Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 37m
Bearing
307° NW
Washington (DCA) to Detroit (DTW) is 405 miles (651 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–DTW
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Delta Air Lines operated the most departures, one of 4 carriers flying nonstop DCA–DTW; the Airbus A319 was the most common aircraft at 47% of departures; flights ran 77% full.
Departures
518
April 2026
Seats
55,783
both directions
Passengers
42,775
both directions
Load factor
76.7%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DCA–DTW?
Delta Air Lines operated the most nonstop DCA–DTW departures in April 2026 (286), one of 4 carriers on the route.
- DL
Delta Air Lines
286 departures · 38,745 seats
Share of departures55.2%80.0%
Load
- OH
PSA Airlines
125 departures · 8,807 seats
Share of departures24.1%62.4%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
106 departures · 8,056 seats
Share of departures20.5%76.1%
Load
- WN
Southwest Airlines
1 departures · 175 seats
Share of departures0.2%89.7%
Load
What plane flies DCA–DTW?
In April 2026, the Airbus A319 flew 47% of DCA–DTW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A319
244 departures · 81.3% load
47.1% - Embraer E175
106 departures · 76.1% load
20.5% - Bombardier CRJ-700
63 departures · 64.7% load
12.2% - Bombardier CRJ-900
62 departures · 60.3% load
12.0% - Airbus A320
40 departures · 72.7% load
7.7% - Airbus A220-300
2 departures · 97.7% load
0.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
1 departures · 89.7% load
0.2%
How has DCA–DTW traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–DTW departures rose from 465 in May 2025 to 518 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–DTW traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
465 departures · 44,898 passengers
79.1%
Load
June 2025
429 departures · 42,688 passengers
80.8%
Load
July 2025
437 departures · 42,047 passengers
83.3%
Load
August 2025
459 departures · 41,428 passengers
79.9%
Load
September 2025
497 departures · 40,696 passengers
75.1%
Load
October 2025
520 departures · 43,455 passengers
76.1%
Load
November 2025
493 departures · 40,605 passengers
75.4%
Load
December 2025
459 departures · 36,442 passengers
72.9%
Load
January 2026
450 departures · 29,853 passengers
59.7%
Load
February 2026
458 departures · 33,953 passengers
66.8%
Load
March 2026
507 departures · 42,613 passengers
78.8%
Load
April 2026
518 departures · 42,775 passengers
76.7%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
DCA → DTW
78.5% full
259 departures · 21,927 passengers
DTW → DCA
74.9% full
259 departures · 20,848 passengers
Nonstop DCA–DTW traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Washington (DCA) from Detroit (DTW)?
DCA to DTW is 405 miles (651 km / 352 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to DTW?
A nonstop covers the 405-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 37m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–DTW?
In April 2026, the Airbus A319 flew the largest share of departures (47.1%), followed by the Embraer E175 (20.5%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–DTW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 405-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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