Airport month record
IADFEB
Washington Dulles International in February 2026
- Departures
- 4,037
- Month
- February 2026
- National, same month
- 80.2%
- Carriers
- 9
Historical statistics for February 2026, not live status or a forecast for this year’s February. For today’s conditions at IAD, see live FAA status.
IAD in February lands a B, 3 points better than the national rate of 80.2%. About one flight in six arrives 15 minutes late or worse, and those flights are late by a little over an hour on average. That is a workable record, not a spotless one. That rests on 4,037 flights, of which Republic Airways flew 553 at 84.0% on time.
Key figures
On time
83.3%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late, of 3,975 completed departures
Avg delay
74 min
Across delayed arrivals only, not all flights
Cancelled
1.34%
Nationally in February: 2.25%
Whole year
81.1%
IAD across all twelve months
These figures cover 4,037 departures from Washington Dulles International in February 2026. On time means an arrival less than 15 minutes after the scheduled gate time, the DOT's threshold, and the national comparison uses every US departure in the same month rather than the whole year.
Against the year
February next to IAD's other months
Against IAD's own year, February ran 2 points better than the twelve-month rate of 81.1%, which makes it number five of twelve months, best first. Either side of it, January ran 83.0% on time and March 79.6%, so a trip moved by a few weeks would have landed in a worse stretch.
| Month | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | 5,248 | 69.5% | 102 min | 2.88% | C |
| August 2025 | 5,201 | 81.0% | 70 min | 0.79% | B+ |
| September 2025 | 4,815 | 86.8% | 67 min | 0.27% | A+ |
| October 2025 | 4,854 | 84.6% | 64 min | 0.27% | B+ |
| November 2025 | 4,589 | 81.8% | 71 min | 1.46% | B |
| December 2025 | 4,676 | 74.8% | 69 min | 0.71% | C+ |
| January 2026 | 4,248 | 83.0% | 82 min | 5.65% | B− |
| February 2026 (this page) | 4,037 | 83.3% | 74 min | 1.34% | B |
| March 2026 | 4,983 | 79.6% | 92 min | 1.81% | B |
| April 2026 | 4,843 | 87.2% | 71 min | 0.31% | A+ |
| May 2026 | 5,474 | 84.1% | 78 min | 0.57% | B+ |
| June 2026 | 5,053 | 78.1% | 85 min | 0.93% | B+ |
Departure window
The best time of day to leave IAD in February
Departure time matters more here than the choice of carrier. The gap between the best and worst window is 12 points, against half a point between the best and worst carrier. Each bar is the on-time rate for flights scheduled inside that window.
- 5am–8am326 flights86.7%
- 8am–11am953 flights89.1%
- 11am–2pm839 flights85.1%
- 2pm–5pm274 flights81.2%
- 5pm–8pm1,236 flights77.3%
- 8pm–5am409 flights83.7%
Scale runs 70% to 95%. Rows with fewer than 30 flights show a dash.
Book the morning departure. Flights leaving between 8am–11am arrive on time 89.1% of the time, against 77.3% for the evening window. That is 12 points of difference for no extra money, and it comes from the same aircraft having had no earlier flight to fall behind on. The 5pm–8pm window is the busiest, with 1,236 flights scheduled in it.
Across the week, Tuesday is the strongest day at 88.7% on time and Sunday the weakest at 75.7%. 13 points is a smaller lever than departure hour, but it is free.
Carrier by carrier
Which airlines ran best at IAD in February
The two carriers here are closely matched: half a point separate the best from the worst. At that spread, schedule and price are better tie-breakers than reliability. Sample sizes are shown so you can see which rows are worth weighing.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,689 | 83.5% | 66 min | 0.89% | B+ |
| Republic Airways | 553 | 84.0% | 53 min | 2.35% | B |
| Delta Air Linesthin sample | 218 | 85.2% | 114 min | 4.13% | A− |
| SkyWest Airlinesthin sample | 165 | 76.4% | 132 min | 1.21% | B |
| Frontier Airlinesthin sample | 84 | 80.7% | 219 min | 1.19% | B |
| American Airlinesthin sample | 83 | 84.1% | 136 min | 1.20% | B |
| Southwest Airlinesthin sample | 80 | 85.0% | 50 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| PSA Airlinesthin sample | 79 | 85.5% | 47 min | 3.80% | A− |
| Alaska Airlinesthin sample | 65 | 81.2% | 38 min | 1.54% | B |
No carrier stands out. Republic tops the table at 84.0%, half a point clear of the bottom, which is inside the range this kind of sample moves year to year.
Route by route
Busiest routes out of IAD in February
| Route | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAD to ATL · Atlantathin sample | 262 | 85.2% | 82 min | 2.29% | A |
| IAD to DEN · Denverthin sample | 257 | 82.4% | 57 min | 0.39% | B+ |
| IAD to SFO · San Franciscothin sample | 189 | 78.3% | 86 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| IAD to CLT · Charlottethin sample | 177 | 84.9% | 44 min | 2.26% | B |
| IAD to MCO · Orlandothin sample | 170 | 85.3% | 131 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to LAX · Los Angelesthin sample | 158 | 79.1% | 52 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| IAD to DFW · Dallas-Fort Worththin sample | 140 | 85.7% | 141 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to IAH · Houstonthin sample | 112 | 93.8% | 50 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to EWR · Newarkthin sample | 112 | 85.6% | 77 min | 7.14% | A− |
| IAD to ORD · Chicagothin sample | 112 | 75.0% | 42 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| IAD to CMH · Columbusthin sample | 104 | 77.5% | 57 min | 0.96% | B+ |
| IAD to PIT · Pittsburghthin sample | 104 | 87.4% | 49 min | 0.96% | A+ |
| IAD to BOS · Bostonthin sample | 103 | 86.3% | 57 min | 7.77% | A− |
| IAD to SAN · San Diegothin sample | 100 | 86.0% | 44 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to SEA · Seattlethin sample | 93 | 75.8% | 52 min | 2.15% | B |
| IAD to TPA · Tampathin sample | 91 | 87.8% | 94 min | 1.10% | A |
| IAD to RDU · Raleighthin sample | 91 | 85.6% | 102 min | 1.10% | A |
| IAD to BDL · Hartfordthin sample | 90 | 89.3% | 31 min | 6.67% | A− |
| IAD to PHX · Phoenixthin sample | 81 | 84.0% | 59 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| IAD to DTW · Detroitthin sample | 78 | 66.2% | 97 min | 1.28% | C |
| IAD to AUS · Austinthin sample | 76 | 88.0% | 43 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to LAS · Las Vegasthin sample | 74 | 90.5% | 55 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| IAD to LGA · New Yorkthin sample | 73 | 76.1% | 79 min | 8.22% | B− |
| IAD to IND · Indianapolisthin sample | 70 | 84.3% | 27 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| IAD to BNA · Nashvillethin sample | 68 | 84.8% | 61 min | 2.94% | B |
Delay causes
What held IAD up in February
Carriers report a reason for every delay minute they cause, in five DOT categories. The split below is by minutes, not by number of flights, so a handful of very long weather delays weighs as much as many short ones. It covers 49,000 reported delay minutes.
- 38%Carrier
- 30%National Airspace System
- 25%Late-arriving aircraft
- 8%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
The largest share of delay minutes, 38%, falls under carrier control: crew scheduling, maintenance, fuelling, baggage. Unlike weather, that is a management outcome, and it is the category where the gap between two carriers on the same schedule is genuinely earned. It accounts for 19,000 of the 49,000 delay minutes reported here. The split is drawn from 49,074 reported delay minutes.
Cancellations sit at 1.34% against a national 2.25%, which is ordinary. Diversions add another 0.20%.
5.3% of arrivals land an hour or more late, close to the national 6.5%. That is the figure that decides a connection, and it says a 60 to 75 minute layover is reasonable here while anything under 45 minutes is a bet. Most delays on this route last a little over an hour, which a normal layover absorbs.
What to do with this
Flying from IAD in February
For a February trip through IAD: expect 83.3% on time and 1.34% cancelled, going by February 2026. The 8am–11am window was the strongest part of the day.
Related
Where to go next
- Washington Dulles International (IAD), the whole year
- IAD in July69.5%
- IAD in August81.0%
- IAD in September86.8%
- IAD in October84.6%
- IAD in November81.8%
- IAD in December74.8%
- IAD in January83.0%
- IAD in March79.6%
- IAD in April87.2%
- IAD in May84.1%
- IAD in June78.1%
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, on-time performance data, July 2025 to June 2026. Last updated 15 September 2026; recomputed monthly. How this data is collected.