ON TIMEBOARD

RSW → IAD on time

Southwest Florida (Fort Myers, FL) to Washington Dulles (Washington, DC). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
88%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
461 flights
Typical arrival
−15 min
median vs schedule
When late
+72 min
average delay
Flights / day
1
1 airline

88% of flights from Fort Myers to Washington arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 84%. 5% 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 RSW → IAD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 29 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 231 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 461 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines46188%1.1%−15 min3.5%+72 minUnited 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 RSW). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%9 a.m. departures: 92% on time (102 flights)929a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (82 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (15 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: 88% on time (136 flights)881p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (19 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 84% on time (107 flights)846p
RSW → 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

Last flight of the day

On RSW → IAD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.0% of the time, against 1.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.0%). 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 Airlines11:59 a.m.1.0%1.0%1.0%first flight 11:59 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: November (95%). Worst: January (82%).

40%70%100%Jan: 82% on time (161 flights)82JanFeb: 88% on time (155 flights)88FebMar: 85% on time (179 flights)85MarApr: 92% on time (150 flights)92AprMay: 88% on time (110 flights)88MayJun: too few flights (90 flights)JunJul: too few flights (93 flights)JulAug: too few flights (87 flights)AugSep: too few flights (90 flights)SepOct: too few flights (98 flights)OctNov: 95% on time (115 flights)95NovDec: 90% on time (148 flights)90Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday67——
Tuesday56——
Wednesday62——
Thursday69——
Friday69——
Saturday69——
Sunday69——

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 40%Late inbound plane 36%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 21%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: airline 3 · weather 1 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

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 205411:59 a.m.23289%0.9%−16 minUnited Airlines

Nearby airport alternatives

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

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
RSW → IAD (this route)46188%1.1%
RSW → BWI Southwest Florida to Baltimore/Washington1,40977%2.3%
RSW → DCA Southwest Florida to Washington Reagan National85870%2.5%

Questions

How often are flights from RSW to IAD on time?

88% of 461 scheduled flights from Fort Myers, FL to Washington, DC arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (84%).

What month has the most delays from RSW to IAD?

January (82% on time). The best month is November (95%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last RSW–IAD flight of the day was cancelled 1.0% of the time over the past year, against 1.0% 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.