SEA to FAI flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Fairbanks International Airport · 1,533 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or FAI right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to Fairbanks (FAI) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 11pm did best (88% on time); around 7pm did worst (72%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Thursday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (49%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA to FAI?
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 | 78% | 0.4% | 11 min | 3.4% | 1,809 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 2.1% | 18 min | 6.1% | 482 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 9am79%299 flights
- 10am73%119 flights
- 11am80%86 flights
- 12pm78%345 flights
- 4pm86%36 flights
- 5pm72%145 flights
- 6pm81%64 flights
- 7pm72%185 flights
- 8pm80%124 flights
- 9pm77%465 flights
- 10pm75%118 flights
- 11pm88%305 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%0.6% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.6% cancelled
- Friday75%1.8% cancelled
- Saturday81%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday77%0.6% 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)49%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather72%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SEA to FAI: common questions
- How often are SEA to FAI flights on time?
- 78% 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 Seattle to Fairbanks cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (18 of 2,291).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 4.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: FAI to SEA — 82% on time
More flights from Seattle
More flights to Fairbanks
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → FAI, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.