ON TIMEBOARD

PHX → SEA on time

Phoenix Sky Harbor (Phoenix, AZ) to Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
7,202 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+56 min
average delay
Flights / day
20
5 airlines

81% of flights from Phoenix to Seattle arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 10 p.m. ones 55%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (87%). 5% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for PHX → SEA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 64% of the time. About 1 in 22 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 133 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 7,202 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines2,88684%0.8%−7 min3.4%+56 minAlaska Airlines
Delta Air Lines1,76787%1.0%−14 min4.4%+75 minDelta Air Lines
American Airlines1,39485%0.2%−9 min4.0%+57 minEnvoy 55%, SkyWest 29%, American Airlines 16%
Southwest Airlines1,03962%0.8%+5 min7.7%+45 minSouthwest Airlines
Frontier Airlines11684%0.0%−7 min9.5%+83 minFrontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at PHX). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: too few flights (73 flights)5a6 a.m. departures: 92% on time (516 flights)926a7 a.m. departures: 87% on time (695 flights)877a8 a.m. departures: 82% on time (590 flights)828a9 a.m. departures: 77% on time (480 flights)779a10 a.m. departures: 84% on time (275 flights)8410a11 a.m. departures: 85% on time (638 flights)8511anoon departures: 87% on time (461 flights)8712p1 p.m. departures: 82% on time (242 flights)821p2 p.m. departures: 82% on time (622 flights)822p3 p.m. departures: 78% on time (517 flights)783p4 p.m. departures: 79% on time (355 flights)794p5 p.m. departures: 78% on time (653 flights)785p6 p.m. departures: 71% on time (362 flights)716p7 p.m. departures: 85% on time (320 flights)857p8 p.m. departures: 75% on time (156 flights)758p9 p.m. departures: 55% on time (135 flights)559p10 p.m. departures: 55% on time (108 flights)5510p
PHX → SEA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsAlaska AirlinesDelta Air LinesAmerican AirlinesSouthwest Airlines
6 a.m.92%91%——
7 a.m.85%—90%—
8 a.m.81%87%83%78%
9 a.m.76%90%—68%
10 a.m.88%———
11 a.m.87%—83%—
noon87%91%——
1 p.m.84%———
2 p.m.84%75%83%—
3 p.m.78%82%——
4 p.m.83%———
5 p.m.90%81%80%—
6 p.m.77%———
7 p.m.84%89%——
9 p.m.———55%

Last flight of the day

On PHX → SEA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 0.7% for its earlier flights (1.3× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.7% of the time (earlier flights: 0.8%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines5:50 p.m.0.0%0.8%0.3%first flight 7:15 a.m.
Alaska Airlines6:53 p.m.1.6%0.5%0.6%first flight 7:20 a.m.
Delta Air Lines5:40 p.m.0.5%1.1%1.1%first flight 6:59 a.m.
Southwest Airlines9:45 p.m.1.4%0.3%0.4%first flight 8:35 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in SEA tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (86%). Worst: July (76%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (1,727 flights)81JanFeb: 86% on time (1,712 flights)86FebMar: 81% on time (2,045 flights)81MarApr: 85% on time (1,970 flights)85AprMay: 83% on time (1,887 flights)83MayJun: 76% on time (1,782 flights)76JunJul: 76% on time (1,812 flights)76JulAug: 77% on time (1,762 flights)77AugSep: 84% on time (1,746 flights)84SepOct: 86% on time (1,806 flights)86OctNov: 85% on time (1,745 flights)85NovDec: 81% on time (1,819 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday1,09580%0.8%
Tuesday98784%0.4%
Wednesday99183%0.1%
Thursday1,05379%0.5%
Friday1,06079%1.1%
Saturday97284%0.7%
Sunday1,04481%1.1%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 47%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: airline 33 · weather 12 · air traffic/airport 5

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 88% on time, 0.2% cancelledOct 2023: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 86% on time, 0.3% cancelledJan 2024: 73% on time, 6.5% cancelledFeb 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 86% on time, 0.1% cancelledApr 2024: 83% on time, 0.3% cancelledMay 2024: 80% on time, 0.2% cancelledJun 2024: 75% on time, 0.2% cancelledJul 2024: 67% on time, 1.6% cancelledAug 2024: 76% on time, 0.5% cancelledSep 2024: 81% on time, 0.2% cancelledOct 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 82% on time, 0.5% cancelledJan 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 80% on time, 1.1% cancelledMar 2025: 80% on time, 0.3% cancelledApr 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 82% on time, 0.5% cancelledJun 2025: 77% on time, 0.2% cancelledJul 2025: 82% on time, 0.5% cancelledAug 2025: 80% on time, 0.5% cancelledSep 2025: 84% on time, 0.5% cancelledOct 2025: 80% on time, 0.5% cancelledNov 2025: 80% on time, 1.0% cancelledDec 2025: 77% on time, 0.5% cancelledJan 2026: 84% on time, 1.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 90% on time, 0.2% cancelledMar 2026: 78% on time, 2.0% cancelledApr 2026: 87% on time, 0.1% cancelledMay 2026: 86% on time, 0.3% cancelledJun 2026: 77% on time, 0.4% cancelledJul 2026: 78% on time, 0.5% cancelledAug 2026: 76% on time, 1.1% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
PHX → SEA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AS 6056:00 a.m.23992%0.8%−8 minAlaska Airlines
AS 6457:00 a.m.33085%0.3%−5 minAlaska Airlines
AS 7997:20 a.m.14983%0.7%−4 minAlaska Airlines
DL 24448:00 a.m.29693%1.0%−19 minDelta Air Lines
DL 23748:45 a.m.17788%1.1%−11 minDelta Air Lines
AS 6379:10 a.m.36484%0.3%−6 minAlaska Airlines
AS 60311:23 a.m.34786%1.1%−11 minAlaska Airlines
DL 241912:12 p.m.36592%0.5%−15 minDelta Air Lines
DL 24493:45 p.m.24581%2.0%−11 minDelta Air Lines
AS 4014:02 p.m.23287%0.4%−9 minAlaska Airlines
DL 24425:35 p.m.18181%0.5%−9 minDelta Air Lines
AS 6116:53 p.m.32781%0.6%−6 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 13, 20262110%5
Sep 26, 20251921%2
Nov 10, 20252129%0
Oct 12, 20252129%0
Jul 16, 20262030%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Phoenix or Seattle. PHX → PAE has been 6 points more reliable.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
PHX → SEA (this route)7,20281%0.7%
PHX → PAE Phoenix Sky Harbor to Seattle Paine67488%0.6%

Questions

How often are flights from PHX to SEA on time?

81% of 7,202 scheduled flights from Phoenix, AZ to Seattle, WA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.7% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly PHX to SEA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 10 p.m. departures were the least (55%).

Which airline is most on time from PHX to SEA?

Delta Air Lines: 87% of its 1,767 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 84%. American Airlines: 85%. Southwest Airlines: 62%. Frontier Airlines: 84%.

What month has the most delays from PHX to SEA?

July (76% on time). The best month is February (86%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from PHX to SEA more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last PHX–SEA flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time over the past year, against 0.7% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.