ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → BIL on time

Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA) to Billings Logan (Billings, MT). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
84%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
917 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+43 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

84% of flights from Seattle to Billings arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 9 p.m. departures ran on time 93% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 75%. 4% 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 SEA → BIL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 72% of the time. About 1 in 42 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 459 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 917 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines91784%1.0%−6 min2.4%+43 minHorizon Air

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 SEA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: too few flights (66 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (98 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (86 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (81 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 75% on time (193 flights)753p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: 88% on time (199 flights)888p9 p.m. departures: 93% on time (148 flights)939p
SEA → BIL, 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

Last flight of the day

On SEA → BIL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.4%). 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
Alaska Airlines8:59 p.m.0.8%0.0%1.1%first flight 10:09 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: April (95%). Worst: August (70%).

40%70%100%Jan: 88% on time (172 flights)88JanFeb: 86% on time (160 flights)86FebMar: 88% on time (183 flights)88MarApr: 95% on time (188 flights)95AprMay: 84% on time (246 flights)84MayJun: 80% on time (270 flights)80JunJul: 76% on time (291 flights)76JulAug: 70% on time (270 flights)70AugSep: 88% on time (257 flights)88SepOct: 89% on time (263 flights)89OctNov: 92% on time (221 flights)92NovDec: 85% on time (186 flights)85Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday13487%1.5%
Tuesday13183%0.0%
Wednesday13190%0.8%
Thursday13579%2.2%
Friday13378%1.5%
Saturday12386%0.8%
Sunday13085%0.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 41%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 38%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 17%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: weather 5 · airline 3 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

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 23533:49 p.m.25079%1.2%−2 minHorizon Air
AS 24579:15 p.m.31490%1.0%−12 minHorizon Air

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 24, 202630%0
Jul 25, 202630%0
Aug 18, 202630%0
May 29, 202630%0
May 14, 2026333%0

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to BIL on time?

84% of 917 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to Billings, MT arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.0% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 p.m. were the most reliable (93% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (75%).

What month has the most delays from SEA to BIL?

August (70% on time). The best month is April (95%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SEA–BIL flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 1.1% 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.