SEA to MSY flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport · 2,086 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or MSY 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 New Orleans (MSY) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 10pm did best (95% on time); around 9am did worst (75%).
- Monday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Thursday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (52%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA to MSY?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 100% | 0.0% | 2 min | 0.0% | 5 |
| Alaska Airlines | 81% | 0.3% | 9 min | 3.2% | 622 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 9am75%130 flights
- 10am84%172 flights
- 11am80%64 flights
- 5pm86%35 flights
- 10pm95%21 flights
- 11pm80%201 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday77%1.1% cancelled
- Friday80%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday78%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday81%0.0% 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)52%
- Late-arriving aircraft27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SEA to MSY: common questions
- How often are SEA to MSY flights on time?
- 81% 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 New Orleans cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 627).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 9 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 41 min behind schedule on average, and 3.2% 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: MSY to SEA — 72% 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 → MSY, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.