Flights Washington → Buffalo
DCA → BUF
Route overview
This flight route operates between Washington and Buffalo, with an average on-time performance of 62%. Over the past year, it has seen a total of 259 flights, each experiencing an average delay of 36.3 minutes. The aircraft used for this route are primarily Embraer 175 and Embraer 170 models, flying from Washington's historic airport, which opened in 1938, to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, serving over 4.6 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) → Buffalo (BUF) route is operated by American Airlines. Across 345 flights monitored in recent months, 64% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 34 minutes. The cancellation rate is 6.67%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 23.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Buffalo the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Washington the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Buffalo: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Washington (DCA) to Buffalo (BUF) heads north for about 476 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 1m.
Departures from Washington on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 65% of DCA-BUF flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Washington the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Buffalo it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 345 tracked DCA-BUF flights, 64% left on time with an average delay of 34 min and a 6.7% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines (AA) | 74% | 16 min | 3.0% |
Airlines operating DCA-BUF
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DCA-BUF
On the Washington (DCA) -> Buffalo (BUF) route, on-time performance is 64% with an average delay of 34 minutes, based on 345 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Washington-Buffalo is 6.67% across 345 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: American Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Buffalo, 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.
