Dulles to Columbia (IAD–CAE) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

IAD Airport Page →
401 mi airlines charter/private 43/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 14 flights Verified 56m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
UA4818+1
UA United
E145
8:15 AM
EDT
9:56 AM
EDT
1h 41m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4615
UA United
CR5
8:15 AM
EDT
9:54 AM
EDT
1h 39m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
CM2191cs
CM Copa
ERJ
8:15 AM
EDT
9:56 AM
EDT
1h 41m
38%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4288
UA United
ERJ
1:51 PM
EDT
3:21 PM
EDT
1h 30m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
CM2190cs
CM Copa
ERJ
5:21 PM
EDT
7:09 PM
EDT
1h 48m
38%
M T W T F S S
Prices
SN8898cs
SN Lynx Air
ERJ
5:21 PM
EDT
7:09 PM
EDT
1h 48m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4364+2
UA United
ERJ
5:21 PM
EDT
7:09 PM
EDT
1h 48m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4283+1
UA United
E145
10:31 AM
EDT
12:09 PM
EDT
1h 38m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4167
UA United
CR5
10:31 AM
EDT
12:07 PM
EDT
1h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CM2196cs
CM Copa
E145
10:31 AM
EDT
12:09 PM
EDT
1h 38m
M T W T F S S
Prices
SN8918cs
SN Lynx Air
ERJ
2:56 PM
EDT
4:28 PM
EDT
1h 32m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4229+2
UA United
ERJ
2:56 PM
EDT
4:28 PM
EDT
1h 32m
M T W T F S S
Prices
CM2197cs
CM Copa
ERJ
7:45 PM
EDT
9:24 PM
EDT
1h 39m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA4259+1
UA United
E145
7:45 PM
EDT
9:24 PM
EDT
1h 39m
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
CLT Charlotte 3h 33m AAACAT AA Charlotte (CLT) to Columbia flights
ATL Atlanta 3h 51m AFAMCM AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to Columbia flights
LGA New York 5h 2m AAAVUA AADL New York (LGA) to Columbia flights
ORD Chicago 5h 13m ACAVAZ AANZQR Chicago (ORD) to Columbia flights
PIT Pittsburgh 5h 35m AVCMET DL Pittsburgh (PIT) to Columbia flights
PHL Philadelphia 5h 38m ACAVCM AA Philadelphia (PHL) to Columbia flights
EWR Newark 5h 41m AVAZET UA Newark (EWR) to Columbia flights
FLL Fort Lauderdale 6h 5m CMF9SN G4 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Columbia flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 6h 52m AAASAT AAQFRJ Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Columbia flights
MIA Miami 14h 44m CMEJAJD AA Miami (MIA) to Columbia flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Dulles to Columbia
2 carriers, 43 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 401 mi 1h 41m nonstop

IAD–CAE is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 401 miles in approximately 1h 41m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop IAD–CAE service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: CM, SN 22 CR5, E145, ERJ 1h30-1h48 78% Star Alliance CM, SN
TWY TWY 0 78%
Aircraft on this route
CR5 Bombardier CRJ-550 – UA
E145 Embraer ERJ-145 – UA
ERJ Embraer ERJ-135/140/145 – CM, SN, UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (22 flights/wk, 100%)
Unaffiliated: TWY (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, IAD to CAE direction.
Mon
6
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
6
flights
Thu
6
flights
Fri
6
flights
Sat
6
flights
Sun
7
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
7
Nonstop flights
43
Outbound / wk
44
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for IAD to CAE.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
19
Hubs
~3h
Fastest
~14h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
901
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
IAD → CAE
78%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
78%
Arriving
72%
Return
CAE → IAD
67%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
67%
Arriving
75%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. IAD delays → CAE delays →

Other ways to reach Columbia from Dulles

Nearby airports with service to Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
Metric IAD→CAE DCA→CAE CHO→CAE
Distance from IAD 23 mi 77 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 2 1
Weekly flights 43 26
Flight time 1h 41m 1h 33m 0h 50m
Departure OTP 78%
Airports within 200 miles of IAD with service to Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
0h
Columbia is 0 hours the same as Dulles.
IAD: EDT · CAE: EDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Dulles, it's 6:00 PM in Columbia.
Distance & Flight Time
401 mi / 646 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 1h 41m gate to gate.
Getting to IAD

WMATA Silver Line Metro now reaches Dulles directly; take Silver Line to Washington Dulles Airport station (about 65 min from Metro Center, ~$7). The connection opened in late 2022.Ride-shares from downtown DC run $35–60 and take 35–50 minutes via I-66 (longer during peak hours). Washington Flyer coach to Wiehle-Reston East Metro costs $6. The airport is 27 miles from downtown; taxis are expensive ($60–80).

IAD–CAE Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Dulles to Columbia route.
Route details
Distance401 mi / 646 km
Flight time1h 41m
Time difference0 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights43 out / 44 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: IAD
IATA / ICAOIAD / KIAD
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr26.0M
Elevation312 ft / 95 m
Destination: CAE
IATA / ICAOCAE / KCAE
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr1.3M
Elevation236 ft / 72 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IAD to CAE flights.
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to Columbia Metropolitan Airport take about 1h 41m gate to gate. The route covers 401 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from IAD to CAE: United Airlines, and others.
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 Charlotte Douglas, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta and LaGuardia.
Yes, return flights from CAE to IAD are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include DCA, CHO and RIC. 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 IAD to CAE

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines. With 43 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

IAD to CAE Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from IAD to CAE is about 1 hours 41 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 401 miles (646 km). There are approximately 43 weekly flights outbound and 44 return, totaling 87 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Charlotte Douglas, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta and LaGuardia. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Washington (DCA), Charlottesville (CHO) and Richmond (RIC).