Washington (DCA) to Los Angeles (LAX)
Flight time
≈ 5h 25m
Bearing
275° W
Washington (DCA) to Los Angeles (LAX) is 2,306 miles (3,711 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–LAX
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, American Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop DCA–LAX; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 28% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
237
May 2026
Seats
41,150
both directions
Passengers
38,027
both directions
Load factor
92.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–LAX?
American Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–LAX departures in May 2026 (120), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- AA
120 departures · 21,930 seats
Share of departures50.6%93.3%
Load
- AS
61 departures · 9,817 seats
Share of departures25.7%92.6%
Load
- DL
56 departures · 9,403 seats
Share of departures23.6%90.1%
Load
What plane flies DCA–LAX?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 28% of DCA–LAX departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
67 departures · 94.0% load
28.3% - Boeing 737-800
60 departures · 92.7% load
25.3% - Boeing 757-200
56 departures · 90.1% load
23.6% - Airbus A321neo
53 departures · 92.7% load
22.4% - Airbus A321
1 departures · 81.6% load
0.4%
How has DCA–LAX traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–LAX departures rose from 230 in June 2025 to 237 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–LAX traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
230 departures · 36,211 passengers
87.7%
Load
July 2025
239 departures · 37,275 passengers
86.8%
Load
August 2025
243 departures · 38,910 passengers
89.1%
Load
September 2025
238 departures · 36,280 passengers
84.7%
Load
October 2025
248 departures · 37,405 passengers
83.9%
Load
November 2025
233 departures · 35,430 passengers
84.7%
Load
December 2025
242 departures · 38,445 passengers
88.1%
Load
January 2026
231 departures · 34,957 passengers
84.2%
Load
February 2026
222 departures · 33,563 passengers
84.0%
Load
March 2026
245 departures · 39,413 passengers
89.4%
Load
April 2026
234 departures · 36,902 passengers
88.8%
Load
May 2026
237 departures · 38,027 passengers
92.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LAX → DCA
92.0% full
121 departures · 19,327 passengers
DCA → LAX
92.8% full
116 departures · 18,700 passengers
Nonstop DCA–LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX)?
DCA to LAX is 2,306 miles (3,711 km / 2,004 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to LAX?
A nonstop covers the 2,306-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 25m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–LAX?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (28.3%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (25.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–LAX?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,306-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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