Flights Portland → Washington
PDX → DCA
How long is the flight from Portland to Washington?
The flight from Portland (PDX) to Washington (DCA) takes 4h 33m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Portland to Washington is operated by a Boeing 737 and has an on-time performance rate of 78%, with flights typically experiencing an average delay of 8.5 minutes. The destination airport, which opened in 1938, serves over 25 million passengers annually.
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 Portland (PDX) → Washington (DCA) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines. Across 225 flights monitored in recent months, 83% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 6 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.89%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 12/100 (low), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Portland the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Washington: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Portland (PDX) to Washington (DCA) heads east for about 3,773 km, a flight time of roughly 4h 33m.
Departures from Portland on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 94% of PDX-DCA flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Portland the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Washington it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 225 tracked PDX-DCA flights, 83% left on time with an average delay of 6 min and a 0.9% cancellation rate.
Route facts
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating PDX-DCA
Airports
Frequently asked questions about PDX-DCA
The flight from Portland (PDX) to Washington (DCA) takes 4h 33m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Portland (PDX) -> Washington (DCA) route, on-time performance is 83% with an average delay of 6 minutes, based on 225 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Portland-Washington is 0.89% across 225 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska 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.
