ORD to DCA flight delays
Chicago, IL (ORD) Washington, VA (DCA) · 612 miles
638 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
71.59%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
3.29%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
98 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
29 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
Cancellation, not delay, is the risk worth pricing here: 3.29% of scheduled flights never operated. A late flight still gets you there. A cancelled one leaves you rebooking, and on a route with few daily departures that can mean losing a day.
Flights from Chicago to Washington run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
The 2 airlines here are separated by under 2 points — close enough to call a tie. Choose on price and departure time.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on ORD to DCA. United Airlines was late most often.
Every airline on ORD to DCA
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 | 343 | 70.15% | 2.04% | 96 min | D |
| American Airlines | 210 | 71.36% | 5.24% | 91 min | D |
| Republic Airways | 64 | 87.1% | 3.13% | 114 min | — |
| SkyWest Airlines | 21 | 50% | 4.76% | 138 min | — |
The return leg
DCA to ORD Washington back to Chicago 72.76% on time DOther routes from Chicago
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on ORD to DCA 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 →