ON TIMEBOARD

IAD → BDL on time

Washington Dulles (Washington, DC) to Bradley (Hartford, CT). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
83%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.1%
1,402 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+69 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

83% of flights from Washington to Hartford arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 78%. 7% 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 IAD → BDL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 59% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 93 three hours or more; 2.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,402 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,40283%2.1%−8 min5.1%+69 minUnited Airlines 67%, Mesa Airlines 18%, Republic Airways 10%, CommutAir 5%

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 IAD). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: 87% on time (323 flights)878a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: 85% on time (365 flights)8512p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: 78% on time (365 flights)785p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights9p10 p.m. departures: 80% on time (349 flights)8010p
IAD → BDL, 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

Last flight of the day

On IAD → BDL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 2.6% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.5% of the time (earlier flights: 1.4%). 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 Airlines10:25 p.m.0.8%0.5%2.6%first flight 8:24 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 (91%). Worst: July (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 78% on time (323 flights)78JanFeb: 86% on time (310 flights)86FebMar: 83% on time (368 flights)83MarApr: 89% on time (360 flights)89AprMay: 77% on time (369 flights)77MayJun: 78% on time (360 flights)78JunJul: 68% on time (370 flights)68JulAug: 80% on time (372 flights)80AugSep: 84% on time (358 flights)84SepOct: 91% on time (370 flights)91OctNov: 85% on time (357 flights)85NovDec: 84% on time (370 flights)84Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday20875%4.3%
Tuesday19186%1.6%
Wednesday20284%1.5%
Thursday20184%1.5%
Friday20185%2.0%
Saturday19683%1.0%
Sunday20382%3.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 42%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 11%

Cancellations: weather 22 · air traffic/airport 6 · airline 2

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 77% on time, 2.5% cancelledOct 2023: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 84% on time, 0.8% cancelledJan 2024: 63% on time, 2.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 84% on time, 1.0% cancelledMar 2024: 86% on time, 0.8% cancelledApr 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 66% on time, 5.7% cancelledAug 2024: 77% on time, 1.6% cancelledSep 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 90% on time, 0.8% cancelledDec 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 81% on time, 3.2% cancelledFeb 2025: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 72% on time, 1.7% cancelledJul 2025: 68% on time, 4.8% cancelledAug 2025: 86% on time, 1.6% cancelledSep 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 82% on time, 3.4% cancelledDec 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 79% on time, 3.3% cancelledApr 2026: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 81% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2026: 81% on time, 1.7% cancelledJul 2026: 70% on time, 4.9% cancelledAug 2026: 77% on time, 2.4% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
IAD → BDL, 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 63212:40 p.m.15288%1.3%−9 minUnited Airlines
UA 44410:25 p.m.34280%0.9%−4 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 2, 202640%0
Mar 13, 202640%2
Jul 18, 202640%1
Feb 23, 202640%4
Mar 16, 202640%1

Nearby airport alternatives

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

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
IAD → BDL (this route)1,40283%2.1%
BWI → BDL Baltimore/Washington to Bradley1,72379%2.2%
DCA → BDL Washington Reagan National to Bradley1,68064%6.2%

Questions

How often are flights from IAD to BDL on time?

83% of 1,402 scheduled flights from Washington, DC to Hartford, CT arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (78%).

What month has the most delays from IAD to BDL?

July (68% on time). The best month is October (91%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last IAD–BDL flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 2.6% 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.