Flights Washington → Atlanta
DCA → ATL
How long is the flight from Washington to Atlanta?
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL) takes 1h 23m on average. That is the median time recorded across 8 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route connects Washington to Atlanta, utilizing a mix of aircraft including the Boeing 737-800 and McDonnell Douglas models. With an on-time performance rate of 75%, flights experience an average delay of 15.7 minutes, based on a total of 1677 recorded flights. The origin airport in Washington has been operational since 1938, while the destination airport in Atlanta serves over 108 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 Washington (DCA) → Atlanta (ATL) route is operated by Air France, ITA Airways, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 4167 flights monitored in recent months, 74% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 3.43%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 27.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Atlanta the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Atlanta: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL) heads south-west for about 880 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 23m.
Departures from Washington on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 35% of DCA-ATL flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Atlanta it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 4,167 tracked DCA-ATL flights, 74% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 3.4% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| Air France (AF) | 82% | 28 min | 0.0% |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) | 82% | 19 min | 5.9% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
| ITA Airways (AZ) | 45% | 39 min | 0.6% |
Airlines operating DCA-ATL
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DCA-ATL
The flight from Washington (DCA) to Atlanta (ATL) takes 1h 23m on average. That is the median time recorded across 8 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Washington (DCA) -> Atlanta (ATL) route, on-time performance is 74% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 4167 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Washington-Atlanta is 3.43% across 4167 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 Atlanta, 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.
