SEA to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 1,721 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or ORD 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 Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (89% on time); around 1pm did worst (56%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (37%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA to ORD?
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 | 80% | 0.9% | 19 min | 7.5% | 1,503 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 1.2% | 18 min | 9.1% | 907 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 1.9% | 28 min | 10.5% | 1,350 |
| Alaska Airlines | 73% | 1.3% | 17 min | 7.3% | 1,791 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12am80%424 flights
- 6am89%285 flights
- 7am87%791 flights
- 8am74%360 flights
- 10am71%917 flights
- 11am63%260 flights
- 12pm72%115 flights
- 1pm56%480 flights
- 2pm69%244 flights
- 3pm67%253 flights
- 4pm83%106 flights
- 5pm78%781 flights
- 10pm91%67 flights
- 11pm82%407 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%2.4% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday80%1.4% cancelled
- Thursday74%1.1% cancelled
- Friday72%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday78%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday70%1.6% 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)37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather53%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Security0%
SEA to ORD: common questions
- How often are SEA to ORD flights on time?
- 76% 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 Chicago cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (72 of 5,551).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 20 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 8.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to SEA — 68% 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 → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.