Washington (DCA) to St Louis (STL)
Flight time
≈ 2h 14m
Bearing
274° W
Washington (DCA) to St Louis (STL) is 717 miles (1,154 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–STL
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop DCA–STL; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 42% of departures; flights ran 72% full.
Departures
387
April 2026
Seats
45,892
both directions
Passengers
32,922
both directions
Load factor
71.7%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DCA–STL?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–STL departures in April 2026 (233), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- WN
Southwest Airlines
233 departures · 34,581 seats
Share of departures60.2%70.6%
Load
- OH
PSA Airlines
152 departures · 10,925 seats
Share of departures39.3%74.9%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
2 departures · 386 seats
Share of departures0.5%87.6%
Load
What plane flies DCA–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 42% of DCA–STL departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
163 departures · 72.3% load
42.1% - Bombardier CRJ-900
95 departures · 72.6% load
24.6% - Bombardier CRJ-700
57 departures · 79.3% load
14.7% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
48 departures · 65.3% load
12.4% - Boeing 737-800
22 departures · 72.4% load
5.7% - Airbus A321
1 departures · 88.4% load
0.3% - Airbus A321neo
1 departures · 86.7% load
0.3%
How has DCA–STL traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–STL departures fell from 400 in May 2025 to 387 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–STL traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
400 departures · 42,971 passengers
77.5%
Load
June 2025
378 departures · 38,863 passengers
76.8%
Load
July 2025
371 departures · 37,327 passengers
77.1%
Load
August 2025
390 departures · 36,767 passengers
68.8%
Load
September 2025
434 departures · 37,628 passengers
65.3%
Load
October 2025
445 departures · 40,041 passengers
69.4%
Load
November 2025
407 departures · 30,547 passengers
64.0%
Load
December 2025
401 departures · 32,592 passengers
66.2%
Load
January 2026
368 departures · 23,846 passengers
51.0%
Load
February 2026
344 departures · 23,123 passengers
55.1%
Load
March 2026
387 departures · 33,119 passengers
70.8%
Load
April 2026
387 departures · 32,922 passengers
71.7%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
DCA → STL
68.9% full
194 departures · 16,019 passengers
STL → DCA
74.7% full
193 departures · 16,903 passengers
Nonstop DCA–STL 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 St Louis (STL)?
DCA to STL is 717 miles (1,154 km / 623 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to STL?
A nonstop covers the 717-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 14m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (42.1%), followed by the Bombardier CRJ-900 (24.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–STL?
Distance-based programs credit off the 717-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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