SEA to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 954 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (90% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (81%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (91% on time); around 8pm did worst (72%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Sunday the least (79%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (51%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA to LAX?
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 | 90% | 0.0% | 9 min | 4.3% | 392 |
| American Airlines | 87% | 0.0% | 18 min | 13.3% | 15 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 85% | 0.7% | 19 min | 6.9% | 1,237 |
| Delta Air Lines | 83% | 0.6% | 11 min | 4.5% | 2,226 |
| Alaska Airlines | 81% | 0.9% | 9 min | 3.5% | 3,289 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 3.1% | 13 min | 6.3% | 295 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am86%685 flights
- 7am90%731 flights
- 8am91%319 flights
- 9am83%332 flights
- 10am86%599 flights
- 11am74%344 flights
- 12pm90%601 flights
- 1pm83%213 flights
- 2pm80%509 flights
- 3pm80%291 flights
- 4pm85%264 flights
- 5pm81%986 flights
- 6pm79%355 flights
- 7pm78%537 flights
- 8pm72%319 flights
- 9pm72%328 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday83%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.7% cancelled
- Friday81%1.6% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.4% cancelled
- Sunday79%1.3% 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)51%
- Late-arriving aircraft31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)63%
- Extreme weather30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Security0%
SEA to LAX: common questions
- How often are SEA to LAX flights on time?
- 83% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (63 of 7,454).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 4.5% 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: LAX to SEA — 85% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.