DEN to IAD flight delays
Denver, CO (DEN) Washington, VA (IAD) · 1,452 miles
262 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
80.15%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
67 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
14 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from DEN overall run 11.3 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion DEN has, this route is largely escaping it.
Only United 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.
This is a thin route — 262 flights across the whole period. On a route this infrequent a cancellation is far more costly than the rate suggests, because the next departure may not be the same day.
The Denver to Washington route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on DEN to IAD.
Every airline on DEN to IAD
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 257 | 80.16% | 0% | 66 min | B |
| Southwest Airlines | 5 | 80% | 0% | 74 min | — |
The return leg
IAD to DEN Washington back to Denver 80.46% on time BOther routes from Denver
Common questions
Are flights from Denver to Washington usually delayed?
80.15% of flights on the DEN to IAD 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 Denver to Washington?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 257 flights and 80.16% arriving on time.
How often are DEN to IAD flights cancelled?
0% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 1 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
When DEN to IAD flights are late, how late are they?
About 67 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 DEN to IAD during March 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 →