Washington (DCA) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
Flight time
≈ 1h 15m
Bearing
206° SW
Washington (DCA) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) is 227 miles (365 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–RDU
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Endeavor Air operated the most departures, one of 7 carriers flying nonstop DCA–RDU; the Bombardier CRJ-900 was the most common aircraft at 50% of departures; flights ran 65% full.
Departures
499
May 2026
Seats
38,179
both directions
Passengers
24,723
both directions
Load factor
64.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–RDU?
Endeavor Air operated the most nonstop DCA–RDU departures in May 2026 (172), one of 7 carriers on the route.
- 9E
172 departures · 12,585 seats
Share of departures34.5%50.2%
Load
- OH
148 departures · 10,511 seats
Share of departures29.7%73.5%
Load
- MQ
90 departures · 6,840 seats
Share of departures18.0%75.9%
Load
- YX
63 departures · 4,788 seats
Share of departures12.6%76.3%
Load
- AA
24 departures · 3,140 seats
Share of departures4.8%51.4%
Load
- B6
1 departures · 140 seats
Share of departures0.2%95.7%
Load
- WN
1 departures · 175 seats
Share of departures0.2%45.7%
Load
What plane flies DCA–RDU?
In May 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-900 flew 50% of DCA–RDU departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Bombardier CRJ-900
252 departures · 58.3% load
50.5% - Embraer E175
153 departures · 76.1% load
30.7% - Bombardier CRJ-700
68 departures · 71.3% load
13.6% - Airbus A319
23 departures · 48.2% load
4.6% - Airbus A321neo
1 departures · 99.5% load
0.2% - Airbus A220-300
1 departures · 95.7% load
0.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
1 departures · 45.7% load
0.2%
How has DCA–RDU traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–RDU departures rose from 429 in June 2025 to 499 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–RDU traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
429 departures · 24,564 passengers
69.7%
Load
July 2025
410 departures · 24,565 passengers
71.9%
Load
August 2025
492 departures · 24,677 passengers
63.8%
Load
September 2025
509 departures · 25,999 passengers
62.6%
Load
October 2025
526 departures · 27,895 passengers
68.4%
Load
November 2025
468 departures · 21,417 passengers
60.7%
Load
December 2025
439 departures · 22,174 passengers
65.3%
Load
January 2026
457 departures · 19,296 passengers
54.5%
Load
February 2026
459 departures · 22,340 passengers
63.9%
Load
March 2026
519 departures · 27,193 passengers
68.0%
Load
April 2026
499 departures · 23,128 passengers
61.0%
Load
May 2026
499 departures · 24,723 passengers
64.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
RDU → DCA
64.9% full
251 departures · 12,524 passengers
DCA → RDU
64.6% full
248 departures · 12,199 passengers
Nonstop DCA–RDU 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 Raleigh/Durham (RDU)?
DCA to RDU is 227 miles (365 km / 197 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to RDU?
A nonstop covers the 227-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 15m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–RDU?
In May 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-900 flew the largest share of departures (50.5%), followed by the Embraer E175 (30.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–RDU?
Distance-based programs credit off the 227-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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