Flights Zurich → Washington
ZRH → IAD
How long is the flight from Zurich to Washington?
The flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Washington (IAD) takes about 8h 46m. 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
The flight route operates between Zurich, where the airport opened in 1948, and Washington, using Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 767-400 aircraft. The destination city's airport serves over 21 million passengers annually, making it a major hub for air travel.
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 Zurich (ZRH) → Washington (IAD) route is operated by Swiss International Air Lines, United Airlines. Across 28 flights monitored in recent months, 48% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 33 minutes. The cancellation rate is 3.57%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 15.1/100 (medium), 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 Zurich the average ATFM delay is 0.7 minutes.
Heading to Washington: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Zurich (ZRH) to Washington (IAD) heads north-west for about 6,673 km, a flight time of roughly 8h 46m.
Departures from Zurich on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 50% of ZRH-IAD flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Zurich the average ATFM delay is 0.7 min (atfm); arriving into Washington it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 28 tracked ZRH-IAD flights, 48% left on time with an average delay of 33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| Swiss International Air Lines (LX) | 44% | 36 min | 1.6% |
Airlines operating ZRH-IAD
Frequently asked questions about ZRH-IAD
The flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Washington (IAD) takes about 8h 46m. 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 Zurich (ZRH) -> Washington (IAD) route, on-time performance is 48% with an average delay of 33 minutes, based on 28 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Zurich-Washington is 3.57% across 28 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: Swiss International Air Lines, United 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.
