ORD to SEA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport · 1,721 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or SEA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (ORD) to Seattle (SEA) arrived on time 68% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (75% on time); American Airlines was the least (63%).
- Departures scheduled around 1pm did best (83% on time); around 8pm did worst (51%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (72% on time) and Friday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 75% | 0.7% | 16 min | 6.6% | 1,504 |
| Delta Air Lines | 67% | 1.4% | 24 min | 8.8% | 907 |
| Alaska Airlines | 67% | 1.9% | 23 min | 10.6% | 1,796 |
| American Airlines | 63% | 1.9% | 26 min | 13.0% | 1,351 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am81%475 flights
- 7am79%647 flights
- 8am75%541 flights
- 9am75%192 flights
- 10am66%331 flights
- 11am69%258 flights
- 12pm75%134 flights
- 1pm83%412 flights
- 2pm61%209 flights
- 3pm67%377 flights
- 4pm72%295 flights
- 5pm54%418 flights
- 6pm57%313 flights
- 7pm58%340 flights
- 8pm51%368 flights
- 9pm53%146 flights
- 10pm47%102 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday72%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday69%1.0% cancelled
- Thursday67%1.6% cancelled
- Friday66%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday71%1.1% cancelled
- Sunday66%2.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather55%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Security0%
ORD to SEA: common questions
- How often are ORD to SEA flights on time?
- 68% 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 Chicago to Seattle cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (82 of 5,558).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 65 min behind schedule on average, and 9.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 26 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SEA to ORD — 76% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORD → SEA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.