ON TIMEBOARD

BNA → IAD on time

Nashville (Nashville, TN) to Washington Dulles (Washington, DC). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.2%
1,016 flights
Typical arrival
−4 min
median vs schedule
When late
+92 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
3 airlines

77% of flights from Nashville to Washington arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 84% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 69%. 10% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for BNA → IAD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,016 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines98377%1.1%−3 min8.7%+91 minUnited Airlines 94%, Republic Airways 4%, Mesa Airlines 2%
Allegiant Air32—————Allegiant Air
Southwest Airlines1—————Southwest Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at BNA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: 84% on time (302 flights)848a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (30 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 78% on time (360 flights)781p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 69% on time (317 flights)696p
BNA → IAD, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited Airlines
8 a.m.84%
1 p.m.78%
6 p.m.69%

Last flight of the day

On BNA → IAD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.5% of the time (earlier flights: 1.8%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines6:30 p.m.0.8%2.5%1.3%first flight 8:30 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (87%). Worst: July (74%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (207 flights)79JanFeb: 85% on time (220 flights)85FebMar: 75% on time (248 flights)75MarApr: 86% on time (297 flights)86AprMay: 77% on time (317 flights)77MayJun: 76% on time (317 flights)76JunJul: 74% on time (299 flights)74JulAug: 82% on time (286 flights)82AugSep: 85% on time (266 flights)85SepOct: 87% on time (287 flights)87OctNov: 83% on time (272 flights)83NovDec: 82% on time (270 flights)82Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15471%1.3%
Tuesday11980%1.7%
Wednesday13784%0.0%
Thursday16175%0.6%
Friday15277%1.3%
Saturday13280%0.8%
Sunday16173%2.5%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 43%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 37%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 11%Severe weather 8%

Cancellations: airline 7 · weather 5

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Oct 2023: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 85% on time, 2.0% cancelledApr 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 74% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 63% on time, 3.0% cancelledAug 2025: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
BNA → IAD, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 17098:30 a.m.28683%2.5%−7 minUnited Airlines
UA 21251:35 p.m.34178%0.6%−1 minUnited Airlines
UA 14606:30 p.m.19364%1.0%0 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 10, 202530%0
Mar 11, 202630%0
Nov 2, 202530%0
Apr 17, 202630%0
Jun 27, 202630%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Nashville or Washington. None has been clearly more reliable than BNA → IAD.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
BNA → IAD (this route)1,01677%1.2%
BNA → BWI Nashville to Baltimore/Washington1,79475%1.7%
BNA → DCA Nashville to Washington Reagan National4,38769%3.1%

Questions

How often are flights from BNA to IAD on time?

77% of 1,016 scheduled flights from Nashville, TN to Washington, DC arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.2% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly BNA to IAD?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (84% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (69%).

What month has the most delays from BNA to IAD?

July (74% on time). The best month is October (87%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from BNA to IAD more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last BNA–IAD flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 1.3% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.