sep 2025 217 51 1 0 MQ,OH,WN,YX,AA
Aug 2025 197 53 2 1 AA,WN,OH
Jul 2025 200 76 14 3 AA,OH,WN
Jun 2025 194 68 5 3 AA,OH,WN
May 2025 207 52 4 4 AA,OH,WN
Apr 2025 199 53 2 0 OH,WN,AA
Mar 2025 175 50 7 3 OH,WN
Feb 2025 157 63 9 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Jan 2025 175 31 20 1 OH,WN,YX
Dec 2024 177 30 1 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Nov 2024 192 19 0 1 WN,YX,OH,AA
Oct 2024 200 30 1 0 WN,AA,OH
Sep 2024 189 14 0 0 WN,OH,AA
Aug 2024 195 39 0 1 AA,WN,OH
Jul 2024 199 51 5 1 AA,OH,WN
Jun 2024 189 33 0 1 AA,OH,WN,YX
May 2024 195 55 1 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Apr 2024 185 28 1 1 AA,OH,WN,YX
Mar 2024 188 28 1 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Feb 2024 185 32 0 0 AA,OH,WN,YX
Jan 2024 202 47 14 1 AA,MQ,WN,YX,OH

STL–DCA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (83.9%) · weakest: July (74.8%)

70%75%80%85% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 80.7%

Strongest calendar month

September

83.9% on-time · ~163 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

January

~204 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

74.8% on-time · ~176 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.1%

98 of 4,651 flights

Diversion Rate

0.5%

23 of 4,651 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

STL - St. Louis

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for St. Louis, MO.

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

Compare STL vs DCA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among STL departures

From STL, this corridor sits with 45 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 51 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #3004 of 4927.

What the Data Says About STL to DCA

12,061 tracked flights put the STL to DCA pairing (St. Louis to Washington) at a 80.4% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 70.5 minutes on average. Across the 719-mile route and its 25 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 2.1% cancelled and 0.5% diverted (4,651 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 60% - a 33-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, STL–DCA peaks in September at 83.9% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~204 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.8%, a 9.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does STL to DCA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, STL to DCA ranks #899 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 STL to DCA? ▼
Flights from St. Louis to Washington have a 80.4% on-time rate based on 12,061 flights. The average delay is 70.5 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2024 with 93% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for STL to DCA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.1% of flights on this route were cancelled (98 of 4,651 flights) and 0.5% were diverted.
How far is the flight from STL to DCA? ▼
The flight distance from St. Louis (STL) to Washington (DCA) is approximately 719 miles. This route is served by 25 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from STL to DCA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2024 (93% on-time). The worst was Feb 2025 (60% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

STL Airport

St. Louis
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 STL–DCA data

STL–DCA is mid-pack at 80.4% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare STL and DCA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. STL airport
  • If your dates flex, September (83.9% on-time) beats July (74.8%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.4% 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.