Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
EDI→IAD
Edinburgh to Washington
- Flights
- 541 both ways
- Carriers
- 1
- Distance
- 3,468 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 70.2% of departures from Edinburgh to Washington Dulles International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 276 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 6 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 42nd of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. Roughly one flight in three left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 5 of 281 scheduled departures, 1.8%, did not operate at all.
The route's 70.2% is an improvement of 2 points on the same months a year earlier, when 68.5% left on time. Across every departure from the 25 UK airports the CAA reports, to any destination, 72.4% left within 15 minutes in the same period; transatlantic departures run slightly better than the UK average, partly because wide-body long-haul flights are scheduled with more slack than short-haul rotations. A single carrier accounts for almost every departure, so the route figure and the airline figure are the same number.
Key figures
Left on time
70.2%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 276 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
22 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
1.78%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
2.15%
The UK261 compensation threshold
10.7% of departures left more than an hour late, and 2.15% left three hours or more behind schedule, about one flight in 50. Three hours at arrival is the threshold at which UK261 compensation becomes payable, £520 a passenger on a sector of this length; the CAA measures the departure, so a flight in that band left the gate three hours late, which is not quite the same test but rarely ends differently after seven hours over the Atlantic. The average delay across every matched departure, early ones counted as zero, was 21.5 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves EDI for IAD on time
United Airlines is the only carrier the DOT report shows on EDI to IAD, with 541 flights and an average of 143 passengers aboard each. A single-carrier route gives a delayed passenger no same-day alternative on the same ticket, which is worth knowing before booking a tight onward connection.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlinesthin sample | 281 | 70.2% | 22 min | 1.78% | C |
Flights are scheduled departures in the CAA file, operated plus cancelled; on time is within 15 minutes of the planned off-block time. The DOT count below includes the return direction and may differ.
How late is late
How delays on EDI to IAD are distributed
- Early15+ min early1.8%
- On timeup to 15 min late68.4%
- 16–30 min8.2%
- 31–60 min9.2%
- 1–2 hours6.0%
- 2–3 hours2.5%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold1.4%
- Over 6 hours0.7%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When EDI to IAD runs late
June was the weakest month for departures at 53.3% on time and November the strongest at 95.5%, a swing of 42 points across the year. That is a wide seasonal range, wider than the gap between the best and worst carriers, so the month you fly matters more than the airline you pick. The DOT's count puts the busiest month at 62 flights in August 2025 and the thinnest at 0 in February 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 202551
- August 202562
- September 202557
- October 202558
- November 202544
- December 202542
- January 20268
- February 20260
- March 202640
- April 202660
- May 202661
- June 202658
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 541 between EDI and IAD from July 2025 to June 2026, about five departures a week in each direction, carrying 77,598 passengers. That makes it the 4th busiest of 8 US routes from Edinburgh and the 17th busiest of 20 European routes into IAD.
The return leg
IAD to EDI: arrivals back into Edinburgh
Coming the other way, 70.7% of arrivals from Washington Dulles International into Edinburgh reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 278 flights. 27% arrived more than 15 minutes early, which is normal for an eastbound crossing with the jet stream behind it and a schedule padded for the days it is not. 2.13% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 0.7% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
70.7%
Within 15 minutes, of 278 arrivals
Early
27.1%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
0.71%
3+ hours late
2.13%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early27.1%
- On timeup to 15 min late43.6%
- 16–30 min12.9%
- 31–60 min6.5%
- 1–2 hours4.6%
- 2–3 hours2.5%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold1.4%
- Over 6 hours0.7%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How Edinburgh is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for Edinburgh as a whole, every airline and every destination: 71.4% of departures and 74.0% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 97.0% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 73.0% for departures, 2 points better than the year so far. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 0.0 minutes per arriving flight this year, 0.0 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 81.7% | 82.1% | 96.5% | 0.0 min |
| Last 7 days | 73.0% | 77.0% | 96.8% | 0.0 min |
| Year to date | 71.4% | 74.0% | 97.0% | 0.0 min |
Every US route from Edinburgh, and its full punctuality record
The arrival airport
Landing at Washington Dulles International
Washington Dulles International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 81.0% of its 57,762 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 1.44% were cancelled. Those are domestic flights, not this route, but an arriving transatlantic flight shares the same runways, the same weather and the same ground delay programmes, so a bad day at IAD reaches a flight from EDI just as surely. The airport's own page has the hour-by-hour and month-by-month detail, and its live FAA status appears above when the FAA has something to say.
Domestic on time
81.0%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)
Avg delay
80 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
1.44%
Domestic departures
57,762
Last twelve months
Washington Dulles International (IAD) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on EDI to IAD
Every flight that departs Edinburgh falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at Washington Dulles International three hours or more late, or is cancelled with under 14 days' notice, and the cause was within the airline's control, each passenger is owed £520 (£260 if the airline got you there under four hours late), on top of rebooking and care. Weather, air traffic control restrictions and strikes outside the airline are the usual exemptions. The return flight from IAD is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 3,468 miles, 5,580 km, which puts it in the top distance band.
Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →
What to do with this
Booking EDI to IAD
Booked blind, EDI to IAD is a C route by the departure record, and there is no carrier choice to make. Leave at least two hours for any onward connection at IAD: 11% of departures were an hour or more late, and immigration comes before the connecting flight.
Common questions
EDI to IAD questions
How often are EDI to IAD flights delayed?
Roughly one flight in three leaves Edinburgh at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 29.8% of the 276 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 10.7% left more than an hour late and 2.15% three hours or more. A further 1.8% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airlines fly EDI to IAD?
United Airlines. United Airlines accounted for 100% of the 541 flights the DOT counted on the pair.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed EDI to IAD flight?
Yes, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control: departures from Edinburgh are covered by UK261 whichever airline operates them. The fixed amount for a sector of this length is £520 a passenger, £260 if the airline got you there under four hours late. On this route 2.15% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from IAD is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on EDI to IAD?
June, at 53.3% of departures on time, against 95.5% in November, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- Edinburgh (EDI): every US route
- Washington Dulles International (IAD) delay statistics
- EDI to JFK, New York (JFK)1,104 flights
- EDI to EWR, Newark (EWR)886 flights
- EDI to BOS, Boston (BOS)723 flights
- EDI to ATL, Atlanta (ATL)445 flights
- LHR to IAD, from London3,880 flights
- FRA to IAD, from Frankfurt2,352 flights
- DUB to IAD, from Dublin2,342 flights
- CDG to IAD, from Paris2,247 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
The departure record is the CAA's, measured at Edinburgh; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at Edinburgh. Nothing here is measured at IAD, where the DOT keeps no record of international flights.
Sources: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Report (flights and passengers by carrier and airport pair), July 2025 to June 2026; UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, September 2025 to August 2026; EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Portal, airport punctuality and ATFM delay to 21 October 2026. Rebuilt 22 October 2026; the EUROCONTROL figures refresh with each weekly build, the others when their publisher releases a month. How these sources differ.