DCA to PHX flight delays
Washington, VA (DCA) Phoenix, AZ (PHX) · 1,979 miles
1,088 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
82.25%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.47%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
108 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
20 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The shape of the lateness matters here. Flights on this route are not late often, but when they are late they are late by about 108 minutes — long enough to lose a connection or an evening. The on-time percentage looks reassuring and understates the consequence of being on the wrong flight.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from DCA overall run 8.4 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion DCA has, this route is largely escaping it.
Only American Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Flights from Washington to Phoenix keep to schedule more reliably than most. On a route this punctual the day you fly matters more than the airline you pick.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on DCA to PHX. Flights ran closest to schedule in March and worst in July.
Every airline on DCA to PHX
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,088 | 82.25% | 1.47% | 108 min | B |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
PHX to DCA Phoenix back to Washington 83.93% on time BOther routes from Washington
Common questions
Are flights from Washington to Phoenix usually delayed?
82.25% of flights on the DCA to PHX route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Washington to Phoenix?
Only American Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 1,088 flights and 82.25% arriving on time.
How often are DCA to PHX flights cancelled?
1.47% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 15 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Washington to Phoenix?
March, when 89% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 74.4%.
When DCA to PHX flights are late, how late are they?
About 108 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on DCA to PHX during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →