FlightRecord

Boston (BOS) to Washington (IAD): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly BOS to IAD matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 93% on-time in September 2024 to just 71% in July 2025. Across the full period the route averages 83% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (93% vs 71%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
83%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
13 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.3%
Flights/day
4.1
last 12 months
Duration
1h 43m
scheduled
Distance
412 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for BOS to IAD flights50%75%100%June 2024: 79% on-time (120 flights)79Jun 2024July 2024: 76% on-time (124 flights)76August 2024: 82% on-time (124 flights)82September 2024: 93% on-time (120 flights)93Sep 2024October 2024: 89% on-time (124 flights)89November 2024: 85% on-time (119 flights)85December 2024: 86% on-time (124 flights)86Dec 2024January 2025: 81% on-time (124 flights)81February 2025: 84% on-time (112 flights)84March 2025: 87% on-time (125 flights)87Mar 2025April 2025: 83% on-time (154 flights)83May 2025: 81% on-time (155 flights)81June 2025: 76% on-time (146 flights)76Jun 2025July 2025: 71% on-time (124 flights)71August 2025: 80% on-time (133 flights)80September 2025: 82% on-time (143 flights)82Sep 2025October 2025: 73% on-time (124 flights)73November 2025: 87% on-time (119 flights)87December 2025: 84% on-time (122 flights)84Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (112 flights)85February 2026: 89% on-time (104 flights)89March 2026: 88% on-time (119 flights)88Mar 2026April 2026: 88% on-time (120 flights)88May 2026: 89% on-time (124 flights)89

Best time to fly from BOS to IAD

Aim for departures around 1 p.m. (97% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (71%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, BOS to IAD5 a.m.: 96% on-time (715 flights)59 a.m.: 90% on-time (730 flights)912 p.m.: 93% on-time (85 flights)121 p.m.: 97% on-time (34 flights)132 p.m.: 72% on-time (728 flights)147 p.m.: 71% on-time (720 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday84%10 min
Tuesdaybest86%10 min
Wednesday83%14 min
Thursday79%15 min
Friday80%15 min
Saturday86%10 min
Sunday81%15 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft43%
  • Airline operations23%
  • National airspace system30%
  • Weather4%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from BOS to IAD delayed?
17% of BOS–IAD flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 13 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from BOS to IAD?
Departures around 1 p.m. have the best record (97% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (71%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from BOS to IAD?
The scheduled BOS–IAD flight time averages 1h 43m over 412 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 17% of the time.
How often are BOS to IAD flights cancelled?
1.3% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from BOS to IAD?
July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 71% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2024 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 22-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 3,015 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.