Washington (DCA) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 2h 01m
Bearing
294° NW
Washington (DCA) to Chicago (ORD) is 611 miles (983 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–ORD
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop DCA–ORD; the Airbus A319 was the most common aircraft at 32% of departures; flights ran 76% full.
Departures
1,093
April 2026
Seats
139,121
both directions
Passengers
106,030
both directions
Load factor
76.2%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DCA–ORD?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–ORD departures in April 2026 (495), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
495 departures · 71,206 seats
Share of departures45.3%73.9%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
333 departures · 47,786 seats
Share of departures30.5%76.4%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
216 departures · 16,416 seats
Share of departures19.8%84.6%
Load
- MQ
Envoy Air
48 departures · 3,648 seats
Share of departures4.4%81.1%
Load
- OH
PSA Airlines
1 departures · 65 seats
Share of departures0.1%47.7%
Load
What plane flies DCA–ORD?
In April 2026, the Airbus A319 flew 32% of DCA–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A319
353 departures · 78.0% load
32.3% - Embraer E175
264 departures · 84.0% load
24.1% - Boeing 737-800
178 departures · 74.7% load
16.3% - Boeing 737-700
118 departures · 75.4% load
10.8% - Airbus A320
87 departures · 82.2% load
8.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
72 departures · 64.3% load
6.6% - Airbus A321neo
18 departures · 47.8% load
1.7% - Airbus A321
2 departures · 53.2% load
0.2% - Bombardier CRJ-700
1 departures · 47.7% load
0.1%
How has DCA–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–ORD departures fell from 1,099 in May 2025 to 1,093 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
1,099 departures · 124,171 passengers
76.0%
Load
June 2025
1,104 departures · 127,554 passengers
79.1%
Load
July 2025
1,091 departures · 122,670 passengers
75.7%
Load
August 2025
1,131 departures · 121,161 passengers
73.8%
Load
September 2025
1,149 departures · 112,698 passengers
67.2%
Load
October 2025
1,184 departures · 123,868 passengers
72.1%
Load
November 2025
1,068 departures · 93,342 passengers
70.9%
Load
December 2025
1,090 departures · 93,937 passengers
71.1%
Load
January 2026
1,090 departures · 71,884 passengers
54.4%
Load
February 2026
1,045 departures · 77,371 passengers
61.3%
Load
March 2026
1,108 departures · 104,693 passengers
77.3%
Load
April 2026
1,093 departures · 106,030 passengers
76.2%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
ORD → DCA
76.5% full
548 departures · 52,925 passengers
DCA → ORD
76.0% full
545 departures · 53,105 passengers
Nonstop DCA–ORD 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 Chicago (ORD)?
DCA to ORD is 611 miles (983 km / 531 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 611-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 01m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–ORD?
In April 2026, the Airbus A319 flew the largest share of departures (32.3%), followed by the Embraer E175 (24.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 611-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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