FLIGHT DELAYS & COMPENSATION
LHRIAD
DISTANCE BAND
Long-haul · £260–£520
London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flight delays & compensation
In July 2026, 1.1% of London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flights arrived 3 or more hours late — the UK261 compensation threshold — across 180 flights in official CAA data. That makes it the 6th most disruption-prone of the 90 UK routes tracked here in July 2026.
AIRLINES FLYING THIS ROUTE · 3
Punctuality · LHR → IAD
CAA DATA · JULY 2026 · 180 FLIGHTS ANALYSED- 15+ min late
- 21.5%of flights arrived late
- 3+ hours late
- 1.1%The compensation threshold — these flights may be owed.
- Cancelled
- 3.2%cancelled before departure
- Average delay
- 15minacross all departures
Delay statistics derived from UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) punctuality data. UK CAA flight punctuality statistics · July 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAA. How we calculate these figures →
Month by month · LHR → IAD
7 MONTHS OF CAA DATA| Month | Flights | 15m+ late | 3h+ late | Cancelled | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 140 | 21.1% | 0.0% | 5.4% | 12 min |
| February 2026 | 124 | 14.9% | 0.8% | 2.4% | 11 min |
| March 2026 | 151 | 14.8% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 10 min |
| April 2026 | 173 | 13.9% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 10 min |
| May 2026 | 184 | 27.9% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 21 min |
| June 2026 | 176 | 26.6% | 0.6% | 3.3% | 18 min |
| July 2026(latest) | 180 | 21.5% | 1.1% | 3.2% | 15 min |
Months where this route fell below our sample-size floor are not shown — see how these figures are calculated.
Airlines compared · LHR → IAD
JULY 2026 · MIN 20 FLIGHTS TO QUALIFY| Airline | Flights | 15m+ late | 3h+ late | Cancelled | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 89 | 25.8% | 1.1% | 4.3% | 15 min |
| United Airlines | 62 | 19.4% | 1.6% | 0.0% | 16 min |
| Virgin Atlantic(fewest severe delays on this route) | 29 | 13.0% | 0.0% | 6.5% | 12 min |
What you could be owed
LONG-HAUL · FIXED AMOUNT
£260–£520
If your LHR → IAD flight was delayed 3+ hours or cancelled and the airline was at fault, this is the fixed sum set by UK261 — regardless of your ticket price.
| Band | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| A | Under 1,500 kme.g. London–Paris, Manchester–Dublin | £220 |
| B | 1,500–3,500 kme.g. London–Athens, Edinburgh–Lisbon | £350 |
| C | Over 3,500 kme.g. London–New York · £260 if 3–4h late, £520 if 4h+ | £260–£520 |
Partner hand-off (AirHelp). Claim services typically charge a success fee — you can also claim directly with the airline for free.
Check your London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flight
Check · pre-filled for LHR → IAD
6 FIELDSIt depends
It depends — you may be owed ~£260 if it was the airline’s fault
- Your flight is covered by UK261 and the delay is long enough to qualify — but whether you’re actually owed money depends on the cause.
- If the delay was the airline’s fault (for example a technical or crew problem), you could be owed around £260. If it was caused by extraordinary circumstances like extreme weather or an air-traffic-control strike, no compensation would be due.
- Ask the airline for the specific reason in writing, then check your claim.
You usually have up to 6 years to claim in England, Wales & Northern Ireland (5 years in Scotland). This is for information — it does not affect the estimate above.
Partner hand-off (AirHelp). Claim services typically charge a success fee — you can also claim directly with the airline for free.
ESTIMATE ONLY · NOT LEGAL ADVICE · OFFICIAL CAA GUIDANCE
LHR → IAD — your questions
How often is the London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flight delayed?
In July 2026, 21.5% of London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flights arrived more than 15 minutes late, across 180 flights analysed in UK CAA data. The average delay was 15 minutes.
How much compensation could I get for a delayed London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flight?
1.1% of London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flights were delayed 3+ hours in July 2026 — the UK261 compensation threshold. If yours was one and the airline was at fault, this over 3,500 km (long-haul) route pays £260–£520 per passenger.
How often is the London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flight cancelled?
3.2% of London Heathrow to Washington Dulles flights were cancelled in July 2026. A cancellation with under 14 days' notice can qualify for the same fixed compensation as a long delay, depending on the re-routing you were offered.
Which airlines fly London Heathrow to Washington Dulles?
In this dataset, London Heathrow to Washington Dulles is flown by British Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.
Other routes
All from London Heathrow →All routes →- ALSO FROM LONDON HEATHROWLHR → DUBLondon Heathrow → Dublin3h+ 0%CNCL 1.2%up to £220
- ALSO FROM LONDON HEATHROWLHR → AMSLondon Heathrow → Amsterdam3h+ 0.2%CNCL 2.3%up to £220
- ALSO FROM LONDON HEATHROWLHR → FRALondon Heathrow → Frankfurt3h+ 0%CNCL 0.5%up to £220
- SAME COMPENSATION BANDLHR → YYZLondon Heathrow → Toronto Pearson3h+ 1.4%CNCL 1.9%up to £260–£520
- SAME COMPENSATION BANDLHR → ORDLondon Heathrow → Chicago O'Hare3h+ 0.4%CNCL 5%up to £260–£520
- SAME COMPENSATION BANDLHR → BOSLondon Heathrow → Boston3h+ 0%CNCL 2.8%up to £260–£520
- SIMILAR DISRUPTION LEVELLHR → BOMLondon Heathrow → Mumbai3h+ 0.4%CNCL 3.7%up to £260–£520
- SIMILAR DISRUPTION LEVELLHR → JFKLondon Heathrow → New York JFK3h+ 0.8%CNCL 4.5%up to £260–£520
Delay statistics derived from UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) punctuality data. UK CAA flight punctuality statistics · July 2026. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the CAA. How we calculate these figures →
UK261 amounts & eligibility rules last verified 8 July 2026 against gov.uk and CAA guidance by Mohammed Arafat Khot · about this site