Great-circle route SEA ↔ DCA. Faint dots are other airports, for geographic context. Download this map — free to reuse with a link back to this page.
Frequencies below are per direction, from our most recent schedule sample.
| Direction | Frequency | Days | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEA → DCA Seattle to Washington |
21/wk | Daily | Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines |
| DCA → SEA Washington to Seattle |
21/wk | Daily | Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines |
Where a direction shows “—” we track it as an operating nonstop but hold no schedule sample for it — we would rather show nothing than guess.
In 2025, airlines reported 280,813 passengers on 2,001 flights between SEA and DCA — about 770 a day — filling 85% of the 331,378 seats flown. Alaska Airlines Inc. carried the most passengers (72%).
Source: US DOT T-100 segment reports — actual airline-reported traffic, scheduled service only, both directions combined. Cargo and charter flights excluded.
2 airlines fly the SEA–DCA nonstop, including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines.
Recent scheduled departures on this route have used the Airbus A320, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737.
Aircraft assignments change by season and by time of day.
On a long east–west route like this one the two directions do not take the same time. Aircraft flying eastbound ride the mid-latitude jet stream and typically arrive earlier than the westbound leg, which flies into it. The difference is commonly 30 to 90 minutes on transatlantic and transpacific flights, and it varies by season. The estimate above does not model wind — treat it as a midpoint and check the airline's own timetable for the block time on your date.
The distance between Seattle Tacoma International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is 2,323 miles, or 3,738 kilometres.
| Great-circle distance | 2,323 mi |
| Kilometres | 3,738 km |
| Nautical miles | 2,019 nmi |
Measured airport to airport. The actual track is longer — aircraft follow airways, avoid restricted airspace and route around weather.
Yes. 2 airlines fly the route nonstop, with about 42 departures a week across both directions. The route is in our live nonstop dataset, last seeded 2026-07-07.
About 5h 04m in the air. That is a great-circle estimate from the 2,323-mile distance, not a scheduled block time — an airline's published time will differ by roughly 15 to 45 minutes depending on routing, winds and taxi.
About 21 a week from Seattle to Washington and 21 a week from Washington to Seattle, from our most recent schedule sample.
Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines.
In 2025, airlines reported 280,813 passengers on 2,001 scheduled flights between SEA and DCA — about 770 a day — filling 85% of the seats flown. Source: US DOT T-100 segment reports, both directions combined.
Recent scheduled departures have used the Airbus A320, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737. Assignments change by season and by time of day.
