DTW to SEA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport · 1,927 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or SEA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Detroit (DTW) to Seattle (SEA) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (75% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 6pm did best (84% on time); around 8pm did worst (60%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Sunday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (47%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to SEA?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 75% | 0.2% | 13 min | 5.9% | 544 |
| Delta Air Lines | 73% | 0.9% | 17 min | 6.1% | 1,520 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am84%125 flights
- 7am77%135 flights
- 8am76%335 flights
- 9am68%31 flights
- 12pm77%339 flights
- 1pm88%25 flights
- 3pm93%45 flights
- 4pm67%423 flights
- 5pm78%179 flights
- 6pm84%90 flights
- 7pm66%59 flights
- 8pm60%274 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%1.7% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday69%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday77%1.1% cancelled
- Sunday67%0.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)87%
- Extreme weather13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DTW to SEA: common questions
- How often are DTW to SEA flights on time?
- 73% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Detroit to Seattle cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (15 of 2,064).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SEA to DTW — 85% on time
More flights from Detroit
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DTW → SEA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.