DCA ranked least reliable airport in U.S. in 2026: Report

WASHINGTON - As the U.S. approaches the busiest travel season of the year, a new report has ranked airports across the country in terms of their reliability.

Unfortunately, the DMV is featured prominently toward the bottom of the rankings, and Reagan Airport earned the dubious distinction of the least-reliable major airport in the country. 

DCA ranked least reliable large airport in 2026

Local perspective:

A new report from Consumer Affairs ranked airports across the country on their reliability, based on their rate of cancellations, delays and diversions. And it might not surprise many in the DMV to learn that DCA was ranked dead last. 

DCA leads the nation in cancellations (2.8%), according to the report, which used data from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, and cancels its last flight of the day, more than any other large airport in the country.

But, not all the blame can be placed on DCA itself. According to ConsumerAffairs, nearly half of their delays are caused by flights showing up late. That's more than any of the five worst major airports. 

The top 10 most reliable airports

Big picture view:

The most reliable airports all share some major characteristics, mainly very low rates of cancellation and severe delays (3+ hours). A vast majority of them were also in the Western U.S.

Here are the top 10 most reliable airports, according to Consumer Affairs:

1. Los Angeles International (LAX)
2. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
3. Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
4. Salt Lake City International (SLC)
5. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
6. San Francisco International (SFO)
7. Harry Reid International (LAS)
8. Boston Logan International (BOS)
9. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
10. Nashville International (BNA)

Top 10 least reliable airports

On the other hand, a big chunk of the worst airports on the list are here in the Northeast: 

1. Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA)
2. Dalls Fort Worth International (DFW)
3. Newark Liberty International (EWR)
4. Miami International (MIA)
5. Philadelphia International (PHL)
6. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL)
7. LaGuardia (LGA)
8. Tampa International (TPA)
9. Washington Dulles International (IAD)
10. George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)

Dig deeper:

The Consumer Affairs report also looked at medium-sized and small airports. Out of them, President Donald J. Trump International in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Asheville Regional in North Carolina ranked at the bottom.

The full data can be found below. 

You can read Consumer Affairs' full report here.

The Source: Information in this story is from ConsumerAffairs.com, which used data on airport diversions, cancellations and delays from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.