Philadelphia to Washington (PHL–DCA) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

PHL Airport Page →
119 mi airlines charter/private 20/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 10 flights Verified 51m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AA5363
AA American
CR9
3:25 PM
EDT TF
4:48 PM
EDT
1h 23m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5265
AA American
CR7
7:35 PM
EDT TF
9:01 PM
EDT
1h 26m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA4640
AA American
E75S
7:40 PM
EDT TC
9:13 PM
EDT
1h 33m
42%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5023
Starts Oct 5 Seat map
AA American
CR9 Seat map
10:25 AM
EDT T2
11:38 AM
EDT
1h 13m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5304+1
AA American
CR9
1:33 PM
EDT T2
2:40 PM
EDT
1h 7m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
BA1848cs
BA British
CR9
1:33 PM
EDT T2
2:40 PM
EDT
1h 7m
53%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AS4248+1
AS Alaska
CR9
5:18 PM
EDT T2
6:32 PM
EDT
1h 14m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA4801+1
AA American
E75
5:18 PM
EDT T2
6:40 PM
EDT
1h 22m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
BA1853cs
BA British
CR9
5:35 PM
EDT T2
6:50 PM
EDT
1h 15m
53%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA5248
AA American
CR9
7:00 PM
EDT T2
8:53 PM
EDT
1h 53m
43%
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
ORF Norfolk 3h 24m AAASEJA AAAS Norfolk (ORF) to Washington flights
BDL Hartford 3h 42m AAASEI AAAS Hartford (BDL) to Washington flights
RDU Raleigh/Durham 3h 45m AABAEI AAASDL Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Washington flights
SYR Syracuse 3h 49m AAQR AAAS Syracuse (SYR) to Washington flights
GSO Greensboro 3h 56m AAQR AA Greensboro (GSO) to Washington flights
PVD Providence/Warwick 4h 2m AAASQR AAWN Providence/Warwick (PVD) to Washington flights
ILM Wilmington 4h 3m AAQR AAAS Wilmington (ILM) to Washington flights
BUF Buffalo 4h 5m AAQR AAAS Buffalo (BUF) to Washington flights
CMH Columbus 4h 6m AAASBA AAWN Columbus (CMH) to Washington flights
CLT Charlotte 4h 11m AAASBA AABA Charlotte (CLT) to Washington flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Philadelphia to Washington
4 carriers, 20 flights/week nonstop.
4 Airlines 119 mi 1h 26m nonstop

PHL–DCA is served by 4 airlines with nonstop service. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue lead the route. The flight covers 119 miles in approximately 1h 26m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop PHL–DCA service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines 20 CR7, CR9, E75S 1h23-1h33 84% Oneworld
AS Alaska Airlines 0 84% Oneworld
B6 JetBlue 0 84%
BA British Airways 0 84% Oneworld
Aircraft on this route
CR7 Bombardier CRJ-700 – AA
CR9 Bombardier CRJ-900 – AA
E75S Embraer E175 STD – AA
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA + AS + BA (20 flights/wk, 100%)
Unaffiliated: B6 (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, PHL to DCA direction.
Mon
3
flights
Tue
3
flights
Wed
3
flights
Thu
3
flights
Fri
3
flights
Sat
2
flights
Sun
3
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
3
Nonstop flights
20
Outbound / wk
42
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for PHL to DCA.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
82
Hubs
~3h
Fastest
~28h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,605
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
PHL → DCA
84%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
84%
Arriving
84%
Return
DCA → PHL
91%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
91%
Arriving
88%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. PHL delays → DCA delays →

Other ways to reach Washington from Philadelphia

Nearby airports with service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Metric PHL→DCA EWR→DCA MDT→DCA
Distance from PHL 80 mi 83 mi
Nonstop airlines 4 3 1
Weekly flights 20 94
Flight time 1h 26m 1h 24m 0h 49m
Departure OTP 84%
Airports within 200 miles of PHL with service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
0h
Washington is 0 hours the same as Philadelphia.
PHL: EDT · DCA: EDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Philadelphia, it's 6:00 PM in Washington.
Distance & Flight Time
119 mi / 192 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 1h 26m gate to gate.
Getting to PHL

SEPTA Airport Line rail runs from Center City Philadelphia (30th Street, Suburban, Jefferson, and Market East stations) to the airport in 25–30 minutes ($8 each way). Trains run every 30 minutes from about 5am to midnight. I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) and I-95 are both frequently congested, making the train a consistent choice for anyone based near a SEPTA station.

Ride-shares from Center City cost $20–35 and take 20–40 minutes. Taxis are metered and slightly more.

Getting from DCA

The Metro station is inside Terminal B/C with covered walkway access; Terminal A requires a short outdoor walk or shuttle. Yellow and Blue line trains run to downtown DC in 15–25 minutes for $2.25–$3.85.

Taxis and Uber/Lyft operate from designated pick-up zones outside each terminal; fares to downtown run $15–30. DCA serves the National Mall area and is well-positioned for the U.S. Capitol, Pentagon, and downtown offices. International arrivals clear customs at DCA only for pre-cleared flights; most international traffic uses IAD (Dulles). Rental cars are in a consolidated facility accessible by shuttle.

Washington Climate

Humid subtropical climate. Summers (June–August) are hot and very humid at 29–34°C with frequent afternoon thunderstorms causing ground stops and airspace flow programs. The summer storm season is the primary operational disruption risk at DCA. Spring and autumn are transitional with variable conditions and occasional severe thunderstorm outbreaks.

Winters (December–February) bring cold temperatures (−2 to 7°C) with occasional snowstorms that disproportionately affect the DC area due to limited snow-removal infrastructure. Even moderate snowfall (5–10 cm) can shut regional airports for hours. Pack layers for winter; the region's storm response is notoriously inconsistent.

PHL–DCA Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Philadelphia to Washington route.
Route details
Distance119 mi / 192 km
Flight time1h 26m
Time difference0 hours
Airlines (nonstop)4
Weekly flights20 out / 42 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: PHL
IATA / ICAOPHL / KPHL
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr30.2M
Elevation36 ft / 11 m
Destination: DCA
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about PHL to DCA flights.
Nonstop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport take about 1h 26m gate to gate. The route covers 119 miles.
4 airlines operate flights from PHL to DCA: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and British Airways.
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 Norfolk, Bradley and Raleigh-Durham.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to DCA and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
Yes, return flights from DCA to PHL are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include EWR, MDT and BWI. 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 PHL to DCA

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are connected by nonstop service from American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and British Airways. With 20 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

PHL to DCA Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from PHL to DCA is about 1 hours 26 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 119 miles (192 km). There are approximately 20 weekly flights outbound and 42 return, totaling 62 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Norfolk, Bradley and Raleigh-Durham. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Newark (EWR), Harrisburg (MDT) and Baltimore (BWI).