DCA to SAT flight delays
Washington, VA (DCA) San Antonio, TX (SAT) · 1,380 miles
351 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
56.73%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
2.28%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
85 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
37 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In October it ran 47.4 points more punctual than in August — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
This is a late route. Flights from Washington to San Antonio miss their scheduled arrival often enough that a tight connection at the far end is a connection at risk.
The two directions do not behave alike. SAT to DCA arrives on time 33 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
This route does worse than its own airport. DCA as a whole runs 17.2 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on DCA to SAT. Flights ran closest to schedule in October and worst in August.
Every airline on DCA to SAT
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 | 351 | 56.73% | 2.28% | 85 min | F |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
SAT to DCA San Antonio back to Washington 89.77% on time BOther routes from Washington
Common questions
Are flights from Washington to San Antonio usually delayed?
56.73% of flights on the DCA to SAT route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 4 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Washington to San Antonio?
Only American Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 351 flights and 56.73% arriving on time.
How often are DCA to SAT flights cancelled?
2.28% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 23 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Washington to San Antonio?
October, when 77.4% of flights arrived on time. The worst was August at 30%.
When DCA to SAT flights are late, how late are they?
About 85 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 SAT 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 →