Flights Atlanta → Washington
ATL → DCA
Route overview
This flight route connects Atlanta to Washington, operating with a fleet that includes various aircraft models such as the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 and MD-90, Airbus A320, Boeing 757, 737-800, and 717. With an on-time performance rate of 77%, flights experience an average delay of approximately 19.9 minutes, based on a total of 1677 recorded flights.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Atlanta (ATL) → Washington (DCA) route is operated by Air France, ITA Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 2249 flights monitored in recent months, 78% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 18 minutes. The cancellation rate is 2.85%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 26.9/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Washington the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Atlanta the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Washington: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Atlanta (ATL) to Washington (DCA) heads north-east for about 880 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 31m.
Departures from Atlanta on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 40% of ATL-DCA flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Atlanta the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Washington it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 2,249 tracked ATL-DCA flights, 78% left on time with an average delay of 18 min and a 2.9% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
Check the risk of a specific flight.
Flexible on this trip? Compare flights
Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) | 84% | 20 min | 0.0% |
| Air France (AF) | 82% | 18 min | 3.3% |
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 80% | 8 min | 1.8% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 73% | 6 min | 3.1% |
| ITA Airways (AZ) | 59% | 35 min | 4.9% |
Airlines operating ATL-DCA
Airports
Frequently asked questions about ATL-DCA
On the Atlanta (ATL) -> Washington (DCA) route, on-time performance is 78% with an average delay of 18 minutes, based on 2249 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Atlanta-Washington is 2.85% across 2249 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 5 airlines: Air France, ITA Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Washington, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
