Washington to New Orleans (DCA–MSY) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DCA Airport Page →
969 mi airlines charter/private 41/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 24 flights Verified 40m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: Midwest Airlines.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AA1159
AA American
320
5:45 AM
EDT T2
7:25 AM
CDT
2h 40m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5313
AA American
CR9
8:20 AM
EDT T2
10:14 AM
CDT
2h 54m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5319
AA American
CR7
11:29 AM
EDT T2
1:27 PM
CDT
2h 58m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN311
WN Southwest
737
11:35 AM
EDT T1
1:10 PM
CDT
2h 35m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2870
WN Southwest
737
11:40 AM
EDT T1
1:15 PM
CDT
2h 35m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA3175
AA American
319
11:50 AM
EDT T2
1:30 PM
CDT
2h 40m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1100
WN Southwest
7M8
12:40 PM
EDT T1
2:10 PM
CDT
2h 30m
M T W T F S S
Prices
BA1928cs
BA British
CR7
2:54 PM
EDT T2
4:54 PM
CDT
3h
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5670+1
AA American
CR7
3:17 PM
EDT T2
5:17 PM
CDT
3h
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1453
WN Southwest
7S7
7:35 PM
EDT T1
9:25 PM
CDT
2h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN222
WN Southwest
737
7:30 AM
CDT
11:00 AM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1159
AA American
320
8:10 AM
CDT
11:46 AM
EDT
2h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN961
WN Southwest
7M8
8:45 AM
CDT
12:15 PM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1797
WN Southwest
7S7
9:30 AM
CDT
1:00 PM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5313
AA American
CR9
11:27 AM
CDT
2:50 PM
EDT
2h 23m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA531
AA American
12:24 PM
CDT
3:25 PM
EDT
2h 1m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3241
WN Southwest
B38M
12:50 PM
CDT
4:20 PM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1460
WN Southwest
7M8
1:10 PM
CDT
4:40 PM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5319
AA American
CR7
1:57 PM
CDT
5:59 PM
EDT
3h 2m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA967
AA American
319
2:10 PM
CDT
5:46 PM
EDT
2h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN686
WN Southwest
4:53 PM
CDT
7:22 PM
EDT
1h 29m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2990
WN Southwest
7S7
5:20 PM
CDT
8:55 PM
EDT
2h 35m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN699
WN Southwest
7S7
5:25 PM
CDT
8:55 PM
EDT
2h 30m
64%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5670+1
AA American
CR7
5:47 PM
CDT
9:30 PM
EDT
2h 43m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
ATL Atlanta 4h 16m AAAFAM AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to New Orleans flights
BNA Nashville 4h 23m AADLWN WN Nashville (BNA) to New Orleans flights
SAV Savannah 4h 33m AA MX Savannah (SAV) to New Orleans flights
RDU Raleigh/Durham 4h 37m AAASDL MX Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to New Orleans flights
TPA Tampa 4h 56m AAASWN MXNKWN Tampa (TPA) to New Orleans flights
MCO Orlando 4h 58m AAB6BA EJAF9MX Orlando (MCO) to New Orleans flights
MDW Chicago 5h WN WN Chicago (MDW) to New Orleans flights
CLT Charlotte 5h 12m AAASBA AABACYO Charlotte (CLT) to New Orleans flights
DAL Dallas 5h 20m JTLWN WN Dallas (DAL) to New Orleans flights
PHL Philadelphia 5h 21m AAASBA AAF9 Philadelphia (PHL) to New Orleans flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Washington to New Orleans
2 carriers, 41 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 969 mi 2h 45m nonstop -1h behind

DCA–MSY is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 969 miles in approximately 2h 45m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DCA–MSY service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines Also: BA 22 319, 320, CR7, CR9 2h40-3h 100% Oneworld BA
WN Southwest Airlines 14 737, 7M8, 7S7 2h30-2h50 100%
Aircraft on this route
319 Airbus A319 – AA
320 Airbus A320 – AA
737 Boeing 737-700 – WN
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – WN
7S7 Boeing 737 MAX 7 – WN
CR7 Bombardier CRJ-700 – AA, BA
CR9 Bombardier CRJ-900 – AA
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA (22 flights/wk, 61%)
Unaffiliated: WN (14 flights/wk, 39%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, DCA to MSY direction.
Mon
5
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
6
flights
Thu
6
flights
Fri
6
flights
Sat
7
flights
Sun
6
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
10
Nonstop flights
41
Outbound / wk
38
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DCA to MSY.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
59
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,640
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DCA → MSY
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
Return
MSY → DCA
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DCA delays → MSY delays →

Other ways to reach New Orleans from Washington

Nearby airports with service to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Metric DCA→MSY IAD→MSY BWI→MSY
Distance from DCA 23 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 18 4
Weekly flights 41 51 21
Flight time 2h 45m 2h 44m 2h 40m
Departure OTP 100%
Airports within 200 miles of DCA with service to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
New Orleans is 1 hour behind Washington.
DCA: EDT · MSY: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Washington, it's 5:00 PM in New Orleans.
Distance & Flight Time
969 mi / 1,560 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 2h 45m gate to gate.
Getting to DCA

The DC Metro (Yellow and Blue lines) connects the airport directly to downtown Washington in 15–25 minutes from most central stations ($2.25–$3.85 depending on distance and time of day). The Reagan National Airport station is inside the terminal complex with a direct indoor walkway. Metro runs from about 05:00 to midnight Sunday–Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday–Saturday.Taxis and Uber/Lyft from the city centre cost $15–30 depending on destination and traffic. DCA is one of the most transit-accessible major US airports. Driving is straightforward via the George Washington Memorial Parkway; short-term parking at the terminal costs from $5 for 20 minutes. No personal vehicles are allowed to idle at arrivals; use the cell-phone lot or commercial pick-up zones.

DCA–MSY Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Washington to New Orleans route.
Route details
Distance969 mi / 1,560 km
Flight time2h 45m
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights41 out / 38 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DCA
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m
Destination: MSY
IATA / ICAOMSY / KMSY
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr13.1M
Elevation4 ft / 1 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DCA to MSY flights.
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport take about 2h 45m gate to gate. The route covers 969 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from DCA to MSY: American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
This route has frequent daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Nashville and Savannah Hilton Head.
New Orleans is 1 hour behind Washington.
Yes, return flights from MSY to DCA are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include IAD, BWI and CHO. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from DCA to MSY

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) are connected by nonstop service from American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. With 41 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

DCA to MSY Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DCA to MSY is about 2 hours 45 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 969 miles (1,560 km). There are approximately 41 weekly flights outbound and 38 return, totaling 79 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Nashville and Savannah Hilton Head. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Dulles (IAD), Baltimore (BWI) and Charlottesville (CHO).