Washington (DCA) to Houston (IAH)
Flight time
≈ 3h 13m
Bearing
245° SW
Washington (DCA) to Houston (IAH) is 1,206 miles (1,942 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–IAH
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DCA–IAH; the Bombardier CRJ-900 was the most common aircraft at 27% of departures; flights ran 74% full.
Departures
570
May 2026
Seats
70,969
both directions
Passengers
52,518
both directions
Load factor
74.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–IAH?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–IAH departures in May 2026 (413), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
413 departures · 59,092 seats
Share of departures72.5%74.3%
Load
- OH
157 departures · 11,877 seats
Share of departures27.5%72.6%
Load
What plane flies DCA–IAH?
In May 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-900 flew 27% of DCA–IAH departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Bombardier CRJ-900
152 departures · 72.1% load
26.7% - Airbus A320
143 departures · 75.2% load
25.1% - Airbus A319
112 departures · 74.1% load
19.7% - Boeing 737-700
70 departures · 75.3% load
12.3% - Boeing 737-800
43 departures · 80.6% load
7.5% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
42 departures · 67.0% load
7.4% - Bombardier CRJ-700
5 departures · 90.8% load
0.9% - Airbus A321neo
3 departures · 40.2% load
0.5%
How has DCA–IAH traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–IAH departures rose from 383 in June 2025 to 570 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–IAH traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
383 departures · 42,839 passengers
81.2%
Load
July 2025
399 departures · 45,101 passengers
80.0%
Load
August 2025
412 departures · 43,776 passengers
73.5%
Load
September 2025
545 departures · 43,025 passengers
61.7%
Load
October 2025
581 departures · 51,429 passengers
71.4%
Load
November 2025
525 departures · 46,278 passengers
67.1%
Load
December 2025
543 departures · 51,244 passengers
73.3%
Load
January 2026
527 departures · 40,620 passengers
62.4%
Load
February 2026
506 departures · 42,121 passengers
66.7%
Load
March 2026
553 departures · 52,997 passengers
76.7%
Load
April 2026
565 departures · 48,668 passengers
69.7%
Load
May 2026
570 departures · 52,518 passengers
74.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DCA → IAH
70.0% full
285 departures · 24,823 passengers
IAH → DCA
78.0% full
285 departures · 27,695 passengers
Nonstop DCA–IAH traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Washington (DCA) from Houston (IAH)?
DCA to IAH is 1,206 miles (1,942 km / 1,048 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to IAH?
A nonstop covers the 1,206-mile great-circle distance in roughly 3h 13m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–IAH?
In May 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-900 flew the largest share of departures (26.7%), followed by the Airbus A320 (25.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–IAH?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,206-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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