FlightRecord

Washington (IAD) to Charlotte (CLT): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on IAD–CLT. September 2025 flights landed on schedule 95% of the time, but December 2025 dropped to 69% — a gap of 26 points. Across the full period the route averages 82% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (87% vs 74%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
82%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
16 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.4%
Flights/day
5.5
last 12 months
Duration
1h 37m
scheduled
Distance
322 mi

Best airline from IAD to CLT

4 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
American Airlinesmost reliable87%11 min1.3%383
Republic Airways83%13 min2.6%697
PSA Airlines82%18 min2.8%2,753
United Airlines76%12 min0.8%359

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAD to CLT flights50%75%100%June 2024: 85% on-time (190 flights)85Jun 2024July 2024: 74% on-time (182 flights)74August 2024: 81% on-time (179 flights)81September 2024: 84% on-time (156 flights)84Sep 2024October 2024: 88% on-time (178 flights)88November 2024: 86% on-time (237 flights)86December 2024: 80% on-time (178 flights)80Dec 2024January 2025: 80% on-time (148 flights)80February 2025: 79% on-time (149 flights)79March 2025: 82% on-time (149 flights)82Mar 2025April 2025: 81% on-time (224 flights)81May 2025: 71% on-time (198 flights)71June 2025: 78% on-time (149 flights)78Jun 2025July 2025: 77% on-time (156 flights)77August 2025: 83% on-time (162 flights)83September 2025: 95% on-time (164 flights)95Sep 2025October 2025: 86% on-time (155 flights)86November 2025: 83% on-time (161 flights)83December 2025: 69% on-time (177 flights)69Dec 2025January 2026: 84% on-time (197 flights)84February 2026: 84% on-time (177 flights)84March 2026: 84% on-time (179 flights)84Mar 2026April 2026: 91% on-time (173 flights)91May 2026: 86% on-time (174 flights)86

Best time to fly from IAD to CLT

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (93% on-time); avoid 8 p.m. departures (72%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAD to CLT5 a.m.: 93% on-time (319 flights)56 a.m.: 87% on-time (265 flights)67 a.m.: 93% on-time (79 flights)78 a.m.: 78% on-time (490 flights)89 a.m.: 91% on-time (560 flights)910 a.m.: 93% on-time (59 flights)1011 a.m.: 89% on-time (111 flights)1112 p.m.: 87% on-time (218 flights)121 p.m.: 83% on-time (482 flights)132 p.m.: 78% on-time (145 flights)143 p.m.: 85% on-time (58 flights)154 p.m.: 72% on-time (165 flights)165 p.m.: 72% on-time (574 flights)177 p.m.: 85% on-time (48 flights)198 p.m.: 72% on-time (413 flights)2010 p.m.: 86% on-time (188 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday81%17 min
Tuesday84%15 min
Wednesdaybest87%14 min
Thursday82%13 min
Friday81%17 min
Saturday83%19 min
Sunday79%18 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft47%
  • Airline operations30%
  • National airspace system17%
  • Weather6%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAD to CLT delayed?
18% of IAD–CLT 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 16 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from IAD to CLT?
American Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 87%, based on 383 flights. 4 airlines flew IAD–CLT frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAD to CLT?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (93% on-time), while departures around 8 p.m. have the worst (72%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAD to CLT?
The scheduled IAD–CLT flight time averages 1h 37m over 322 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 18% of the time.
How often are IAD to CLT flights cancelled?
2.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from IAD to CLT?
December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 69% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2025 at 95%. If your dates are flexible, that 26-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 4,192 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.