Flights Washington → New Orleans
DCA → MSY
How long is the flight from Washington to New Orleans?
The flight from Washington (DCA) to New Orleans (MSY) takes about 2h 22m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
Route overview
This flight route connects Washington to New Orleans, operating with an average on-time performance of 67%. Over the past year, it has seen a total of 531 flights, each averaging a delay of approximately 20.8 minutes. The aircraft used for this route are primarily Embraer 170 and Embraer 175 models.
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) → New Orleans (MSY) route is operated by American Airlines. Across 1166 flights monitored in recent months, 67% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 22 minutes. The cancellation rate is 3.60%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 26.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At New Orleans the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to New Orleans: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Washington (DCA) to New Orleans (MSY) heads south-west for about 1,560 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 22m.
Departures from Washington on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 53% of DCA-MSY flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Washington the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into New Orleans it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 1,166 tracked DCA-MSY flights, 67% left on time with an average delay of 22 min and a 3.6% 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) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating DCA-MSY
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DCA-MSY
The flight from Washington (DCA) to New Orleans (MSY) takes about 2h 22m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
On the Washington (DCA) -> New Orleans (MSY) route, on-time performance is 67% with an average delay of 22 minutes, based on 1166 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Washington-New Orleans is 3.60% across 1166 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 New Orleans, 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.
